The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1909-09-09
STRONG SERMON BY
DR.. MERRIAM
The Watchman's Editor
breaches at Bethany
Without Toll and Suffering, No Char
acter Can Be Developed.

Rev. Edmund F. Merriam, D. D.,
of Sharon, Mass, editor of The
Watchman, of Boston, one of the fore
most of the Baptist UNCONVENTIONAL
papers, occupied the pulpit of the
Bethany Baptist church Sunday
morning in place of the regular pas
tor, his brother, Rev. George Mer-
riam.
Had the day been a pleasant one,
undoubtedly a very large congrega-
ten would have been present, for Dr.
Merriam is man who is known
through the medium of The Watch
man to the great majority of fam
lilies of the Baptist faith, and what
ever he says contains the sage wisdom
that comes from close and personal
acquaintance with the events of the
passing day. A fair sized audience
however had braved the heavy rain
and were we'll rewarded in their de-
votional zeal.
DR.. Merriam took for his text the
following, found in Romans 5:2O:
But where sin abounded. grace did
much more abound"
He said in part: Schopenhauer, the
German philosopher, has claimed that
the world in which we live Is the
worst possible world. If we look
simply at the evil in the world it
may be thought that the German phil
osopher is right; but careful study
of our text and the world itself may
lead us tc quite different conclusions.
We shall, find that while sin makes
the world bad, the grace of God
makes 1t the best possible world
Shall we believe Schopenhauer or the
Bible?
First, let US observe that the world
as it Is is a necessity for the continu-
ance Of the human race. God first
made the vegetable aud the animal
world. The only difference between
the animal and the human being Is
the freedom of choice which Is given
to man as his greatest possession.
For what the animal does, he is not
to be held accountable-he Is not
morally at fault. Had God created
another race Of beings with a ten
dency to follow the good, God would
have dstroyed the choice which is
mans power to exercise. Therefore,
the world is a necessity for the ex-
istence of the human race. The pos
sibility of sin, therefore, becomes a
necessity. 1t Is one of mans crea-
tons.
Second, the world as 1t is is a ne
cessity for the creation of character
God created angels, but they have
no character. Character is devel-
oped by the stern realities of life
Men who are ruling the world are
men who have had to struggle. The
rich mems sons are not SO apt to
reach the conspicuous places in life,
as those of the poor men who have
had to fight their way from the be-
ginning. AS of men, so of women.
At Colby college in Waterville stands
Foss Hail. 1t is a monument to a
woman who was Obliged to fight her
way against great odds in the world.
hn
tory girl. She could not get an edu-
cation because of the poverty of her
parents and herself. Having mar
ried, she and her husband. by frugal
living, amassed a comfortable fortune.
1t was one of her wishes in life that,
when able to do 80, she would give
something to the cause of education
in order that other poor girls might
have a better opportunity than she
had. So Foss Hall today stands as
a monument to a splendid character
Without long struggle, without
toll, without bitter experience, with
out a previous schooling in the cold
Arctic North, DR.. Cook could never
have found the North Pole. His
character had developed him for his
success. The trials of life are our
salvations. Without toll, no charac-
ter can be developed.
Third, this kind of world is a
necessity for the highest type of hu-
man kind. Paul said that we might
become "partakers Of the sufferings
of Christ" 1t is beautiful express
sion. 1t was necessary that Jesus
Christ should suffer that. we might
be partakers with him. We become
one with God through suffering. No
one ever attained goodness and one
ness with God except through suffer-
ing for God. Let US remember that