The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-28

often, we shall simply beat our poor
heads in vain against the stone wall
OF the why" or sob out our hearts
to our uselessness and unnecessarily
intensified misery in the attempt to
search into the reasons of things.
/ Faith will serve us in these crises as
reason never can. Confidence In the
goodness Of God, in "the friendliness
of the universe" Notwithstanding the
semblance against 1t, which attitude
indeed is justified by reason, will be
our salvation,
However, there remain regions of
the explainable into which as good
Christians we ought to try to enter.
1t may be our duty, 1t will certainly
be our Joy, in these regions to seek
the reason Of things. 1t is just as
much propriety and noble zest to have
our hearts set to know and to search
out the divine way with the soul,
with such qualifications as have
made, and Gods will and method in
his world of spiritual truths and val
ues,as it is in the material world to
be discoverers of the hidden things,
and inventors. Nature yields her Sc
crets to persistent prying; explana-
| ton is given in time of many things
under the sun and above the sun.
Why should we not have also te,es.
copic and microscopic intelligence in
the sphere of spirit and character?
Can We not have as good hope Of de-
! fining and understanding laws that
relate to our personalities in reaction
upon other personalities, and especial
ly if may dare so to put it, in re-
action upon God, as the laws of chem
istry and physics? 1t is right wen.
derful universe of which each one Of
us is such fragmentary part. hut
this mere speck of nothingness which
any human soul or life might seem
to be at a first looA is really the big
gest thing in the universe beyond all
dead moons and glowing stars, except
the Infinite Soul himself or some Gre
ated intelligence in some other world
that we called superman or angel. All
promise of material progress is offer
ed only through searching this vast,
unlimited, outside universe. But we
are not only in the universe, the uni
verse is In us And | repeat progress
will come there too only by search
ing Let us then not be content with
what Is known and visible and access
ibe on the surface. We shall not be
pulled up with conceitof knowledge,
we shall not be too wise, but let us
turn about to seek wisdom and the
reason of things.
Now may we be specific? ! believe
the average church member ought to
be more Of a theologian, that is, that
he ought to do more thinking on "the
, science of God and of religion" Here
is the more extended definition of the
, Ology, according to Webster: THE sci
ence which treats of the existence
character. and attributes of God, his
laws and government, the doctrines
We are to believe, and the duties We
, are to practice; divinity; las more
! commonly UNDERSTOOD the knowledge
, derivable from the Scriptures, the
systematic exhibition OF revealed
, truth, the science of Christian faitt
/. and life" If the average church mem
Der does not care about theology per
haps the trouble Is with his minister
Z 1t is being felt by some Of our farth
= est-sighted Christian educators tina
a in the seminaries for the training o
!. ministers, while rightly there is al
p, emphasis which did not use to be up
!. on practical aspects of the Christian
\ ministry, something has been lost, al
o over against this gain, in intellectual
IfuRtn1fma IfaF nj thfu
o ment was made by particularly quail
4 fled observer upon a convocation o
6 students from number OF theologl
N cal schools, at which the problems
and ideals of the ministry were Sc
=. forth by selected advisers and dis
!. cussed by selected young men. 9TH,
!. program was rich in suggestions, boil
: for the conduct OF the devout life ant
for the direction of practical service
/. but throughout the session not on,
y word was spoken either by old o
h young which concerned the ministe
a as thinker, or the duties of theoloe
u ical students as students OF theology
y Feeling and action had crowded GU
% Of the foreground OF interest the funC
. ton OF thought Piety an,
"a efficiency seemed sufficient sui
"a stitutes for intellectual power
the passion for service had supplant
a ed the passion for truth" And thi
:. observer added, "a very competen
y critic of preaching, addressing an as
=. semblage OF preachers in Boston, /
n said to have told them with charaC
,e teristic candor that their work wa
"A marked by intellectual frugality.
"a The same indictment has bee
.. brought by a distinguished represer
m tative Of the church OF Englan
~ against his own communion. 9TH
h real security Of the church." said III
n. bishop Of Birmingham, "lies in civ
IA. ing full scope to the scholars gif
,s and the reason why many thoughtfu
A people do not 6hd spiritual advantag
r. in listening to preachers is that tn
r.. preaching gives them little to thin
nc about" But | would remark that tn
40 particularly thoughtful people are nc
re- in the majority in any average col
ar gregatlon. Something needs to b
NJ done to increase this virtue q
n thoughtfulness, which is so necessar
40 as has just been indicated. to the SUI
X. tanned influence Of the church in
81 world which more and more is &c
Of ting ahead In every department Of II
nv life through the thinkers, the me
M who search out the reason of thing
10 Let the minister himself awake TO hi
n. obligation, let him teach his peopl
Nv to think and to be interested in thinl
m ing once heard Hugh Black sa!
nm with mlngling OF sarcasm and IN
In NOR, that the reason for the sayini
he "a penny for your thoughts the rel
n son no more was offered, was beoaus
a. the thoughts Of most folks were nc
worth more than 4 penny Perhar
-.