The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-28
THE REASON OF THINGS
Continued from first page)

ness, which hurts the fine.cause OF re-
.igion that demands above all else
reality and fitness to its day and gen
Grafton
But congregations will not listen to
doctrinal preaching, it is said. That
lie so if you mean by It scholastic ar
gument or a couohing Of tho great
ideas, "ths science of God or of re-
ligion," in merely abstract and log
zeal forms But the deepest theme as |
a mere intellectual proposition may !
be made as fascinating as a story
that is, for people who appreciate a |
good story, which has the qualities
of vividness, flashing intelligence or
iginal suggestion, and dramatic move
ment Now the doctrine of the Trim
ity in Christian Theology Is the most
difficult to be apprehended of any
doctrine and is the despair Of most
preachers as a doctrine to be formu
lated in any practical and interesting
way. ! confess myself / have never
once had the courage to attempt its
statement in a sermon. In fact Will
make this further confession that 1t
seems to me to be purely specula
tive business anyway and that there
is no living need to set it forth homi-
letically. But Dr. James NJ. Wilton,
whose acquaintance we made so plea
sanity from this pulpit last summer,
does not agree with me there and !
have on my desk a pamphlet, with his
regards, entitled THE Divine Trinity
as Biological Reality That treat
ment proves one thing, whoever may
be right in the general estimate OF
the practical worth of the doctrine,
that an abstruse theme can at least
be made interesting for people who
know how to think by thinker who
commands the modern approach to
ancient ideas. There died the other
day one of the great Christian schol-
ars of the age. The personal teach
ing and the books Of William Newton
Clarke. professor in small Baptist
Seminary until year or two ago, but
| belonging to the church universal, as
much of a mediator In this transit
ional day through teaching as Phillips
Brooks was in his day by preaching,
We're interesting and absorbing in an
| extraordinary degree. A prominent
Congregational layman of New Eng
land, business man, told me not
long since with great enthusiasm OF
his delight in reading DR. Clarke's
Sixty Years with the Bible A Sun
day school class in a Maine church,
with exceeding profit, took for its
textbook his Outlines of Christian
Theology" of which Prof Marcus
Dods the distinguished Scotch teach
er, said that he opened it with sigh
Of weariness and dread, expecting the
usual prosaic systematic argument
and found himself fascinated and en-
thralled and compelled to read on &c
the last word Real thinking. my
friends, is not OF necessity laborious
70 may afford the keenest pleasure
And II you do not care to think OF
The great themes. TO search out the
reason of things that have to do witt
God and man in relation, with mans
origin and destiny, with the divine
idea in the world. and with the ideals
OF the individual and of society unde
the government OF God, there is SOM
I. thing wrong with you. But you car
cultivate thoughtfulness. And ever!
busiest person and the weariest to-
may take a little time TO improve tn,
approach Of his mind to the concern
Of religion >The public services o
the church and the Bible school, il
dependeutly OF your private readin
) which doubtless mieht Tor some O
: YOU be better orderedS> would sery
4 you in this
Z Now ! wish TO give a bit >af plai
counsel TO the people OF reactionar
temper. II we have any such in thi
: congregation, respecting the interpr
s tation OF the truths OF religion. Their
} is no sounder word spoken than III
!. Apostles long ago. prove all things
/. hold fast that which is good" Thi
means. on oneside Of it, to let 80 thu
= which isn't so But prove a
r things" There are some thlnl
which have been absolutely settled |
: he expert investigator, in the conse
sus Of Christian scholarship, and y
not a few in the membership OF OF
"a churches are not only timid in re
o pect TO these results. for which tint
u ity they are certainly not TO be blai
~ I'd. but also sometimes they stulti
p themselves by the refusal to keep I
open intelligence and listen TO al
reason The harm they do is a "
Re fold one, they are storing up for the
y selves a time of doubt and unsettlil
81 or they are storing it up for tho
az | hildren. which is wholly unnecessal
IN. and In the second place, they are p
ing weights on the church. so III
Il cannot so readily move out and 4
E. ward In the great world of advanci
thought, of the fresh revelation of {
~ wisdom OF God. The Christian ind
"a dual and the Christian church shot
q never be afraid of the discovery
ruth; both the soul and the instit
10 ION should be free and glad. T
e. ruth makes free. and the trt
.u makes glad There is needed yariC
Illustration; but take a single poi
10 There are people in all our church
Ron yho went out from the Sunday sch'
nv In their teens with certain ideas
Tod and the Bible. They have !
developed those ideas and some
hem were childish aud in due iii
'hould have been outgrown entire
a" lcre they are, adults with matt
~ minds in respect to their own We
pl, and to many undertakings in
10 world But they are grown ups W
mn, title childrens minds In respect
cd he thought OF God and the meant
,,,r and teaching Of the Bible. How {
hey possibly be Christians of gr,
,ol md compelling faith. and OF glorio
" rejoicing lives? They are of
ln. very dogmatic, positive, sometimes
ir. ,rily positive. about something Il
ISN'T 40 at all and is of no spec
NJ consequence anyway. Their very