Weekly journal-miner., 1916-04-26
(From Tuesdays DsilyD


 This is a question not to be answer ed in a breath; not to be disposed Of in a moment. To ignore 1t would be an acknowledgement of intellectual littleness. Ii cannot be blown aside by a gale of irreverent fiippancy, any more than 1t can be answered by shal- low religious sophistry, however sin cere and devout.
 No truly great question has ever been answered in an absolute and final sense No human has ever solv- ed the ultimate riddle of the material universe, nor traced the sources, tabu- lated the potencies and foretold the climax of will and consciousness. True science is never soidihed, but ever fluid. The deductions of today mark the progress of research and enicav- or; the deductions of tomorrow may reverse the opinions of yesterday. All truly great questions arc i1 process of being answered. We are in the midst of evolutionary forces in the social and spiritual realm of the race. The Kingdom of God" has come, but surely none would be so bold as to say its goal had been reached nor its dominion established 'on earth as it IS in heaven"
 As to the presence of warning sects and u1-Christly divisions, 1 have no excuse to offer, for there is no real reason for such. As to argument in defense of mere historical or ecclc- siastical basis of authority-there IS none. As 1 understand it, the ques- ton raised by Mir Mines deals with two things: The philosophy of that body Of people. (organizcd under many names and in various forms), wno profess to be followers of Jesus Christ: and the why of tde building that stands in each civilized com munity-the visible and tangible evi- dence of the spiritual and ethical idea that is back of it. Such an answer in this place must be but a terse resume of ideas. unelaborated and unadorned.
 A study of history. both sacred and secular will reveal the fact that God has used natural objects to produce supernatural effects. He has used human voices. hands. minds, etc, to convey the Divine will and purpose; and He has used. and is using. human institutions as the channel through which the Divine and Heavenly King dom shall fill the earth and renew the race The church is both human and divine It Is here because of the com mon and universal need Of men. an swered by the infinite will and i'm measurable benevolence oi that deity who delights to call himself. Father"
 The church-the problems it raises. the life it c1joins-the nope with which it allurcs-is not new. IL is as old as the race. Righteous Abel Enoct. Noah Abraham were part of it. Moses. David. Isaiah. were its teachers. soldiers and prophets. Ali these. too. are one with the saints and sages and worthies Of the early Chris tian church, and we arc one. in Christ with them. God adapted the forms and methods that symbolized truth (and pointed beyond themselves to higher things), to the needs and capa bilities of each age. It was with men in all ages working in and through their human institutions. and it is here now like the Heaven in the lump;" nor shall its task be done un- til the whole Of human life, thought and endcavor. shall be lcavcned.
 A brief contrast of complementary truths: The church is not material nor financial. but it must have 10 do with bodily and economic conditions. These surround and affect men from the cradle to the grave The church must stand for those ideas and ideals that will bring economic justice and commercial righteousness. The church is not merely social. It has a greater mission than 10 entertain. but it can not ignore these social problems vices and possibilities without endan- geri1g those it ought 10 help anl writing doom upon its own walls. The church is not political It cannot be partisan. II cannot lend is white robes as a livery for any mere parti- san cause Nevertheless. inc church mas 10 do with the science of govern ment No man is a true Christian who is not truly patriotic. It is the motive power behind every movement that spells clean and righteous gov ernmcnt. IL is. and has ever been. the very vital force Of racial development
 But like her divine Lord, the church is teacher of the sublimcst truths Not dogmatic credal forms. but great fundamental spiritual veri ties that underlic all that is worth while in human existence. And, like lcr Master. her task is to make the 1 supreme sacrifice, that blind eyes may open and deaf ears hear; that dumb lips may sing and dead hearts throb i again, because the world is not or