The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-18
rae RELIGION Ot TLOOk.
an URdesiSeSed and Inpabllshed Address
%, the late COldN In snlth.

ada. 70 deliver an address 20 the conGregauon
az mec,isg s-,s; shoTtly he'ors that pastor va,
called away 20 smother charge Nftet some hesi
iAtioa he ssssnted, and prepared the address here
printed. but outng To his sense OF The growing
feebl-nsss OF obi age. he aske a. tn lat monen
tn he allowed 70 decline The address, theTefsre.
auhouEn ~ wss written ont In his own hand.
dictated 20 me and typeWr.tten. AS never ether
delivered or published
4 express myself with caution lest |
should he mistaken To Willy reason. which
j. indeed the only faculty We have where
with TO Judge concerning anything. even
revelation itself. or he mistaken 10 assert
that supposed revelation cannot he
proved false from internal cha for
il may contain clear immoTahties or con
tradictions. and either Of these would
prove u false
So says Bishop Butler. author Of The
Analogy Of the -Discourses on Human
Nature most powerful Of Christian apol-
ogists. high in the order Of moral philos-
ophers. a devout Anglican. not only ortho-
dox but High Churchman for his day
II Butler IL right. reason, properly used
with single hearted desire 81 truth and due
care. IL the voice II our Maker in us and
our test Of His voice elsewhere. Faith Is
not. a. some appear to think. anita gonistic
and superior 20 reason, Il Is the tervid
and uplifting assurance OF acme spiritual
truth which reason has told us. From
our reason we must learn whether
miracle IL conclusive a. evidence. and
whether any particular event IL miracle
Prove all thinge, hold fast what is good !,
this 10 surely an appeal TO reason. let US
hear no moro then Of the antagonism he
tween faith and reason. OF Of our being
robbed Of our faith because reason IL al
lowed free course Reason, rightly used
may rid US % misbelief; II cannot rob Us
~ faith.
II IL inconceivable that the author ~
our nature should fell US one thing through
the only faculty ~ judgment which he has
given US. another by supernatural com
munication. II j. inconceivable that he
should tell Ne through our reason that the
earth goes around the sun. by revelation
that the sun goes around the earth. II ~
still more inconceivable. II possible. that
he should imprint one morality IN our
hearts. and by revelation sanction its
opposite. as passages IN the Old Tests-
ment. IL We believed them IN he dictated
by Deity. would do.
II is impossible n mistake the signs ~
a great religious crisis brought on mainly
by the concurrent discoveries of criticism
and science. The evidences even Of nat
ural theology which seemed conclusive
in the days Of Paley and the Bridgewater
TreatIses have lost their force. Mate
riAlism gains ground. In tho churches
there is searching of heart. Efforts are
bcinG made. though with little effect. to
rationalize the old crs-iz and confessions.
Clergymcn are praying for liberty Of in
depreciation. When IL - denied they
veil semi rat iona lism under the form and
terms ~ traditl ion. Here-y trials are GO
ing on and clergynen are put out ~ the
ministry for preaching what they have
come to think - the truth Churches
conscious ~ the common peril are striv-
ing ~ lay aside their doCtrinal differences
and unite. Agitation - general secu-
lar paper receives m three months q1N
letters on the subject II religion
The disturbance extends from spiritual
- social life Socialism goes hand IN
hand with nateriahsm. Hopes IT here
after. which Teconciled the poor and suffer
ing TO their lot. are losing their force. The
struggle for the good things ~ this world
grows more intense Social science NAV
presently come in place ~ religion: hut
there may he n troublous time bet
How can Ne meet the crisis How
hat nv us,ng that which. az Butler SAYS,
II the only faculty which We have for
Judging 81 anything. with perfect free
dom. and at the same time with caution.
with mutual charity. with reverence
toward that winch has long been sacred
To- all and ~ still sacred To many We
have to guard ourselves agaIns; the rush
~ nov discovery Materialan, has not
vet made good the saying NJ it, leader
that the three great obstacles to our vel
fare are our beliefs IN God immortality
and free will without God moral free.
dom. or hope beyond the grave. What
would man and his life b~'
Frankly let ~ accept what ~ really
prov 81. however unwelcome Frankly
let Ne give w what has been clearly dis
proved however dear IN ~ dong il our
only salvation ~ what We give up let
~ not try 10 hll the place with figinents
hen first geology proved that the Mosaic
story Of creation VAS mythical orthodoxy
fell back upon theory that the days wer.
not days hut Gons. though the Fourth
Commandment expressly @ays that thew
were days. grounding its ordinance there
on FNtN ~ ktea' man ~ Mr .'ttlad-
Non" could tan" refuge IN accommoda-
ton Of thus kind m effect making the
Creator IN giving an account of his own
creation approximate Ia truth. since the,
discovery of evolution and ~ tho phvs-
ical origin of man the Mosaic account ot
The fall must he lard a. de- hut IN IL. place
To support the dogmatIc Creeds ~ put an
imaginary fall IT some mysterious kind
totally unr"corded in the scripture Look
into the Life ~ Christ Nv Dean Farrar.
a man good learned. and ~ Tar a. hrs
ordination vow would LOT ham 10 liberal
Mark how he deals q IN miracles of which
he cannot help see lg proof has failed
Marx his treatment of the M lracIe 81 cast
ing a legion NJ devils out IT a man into a
herd n swine "" iahors desperately
to reduce the miracle 10 conceivable
and credible occurrence.
That the d@moniac was healed h.
says. that IN the terrible hnai paro1ysm
which usually accompanied the deliver