The Arvada enterprise., 1916-04-06
CHAPTER xxx.
Hand In Hand.


Rev. Smith Boyd walked slowly out
into the dim church. with the little vol.
ume in his hand The afternoon sun
had sunk so low that the illumination
from the stained-glass windows was
cut OF by the near buildings, and the
patches OF ruby and OF sapphire. of
emerald and Of topaz. glowed now near
the tops Of the slender columns, or
mellowed the dusky spaces up amid
the arches.
il was hushed and silent there, de-
seized. and far from the thoughts of
oe:,. The young rector walked slowly
up the aisle to pew In the corner
near the main entrance and sat down,
still with the little Book Of Common
Prayer in his hand. and. in the book,
the Articles OF Religion. From them
alone must he preach: nothing more
and nothing less. That was the duty
for which he was hired. His own mind,
his own intelligence. the reason and
the spirit and the soul which God had
given him were for no other use than
the clever support OF the things which
were printed here. And who had for.
mulated these articles? Men; men
like himself.
Rev. Smith Boyd suddenly made the
discovery that he was not preaching
God! He was preaching the church
and its creed
Startled. now. he went through the
thirty nine Articles OF Religion, one by
one. slowly. thoughtfully. and with a
quickened conscience Reason knocked
at the door OF Faith. and entered; but
| II did not drive out Faith. They sat
| side by side. but each gave something
to the other. No. rather. Reason
stripped the mask from Faith. tore
away the Disgusting cloak. and dis
played her In all her simple beauty
sweet and gentle and helpful What
was the faith he had been called upor
to teach' Faith In the thirty.nine Ar
] ticles OF Religion! This had been clev.
| crly substituted by the organizers OF
an easy profession. for faith in God,
which latter was too simple OF compre
hcnson for the purposes OF any or.
ganization.
| For long time Rev. Smith Boyd sat
In the corner pew. and when he had
closed the book. all that had been be
hind the wall of his mind came out
and was sorted into heaps. and the
bad discarded and the good retained
He found a wonderful relief In that.
He had lived with secret chamber
In his heart, hidden even from him.
self. and now that he had opened the
door. he felt free. Above him. around
him. within him. was the presence of
God, Infinite. tender, easy OF under.
standing. and from that God. his God.
the one which should walk with him
through life his friend and comforter
and counselor. he stripped every shred
OF pretenso and worthless form and
useless ceremony
u believe In God the Creator: the
Maker OF my conscience; my Friend
and Father" The creed OF CALI
For moment the rector stood, tall
and erect then he stretched forth his
arms;
Il know that my Rcdccmcr iiyeth!'
he said. and sank To hts knees
Two high points he had kept in his
faith, points never to be shaken. the
existence OF his creator. his mercy and
his love, AMI the divinity Of his son
Who died was crucined and buried
and on the third day arose 10 ascend
unto heaven reason could not de-
stroy that citadel In man born to the
necessity Of ialth' Man must bolicy,
some one thing, II It was ms oasy, as
he had once set forth. to believe In thu
biblical account of the creation Of the
world IN to believe In a pro'cNist"ul
chaos. on, OF which cyolutcd the spirU
OF life. and all It's maryels OF growing
trees and dying birds and roason'nr
men. II was as easy to 10 one stef
further, and add the son To the father
and 50 the holy ghost Even chaos
must have been created
Fully satisfied. Rev. Smith Boyt
walked into the vcstry aud wrote hi.
resignation from the rcctorship OF Mar
kct Square church. for he could nc
| longer teach. and preach. faith-in tn.