The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-11
NO DENOMINATION
IS ULTIMATE ONE
Church Is But Medium by
Which to Approach
God.

Yesterday morning brought another
large congregation to the First Methodist
Episcopal church, and the services were
delightful in every way. The pastor
preached on THE Supreme in Religion"
presenting strong discourse. At the
conclusion of the sermon, eight persons
Joined the church. The text was taken
from the gospel of Mark, Thou shalt
love the Lord. thy God, with all thy
heart. and with ali thy soul. and with all
thy mind. and with all thy strength" Dr.
Short said:
The Christian religion is spherical,
well rounded, full orbed. 1t makes APP
peal to the entire man. 1t makes its call
TO the four pointr of the compass of hu-
man life, and from each of these makes
its demand full contribution There
may be and there are abnormally devel-
Oped Christians, but this is not the fault
or Christ. Perfection is the law in His
kingdom and toward this He calls and
invites and eXhorts. To reach this per-
lection is your privilege. And it can
only be reached by laying upon the altar
or our holy religion She fullest contrlbu-
ton Of heart, soul, mind and strength
The Christian religion makes its appeal
TO the whole man. The heart side OF
our religion has not been Overestmated
nor emphasized, but the mind side, or
the intellectual side, has not been suffi-
GENTLY insisted upon. The Christian re-
ligiOn is and must be. first of ALL reason
able. And if it is profitable it is rea SON
able. Some one has said that religion
is reasonable intercourse between one in
teligent being and another Surely, if
any sphere Of life should call for the
diVinest reason of which man is capable,
it is the religious sphere.
Mental powers are not hostile TO the
fundamental requisites of soul growth.
Reason is the abiding friend OF faith, else
for what purpose has God endowed a
man with reason. No honest seeker after
truth has ever gone from his knees into
skepucism or infidelity. Mind and heart
were not made to war with each other.
They are immortal companions. Christ
has ever desired that men should seek
Him. inquire after Him, examine His
teachings and analyZe His life.
90 Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God,
and that puts the emphasis where it prop
erly belongs Creeds and cults and doc
trines and dOgmas are well for most Of
US, but we all know that they are but the
garments, the husk in which we clothe the
Christ in whom we believe. L love the
Methodist Episcopal church, but l love
il not as the ultimate. L love it as
medium by which I apprOa ch and come
into fellowship with Christ. l would ex
hort you to love your church. of what
ever denomination, but RENE mber that
Your church is not the ultimate. 1t is but
the medium through which you approach
God.
Don't De afraid TO think about your
religion. If it will not withstand your
most profound thought and thinking. it
will not stand the test of the judgment
day. Christian Investigations say Chris
tian investigatiOn-will never lead one
away from the truth, as it is in Christ
The Christian thinking of Luther gave
the German people a Bible and that
Bible has largely influenced their
language. Christian thinkers and think
ing have led in the worlds greatest
achievements. Christian thinking has
made such men as Browning and Milton
and Lincoln and Wesley and Moody
Christian thinking and thought have
brought To mankind that larger liberty
O. thought and action for which men
have ever hungered.
Your mind belongs to God and He
must come into posse siOn of his own. A
great man has recently said that Chris
tianity has no speciality. and the peculiar
ity of it is in the perfect balance of its
truths Therefore. I say that our holy
religion is spherical and that every power
of heart and soul and mind and strength
must be brought to the altar Of Christian
ity and laid thereon. Thus and only thus
shall we approach and reach the stature
Of the perfect man. Lord, thou art
worthy of our will. We bring il TO thee
today. Accept it for Christ's sake
Amen.