The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-08-04
ASATURDAY
@faS NIGHT
! \ SERMONS
BY
H.! ,R!rxM'sunW W.pupyEnn
A FRANK TALK WITH AN HONEST
SKEPTlC.

There's no narm asking QuesuohS'
The world has gone forward because
of healthful curiosity. Drop your
fathom line in the sea. Turn your tele-
scope toward the stars. Focus your
microscope over the drop OF water
Take your bar and pry open the rock.
You may open a new world to human
eyes. Remember Minister Wu's orien-
tai curiosity2 He asked the girls how
old they were, old maids why they
never married, men how much salary
they earned - questions imrertinent,
none Of his business. To ask concern.
ing God and man, time and eternity,
whence and whittier, indicates de-
veloping mind. The way and manner
Of the question indicate much too. The
snarl of the cynic, the sneer of the
shallow, the vanity Of the bumpuous,
get no answer. Notice men coming
to Christ. To the earnest seeker aft
er truth frequently come revelations.
Wise men come from the east, scholar
ly Greeks from the west. Nicodemus,
the scribes and lawyers Of the Jews
hang on his answers. He never seems
puzzled. The troubled look of perplex-
ity never gathers on his face. He new
er says: "rhe problem is new. must
consider. Come back tomorrow" He
has the steady gaze Of one before
whose clear vision the whole world of
truth lies open. When he Is before the
high priests and PLATE and Herod he
refuses to answer. Bold, leering wick
edness gets no response. Let them
live the plainest laws of God first.
They couldn't deceive him. He per-
ceiyed their craftiness. He darts n
swift Interrogation into their inner
souls: II also will ask Of you one ques-
ton" To the sincere he sits down by
their side as a mother with her child
and makes all things plain. He even
gave private interviews to frank, hon
est seekers. Even Nature won't re-
spond to the snarling, the sneering,
the supercilious, but opens up her in
ner treasures to the nature lover.
"The Sun Do Move"
Still we think If we could Just now
raise our eyes from this newspaper
and see God as plainly as we see that
chair or table we'd feel satisfied. IL
we were as sure of him as we are of
physical things-but we cannot with
the physical senses. You cannot smell
the fragrance of spray of heliotrope
with your eyes, nor can you tell much
Of the beauty Of n painting with the
end of your thumb. Each experience
is registered through its own sense,
physical through physical, psychic
through psychic, spiritual through spir-
| itual God is spirit and Is known only
through spiritual sense. prove to
me-" says my doubling friend. like
you'd prove that two and two are four
| that there is God" "All right. Prove
| to me likewise that this room is warm
| Tor you, comfortable to me-" Go to
| man who never heard Of Newton, Co
| pernicus or solar system. Tell him the
| earth moves upon its axis and around
the sun. He'll tell you he believes his
| own eyesight more than your learning,
for it tells him the sun moves round
the earth. He drives stick In the
| ground and proves in five minutes that
| the sun has moved. AS to the earth
| turning on Its axis, last night he left
| pail of water brim full at the kitchen
door This morning it was there un-
spilled. Had the earth turned over
the water But, pshaw, he walks on
laughing. Call to him that he cannot
always believe even his own eyes and
the laugh will turn to guffaw or jeer.
How Can We know2
Some knowledge comes by observa-
ton, some by reasoning, some by in
ference. some by intuition, some you
must just accept by faith. II one is
hungry-mind you, l said hungry-for
spiritual truth, that hunger will be a
sixth sense. II want to learn the Sc
crets Of birds am up betmes looking
after robins and wrens. They'll eat
out OF my hand before long. 1 won't
learn much II go with a gun. The
kingdom Of birds isn't understand
able that way nor the kingdom of God
either. Ny friend the bird lover took
me by the hand one morning to learn
birds. Twas a great day! Let me
take your hand a moment, my trou-
bled. inquiring friends. What's the
difficulty? The Bible? It's a book of
revelation and morals, not science;
points out the weakness Of good men
as well as bad ones. Not certain about
God? He's the Creator See that lamp
on the table? Some one placed II
there. Take out your watch. Open
the back. See the works7 Wonderful,
aren't they2 1t had a designer. See
Your watch three minutes fast? Turn II
back. You've done what no watch could
do for itself in ten thousand years.
You've broken no law; simply used q
superior intelligence for a suitable end
That's a miracle. There's bad piece
Of road, loads Of sand and stone every
hundred feet. Whyi When l was an
egnostic l said, II don't know why"
but did Just the pame There's pur-
pose everywhere II you'd see dozen
men talking through a machine to 9th
ers a hundred miles away and seem
ing satisfied you'd believe them, though
you'd never tried H. That's prayer.
Believe In sin-that you're a sinner