his mind would never allow his heart to commune with Darwin's far-away
God, whose creative power Romanes could not doubt but whose daily
presence he could not admit without abandoning his theory.
His is a typical case, but many of the wanderers never return to the
fold; they are lost sheep. If the doctrine were demonstrated to be true
its acceptance would, of course, be obligatory, but how can one bring
himself to assent to a series of assumptions when such a course is
accompanied by such a tremendous risk of spiritual loss?
If, as it does in so many instances, it causes the student to choose
Darwinism, with its intellectual delusions, and reject the Bible, with
the incalculable blessings that its heart-culture brings, what minister
of the Gospel or Christian professor can justify himself before the bar
of conscience if, by impairing confidence in the Word of God, he wrecks
human souls? All the intellectual satisfaction that Darwinism ever
brought to those who have accepted it will not offset the sorrow that
darkens a single life from which the brute theory of descent has shut
out the sunshine of God's presence and the companionship of Christ.
Here, too, we have the testimony of the distinguished scientist from
whom I have been quoting. In his first book--the attack on Theism--he
says: (page 29, "Thoughts on Religion") "I am not ashamed to confess
that with this virtual negation of God the universe to me has lost its
soul of loveliness; and, although from henceforth the precept to 'Work
while it is day' will doubtless gain an intensified force from the
terribly intensified meaning of the words that 'the night cometh when no
man can work,' yet when at times I think, as think at times I must, of
the appalling contrast between the hallowed glory of that creed which
once was mine, and the lonely mystery of existence as now I find it,--at
such times I shall ever feel it impossible to avoid the sharpest pang of
which my nature is susceptible."
Romanes, during his college days, came under the influence of those
who worshipped the reason and this worship led him out into a starless
night. Have we not a right to demand something more than _guesses,
surmises,_ and _hypotheses_ before we exchange the "hallowed glory" of
the Christian creed for "the lonely mystery of existence" as Romanes
found it? Shall we at the behest of those who put the intellect
above the heart endorse an unproved doctrine of descent and share
responsibility for the wreckage of all that is spiritual in the lives of
our young people? I refuse to have any part in such responsibility. For
nearly twenty years I have gone from college to college and talked to
students. Wherever I could do so I have pointed out the demoralizing
influence of Darwinism. I have received thanks from many students who
were perplexed by the materialistic teachings of their instructors and I
have been encouraged by the approval of parents who were distressed by
the visible effects of these teachings on their children.
As many believers in Darwinism are led to reject the Bible let me, by
way of recapitulation, contrast that doctrine with the Bible:
Darwinism deals with nothing but life; the Bible deals with the entire
universe--with its masses of inanimate matter and with its myriads of
living things, all obedient to the will of the great Law Giver.
Darwin concerns himself with only that part of man's existence which is
spent on earth--while the Bible's teachings cover all of life, both here
and hereafter.
Darwin begins by assuming life upon the earth; the Bible reveals the
source of life and chronicles its creation.
Darwin devotes nearly all his time to man's body and to the points at
which the human frame approaches in structure--though vastly different
from--the brute; the Bible emphasizes man's godlike qualities and the
virtues which reflect the goodness of the Heavenly Father.
Darwinism ends in self-destruction. As heretofore shown, its progress is
suspended, and even defeated, by the very genius which it is supposed
to develop; the Bible invites us to enter fields of inexhaustible
opportunity wherein each achievement can be made a stepping-stone to
greater achievements still.
Darwin's doctrine is so brutal that it shocks the moral sense--the heart
recoils from it and refuses to apply the "hard reason" upon which it
rests; the Bible points us to the path that grows brighter with the
years.
Darwin's doctrine leads logically to war and to the worship of
Nietzsche's "Superman"; the Bible tells us of the Prince of Peace and
heralds the coming of the glad day when swords shall be beaten into
ploughshares and when nations shall learn war no more.
Darwin's teachings drag industry down to the brute level and excite a
savage struggle for selfish advantage; the Bible presents the claims of
an universal brotherhood in which men will unite their efforts in the
spirit of friendship.
As hope deferred maketh the heart sick, so the doctrine of Darwin
benumbs altruistic effort by prolonging indefinitely the time needed for
reforms; the Bible assures us of the triumph of every righteous cause,
reveals to the eye of faith the invisible hosts that fight on the side
of Jehovah and proclaims the swift fulfillment of God's decrees.
Darwinism puts God far away; the Bible brings God near and establishes
the prayer-line of communication between the Heavenly Father and His
children.
Darwinism enthrones selfishness; the Bible crowns love as the greatest
force in the world.
Darwinism offers no reason for existence and presents no philosophy of
life; the Bible explains why man is here and gives us a code of morals
that fits into every human need.
The great need of the world to-day is to get back to God--back to a real
belief in a living God--to a belief in God as Creator, Preserver
and loving Heavenly Father. When one believes in a personal God and
considers himself a part of God's plan he will be anxious to know God's
will and to do it, seeking direction through prayer and made obedient
through faith.
Man was made in the Father's image; he enters upon the stage, the climax
of Jehovah's plan. He is superior to the beasts of the field, greater
than any other created thing--but a little lower than the angels. God
made him for a purpose, placed before him infinite possibilities and
revealed to him responsibilities commensurate with the possibilities.
God beckons man upward and the Bible points the way; man can obey and
travel toward perfection by the path that Christ revealed, or man can
disobey and fall to a level lower, in some respects, than that of the
brutes about him. Looking heavenward man can find inspiration in his
lineage; looking about him he is impelled to kindness by a sense of
kinship which binds him to his brothers. Mighty problems demand his
attention; a world's destiny is to be determined by him. What time
has he to waste in hunting for "missing links" or in searching for
resemblances between his forefathers and the ape? In His Image--in this
sign we conquer.
We are not progeny of the brute; we have not been forced upward by a
blind pushing-power; neither have we tumbled upward by chance. It is a
drawing-power--not a pushing-power--that rules the world--a power which
finds its highest expression in Christ who promised: "I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
V
THE LARGER LIFE
I have chosen this subject because I have found some young men, and even
some young women, who seem to misunderstand the invitation extended
by the Master. The call of the Gospel falls, at times, upon deaf ears
because religion is regarded as a thing that is necessary only when one
comes to prepare himself for the life beyond. In earlier times many
Christians misinterpreted the Christian religion and, withdrawing
themselves from companionship with their fellows, devoted their time
wholly to preparation of themselves for heaven. _Christ went about doing
good_.
I present my appeal to the young to accept Christ and to enter upon the
life He prescribes, not because they may _die_ soon but because they may
_live_. They need Christ as their Saviour _now_ and they need Him
as their guide throughout life. Some complain of the Parable of the
Vineyard because the man who began work at the eleventh hour received
the same pay as those who toiled all day. Surely, those who complain
have not tasted the joys of a Christian life. No one who follows the
teachings of Christ will begrudge the reward promised to those who
repent at the last moment and are saved. The eleventh-hour Christians
are the ones to mourn because they have lost the happiness that they
would have found in service during the livelong day.
Young people sometimes postpone becoming Christians on the ground that
they want to have a good time for a while longer. Who can be happier
than the Christian? Our religion fits into the needs of all of every
age. If there are any amusements enjoyed by the world from which members
of the church feel it a duty to abstain it is because more wholesome
amusements crowd out the objectionable ones. It ought not to be
necessary to forbid a Christian to do harmful things; he ought to avoid
them because he has no taste for them--because he finds more real
pleasure and more enduring satisfaction in the things that are innocent
and helpful.
There is another class to which I desire to address myself to-day,
namely, those who call themselves more liberal than Christians--who look
upon our religion as narrowing in its influence. Christianity is the
broadest of creeds because it takes in everything that touches human
life, here and hereafter. The Christian life is the most comprehensive
life known; it is as deep as the heart; it is as wide as the world; and
it is as high as heaven.
Paul, the great Apostle, tells us that Christ came to "bring life and
immortality to light"--not immortality alone, but life also, and the
word Life comes before the word Immortality.
But we have higher authority even than Paul. Christ, in explaining His
mission, said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly." It is to the _more abundant_ life that Christ
calls us. He was the master of mathematics, yet He used only addition
and multiplication; subtraction has no place in His philosophy.
Let me illustrate, as I see it, the gift that Christ brings to man. Let
us suppose that the people living in an agricultural section had, by
intelligent cultivation, brought from the soil all that it could yield
in material wealth. If a stranger came into the community and announced
that the people, by sinking a shaft one hundred feet deep, could find
a vein of coal, they would, if they believed the statement true,
immediately sink a shaft; and, if they found the coal, they would add
it to the wealth that they derived from the surface of the ground. They
would be grateful to the person who told them of the additional riches
which they possessed but of which they were not aware. They might not
think to thank him immediately--they might be too busy acquiring money
to express their gratitude. But after the man was dead, if not before,
they would pause long enough to erect a monument to testify to their
appreciation of the service he had rendered.
And, to complete the illustration, suppose after the people had adjusted
themselves to the added income, another stranger appeared and assured
them that, if they would sink the shaft one hundred feet deeper, they
would find a vein of precious metals from which to draw money enough to
purchase everything everywhere that the heart could wish. They would,
if they gave credit to his statement, dig down and find gold and silver
and, with still greater joy, add this new possession to those that
they already had. Again they would be grateful. They might not express
themselves during the benefactor's life, but after a while visitors to
the community would see two monuments reared by grateful hands to those
who had brought blessings to the neighbourhood.
This illustration presents the idea that I would impress upon you,
namely, that Christ came to _add_ to all the good things man possessed
without requiring the surrender of any good thing in exchange. Long
before the coming of Christ man had taken possession of the body and had
gathered from it all the joys that the flesh can yield. Man had also
explored the farther reaches of the mind and possessed himself of the
delights of the intellect. Christ not only brought redemption but opened
to man the vision of a spiritual world and showed him what infinite
greatness the Father has placed within the reach of one made in His
image, if he will only use the powers that he has--powers unknown to him
until revealed by the Spirit.
Every human being is travelling every day in one direction or the
other--either upward toward the highest plane that man can reach, or
downward toward the lowest level to which man can fall; Christ gives us
a vision of our possibilities and the strength to realize them.
If Christ had demanded something in return for the great gifts that
He came to bestow man might be justified in asking for time for
investigation. He would want to weigh the value of that which is
offered against the value of that which must be given up. To do this
intelligently would require a long period of training and ample time for
comparison. The difficulty is even greater, for it would be impossible
for one to weigh or calculate in advance the value of those things which
are spiritually discerned. He could see the body; he could comprehend
the mind; but he could not know the inestimable value of the things
that Christ offers. But how can he hesitate when Christ demands not one
single sacrifice, but gives, as the spring gives, desiring nothing in
return except appreciation which it is pleasant to manifest?
The Saviour not only gives without reducing the other enjoyments, but
His gift increases the value of that which we have. The body without
control will exhaust itself--actually wear itself out in the very riot
of pleasure. It is only when the body is the servant of a spiritual
master that it can develop its greatest strength and prolong its vigour.
Two illustrations suggest themselves. The use of intoxicants has wrought
disaster since man came upon the earth. Drink is not only ruinous when
used continuously and in large quantities, but it is injurious even when
used moderately. The life insurance tables show that a young man who, at
the age of twenty-one, begins the regular use of intoxicating liquors,
reduces his expectancy by more than ten per cent., or more than four
years in forty. That is the average. In proportion as the body is left
to its own control the appetite becomes destructive of the body itself
as well as of the body's value to others. Just in proportion as the body
is under spiritual control is it in position to enjoy itself and to
extend the period of enjoyment.
Reference need hardly be made to the diseases that follow in the wake of
immorality. The wages of sin is death--death to the body, death to the
mind and death to the soul. Races have rotted and passed into oblivion
because the body was put in command of the life. Both drunkenness and
unchastity curse the generations that follow as well as the generations
that are guilty--the sins of the fathers and mothers being visited upon
the children and children's children.
And so, too, with the mind; it would run wild but for the sovereign
soul of man. There are temptations that come through the
intellect--temptations that are as destructive as those that come
through the body. Only when the mind is guided and directed by a
spiritual conception of life is it capable of its highest and noblest
work.
The soul is greater than the mind as it is greater than the body. Would
you have proof? Recall the days of the martyrs. What is it in man that
can take the body and hold it in the fire until the flames consume the
quivering flesh? The soul of man that can coerce the body to its death
is greater than the body itself. And the soul is likewise greater than
the mind. It can take the imperial mind of man, purge it of vanity and
egotism and infuse into it the spirit of humility and a passion for
service. The soul that can thus harness the mind and make it bear the
burdens of the World is greater than the mind itself.
Remember, also, that the spiritual gifts which Jesus bestows are vastly
richer than all that man possessed before. Who can measure the value
of salvation--the peace that comes with sins forgiven and the joy of
constant communion with the Heavenly Father whom Christ reveals? And,
then, consider the moral code that is revolutionizing the world. I only
have time to mention a few of the fundamental teachings of Christ.
Christ gave the world a new definition of love. Husbands had loved their
wives and wives their husbands; parents had loved their children,
and children their parents; and friend had loved friend, but Christ
proclaimed a love as boundless as the sea.
Christ founded a religion and built a Church on love--on love, the
greatest force in the world. Love furnishes an armour which no weapon
can pierce. When physical warfare is forgotten, love will still call its
hosts to battle; the effort then will be, not to kill one another but to
excel in doing good.
Christ has been called "_visionary"_--that is a favourite word with
those who pride themselves upon being practical. But as a matter of
fact, one of the great virtues of Christ's teachings is that they are
_practical_. He deals with the every-day things of ordinary life and in
His quiet way irons out difficulties and makes rough paths smooth. His
philosophy is easily comprehended and readily applied. His words need no
interpretation; they are the words of the people, the language of the
masses. If He were a teacher of rhetoric He would surpass all other
teachers because the art of discourse reaches its maximum in His
sentences. The learned sometimes speak over the heads of their hearers,
using words that are unusual and long-drawn-out. Jesus talked to the
multitude and they not only understood Him but "_the common people heard
him gladly."_
Let me recall to your minds just a few illustrations of the simplicity
of His thought and language. Take, for instance, the supreme virtue,
love, upon which He always places emphasis. Note how He weaves it into
human experience.
"Therefore," He says (Matt. 5:23), "if thou bring thy gift to the
altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against
thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother."
Reconciliation is preferred to sacrifice. The gift upon the altar can
wait; but enmity between brothers must have attention at once. What
infinite woe and heartache will be prevented when this lesson is learned
and applied throughout the world. What untold blessings will be realized
when even among those who profess the name of Christ it is always
employed. A word spoken in anger has often cost a life because neither
party to the quarrel was big enough to obey the best promptings of the
heart and beg pardon. Families have been rent asunder; communities have
been divided; nations have gone to war, just because some one lacked
the spirit of the Saviour and refused the plain and easy road to
reconciliation. Well may religious rites be suspended for the moment
while love removes offense and binds together hearts that were
estranged. We know that "To err is human," and we believe that "To
forgive is divine;" to _ask_ forgiveness requires as much grace as to
forgive.
In his first epistle (chapter 4:2) John makes a striking application of
Christ's doctrine of love: "If a man say 'I love God' and hateth his
brother, he is a liar."
These are harsh words but the Apostle was dealing with a very serious
subject, viz., the glaring inconsistency between love of God and hatred
of a brother.
There are many ways in which one can manifest hatred of his brother, and
it must be remembered that hatred is a sin that is proven by acts rather
than admitted. First, there is indifference--a wide-spread sin--and
it is to be found inside the church as well as outside. As love is a
positive virtue, a failure to love is a violation of obligations. A
participation in the services of the church, even communion at the
Lord's Table--does not always awaken in Christians the interest they
should feel in each other.
If I may be permitted to illustrate my thought, allow me to call
attention to the fact that church members are sometimes compelled to pay
cut-throat rates for short-time loans when there are within the same
congregation members who are loaning at lawful rates to non-church
members. Does it not seem incredible that the money of Christians is
available for the outside world and yet not within reach of needy
brethren? It would be easy for each church to organize within its
membership a loan society and use the money supplied by the well-to-do
for the accommodation of those temporarily embarrassed. Sometimes the
chattel mortgage sharks collect one hundred per cent, or more and the
banks, which are established for the purpose of making small short-time
loans, usually collect twenty to thirty per cent. Why should a church
member be driven to these extremities when the loanable money in the
church is sufficient for all needs? Surely church membership ought to
be better security for a small amount than either a chattel or a real
estate mortgage.
Another illustration; the fraternities are splendid organizations and
are founded on high principles, but the church might be expected to do
for its members some of the work left to fraternities. They care for the
sick and bury the dead! Is it not a reflection on the church that its
members should ever be compelled to go outside for assistance in such
emergencies?
There are many other forms of indifference, but indifference is the
least harmful of the manifestations of the lack of brotherhood. We have
cases of positive and deliberate injury practiced against those who
stand in the relation of brothers. We have had a riot of exploitation in
this country; profiteering has been carried on on an appalling scale:
men have been thrusting their larcenous hands into the pockets of their
church brethren, as well as into the pockets of the public.
We have also the unequal combat between the tax-eater and the taxpayer,
and we have the perennial conflict between the different groups of
taxpayers, each trying to shift the burden onto the other, not to speak
of that very considerable company who, for profit, cultivate vice as the
farmer cultivates his crops. All conscious and deliberate injustice is
proof of hatred and to such as engage in such wrong-doing the language
of John ought to come as a stinging rebuke. It would work a revolution
in society as well as in the Church if all the members proved their love
of God by fair dealing with their fellowmen.
Christ confines Himself usually to the laying down of broad, fundamental
principles instead of supplying rules and formulae. He cleanses the
heart and then gives to life the law of love which should pervade all
human relationships, as the law of gravitation pervades the universe.
But the Master at times went from generalities into details, making the
path of duty so plain that no one can excuse himself if he strays there
form.
An illustration is found in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25:34-46.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee
an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed
thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.