The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-20
WORLD BEGINS TO
APPREHEND truth
DR.. Bowser Discusses Tho In
ner Light" in Sermon at
Unitarian Church.
QUESTION OF DOING RIGHT
Not in Party Platform, but De-
ponds on Each Persons
Own Heart.

Own Heart.
AT the Unitarian Church yesterday
morning. the pastor. Rev. Alexander r.
Bowser. spoke on 1.-THE Inner Light"
from the text: The Spirit itself bears
witness with our spirit, that we are
children of God"-Romans. viii. Ie.
DIR. Bowser said:
1t used to be the fashion for preach
ers to address their congregations as
II there were but two classes of people,
| the converted and the unconvertcd, the
saved and the unsaved--thosc who were
lin Gods family and those who belonged
TO the household OF Satan. AT last,
however. we arc beginning to appre-
bend the gospel truth that every human
soul is an offspring OF God snd belongs
to His family. Nevertheless. (; still
| remains true that some are conscious of
kinship with divinity. while others are
unconscious OF II. Even as there are
but two kinds of boys IN our public
! schools, good ones and bad ones so
! there arc only two kinds OF people
| everywhere: those who live in com
| munion with God. seeking TO know and
| do the divine WILL and those within
| whom the Spirits voice is unheard OF
! UNDECIDED, who are not conscious OF
| their personal relationship to God or
of the divine presence, help and guild
auce.
Now right hero in this gospel idea OF
| the souls essential kinship to God Is
the vital centric OF Christian faith To
cultivate and educate the spiritual con
| sol
| church. The highest word of religious
inspiration in the New Testament
| teaches that God IS Spirit" and IL II
is true. az taught in the Old Testament.
| that man was made in the image OF
God, 1t follows that VIC are spiritual
beings. ''partakers OF the divine ma
! ture."
The Divine Element.
| Thus the divine element in Jesus is
| seen to be revelation of the divine
| origin of mankind, n clearing up OF
the mystery of tho human soul. The
| story of Jesus's sonship In God is
| mirror in which we see our own face.
| The divinity OF Ills nature shows our
| own makeup In His soul and ours we
| find the whole order OF spiritual facts
and laws: truth. love. the sense OF
| duty, the consciousness OF divine kim
| ship and the aspiration for God-likc
perfection in character and attainment.
suppose 1t should prove true. as Her
| bert Spencer maintains, that our sen
| timent OF mortality and religion ore
| only the natural products of human
] experience and development. would
| this rob US OF the ideal conviction That
| the source of the soul Is higher than
| mere physical ancestry? Did the dis
| coVery OF the sources OF the Nile de-
! stroy the springs from which the river
| grew. or In any way detract from the
power and goodness OF the Creator
| in providing Africa with that wonder
full stream which supplies the means
| Of wealth, progress and happiness to
| the whole continent! What we need
for ideal thinking. hish aspiration and
earnest cndeavor is not faith in the
| supcrhuman power of Jesus or I'm the
! miraculous origin and authority of the
gospel. but a clearer vision OF the
spiritual element in Ills life anu in
our own.
| Spirit DwclIs in lis.
! rod alone can apprehend God II NC
| allow the divine element in the soul
| to sleep in ignorance, or to become
snothcred with desire for wealth and
the love OF pleasure. religion for us
IL lose It's vital quality. and we
| shall find no sufficient reason for yield
| ing heart and mind to it's sway, or
for giving our means and time TO adj
vance in interests. The moment we
| awake, however, TO the conviction
| that we actually live and move and
| have our being in God. that His spirit
dweils in US. and His life. love. truth
| and power are ever at our command
waiting graciously for our use in the
work of the world; that moment there
! wells up in the soul an ever-increas-
| ing desire to know. 10 love and TO
| serve Him. When we thus become
/ 20 Cri hat .i,.i.
witness within us that We arc Gods
! children. we can find no rest OF soul
| no abiding peace or happiness, unless
we are about the Fathers business
Our very self-respcct compels us 20
put forth every effort possible to be
| worthy OF the divine lineage and com
| panionshlp.
| Desire to Do Right.
! If we mean to do right-imperfcc
though we be-we are, so far. led by
! the HuIy Spirit. The deliberate choice
discovery of the purity that is only
| seen by the pure heart. Here is the
! foundation of good society or true
democracy 1t is not in the party plat
| form; not in the Bill of Rights: not
in the Constitution of the United
States. not In the grand Declaration
! of Independence. The foundation of
| tIuc utHloCIdSS Social is
| more deeply and broadly laid; 1t rests
on our faith in the dignity OF human
nature as the offspring of God.
| 4 great writer has said that II is
! the task of democracy to secure
patent OF nobility for every man. Very
! well: but where shall the common
man look for his title to nobility. or
| justify his claim to an honorable rank
In the universe, unless he find the