Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-19
the telephone" wrote : magasine
writer. Nonsense replied Harri.
man; "the telephone il . slave to
me-"
4 ~sERMoNETrE.
NJ nav John HAYES Aolmeo.

BY Rev. John Hayes Holmes.
"rhs hour eonsth, when nsith-
er this mountain nor In Jsrusa'
lem shall ys worshlp the Father.
God 10 q Spirit, and they that
worship him must worsh'ps him
In spirit and In ruth."-John'
w., q, ~.
It is almost startling to discover
amid the multitude Of creeds, rituals
AID institutions which have cumber
ed the centuries of Christion history
that, as Professor Henry H. Walker
has expressed it, "Jesus established
no church organized no system Q
worship, taught no essentially 1eV
doctrine, wrote no gospel, left be
hind no system of laws; tha'
the Christian religion began not q
an institution nor as q ritual, nor a
. creed-but as an experience, q life
an inspiration" A great part Of thu
opposition which the Nazarene en-
countered was aroused by the fac
that He cared so little about those
external matters Of organization and
dogma which the people of His day
regarded as the essence Of religion.
AS to whether God was worshipped
upon the mountain in Samaris or In
the temple at Jerusalem He was In
different. For the sacrifices and the
oblatioas, the affairs and the shrines'
the holy places and holy days He had
little or 40 concern. What held His
attention was the abiding reality Of
the spirit. What dominated His In
terest was the problem Of the life OF
the soul. Once assured that . man
had clean hands and q pure heart,
was genuinely moved by love for hu.
mankind and had met God face to
face in the high, clear attitudes Of
spiritual fellowship, He did not care
before what altar he worshipped. in
what language he prayed or BY what
name he called his deity.
Strange and pathetic is 1t now to
see how largely the churches Of
C%hristendom have interested them.
selves in these very ~eyternals which
meant 90 little to Jesus. Indeed, It
IL only truth to say that there never
would have been such phenomena ~
churches. in coatradistinction to the
Church, II the disciples Of the Mas
ter had not forgotten those inward
realities Of the spirit which always
unite and paid devout attention e
those outward forms Of ceremony
and belief which always divide
Read the history Of Christianity, a1d
what do we have but the story Of an
uninterrupted struggle over forms Of
organization, methods Of discipline,
conditions Of membership and def
nitioa Of faith! Now and again some
prophet has arisen to speak his mes
sage Of the spirit and to smite with
the lightning bolt Of his inspired
wrath the false gods Of. the recreant
Church. And even today, when
"Back TO Jesus" has become so loud
a cry, institutions, ,creeds and sacra.
ments seem still to be vital issues OF
Christian experience. What wonder
that . sober historian can say that
the Church has ever been more Wit
ally interested In the science Of re.
,ligion than, In religion ITSELF"
It Is impossible to remind our
selves too often Of what Jesus taught
and nved-to recall. both for oul
own spiritual health and for the sal
walton Of tie world, that pure reli
gion Of the spirit to which He lent
the autority Of His prophetic genius
The issue here IL perfectly plain be
tween the one thing which is essen
.tial and the many things which are
n~on-essential. And this issue must
be faced. regardless Of dear tradi
lions and tender sensibilities, unit.
that hour ct last Is come when me1
shall know that "God Is Z spirit, and
they that worship him must worship
him In spirit and In truth"
At any rate George Fred Williams
recently minister to Greece can tel
his troubles on the Chautauqua plat
form and realize nicely on them too
Tho nomncra%lr farl8 dnoa mi