a Ge o; GEE Sf 7 JS se LS SEL Zs Z “Z, Z Le es A ies S _ Gy ty ue os ae el eee 315 XI. CONSOLATION. IN OLD SAGs snc nes oe cowie he se cw ae ee eee XAT, Tin CONQUEROR OF DEANE a6. 304 soci os dois «Se ones INTRODUCTION. Tuis work is not a treatise on Christian evi- dences, yet it is confidently believed that it con- tains many forcible evidences of the truth and substantial value of Christianity. There can be no clearer proof of the power and utility of a system than the fact that it furnishes real assist-_ ance to men in the affairs of this life. ‘“ By their fruits ye shall know them.” The Christian religion cannot be said to be on trial. It has had a long and remarkable career. Its fruits are abundant and manifest. If it had wrought harm it would have been condemned and cast out long ago. Its work has been accomplished among all classes and conditions of men. Going among the ignorant, the poor, and the degraded, it has lifted them up and inspired them with a nobler and happier life. Finding its way into the palaces of kings, the mansions of the wealthy, the studio of the artist, and the study of the scholar, it has imparted a new charm to their exalted honors, leading rulers to obey the 6 INTRODUCTION. King of kings, the rich to consecrate their gold to good uses, the artist to purer inspirations of genius, the scholar to more attractive channels of investigation, and sanctifying every force it has touched to the service of humanity. Many among us look on Christianity as a the- ory which is beautiful in its conception but im- practicable in the affairs of common life. A greater error cannot be found. Christianity is the most intensely practical system in the world. It is nothing unless reduced to practice. Its doctrines have no value except as they are ap- plied to the practical affairs of men. “ He that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, is like unto a foolish man.” Another glaring misconception of Christianity assumes that it is merely intended to prepare the soul for heaven, but has no mission to man with reference to this world. Certainly one object of the mission of Christ and his Gospel was to bring men to glory, but that is a remote object. In accomplishing this end Jesus pro- poses to lead his disciples into paths of right- eousness and true blessedness on earth. The Gospel is adapted to every one in his present condition. It is not only for some men, but for INTRODUCTION. 7 all. Itaffords valuable aid in all the pursuits of life and furnishes the best foundation and pur- est inspiration for all the important institutions of society. In work, in study, in business, in polities, in statesmanship, in all the professions, the Gospel is our chief reliance. For all the temp- tations and perils, all the afflictions and trials, all the perplexities and uncertainties of this life, it is a safe guide. Of the home, the State, the Church, the school, it is the chief corner-stone. Against the foes of man in society it is our prin- cipal weapon. | Christianity is eminently adapted to the times in which we live. There are some who concede that it was once a useful system. They admit that is has filled the world with light and lifted the nations to a higher plane. But they say it has had its day. The world has outgrown this as it has other ancient systems. The civilization and culture of our times require a new standard and system of morals and social improvement. This also is an error. Christianity has not only disseminated such light as the world needed several thousand years ago, but its teachings are suited to our timesalso. By these pagan nations are to be enlightened and redeemed, and 8 INTRODUCTION. by these our own and other highly civilized countries are to move on to higher attainments and achievements. We shall never get beyond these. We have not measured up to them yet by a long distance. The Ethical Society of En- gland and America is now busily engaged in finding out some better system of morals than the Gospel contains. But to what purpose? The best community on earth, the best Church under the sun, is far below the gospel standard of morals. We shall never get beyond this, for when society shall measure up to the gospel standard the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven, and the glory of God and of redeemed humanity will fill the earth. When we speak of Christianity as the univer- sal boon of humanity, only pure Christianity, as it is set forth in the Bible and in the hearts and lives of the true disciples of Christ, is meant. There is a genuine article and there is much that is spurious. Corrupt forms of Christianity abound, the creeds of which are crowded with superstition ; there are Churches which are over- whelmed with the spirit of the world. These are often called Christianity. All infidel attacks are aimed against these misrepresentations and INTRODUCTION. 9 caricatures. When the enemies of Christ have shown that some false and corrupt form of his religion has opposed education, hindered the progress of civilization, oppressed the poor, per- secuted the innocent, and condemned the just, they imagine that they have made a strong case. This is the common error of all forms of oppo- sition to the Bible. Even in corrupt forms of Christianity some of the light of truth may usually be discovered. No branch of the Christian Church exists to-day entirely destitute of the knowledge of Christ, and perfection cannot be claimed for any. All de- nominations are more or less tainted with the spirit of the world, and in all creeds there is some error. Perhaps none have grasped the true meaning and comprehended the whole sys- tem of the great Teacher with perfect accuracy. In proportion as men have approached Jesus in their doctrines and in their lives have they be- come the salt of the earth. The religion of re- pentance, faith, holiness, love, and righteousness alone will banish crime and vice and ignorance and poverty and fill the world with peace and joy and hope. It is concerning the relation of Christianity to 10 INTRODUCTION. the practical affairs of this world and the actual conditions of men in this life that it is most fre- quently and fatally misapprehended. When properly understood, this divine system of hn- man redemption is found to be a divine scheme of life capable of universal application. In its preparation the divine Author had in view the peculiar needs of man in every period of his existence, in every condition possible to him, in every pursuit to which he may lawfully address himself, and in every emergency which may overtake him. If the religion of Christ should be correctly understood and intelligently practiced the things of this world need no longer be divided into secular and religious, for all things would be religious. Men would serve God as truly and do his will as acceptably and glorify his name as certainly in business and political life as in the holy exercises of the sanctuary. If this little book shall enable its readers to see more clearly the utility of Christianity in its relation to the fundamental interests of human- ity the author will have gained his object and received his reward. RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. CHAPTER I. CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. Curistraniry is a system of salvation. Its mission is to rescue man from sin, to restore him to his proper relation with God, and introduce him into the kingdom of heaven. But while it seeks to save the soul it is also adapted to the needs of the body; while it provides for the spiritual redemption and improvement of man it does not overlook his material interests ; while it prepares him for the other world, and teaches him to lay up treasures in heaven, it fits him also for this life and shows him how to conduct the affairs of this world with discretion and suc- cess. One objection to Christianity has been that it ignores the interests of this life and makes no provision for the needs of man in this world. We are told that it is not a practicable system, 12 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. and that if its precepts were rigidly carried out they would utterly destroy society. Such pas- sages of Scripture as the following are cited in proof of this position: “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put On “Take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth.” “Labor not for the meat that per- isheth, but for that which endureth unto ever- lasting life.” “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” “Go sell all thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” ‘He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.” Some Christian teachers, placing a rigid and unreasonable interpretation on this class of Scripture passages, have clothed religion with a gloomy and repulsive appearance, and those who have attempted to follow out this manner of life have presented faulty models of Christian char- acter, grossly misrepresenting the religion which CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. 13 they have assumed to exemplify. Many, seeing the absurdity of this way of life, have made it the basis of an attack on Christianity itself. But this isnotChristianity. It isonlyawretched caricature. There is an old doctrine which teaches that every thing material is essentially evil, and that only the purely spiritual is good. Temptations enter the soul through the bodily senses; men are led astray by worldly enjoyments and grati- fications ; evil lurks in all the pursuits and in- terests of this world ; every sweet hides a snare. Hence certain thinkers have concluded that the soul and the body belong to antagonistic realms ; that the interests of earth and heaven are essen- tially incompatible, and that the highest welfare of the soul requires complete abstinence from every bodily gratification. This doctrine has led multitudes to abandon the world and shut themselves up in cloisters where they might spend their time in religious exercises and med- itation undisturbed by worldly thoughts and cares. It has caused religious teachers to place secular pursuits under the ban as dangerous and. - contaminating, to be shunned by as many as pos- sible, and only to be engaged in because life can- not be supported without them. 14 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. This idea of the incompatibility of spiritual and secular interests still exists in the Catholic Church, and sometimes intrudes itself among sincere Protestants. There are not afew among us who believe that a high state of spiritual life cannot be attained by men of business activity and success. They do not expect men to attend properly to the secular affuirs of this life and be- - come good Christians at the same time. Being determined to make the most out of business, they take it for granted that high religious at- tainments are beyond their reach, and make no serious effort in that direction. If this position were true Christianity would indeed be an im- practicable system. It might answer as a means of fitting men for heaven, but would be of no value for the earth. It might be possible for ministers who devote their entire time to the study of religious subjects and the promotion of religious interests to become exemplary Chris- tians, but laymen, whose occupation is in the field, in the marts of trade, and with the stern realities of this world, might well despair. For the masses who must toil and strive for bread . there would be no hope. : But this is a gross misrepresentation of Chris- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. 15 tianity. So far from being a hinderance it is a great help to man in secular pursuits. By for- bidding idleness the Bible imposes on all men, ex- cept those who are called of God to the ministry of his word, the obligation to engage in some form of secular business. The law of labor is as old as man. When the parents of the human race were placed in the garden, and before their sin had brought the curse upon the earth, they received this commandment from their Creator : “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” The process of subduing the earth involves all manner of legitimate secu- lar business. The earth is the fruitful source of all material blessings needed by man for indi- vidual and domestic comfort and for the ad- vancement of civilization. In the development of these resources all forms of labor, trade, and industry are also developed. The Creator has not prepared the supply of man’s wants ready to his hand. He does not furnish bread already baked, raiment already woven, ships, houses, railroads, and printing-presses already built. But he has placed the erude materials within our reach and left us to invent, to discover, and to construct according to our needs and resources. 16 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. To subdue the earth is the work of man. God made him to have dominion over every beast of the field, every material substance in the earth, and every force included in this world. “Use the world as not abusing it” is the law of Christianity concerning secular pursuits. “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work” is a command as imperative and as im- portant as that other which relates to sacred of- fices: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The laws of nature and of Christianity perfectly coincide at this as at all other points of human life. The toil which is necessary to secure the good things of earth is equally neces- sary to the development of our own being. The development of the resources in the earth and of the resources in man is accomplished by the same means. Work is as necessary to the health and strength and comfort of body and mind as it is to the cultivation of the earth. Iadleness, which is condemned in the Bible, is condemned also by nature. ‘ An idle brain is the devil’s workshop” is an old proverb founded on hn- man experience.. Steady employment keeps men out of mischief. Mariners at sea are never so much disposed to complain and mutiny as when CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PuRSUITs. 17 unemployed. It is said of an old captain that when there was nothing else for his men to do he would issue an order to “scour the anchor.” When the American army under Washington camped near Morristown, N. J., in the winter of 1777, the soldiers, not having received pay for a long time, and being destitute of proper food and clothing, were on the verge of despair. Their commander saw that the danger was ag- gravated by the idleness of the men, and issued an order to build a fort on the summit of a hill back of the town. The ruins of the fort are still plainly visible. It has received the signifi- eant name of “ Fort Nonsense,” from the fact that it could never have been of any possible use, and was only built to furnish employment for the soldiers. When one considers the im- portant purpose the fort really served he is per- suaded that it deserved rather to be called “ Fort Wisdom.” So happily do the laws of .Chris- tianity and the laws of nature concur in pro- nouncing anathema on idleness. Man is aided by Christianity in secular pur- suits in another way. It points out their true relation and importance. While they are ex- Suga important they are not all-important, 18 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. nor are they so important as spiritual pursuits and interests, They are not to be engaged in as an end but as a means to a higher end. ‘“ What- soever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This is an exalted aim, but man is an exalted being. Some men pursue their secular occupations for the sake of money, some for the sake of bread, some for the sake of fame, while others aim at superior intellect- ual attainments. But these aims are all too low. Placing mere secular interests above all, every thing in life becomes disjointed. It is not neces- sary that a man should always have definitely in mind this high aim. He cannot stop to say to himself, when about to take each step, “ [am doing this to please God.” In that case he could never think of any thing else. Men who - are controlled by the love of gold are not always thinking about gold. Men who are ruled by some base lust are not always thinking about it. They are led about unconsciously by this master. So the man who prosecutes all his secular pur- suits for the glory of God is ruled by this mo- tive habitually, and takes no special pains in each particular case to remind himself of his duty. This principle places secular pursuits in their CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PuRSUITs. 19 proper order. They are subservient to some- thing higher. Plato defrayed his traveling ex- penses in Egypt by the profits he derived from the oil which he sold during his journey. Sell- ing oil was an important business. The pay- ment of his expenses was a consideration. But his real aim in all this transaction was to store his mind with knowledge. His dealing in oil , was a means to a higher end—an end higher than mere profits. Spimoza maintained himself by polishing glasses while pursuing his _philo- sophical investigations. His chief aim was knowl- edge, but he made use of a trade as a means. Man’s chief aim in the world should be to make the world better according to the will of God who placed him here. This he may do by de- veloping his own character, by comforting tlic afflicted, by lifting up the fallen, by pouring light into the dark places. His secular pursuit is a means to this end. By it he maintains him- self and family and secures the means to bless the world. This principle furnishes a just interpretation of all those precepts referred to at the beginning of this chapter. When Jesus says, “Take no thought for the body; labor not for the meat 20 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. that perisheth,” we can easily understand him in the light of this principle. Earthly treasures, bodily comforts, the support of this life, are not to be the aim of life. They are important, but secondary objects of human pursuit. This plan of life exalts these pursuits to the highest honor. Whoever makes an idol of his business and money degrades them both and degrades him- self still more, because he lives for them; they . are his masters. But whoever makes these pur- suits contribute to his maintenance while he is really engaged in acquiring knowledge and wis- dom, developing character and manhood, im- proving the condition of the poor, the ignorant, and the afflicted, lifting earth nearer heaven and enlarging the kingdom of God, pushes these secular affairs to the highest place they are capa- ble of filling. Whatever he does is honorable and shall prosper. This man shall never fail in business, for although his subordinate plans may miscarry his chief aim will surely be realized. This man will be steady and strong. He will never waver nor temporize. Parties may change, tides of speculation ebb and flow ; he will go on unmoved. History tells of a dark day in New England in 1780. The light of the sun was ob- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PuRSUITS. 21 scured, and the shadows became so heavy that the fowls sought their perches and the people became alarmed, supposing the last day had come. The Connecticut Legislature was in ses- sion at Hartford. One branch of the body ad- journed, and a proposition to adjourn was made in the other house, when Colonel Davidson arose and said: “The day of judgment is either ap- proaching or it is not. If it is not there is no cause for adjournment; if it is I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought.” The man of Chris- tian principle pursues his secular business in such a way that he would have no change to make if the last trump should proclaim the approach of the last day. Far from this standard as men are to-day, we are moving toward it. The Christian idea of secular business is gaining ground. The time will come when all secular forces will be mar- shaled in the service of the kingdom of God. Men shall no longer toil for money, for fame, or even for culture as an end, but for the glory of God. The farmer will plow and plant and gather into barns for the Lord Jesus Christ. The miner will mine the ore, the merchant. will 22 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. buy and sell, great ships of commerce will cross the seas, the printing-presses, railroads, and tele- graphs will all be operated in the interest of the cause of the Son of God. And even political conventions, legislatures, courts of justice, fed- eral and municipal governments, will be ad- ministered, not for gain or party, but for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christianity prohibits all pursuits, however lucrative, which degrade men and curse society. This much is implied in the principle which has just been discussed and is clearly inculeated in a multitude of biblical precepts and warnings. One who turns his attention to secular pursuits has many things to consider. Among these is the question of money. Many openings for busi- ness present themselves, in which money can be made easily and rapidly. But in too many cases the business itself is condemned by the teachings of the Bible. The traffic in alcoholic beverages is a case in point. The use of strong drink and trade in liquors are old offenses against sound morals and the best interests of society. “ Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that put- test thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken.” The vast fortunes made in the liquor traffic are CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. 235 wrung from the poor, and represent broken hearts and ruined homes rather than honest toil and equivalents of substantial good. No man with the spirit of Christ in him can engage in such a pursuit. This traffic is dignified by its advocates with the name of business, and the manufacture of strong drink is classed among the thriving and important industries of our country. Thousands of men and millions of capital are employed in this pursuit. The only argument that can be offered in its favor is that it furnishes the means of livelihood to those engaged in it and enables them to support their families in comfort, and sometimes in luxury. Thieves and robbers might say as much for their peculiar occupation. There is not a single interest of humanity which the liquor traffic does not antagonize. It is the enemy of the Church, the school, the home, and the State. It injures every branch of useful busi- ness in the community where it exists. The money expended for intoxicating liquors is di- verted from legitimate channels and poured out in a channel which spreads almost every form of evil among men. If the drunkard can be weaned from his cups the money which he was wont to 24 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. spend in the saloon is henceforth paid to the butcher, the baker, the shoe and dry goods mer- chant. Every drinking-saloon in the city is an — abyss in which the wages of working-men are swallowed up, and by which every branch of le- gitimate business is seriously damaged. Wherever a drinking-house is opened the value of property in that neighborhood is ma- terially depreciated. But this is not the worst feature of this business. If depreciation in values and waste of wages were all the curse might be borne. But this traffic produces disease, strife, and shame. It is the cause of more crimes than any other agent. It corrupts politicians, degrades politics, prevents wise legislation, and lays its hand on courts of justice, driving thein to acts of injustice and infamy. The liquor traffic is an infamous, barbarous, tyrannical enemy, ut- terly incompatible with the interests of society and a constant menace to all useful institutions. The effort has been made to secure the in- dorsement of Christianity in favor of this traffic. Passages of Scripture have been cited in support of this villainous business. But this isan old trick of the advocates of evil. The attempt was often made to show that human slavery was compatible CHRISTiANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 25 with the teachings of the Bible and the spirit of Christianity. The claim that the traffic in in- toxicating liquors is not condemned by Chris- tianity is still feebly maintained by a few. It is not difficult to overthrow this claim. Protestant Churches in America, with insignificant excep- tions, have squarely denounced the trade in in- toxicants. A large number of Roman Catholics in this country are indeed now engaged in this business, and defend it strenuously. Some priests and bishops of that communion hold similar views. But these Roman Catholics do not repre- sent Christianity in this case. Their course has been condemned by a council of their own Church held in Baltimore a few years ago. The bulwark which has prevented this great iniquity from overwhelming our country, has been the Christian Church. From Christian pulpits and from the Gospel of Christ has gone forth a pure sentiment which has saved our cities from being completely ruined by strong drink. The advocates of the liquor traffic fear and hate the Churches and the ministers of the Gospel. If they could overthrow these they could have their own way. Against the Churches they hurl their most violent anathemas. 26 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. Christianity has triumphed over many forms of error, and this also will pass away before its conquering sword. It appears to be an hereulean task. The Christian sentiment which pronounces this traftic unjust and barbarous encounters tre- mendous opposition. Vast sums of money in- vested, political interests, political parties, the depraved appetites of men, all rise up in their might and threaten to crush this great idea. But it isa true and righteous idea; begotten of the Gospel. It has already produced great changes in the sentiments of the people, in the customs of society, and in legislation, nor will it stay until this form of iniquity shall be over- thrown. Drunkenness was one of the chief counts in the indictment which the prophet Isaiah brought against Israel, and for which its overthrow was decreed. Drunkenness was found among all classes. Rulers, judges, priests, and prophets staggered through wine. Feasts were polluted, legislation was perverted, and religion degraded by the prevalence of strong drink. The result was destruction. The same result is sure to fol- low again when the same causes exist. The natural tendency of this so-called business is to CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Purswur'rs. 27 produce national decline and ruin. Christianity alone has prevented this result in our case. The leaders of religion in America are not drunkards. The Protestant ministers are not corrupted through wine, and the same is true of the Roman Catholics with some exceptions. The Protestant Churches may not be wholly free from this evil, but their members are so far free that, as a class, their example is good and wholesome and their influence mighty. Our rulers are not drunkards. The sentiment on this subject, which Christianity has created, will not tolerate drunkards in high places. The President of the United States, the members of our federal Congress, the judges of our courts, and the governors of our States are generally free from drunkenness. They are doubtless swayed in some cases by the influence of the liquor power, but in their personal habits they are well-nigh all free from drunkenness. This is something. It is a great gain on the past. It is a glorious promise for the future. It is the result of Christian teaching. There are other branches: of business con- demned by Christianity which need not be named or described. They will be readily recognized by 28 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. every sincere Christian by their baneful influ- ence on the individual and on society. Christianity promotes secular interests also by ineulcating virtues which tend to success. It is a fact that wealth is being accumulated in Chris- tian nations much more rapidly than anywhere else, and that all secular interests prosper in those nations far more than they do in pagan countries. Wealth is being produced in Chris- tian lands in about the proportion of the prev- alence of Christianity. In those countries where an outward form of Christianity exists without much of its spirit and power there is progress, but it is not rapid; but where the Bible is freely circulated among the people and read by them, and where its teachings have a deep hold on the popular mind, as in England and America, the growth of material possessions 1s prodigious. “The statistics of Christian wealth are overwhelming. The three great sources of gold, Australia, California, and the Ural Mount- ains, all belong to Christian nations.” The fa- cilities and machinery for the development of the resources of nature are in the hands of Chris- tian nations. Inventive genius and the spirit of inquiry and exploration which are quickened CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITs. 29 in the atmosphere of Christian thought are shriv- eled up by contact with pagan ideas. China, the greatest of the pagan nations, the country whose peculiar social virtues have preserved the social and national structure for thousands of years, is a stagnant nation, having made no progress for many centuries. The virtues in- culeated by Christianity, industry, honesty, tem- perance, and frugality, together with the supe- rior intellectual acuteness which Christianity imparts, greatly facilitate material progress. When we say that religion insures success in business we speak in general terms. A single case is not a sufficient basis on which to build conelu- sions in such matters. Individuals who practice all Christian virtues faithfully may make un- fortunate investments and lose. They may have come into the world under cireumstances unfa- vorable to business life and success. Many holy men were born in poverty, have been. unfortu- nate in every attempt to rise above the plane on which their parents moved, and have spent their days almost in a condition of indigence on account of causes over which they had no control. Such cases are exceptions. Thou- sands of young men whom the Gospel found in 30 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. poverty and worthlessness have been taken up by the Christian religion, cleansed from their vices, and, becoming thrifty, industrious, and economical, have accumulated a competence, and in many cases, handsome fortunes. This is not an unusual experience. Some men in America who have laid millions on the altars of Chris- tianity for the erection of hospitals, colleges, and churches were penniless and worthless when first found by the Church. We sometimes hear men bemoaning their ill luck and insisting that every thing goes against them. Dr. Johnson, who was himself frequently without means to procure the necessary comforts of life chiefly through his own fanlt, once said: “All the complaints which are made of the world are unjust ; I never knew a man of merit neglected; it was generally by his own fault that he failed of success.” Washington Irving coincides with this view and holds this lan- guage: “As for the talk about modest men be- ing neglected, it is too often cant, by which indolent and irresolute men seek to lay their want of success at the door of the public. Modest merit is, however, too apt to be inactive, or negligent, or uninstructed, merit. Well-ma- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 31 tured and well-disciplined talent is always sure of a market, provided it exerts itself; but it must not cower at home and expect to be sought for. There is a good deal of cant, too, about the success of forward and impudent men, while men of retiring worth are passed over with neg- lect. But it usually happens that those forward men have that valuable quality of promptness and activity without which worth is a mere in- operative property. A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion.” In our own country, while some are pinched with poverty on account of misfortunes which were beyond their control, most of those who do not succeed in their secular undertakings and fail to gather from them a comfortable support have been reduced to their present embarrassing position by their own indolence or vices. tich- ard Cobden, one of the best friends the work- ing-men in England ever had, said on one occa- sion: “The world has always been divided into two classes — those who have saved and those who have spent—the thrifty and the extrava- gant. The building of all the houses, the mills, the bridges, the ships, and the accomplishment of all other great works which have rendered 32 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. man civilized and happy, have been done by the savers, the thrifty; and those who have wasted their resources have always been their slaves. It has been the law of nature and of providence that this should be so; and I were an impostor if I promised any class that they would advance themselves if they were improvident, thought- less, and idle.” These statements are even more generally applicable in America than in England. There is a temptation to extravagance and im- providence which many have no disposition to resist. They wish to appear wealthy when they are not, to live in fine houses, flourish in costly array, fare sumptuously, and enjoy the tempting luxuries which are constantly flaunted in their faces when they have no means wherewith to procure them honestly. This is the explanation ‘of the poverty of multitudes. Others indulge in expensive and hurtful vices and wonder why their lot should be so hard. There is no cause for wonder. Those who vio- late the law, which is at once a law of Chris- tianity and a law of nature, have no reason to expect prosperity. Samuel Smiles tells us that on a certain occasion a deputation waited on Lord John Russeil to make an appeal for a re- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 33 duction of taxes levied on working-men in En- land, and received a respectful reply, in which these sentences occur: “ You may rely upon it that the ‘government of this country durst not tax the working classes to any thing like the extent to which they tax themselves in their ex- penditure upon intoxicating drinks alone.” The heavy taxes men levy on themselves for hurtful vices cause the principal part of the poverty of England and America. If we could get rid of these extravagant vices, the effects they produce, and the institutions of Satan in which they are fostered, laboring men, mechanics, merchants, those engaged in professional pursuits, and all classes of men and women who follow secular callings would thrive and prosper. It is one aim of the Gospel to overthrow these strong- holds of wickedness. It sometimes happens that men who adhere rigidly to Christian principles in the pursuit of their secular calling fail to accumulate property so rapidly as some of their neighbors who ig- nore religion. One may even lose heavily under certain circumstances by his scrupulous observ- ance of Christian teachings. While others make millions in an ineredibly short time with little 9 9) 34 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. effort, the honest Christian may plod on, toil hard, and lay up nothing. But character is more valu- able than money. One cannot afford to gain the whole world and lose his own soul. He makes a bad bargain who gives up his honesty for one moment in order to make millions of money. Character is the Christian’s principal fortune. The Christian poet gives this account of the loss he sustains who barters honesty for gold: “ Yet there be others that will truckle to a lie, Selling honesty for interest ; And. do they gain? They gain but loss, a little cash with scorh. Behold the sorrowful change wrought upon a fallen nature: He hath lost his own esteem and other men’s respect; For the buoyancy of upright faith he is clothed in the heavi- ness of cringing. For plain truth, where none could err, he hath chosen tortuous paths ; In lien of his majesty of countenance, the timorous glances of servility ; Instead of freedom’s honest pride, the spirit of a slave.” Christianity contributes much to make secular pursuits a blessing to man by preventing those evils which lawful occupations tend to produce. The natural tendency of secular affairs is to de- grade those who engage in them, and this tend- ency must be overcome by proper instruction and inward spiritual forces. In the word of God CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 35 the dangerous tendencies of worldly engage- ments are clearly pointed out and notes of warn- ing clear and strong are sounded. “ They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches ” constitute the thorns and briers which, according ‘to the parable of the sower, grow up and choke the good sced of the kingdom. Among the ‘guests invited to the feast of spiritual good pre- pared by the King of heaven for his earthly subjects many make excuses, one saying, “I have bought a farm,” while another pleads,“ I have bought five yoke of oxen.” Ungodly pursuits ‘out of which flow only corruption and destruc- tion ruin those who engage in them. But other secular vocations which are necessary to the sup- port of life and the improvement of the race are beset with snares. They take such a deep hold of the minds of men as to cause them to forget the higher spiritual good.. - . soni What shall we do, therefore? Shall we flee from secular life altogether and shut ourselves in cloisters to meditate and pray? If all should do this what would become of man? There is a6 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. a better way. The Gospel makes provision for those who engage in honorable and useful pur- suits, that they may not only escape the snares that lurk within them, but may be more useful and happy and holy than they could be if they should abandon secular life altogether. The Christian Sabbath is an institution admirably adapted to counteract the evil tendencies of business life. The business man needs period- ical rest from toil and from the cares of business. This is a demand of his physical and mental constitution as well as his spiritual interests. The Sabbath furnishes hiin an opportunity to rest. Nor does this suspension of business activity in- volve any financial loss. - Here again the laws of nature and of Christianity coincide. Experi- ments covering a vast multitude of cases, made at different times and in different callings, prove that men will accomplish more and do their work better by resting one day in seven than by working every day in the year. This statement applies to laborers, mechanics, merchants, pro- fessional men, and all other classes. The rest which men require one day in seven ‘is not sleep or absolute idleness, but rather a sus- pension of secular toil and care and the employ- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. oF ment of the mind on spiritual subjects. The mind needs change. The cares and thoughts which belong to secular vocations should be dis- missed and the interest of the soul and of eter- nity carefully considered. Thus the cultivation of the moral nature, the study of the things of God, which are supremely important, receive the attention of the mind. If man had no Sabbath his spiritual nature would not be cultivated. Secular pursuits instead of a blessing would be- come a curse, because they would oceupy the thoughts incessantly. So important has the Christian Sabbath been found in its relation to secular affairs that in the United States laws are made which require men to abstain from ordinary business on that day. These laws may be intended in part to advance the canse of re- ligion, but primarily they have been enacted in the interest of the State and secular affairs. The evils growing out of the exclusive occupation of the mind with business are counteracted by the law of the Sabbath. Other evils still grow ont of covetousness. This is the besetting sin attendant on secular pursuits. Moved by this disposition many en- gage in occupations which bring no advantage to 38 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. society, but which in many cases produce incal- culable mischief. Mercenary motives lie at the bottom of all such pursuits as the slave-trade, the liquor-trade, and the opium-trade. The same spirit inspires men to conduct other branches of business in such a way as to injure their neigh- borg and trample on the laws of God so far as they stand in the way of money-making. Cov- etousness leads the rich to oppress the poor in their wages, to form combinations of capital, not for the benefit of men, but solely for the purpose of making financial gains. Gigantic corporations wield tremendous power, and too often it is used to-control legislation in the interests of wealth, to influence courts of justice, to support injustice, and to corrupt society. Much might be said truthfully in favor of combining capital; such corporations might be a great blessing to the poor, to working-men, and to the State, but the dangers attending the concentration of so much. power in a few hands are so many and so great that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for these great corporations to administer their affairs so as to stand approved before the bar of Christian justice. - Henee arises the strife between labor and cap- CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 39 ital, an evil which grows more alarming with the advance of civilization and the development of secular industries. The solution of the labor problem is not found in any scheme of equaliz- ing the possessions of all citizens. Many fantas- tic theories have been put forth and ably advo- cated, by which it is proposed to prevent the combination of wealth, to limit the accumulation of property by individuals, and to put an end to poverty by legal enactment or by violent attacks on the rich. To discuss these propositions is needless. This great reform will never be achieved until capitalists and laborers alike stand on the principles of Christianity. Offensive distinctions will be abolished when men learn that the highest distinction is to be a man of pure and spotless character and to do the most possible good to others. When benevolence shalltake the place of covetousness, when men fully understand the meaning of personal re- sponsibility, when the golden rule becomes the rule of business, the labor question will be sulved. Political economists, statesmen, and philosophers may wrestle with this gigantic problem for centuries, but they shall not find a solution until they are willing to sit at the feet 40 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. of the peasant Teacher of Gulilee and learn of him. He who spake as never man spake has pointed out the evils and dangers and cure of covetousness, “Take heed, and beware of covet- ousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, the - ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentitully: and he thought within himself, say- ing, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thon hast provided? Sois - he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Christianity does not take the side of the rich against the poor, nor of the poor against the — lich. It cannot be pressed into the service of capital or labor as partisan interests. It ignores parties and exalts principles. It points out the CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursuits. 41 dangers of wealth and denounces unmercifully the crimes of the covetous and oppressive wealthy classes. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. .Your gold and silver is cank- ered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, erieth:.and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.” At the same time the causes of poverty are pointed out, and it is clearly taught that in many cases the poor are the cause of their own want. The law that “if any will not work neither shall he eat” is emphasized, and the various dishonest devices by which employees take advantage of employers find no encouragement in the Bible. Much less does Christianity favor any scheme of abolishing the inequalities which exist among men. The unequal distribution of the good 42 * JRRELIGION FOR THE TIMES. things of this world is not so easily explained as many suppose. The tendency of Christianity is to abolish all artificial and odious distinctions, but it recognizes the fact that some are rich and others poor, and teaches men to be content with their lot. The virtues of Christianity tend to elevate and improve the condition of the poor in material things, and, what is better still, they forthwith elevate the poorest mortal who pos- sesses them to become the peer of the wealthiest noble in the sight of God. Yea, more, the beggar who is righteous enters heaven attended by angel bands, while the wealthy worldling without spiritual wealth sinks to hell and is shut up in everlasting despair. The cure of covetousness is found in that spiritual change which the word and Spirit of God produce in the hearts of all true followers of Christ. The heart, out of which evil thoughts “and covetousness proceed, is purified so that streams of benevolence and love flow out. Christ dwells within. That soul is rich toward God, rich in faith, in love, in kindness, in good works. He does not ignore this world, but sets a higher estimate on the world to come. He does not despise secular pursuits, but engages in them CHRISTIANITY AND SecuuaR Pursuits. 43 with an eye single to the glory of God. He does not forget nor neglect his business, but con- siders also the interests of others. Envy, jeal- ousy, malice, have no place in his heart, and unholy strifes for pre-eminence are despicable in his eyes. | Christianity promotes prosperity in secular pursuits by opening channels of usefulness into which the profits of business may be poured. So long as men have no higher aim than mere money-making = on their lusts, their pursuits do not rise to a or accumulating wealth to spend position of honor in their owneyes. Such men are disgusted with their own occupations wlien they consider the degraded channels into which the results are emptied. But our religion shows men nobler uses for their money. Among the first uses to which money may be devoted is the support of one’s self and family. This is a Christian requirement. One who fails to do this is “worse than an infidel.” The comforts of life which money procures are needful for the higher pursuits of the soul and the spirit. “The poor ye have always with you.” The spirit of benevolence which relieves the needy with the proceeds of one’s own toil and effort is 44 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. one of the most exalted virtues, of Christianity and allies its possessor most intimately with — the Saviour of the world. This spirit of Christian benevolence and usefulness has laid many millions of dollars on the altar of Christ’s Church for the aid of the afflicted and unfortu- nate, for the spread of the Gospel in all lands, and for the cause of Christian education. With his money the Christian carries ont the purpose of Jesus Christ to redeem the world from igno- rance and sin and relieve the suffering sons of men. When we consider what grand and holy enterprises inoney has carried forward it appears strange that sensible men should despise money, speak lightly of secular pursuits, or imagine that wealth in itself is an evil. Upon the aceumula- tion and right use of money depends the prog- ress of the kingdom of God in the earth. If the principles of Christianity should be adopted by all professing Christians in the world such a tide of power would be turned into the channels of missionary and other Christian enterprises as would make the world tremble and the deserts sing for joy. So much for the influence of Christianity on secular pursuits. Let us turn the subject around CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PurRsvITs. 45 and look at the other side. Secular pursuits aid in the development of Christian character and in working out a Christian life. The active pur- suit of business is favorable to religious growth. Business life furnishes a fine test of religious principle. One who spends his entire life about sacred offices may play the hypocrite much more successfully than a business nan. He may, in- deed, deceive himself with regard to his relig- jous character and attainments more easily than the man whose daily life is spent in secular pur- suits. No sooner does the professing Christian enter on a business career and come in contact with the world than his principles are tried as gold is tried in the fire. Why is it that we hear of so many humiliating falls of business men who profess to be Christians? The newspapers abound in stories of Stnday-school superintend- ents, stewards, elders, deacons, prominent mem- bers of churches, who held the position of bank president, cashier, or teller, who filled the office of treasurer of some building and loan asssocia- tion, detected in the crime of appropriating to their own use funds which belonged to others, or engaging in reckless speculation, gambling in wheat or pork or oil, have lost large sums not their 46 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. own. What is the explanation, if Christianity really makes men true and good and strong? It is because the religion of these men was an af- fair of Sunday and not of every day in the week; it was a system of ceremonies and not of principles; it was an affair of outward exercises and not of inward life; it was a profession but not a practice. Every Christian who engages in secular pursuits will be tested as thoroughly, if not so severely,as the martyrs were tested. He will be sifted as wheat. Secular pursuits also furnish opportunities for spiritual victories of the most sublime and heroic character. We are commanded to “fight the good fight of faith.” We sing ‘Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas?” And we get the impression that all the Christian heroism belonged to the times when men’s lives were imperiled by making a confession of Christ. But every business man has a chance to contend for the faith on a bloodless but decisive and im- portant field. On entering business life one meets at the outset sharp competition, fierce CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. 44 struggles for gain, in the midst of which he witnesses the dishonest methods by which his neighbors hope to rise, the overreaching, the de- ceit, the supreme selfishness which characterize the transactions of nen. To mere human judg- ment it would appear impossible to achieve suc- cess without using the same methods, and in this verdict most of the business advisers concur. To stand almost alone, to believe in the eternal principles of justice and truth and act on thei requires courage and character. In secular pur- suits one will often be wronged, and the tempta- tion to retaliate will be too strong for human nature to resist. But the apostle says, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” And God has not given a commandinent without furnishing the ability to keep it. Relying on this strength the Christian business man wins a victory worth more to him and to the world than Waterloo. He not only overcomes his com- petitor, but himself also, and this is the greatest victory of all; for “greater is he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city.” Opportunities to make large sums of money by engaging in questionable pursuits, by conduct- ing legitimate pursuits in a dishonest way, or by 48 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. introducing doubtful elements into his regular business frequently stare the merchant in the face. The alternative is often presented him to violate the precepts of Christianity or lose many important customers. Thousands are carried down by this tide of dishonest competition and speculation. One man is tempted by the large gains of the liquor trade; another by one of the: various schemes for making money by trading in futures; another by some other form of gam- bling under the name of business. Many are prevented from taking a stand against gigantic evils and aiding important reforms by the fear that they wiil lose the trade of those who do not sympathize with such movements. The Christian woman who keeps a boarding-house to support herself and fatherless children is exposed to se- vere temptations when from principle she refuses to use wine on her table. Her business declines. Wealthy applicants turn away from her house with scorn when they learn that she carries her temperance principles into her business. In all these cases men and women have an opportunity to let their light so shine before men that others may see their good works. While a man’s re- ligion may cause him to lose money in such a CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR Pursutrts. 49 case, his secular business will prove a help to his religion by affording him the best opportunities in the world for doing good by self-denial and personal sacrifice. One can advance the cause of truth and at the same’ time advance his own character by being true to his principles when it costs something to do so more than he can do in any other way. “Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for- asmuch as ye know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Christianity and secular pursuits are not antago- nistic, but mutually helpful when properly un- derstood. They are not to be separated. It will not answer for the Christian to confine his re- ligion to Sunday and the church. Sacred days and sacred places have their uses, but the relig- ion which never goes beyond them is not true Christianity. Religion belongs to every day in the week, to every place where one has a right to go, and to every occupation in which one can properly engage. There is a place for religion in politics, in the learned professions, and in all kinds of secular business. Whether one pub- lishes a newspaper, writes a book, manages a factory, or plows a field he can do it in the name 4 50 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. of the Lord Jesus and observe the principles of Christianity. No true Christian will continue to belong to any corporation which violates Christian principle in the prosecution of its af- fairs. Not long since a Christian man who owned a large amount of valuable stock in a railroad immediately resigned his office in the company, sold his stock, and withdrew from the corporation when it decided to run trains on Sunday. A nominal Christian may continue to hold membership in a company which publishes a Sunday newspaper, runs Sunday trains need- lessly, or conducts other Sunday business for gain, but no real Christian can. There is an offensive way of introducing re- ligion into business which we sometimes witness. Common sense is as important in the manage- ment of business on Christian principles as it is in other things. Cant is not only offensive to those who do not respect religion but also to sensible Christians. It is one of the principal hinder- ances in the way of religion. But zeal, firmness, and frankness in avowing and advocating one’s religious convictions in connection with secular affairs will win the respect, not only of Christian people but also of all sensible men. CHRISTIANITY AND SECULAR PURSUITS. 51 Ministers are not to be frightened from the duty of denouncing corruption and advocating Christian teachings in connection with secular affairs by the outery against political preaching. Those who do not like to hear the peculiar sins of their party or their trade rebuked become exceedingly zealous for religion and demand that preachers should preach the Gospel and let business and politics alone. There is a sense in which this is trne and another sense in which it is false and pernicious. It is no part of a minister’s mission to become a politician or a partisan, or to turn aside from gospel themes to discuss secular affairs in a secular way. It is his duty to rise so far above party strife and the secular spirit as to speak the truth to ail parties without partiality and without hypocrisy. There is nothing corrupt men and demagogues dread so much asthe plain truth froma pure pulpit. The two-edged sword of the Gospel wounds designing men who for their own selfish ends seek to cor- rupt the streams of secular life more deeply than any thing else. Nothing will so effectually reform the abuses of politics and business as the faithful preaching of the word of God. Never was there a time when secular pursuits 52 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. occupied so large a place in the thought and life of the human race as they do to-day. The im- provements made in agriculture, manufacturing, and commerce within the last quarter of a cent- ury are amazing. The inventions and discov- eries of modern times have laid open such stores of wealth as the world never dreamed of before, and provided facilities whereby ten men may do as much work as hundreds could accomplish in the time of our fathers. In proportion to the increase of wealth has been the growth of per- plexing social and economical questions. Inven- tions of dishonest methods of money-making have kept pace with the useful inventions of the age. The cry of distress arising from working- men and women who have been oppressed in their wages, and from homes that have been wrecked by heedless speculation or crushed by bitter disappointment, fills the air. The con- ditions of these stirring and exciting times call loudly for the application of the teachings of Christ and his apostles. Ministers, churches, and the religious press have a grand opportunity to bless the world by holding forth the light of the Gospel, by which these struggling masses may see the way of safety and true success. Tur Brest System or MorA.s. 53 CHAPTER IL. THE BEST SYSTEM OF MORALS. Tux distinction between right and wrong is both real and exceedingly important. There is in the human mind a faculty whose peculiar office it is to recognize this distinction, to con- strain us to do right and restrain us from the wrong. If it were proper to exalt one faculty above another we should be inclined to give to the conscience the highest honor. To quicken, enlighten, and develop the conscience and _ ac- quire the habit of quickly discerning and cheer- fully choosing the right and promptly and _ per- emptorily rejecting the wrong is the highest form of culture. Character is more important than knowledge or any other possession or quality. To call one conscientious is to accord to him the highest praise, to say of him that he is con- scienceless or unscrupulous is to visit him with the deepest censure. Although this distinetion is real and of the first importance, yet the task of finding out what 54 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. is right and what is wrong has not proved an easy one. No doubt the conscience was origi- nally, and in the intention of the Creator, fully adequate to this task. But, like other mental faculties, it has been perverted and abused until its decisions are neither reliable nor authorita- tive. Men are not restrained from evil ways by the inward light which appears to have been de- signed for that purpose. The whole world licth in wickedness,” notwithstanding the in- ward admonitions and restraints of whicli all are conscious. The solution of this perplexing problem has occupied the most serious thought of the wisest and best men of all ages. Philosophers, poets, and sages have devoted themselves to the work of finding a basis of morals and adequate mo- tives to secure a high grade of moral character and conduct, and have given to the world the results of their studies. Nota few of them have proposed excellent rules and precepts, but it has been found more difficult to persuade men to conform to these rules than to frame the rules themselves. ‘The teachings of Christianity have done more to effect substantial and wide-reach- ing reformation and improvement in human Tur Best System or MoRALs. 55 society than any other system. This it has: accomplished by the superiority of its moral pre- cepts, by the perfection of the model of moral character and conduct presented in Jesus Clirist, its great author, and by the means of moral reformation which it proposes. | _ And first we find in the Bible the purest and safest moral precepts, the most elevated doctrines of human conduet and character, and the funda- mental principles of justice on which the most substantial and enduring social fabrics have been constructed. At the foundation of all the moral precepts of Christianity lies one great principle, namely, love. According to. the New Testament all righteousness, both negative and positive, pro- eeeds froin this fundamental element of human character. This prirciple is capable of uniting all men in the highest form of social life. It will abolish all strife, revenge, jealousy, rebell- ion, impurity, and war. ‘Love worketh no ill to his neighbor.” ‘ Love is the fulfilling of the law.” “Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself. On these two hang all the law and the proph- ets.” “Though I speak with the tongues of 56 RELIGION FOR THE ‘LIMES. men and of angels, and have not love, I am be- come as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.” On this law of love hang all the negative precepts of Christianity. To this class belong the prohibitions of the Decalogue. These Ten Commandments cover those specific acts which chiefly interfere with social order and peace. But it will be observed that the Bible begins its correction of human evils by adjusting man’s relation to his Creator. Pagan philosophers and moralists have considered the most important Tue Best System or MorRALs. 57 relation of the individual to be that which he sustains to society or the civil commonwealth. Hence the State has been the center about which they would make the conduct of men revolve. For this reason pagan morality, always and every- where, distinguishes in favor of the strong against the weak and unfortunate. The woman, the infant, the invalid, the insane, the poor, have no rights. Infanticide was permitted and en- couraged, the poor were treated as dumb brutes, labor was despised. But Christianity considers man’s relation to God as the highest and most important, and makes humanity revolve about this great center. Let man’s relation to his Creator be adjusted first, and all others will fol- low in beautiful order. That love which deter- mines character and conduct must first of all bind the soul to God. Man owes something to the Supreme Ruler, the Almighty Father, as well as to civil rulers and human relations. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” “ Remember the Sab- bath day, to keep it holy.” Then follow in proper order those prohibitions 58 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. which relate to our conduct toward men, includ- ing parents first, because, next to God, we owe them the highest reverence and implicit obe- dience ; then all men, as occupying a common level with ourselves. ‘“ Honor thy father and thy mother.” “Thou shalt not kill”? “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” “Thou shalt not steal.” “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” “Thou shalt not covet.” Precepts so definite, — so safe, so far-reaching in their application and effects, so salutary in their influence, have never been found in the writings of uninspired men, But the morality of the Bible is not merely negative. The love which Christianity requires not only restrains its possessor from invading the rights of his neighbor, but leads him out to do guod. The obligation to do good is as sacred as that which forbids doing harm. In the Deca- logue we have a system of wholesome prohibi- tions, but the New Testament abounds with positive commandments. The Sermon on the Mount contains the most sublime and perfect . positive moral precepts ever proposed in human language, concluding with theauthoritative decla- ration of Jesus that whosoever heareth these sayings and doeth them sliall be likened unto a Tur Bxssr System or MorA.,s. 59 wise man, but whosoever heareth and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man. The moral precepts of Christ go further still. He not only prohibits wrong-doing and enjoins well-doing, but commands his disciples to go beyond the requirements of justice in do- ing good and giving aid. Instead of contending strenuously for their rights, his followers are taught to give the world an example of yielding up their just dues for the benefit and comfort of others. “If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that ask- eth thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Others have taught men to restrain their desires within the limits of justice, to take no more than the law allows, and to give the last farthing that is due. But Jesus leads his disciples beyond the strict requirements of civil law, and teaches them to rise above the demands of strict justice, to give without ex- pecting to receive a return, to lend without re- quiring security or compensation. No reason- able man will interpret these precepts in such a way as to render the transaction of secular busi- 60 RELIGION FOR THE TiMmEs. ness impracticable, or to compel the Christian to place his possessions at the bidding of every unscrupulous rogue. The great Teacher has in : view the benevolent impulses of a divine love implanted in the huinan breast, and points out its certain tendency to lift its possessor above civil government and legal processes and enable him to live a life of benevolence and blessing to- ward his neighbors. Christian morality goes beyond the external conduct, extending to and including the thoughts of the heart. Love, which is the fundamental principle of this morality, regulates the inner life of the soul. In his interpretation of the Ten Commandments, Jesus makes the principle of — righteousness apply to inward dispositions. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I'say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. . . . Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath com- mitted adultery with her already in his heart.” Tuer Brest System or MorAts. 61 These and similar precepts show the funda- mental character of Christian morality. Chris- tianity seeks to regulate not merely human deeds and words, but the human heart itself. It is not enough to lay restraints on men concerning specific acts, the evil contemplated can only be averted by purifying the fountain of life. It is useless to attempt to force good deeds out of a character in which good dispositions do not exist. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” It isa bootless task to set about purifying the stream while the fountain is cor- rupt, or regulating the seeing of the eye while the organ is distorted. “If, therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.” “ Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Christian morality proceeds on the basis of regulating the character first and the conduct afterward. The Christian system ineludes all men among those to whom we are bound by its moral obli- gations. In this it differs radically from all other systems. Love, which is the fountain 62 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. of Christian morality, is not mere natural affec- tion, but a divine principle which extends to all classes. The weak and helpless, who were de- spised and neglected under other systems of social justice and order, are made special objects of care and tenderness under the system of Christ. Pagan philosophers and moralists coun- tenanced and encouraged infanticide and oppres- sion of women, but Christianity has thrown its protection about human life so as to render in- fants secure wherever it bears sway and to ele- vate women to freedom and honor. Strangers are made the objects of considerate attention. Men are not slow to love their friends, but Jesus teaches us to extend our regards to those who have placed us under no special obli- gations by deeds of kindness. “If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans so? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do not even the publicans so?” “ When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsman, nor thy rich neighbors ; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou mmakest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the THE Best SysteM oF MoRALs. 63 lame, the blind: and thcu shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee.” Enemies and foreigners are embraced in the love which Jesus enjoined his disciples to exer- cise. The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the sublimest lessons concerning the duty every man owes his neighbor which can be found in all the range of literature. “ All things what- soever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,” is the final summing up of the precepts of Christian morality. Hate, re- venge, anger, malice, and all malevolent disposi- tions are condemned by the Gospel. Before Christ came the highest ideal of manhood was the one who possessed indomitable courage, powers, and strength, who walked about among his enemies without fear, consuming them with the fierceness of his anger. The ideal hero shielded his friends and terrified his foes with irresistible fury. This false notion of strength and glory had penetrated the Church and domi- nated the scribes and Pharisees as well as the Greeks and Romans. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy,” was the inter- pretation which the Jewish doctors gave to the law of God. But Christ said: “Love your 64 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, do good to them that hate you.” Following in his footsteps, the apostles taught that. true manhood consists chiefly in the passive virtues. Endurance rather than resistance is the test of heroism and the means of victory. “ Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath : for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Here is the profoundest philosophy. The true method of conquest and reformation is herein set forth. Happy the men who have the wisdom to understand and the grace to practice these precepts. It is to be feared that the disciples of Jesus with rare exceptions have not risen to the full height of this exalted standard, although by it multitudes of them have been elevated far above the world. The accusation has been brought against Christianity that it fails to emphasize the virtues of patriotism and friendship, and even discour- Tue Best System or Morat.s. 65 ages the domestic virtues in its attempt to make its moral principles universal in their application. It teaches men to love strangers as well as their own countrymen, to treat enemies as though they were friends, to forget the ties of nature in their effort to benefit those who have no claims on them. But this is not the tendency of the Gospel of Christ. He clearly perceived that men are not inapt to love their friends, that natural and domestic affection, which are truly divine, tend to become extravagant so as to destroy that happy balance of the affections which the highest good of humanity requires. It is excessive in- tensity and perversion of domestic love that pro- duees unfriendly feelings toward those who are outside of the circle of the home. Excessive in- dulgence of patriotism degenerates into hatred of aliens and strangers. Exclusive attachment to friends begets enmity toward those who have not shown us favors. No father can love his children too much, but he may love them too exclusively. No man can become too fondly attached to his friends and country, but, fixing his mind and heart on these to the exclusion of others, he will become unjust. The precepts of our Lord emphasize most those virtues which 5 66 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. men are most prone'to neglect. If le has seemed to say too little about some of the most sacred relationships, it is because of the condition of humanity which requires the exaltation of cer- tain forgotten graces. The love which Jesus inculeated, and from which all moral virtues pro- ceed as streams flow from a fountain, is a deep and abiding principle embracing all the proper relations of man to other beings in the universe. The importance of Christianity in the work of elevating and improving the moral condition of individuals and of society cannot be overesti- mated. Its standard of morals is infinitely superior to all others. The teachings of Christ have affected favorably the conditions of society and government wherever his Gospel has been proclaimed. In our own country there is a bold demand, on the part of those who despise the Bible, for the repeal of all civil statutes which recognize and encourage religious. institutions, and the complete secularization of every thing connected with the government. If every thing which has been borrowed from the Bible and Christianity were eliminated from our laws and our government there would not be mucli left worth contending for. Whena thoughtful pagan Tue Best System or MorALts. 67 embassador visited the Queen of England and in- quired of her the secret of the prosperity of her realm, she handed him a Bible. The only symbol used in the ceremony whereby the Pres- ident of the United States is inaugurated into his high office is the Bible. Shrewd lawyers and wise statesmen study the Bible diligently, be- cause they find in it the oldest laws in the world and the principles of social order on which the finest and most enduring social fabrics in the world have been constructed. Honest and thoughtful men have conceded to the Christian Scriptures the highest place among moral teachings. Not only Christian teachers but skeptical thinkers have accorded to Jesus Christ and the system of which he is the author the highest praise on account of their moral pre- cepts and moral influence among men. Cabet, a socialistic writer, quoted by Charles Loring Brace, says: “If Christianity had been interpre- ted and applied in the spirit of Jesus Christ, if it had been well known and faithfully practieed by the numerous bodies of Christians who are animated by a sincere piety, and who only need to know truth well in order to follow it, this Christianity, its morals, its philosophy, its pre- 68 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. cepts would have sufficed, and would still suffice, to establish a perfect society and political organ- ization, to deliver humanity from the evil which weighs it down, and to assure the happiness of the human race on the earth.” Benjamin Frank- lin, who gave much study to the subject of ethics, and whose natural genius and opportu- nities of observation qualified him to judge wisely on such a subject, says: “ As to Jesus of Naza- reth, my opinion of whom yon particularly de- sire, I think his system of morals and his religion as he left them to us are the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.” Goethe, who cannot be accused of overestimating what is excellent in Christianity, writes: ‘Let the human mind be expanded as much as it please, it will never transeend the height and morality of Christian- ity as it shines in the Gospel.” Voltaire, who spent his life contending against Christianity as a system of religion, was nevertheless constrained to admit that the moral precepts of the Gospel have never been equaled by any thing the human mind has produced. Contrasting this system with the best that philosophy was ever able to devise, he says: “Stoicism produced but one Epictetus; and Christianity forms thousands of Tuer Brest System or Morats. 69 such philosopers, who know not that they are So, and who carry their virtue to such a length as to be ignorant that they possess any.” But how shall the precepts of the Gospel be enforced? This exalted standard of morality has appeared to some thinkers to be doomed to self-defeat because of the absolute impossibility of human nature ever rising to its height. Many have pronounced it very good, but utterly im- practicable. Nevertheless it has been found by actual experiment, repeated under a great variety of circumstances and among widely differing races of men, that it is the most practicable system ever proposed. The precepts of the Gospel are enforced by divine authority. It is not the voice of a philos- opher or a prophet, but the voice of the Creator of the heavens and the earth that speaks in the Bible. These commandments have power over men because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken them. Those who hear these words are taught that they must soon stand before God and give account for the deeds done in the body, that _ “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” The duties enjoined in the Bible are urged on men by the awards of eternity. 70 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES, The day will come when the dead shall hear the voice of God and come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. The judge of all the earth will gather all nations before him, and will separate between them asa shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. The righteous he will place on his right hand, and the wicked on his left. Then shall he say unto those on his left hand: “ De- part, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” But unto the right- eous he will say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Here is something definite, something positive, some- thing potent. Modern thinkers may sneer at this doctrine, but it is Christ’s doctrine, and its effects on men have been most wholesome. “ By their fruits ye shall know them.” The more men modify and mend these strong doctrines of the eternal consequences of good and evil, the more they rob Christianity of its power for good. The Bible presents another means of making men good. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as Tur Best System oF MoRALs. as a regenerating agent to renew and purify the hearts of men. Love is the great principle of Christian morality, but whence shall man obtain that love? “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.” The reason why preachers of the Gospel have been able to make so many converts and to secure obedience to the moral precepts of the Bible on the part of tens of thousands, while pagan philosophers of the best type utterly failed to produce any reformation among the people by their doctrines, is chiefly in the fact that they pointed their hearers to the promise of divine regeneration and divine assistance. And this regeneration actually occurred. Men are not able to keep the commandments of God, the precepts of the philosophers, or the law written on their own hearts. They know the right, but do the wrong. There is a law in, their members warring against the law of the mind, bringing them into subjection to the law of sin. When they would do good evil is pres- ent. They cannot do the things they would. Paganism offers no remedy for the bondage to sin which prevails every-where. Philosophy never proposed a remedy. But Christianity 72 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. offered an adequate remedy for the evil. With its enlightening precepts it brought in divine aid. Hence Christ offered the kingdom of God to sinners. This was the reproach which the Pharisees heaped on him before his crucifixion. “He receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” He was called in derision, “the friend of publi- cans and sinners.” This was the argument which the enemies of Christianity brought against the early Christians. They were taken from the lowest classes; the vilest characters were wel- comed into the fellowship of the disciples of the Son of God. And it was the glory of Christi- anity from the beginning that it accepted the worst and made them the best. With great boldness Paul writes to the Corinthians: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with ran- kind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunt-ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, but ye are Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Tur Best System or MoRALs. 73 In a similar strain Tertullian wrote concerning the Christians of his day. Defending then against the attacks of their enemies he pointed to the courts of justice throughout the Roman Empire before which criminals were arraigned every week charged with theft, inurder, treason, and other crimes. He challenged the accusers of the Christians to point ont a ease in which a Christian had been convicted of crime in these tribunals. The only charge that could be estab- lished against them was that they were disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. This was the triumphant argument by which the early Christian apolo- gists vindicated their brethren. Taken up from the lowest classes of society, they were washed and renewed by a power unknown to philosophy. They became the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and men seeing the change wrought in them, and the power over sin which they possessed, were drawn into the same way of life in the face of persecution. By such practical demonstrations of the power of the Gospel, and the excellence of its moral code, Christianity commends itself to all intelli- gent and fair-minded men. In this method of renewing the heart by divine grace and secur- 74 RELicGion ror tHe Tues, ing obedience to the purest moral precepts in the world, it differs from all other systems of human reformation. According to Aristotle one becomes good by doing good, but according to Jesus one must become good in order that he may do good. ‘Ye must be born again.” It was the opinion of Socrates that sin origi- nated in ignorance, and that when the mind should be enlightened by the truth, and a clear conception of virtue should be awakened, it would be impossible not to live a virtuous life. But Jesus taught that sin originates in the heart. “Out of the heart proceed evil thonghts, mur- ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man.” The remedy for moral evil must change the heart. To enlighten the intellect is not sufficient. Many modern apostles of culture advocate the same opinion as that which Socrates held. They tell us that the means and guarantee of moral perfection may be found in education. But intellectual culture cannot impart spiritual purity and strength. The history of the race proves the inadequacy of this means of securing justice and purity. Periods of the highest intellectual culture have Tue Best System or MorAts. 75 been the starting-points of the deepest moral declension. Christianity has been accused of appropriating the virtues of all other systems of religion and philosophy and claiming them as distinctively and exclusively her own. It is said that what- ever is good in the teachings of Confucius and Buddha and Socrates and Seneca has been in- corporated into Christianity and proclaimed by its teachers as though it originally emanated from Christ and the Bible. Certain modern writers assert that Christianity brought no new ideas of righteousness into the world. Henry Thomas Buckle says: “The system of morals propounded in the New Testament contained no maxims which had not been previously enunci- ated. Some of the most beautiful passages in the apostolic writings are quotations from pagan authors.” Concerning such declarations two things may be said. One may find in the writings of pagan philosophers precepts similar to those contained in the New Testament. Doing good, forgiving enemies, restraining passion, and honoring par- ents, together with other important social du- ties, were inculeated by pagan moralists before 76 RELIGION FOR THE "TIMEs, the time of Christ. But one must search a long time among a mass of rubbish, with which those philosophical and religious writings are burdened, to find one of these jewels. They are few and far between. You may discover one in a great library, and all about it you will see suicide commended, revenge approved, infanticide in- dorsed, and other similar deeds of barbarism and shame encouraged. To compare the New Tes- tament with the best pagan book in the world, and place their moral teachings on the same level, argues an utter want of moral perception or of common honesty. We would not under- estimate Confucius or Socrates or Plato, nor misrepresent their teachings, but when we place them by the side of Jesus and the New Testa. ment even infidels are compelled to acknowl- edge the superiority of the latter. Another thing is to be said concerning this comparison. If Christ had found all his moral precepts in pagan writings they would have been stamped with a Christian type when he placed behind them a Christian motive. Pagan teachers proclained many wholesome doctrines, but they found no sufficient motive to induce men to practice them. There was no adequate Tue Brest System or Morats. 77 authority behind them. They proposed no spiritual regeneration by divine agency. Their doctrines failed to reform men. We would do the fullest justice to non-Chris- tian efforts to improve the moral condition of man. It cannot be denied that in some cases the teachings of pagan ioralists have borne good fruit. The efforts of the stoic philosophers were not altogether futile. Many of them not only reformed their own lives, but induced others to a limited extent to follow their example and im- itate their virtues. Confucius, also, the sage of China, who lived more than five hundred years before Christ, not only tanght some of the pur- est moral precepts, but by means of his doctrines exerted a wholesome influence over the millions who have inhabited that vast empire, which has given permanence to their State and continues to this day to preserve among them the highest type of social life to be found anywhere outside of Christendom. Reverence for parents, domes- tic affection, love of order and knowledge, and loyalty to civil authorities are the principles on which all Chinese institutions are built. Con- fucius gave to China a systein of morals to which that nation owes its greatness and perpetuity. 78 RELIGION FOR THE TimEs. But there is another side to the picture. Among the Chinese a woman has no name. She is the property, the slave, of her husband. The Chinese have a creditable system of educa- tion, but it is for boys only. No provision is made for the education of woman; her education is forbidden. When the Methodist missionaries in Foochow called their first female converts to the altar for baptism they were confronted with the strange and embarrassing fact that their can- didates were nameless. A woman receives no name in China, because she has no distinction, no personality, in the thought of her countrymen. Confucius proposed excellent moral precepts, but offered no salvation, no eternal life, no God, to his followers. Concerning God, he said: “We know but little about man whom we have seen, how can we know any thing about the gods whom we have not seen? The best thing men can do with reference to the gods is to have as little to do with them as possible.” Concerning the future, he said: “ We know but little about this life, how then can we know any thing about any other life?” Concerning death, he said to one who made inquiries: “Why do you euri- ously ask about death? Wait until you are dead, Tue Best System or MoraA.s. 79 and then you will know what death is.” This agnosticism could do little to elevate the race or reform the wicked. Hence there is permanence in China, but no progress. The Chinese rever- ence parents and worship ancestors, but have little conscientious scruples about putting their children to death or practicing polygamy and oppressing the weak. Matthew Arnold has said: ‘Show me ten square miles in any part of the world outside Christianity where the life of a man and the purity of a woman are safe, and I will give up Christianity.’ Commenting on this utterance, Professor Drummond says: ‘In no part of the world is there such ten square miles outside Christianity. Christian men are the salt of the earth in the most literal sense. They and they alone keep the world from utter destruction.” A Chinese writer of superior intelligence and culture, a convert to Christianity, recently ex- pressed his views of the comparative merits of the teachings of Christian missionaries and those of Confucius in terms so clear and sensible that I feel justified in transferring some of his statements to these pages. Zhe North China Daily News had published an article concerning 80 RELIGION FoR THE TIMES, the persecutions to which Christians have been subjected of late in that country. Replying to the charges therein made against Christianity and the missionaries, the author to whom I have referred says: “I come now to the three principal charges which have been noticed by others of your corre- spondents. Under the first charge the writer is not content with declaring that the Christian convert is not morally better than the ordinary Chinaman, but insists that he is not even as good and useful a citizen; in other words, that the convert has been debased through coming in contact with Christianity and its professors. ‘Before making a comparison between the Christian convert and the average Chinaman, as representing two distinct classes of our people, let us see how they are each taught, trained, edu- cated, and controlled by external influences. The Chinaman from his early youth is taught that the Confucian writings are his ideal moral code; that according to this code filial piety is the summum bonum of this earthly life; that the five relations form the five cardinal social virtues; that honesty and sincerity are obliga- tory only so far as they are consistent with ex- Tuer Best System or Morats. 81 pediency; that evil is to be requited by evil, and kindness by kindness. Indoctrinated with such ideas the Chinaman’s ideal moral life is a miserable failure. 2 Coming to the question of the average Chinaman’s veracity and sense of honor, as a result of Confucian teaching, I agree with Car- lyle that ‘silence is golden’ The average Chinaman’s revengeful disposition is another too well-known characteristic to need comment here. “We will now examine into the principles which the Christian convert is taught. Just as the Chinaman’s swmmum bonum of practical ethics is filial piety, so the Christian’s is univer- sal love. The sincere Christian convert whose heart is full of this love will manifest all its at- tributes, which together make up the stature of the perfect man. And I say it is an utter im- possibility that such a man can be inferior morally to the average Chinaman, indoctrinated, as the latter is, with solely Confucian ideas. It is not true that the native converts as a class are induced to join the Christian Church through the hope of pecuniary benefit or material advan- tage; but it is true that only an infinitely small f : 82 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. proportion of them obtain any so-called pecuniary assistance from missionaries. “ The fact is, the Christian converts of China are a sober, peaceful, and honest class of people who, convinced that their sad earthly lot has little or no happiness to give them, have been eager to accept the glad tidings of the Gospel as affording them the hope of ameliorating their condition hereafter.” This gentleman speaks from a thorough knowl- edge of both Chinese and Christian morality. In the face of the testimony of this competent witness what becomes of the assumption, which we sometimes meet even in America and En- gland, that the moral precepts of Confucius are equal to those of Christ and that the results of missionary operations in China are not to be en- couraged? Let Confucius have all the credit his followers and admirers can justly claim for him ; let no one underestimate the moral standards of the Chinese or represent their private and public lives as being worse than they are; but, after all this credit has been given, the moral teachings of Christ are superior to those of China’s great sage, as purest gold is superior to baser metals ; and the great need of China is the Gospel. Tur Brest System or Morats. 83 Atheism has nothing better to offer than pa- ganism ; nay, nothing half so good. Religion is so important to the life of man that a corrupt religion is better than none. Commenting on the opinion of Plutarch, that atheism is rather to be chosen than idolatry, Dr. Samuel Johnson once said: “A man may live in a corrupted atmosphere, but he must die in an exhausted receiver.” The result of the general adoption of atheism by a whole nation would be the de- struction of all social order. When the exist- ence of all supreme authority and the foundation of all order is ignored then the way is open to the wildest anarchy. The fruits of atheism, | as witnessed once in France and many times among certain classes of anarchists and eommn- nists, are a sufficient testimony against such an irrational system. Prominent schools of skeptical teachers in our day propose to produce a system of ethics totally separate and distinct from all religious doctrines. But they are not able to agree among themselves except in one thing, that the basis of their system shall have nothing to do with religion. They tell us that they do not object to the morality of the Bible, but to the i 84 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. foundation on which it rests. They want a sys- tem of ethics scientifically constructed. It must not be the product of a divine revelation, but of the human brain, thought ont and built up from the facts and experiences of the mind as we are able to observe them. The main object is to get clear of God. Then these modern thinkers are anxious to dispense with the doctrines of sin and salvation and immortality as taught in the Bible. They see the need of some immutable standard of duty. They have discovered at last that the morals of the Bible are not objection- able. Formerly the moral precepts of the Bible were denonnced by infidels as dangerous doc- ‘trines. But they have vindicated themselves in practical operation and have compelled the re- spect even of the foes of Christianity. The moral code, announced with an air of originality by these modern thinkers, is in many respects identical with that of the Gospel, but the claim is set up that it is something new because it has ~ been evolved by a scientific process. _ A serious difficulty in the way of the scientific morality is that man in an uncivilized state is not capable of close and accurate reasoning. Before he can begin to work out for himself a Tue Best System or Morats. 85 system of ethics according to this plan he must rise toa high degree of culture and improve- ment. That is to say, he must become civilized, enlightened, and highly-cultured without ethical principles, and then find them out after his greatest need is past. If he can do without an ethical system until he has acquired that degree of improvement which will enable him to pro- duce one, why not continue to do without it? The very time when man needs to be taught what is right and what is wrong is while he is ignorant, uncivilized, barbarous. It is in such a condition that the Gospel comes to him with its ‘light and help. It suits his condition, meets his want, elevates him to a nobler, purer manhood. Moreover, without a rule of right, both authori- tative and correct, he never could attain that degree of culture and wisdom which are neces. -sary in order to the development of a scientific moral system. These modern philosophers, who elaim to have invented a system of ethics which is suited to the nature and needs of humanity, acquired the mental power to achieve this feat under the influence of Christian civilization and Christian institutions. Take away from their system all that they have borrowed from Chris- 86 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. tianity, directly and indirectly, and nothing will be left worth contending about. Besides, what value can there be in the sublim- est ethical principles and rules in the world when they are wholly separated from religion ? The materialistic spirit of the times which pro- poses to banish God and build up humanity by culture and science is unsympathetic, hard, and cruel in its tendencies. A few great philoso- phers may maintain a cold correctness of con- duct under its influence, but teach it to men in general, and they become tyrants, criminals, and abandoned debauchees. The honorable secretary of the London Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, while speaking of more than a thousand cases which had come under the eare of the society recently, said: “ You do not find this kind of crime among the very poor. It is when you get people with some knowledge, a bit of a smattering about protoplasm ; men who believe in neither God nor devil, who say that every thing is material, and stand, a lot of them, to hear the blasphemer talk on the Sab- bath day—these are the guilty parties, for, fear- ing neither God nor man, they know nothing either of tenderness or pity for little children. Tue Best System or MorAts. 87 Nor is it ignorance, nor is it overcrowded dwellings. Two of the worst cases we have ever had were in ‘model dwellings.’ No; material- ism is the cause of this wickedness to young children. One man whom we sent to prison understood five languages, and was teaching the little boy French when he committed the das- tardly assault upon him. Another whom we sent to the tread-mill was reading Tyndall’s Floating Matter of the Air, and had proceeded as far as the 240th page, making neat and copi- ous notes throughout. The materialistic and gambling tendencies of the age—quite as much as drunkenness—are a cause of this kind of crime, and they are eating into the very life of the nation.” Banish from the minds of men all belief in the existence and all respect for the authority of God, and all tenderness toward helpless child- hood and human weakness will go also. Those who have low ideas of God, and little love for him, have proportionately low ideas of the sacred- ness of human life and inadequate appreciation of the rights of others. Infanticide prevails among pagans who neither know God nor love him. A similar crime flourishes in more highly 88 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. civilized countries in proportion to the growth of materialistic, agnostic, and atheistic princi- ples. | It must be confessed that the moral characters and conduct of many in Christian countries are sadly defective. This is the ground of objection to Christianity urged by heathen thinkers against the efforts of missionaries to propagate the Gospel in pagan lands. Failing to make a distinction be- tween real and nominal Christians, regarding all who have been brought up under Christian gov- ernments as Christians, they point to the dishon- esty and wickedness which prevail in those lands, and say: ‘Tf these are the fruits of Christianity we wish to be excused from receiving it.” Un- believers also in Christian countries point to the unworthy example of many professing Christians, and think they find in it an unanswerable argu- ment against the Christian religion. The task of propagating the Gospel would be far easier if such examples did not exist. The history of the Christian Church presents multitudes of facts which bring the blush of shame to the true Christian’s cheek. But is it fair to attribute the wrong-doing and corruption of Christian leaders and people to the Christian religion, when these Tue Brest System or Morats. . 89 same vices and crimes are contrary to the teach- ings of the Gospel? We find fault with heathen philosophy and religion justly when the people under their inflnence commit suicide and infanti- cide, and oppress and enslave women because they are taught by their philosophers and priests that these things are right. But when Christian popes indulge in licentiousness and debauchery, and Christian rulers invent and use the tortures of the Inquisition, and Christian capitalists op- press the hireling in his wages, we do not char ge these crimes against Christianity, because they are exactly contrary to the teachings of the Gos- pel, and those who commit them are not really, but only nominally, Christians. To object to Christianity because it is not universally effective is equivalent to an argu- ment against the utility and value of human laws on the ground that they are frequently vio- lated. The Gospel has often been misunder- stood by those who supposed themselves to be its chief custodians and defenders. As the dis- ciples wished to call down fire from heaven to consume those who did not receive their Lord because they knew not what spirit they were of, so many with a miscuided zeal for Christianity 90 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. have drawn the sword of persecution and filled the Jand with innocent blood. The ignorance of some, the hypocrisy and dishonesty of others, and the native depravity of all have placed many a stumbling-block in the way of Christianity and dimmed the radiance with which it is capable of blessing humanity. | CULTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 91 CHAPTER ITI. CULTURE IN ITS RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. Amone the multitude of marvelous character- istics by which this age is distinguished, none is more striking than the prominent place heid by culture as an object of desire and pursuit. Never before was education so widely dissemi- nated and carried to so high a degree of perfec- tion. Never before were institutions of learning and educational facilities so numerous and so easily accessible as they are to-day ; and in this respect our own country, although still new, ranks among the foremost. Schvols, colleges, semina- ries, universities, books, newspapers, magazines, libraries, abound and are rapidly multiplying, so that in almost every situation in life one may - find at hand the means of storing his mind with useful knowledge and strengthening his facul- ties by reading and study. Yet the work of true culture has only just begun. The aim of culture is not merely to acquire knowledge or to enlarge the intelli- 92 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. gence and improve the mental capacities of in- telligent beings. The aim and scope of true cult- ure is deep and broad. It seeks to unfold, strengthen, enrich, beautify, and perfect the soul, including all its faculties, intellectual and moral. It contemplates, not a definite condition of mind, where one may say, “I have attained,” and rest from further effort, but a constant and limitléss growth toward: an ideal which includes infinite treasures and infinite powers of thought. alt einbraces in its scope, not a single individual, | but the whole human race. That improvement which is isolated and selfish is also partial and stunted. The race of man is a common brother- hood. The ignorance and darkness which ob- scure one intellect do to some extent affect all. The light which shines into one soul can never be more than a glimmer of twilight so long as it is limited to one. Theaim of culture is not selfish or exclusive. One who seeks knowledge rightly seeks it not for himself alone, but for mankind. Doubtiess it is true that men of this age have mounted higher in respect to intellectual and moral attainment and development than ever before, but the ascent has only just begun. CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 93 Vaster multitudes hunger and thirst after knowl- edge to-day than ever before; but what countless millions still grope in ignorance! ‘To say noth- ing of the tribes of Africa-and darker portions of Asia, who have scarcely a thought or impulse above those of the beasts that perish, the igno- rance and stupidity which prevail in the most enlightened quarters of the globe are appalling. In England, America, and Germany, where so much is said about culture, refinement, and learning, what do the masses think of and pur- sue? Even in States where education is made : compulsory, what do we see? Multitudes of hu- man beings who appear to have no conception of what they are and what they might become, grasping after money, fighting for bread, toiling after some outward possession, thinking and talk- ing about offices, political parties, policies, rail- roads, bridges, steam-ships, commerce, and manu- facturing. A few read, but what do they read ? For the most part something totally unworthy to be called literature and inadequate to the pur- pose of mental development. Are~these our lands of boasted culture? So far as we can dis- cover, the soul of the race is even yet asleep. There are some who look with astonishment 94 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. on the intellectual progress of this century, and, considering the inventions, discoveries, and at- tainments of the present, they wonder whether any thing remains to be achieved, and conclude that the summit has been reached, and the race must stand still or go backward. But the motto of Panl, in reference to spiritual things, might be wisely adopted with respect to culture both in each individual and in the race: “ Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The relation of Christianity to culture is one of vast importance. A notion that culture and religion are incompatible forces is still quite prevalent in certain quarters. An appearance of canflict between the two has been conjured up by certain writers in order to frighten young people who are ambitious for a reputation for learning. A real breach between the Church and culture has existed, and does still exist. Many educated men have set themselves against the Church and the Bible, while some religious teachers have taken up the sword against science. The alienation of scholars from Christianity, CULTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 95 which we have often witnessed, is, to a great ex- tent, the fault of the Church. There have been times when the Church has disparaged science. Leaders of scientific investigation and discovery have been persecuted by the Church because their new doctrines appeared to conflict with the Bible. But, in taking this position, the ec- clesiastical authorities did not fairly represent the Gospel. They acted, not in the interest of the kingdom of God, but of superstition. In- sisting on superstitious doctrines and persisting in superstitious practices which intelligent men could not respect, they have driven some of the best men in the world into an attitude of hostil- ity to the Church and Christianity. They were guilty of a double blunder and a crime. They set up their superstitions against science ; they sought to prevent the exercise of resto of thought; they hoped to carry their point by violence. In these things the Church displayed a spirit of disloyalty to the truth and to Christ. The Church has also fostered a spirit of an- tagonism between Christianity and culture by misrepresenting true religion, both in doctrine and in practice. Moral corruption among priests in convents and confessionals, the exposure of, 96 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. pretended relics of dead saints, dishonest traffic in the wood of the true cross and indulgences, the pretended performance of miracles in Italy, Spain, and other countries, and other similar hypocritical, mercenary, and immoral practices lave made religion ridiculous in the eyes of in- telligent and cultivated people. Declining in spiritual life and moral integrity, while still holding on to the name of Christ and the fun- damental doctrines of the Gospel, the Church has driven men of thought to prefer unorthodox morality to orthodox immorality. For these errors of the Church Christianity is not responsible. Followers of Christ who are wise hail the advance of science and learning as part of the plan of the Creator for the redemp- tion of the world from ignorance and misery. They hear the voice of God and see the hand- writing of the Almighty in the stars, in the earth, and in the sea, as well as in the Bible. There is a revelation in the Bible which is not found in nature, and there is a revelation in the natural universe which is not found in the Bible. They do, not conflict when correctly interpreted, They are both needful for the instruction, 1m-. provement, and perfection of humanity, and the CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 97 establishment of the kingdom of God. The revelation of the Bible is given more especially for “instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work,” although it also aids in the devel- opment and improvement of the intellectual faculties. The revelation of nature is particu- larly adapted to the enlargement and improve- ment of human intelligence, but is not limited to this sphere. It furnishes a thousand lessons of instruction calculated to correct moral deform- ity and lead the soul to God. It would be unjust to place the entire respon- sibility for the conflict between religion and culture on the Church. The representatives of culture must bear their share of blame. One class of teachers maintains that education alone is sufficient to reform man and perfect the race without the aid of religion. This is the favorite theory of certain eminent philosophers of our own day. They tell us that the Church has had its day; religion is dying out; in proportion as intelligence increases, confidence in a divine revelation diminishes; and that the time is not distant when educated people will no longer re- spect the doctrines of the Bible. They tell us d 98 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. that science is henceforth to be the religion of the world; that “all man needs is to be taught the relation of canse and effect. This will reach his soul and turn his steps into paths of right- eousness. When man sees that an evil cause pro- duces evil effects he will at once turn from that cause, and ever after shun it. Now, science teaches man the relations of causes and effects. Science, therefore, is all-sufficient.” That scientific instruction is an important aid in securing the abandonment and overthrow of the evils which afflict society is true. The value of scientific instruction in the public schools concerning the nature and effects of alcohol can- not be overestimated. We have reason to hope that thousands of children will be saved from drunkenness by being taught the relation be- tween this powerful agent and its effects. But will this process alone save our country from the evils of intemperance? There are many physi- cians thoroughly acquainted with the effects of alcohol who nevertheless become drunkards. They have learned this lesson in the medical school ; they have learned it from extensive ob- servation; they have seen it confirmed in their daily practice; but this knowledge does not re- CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. - 99 strain them from acquiring the taste for strong drink and the habit of using it, nor does it ~ enable them to abandon the practice in after life. Something more than a thorough knowledge of the relation of cause and effect is necessary to keep the feet of men from the paths of vice. But it will be maintained that culture means not merely the knowledge of science, but a thorough training of body and mind. This is the position by which Mr. Huxley proposes to get on without religion and without God. This is what he says: “That man, I think, has a lib- eral education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with ease and pleasure all the work that, as a mechanism, it is capable of ; whose in- tellect is a clear, cold logic-engine, with all its parts of equal strength, and in smooth working order; ready, like a steam-engine, to be turned to any kind of work, and spin the gossamers, as well as forge the anchors, of the mind; whose mind is stored with a knowledge of the great and fundamental truths of nature and of the laws of her operations; one who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire, but whose pas- sions are trained to come to heel bya vigorous 100 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. will, the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love all beauty, whether of nature or art, to hate all vileness, and to respect cthers as himself.” If this ideal could be realized by scientific study and training it would still be imperfect. It makes no provision for the supply of one of the deepest yearnings of the soul. Deeper than the desire for communion and sympathy with kin- dred and equals is the human longing for com- muuion with an intelligence, higher, migliticr, purer than self. This thirst is universal. No — science, no philosophy, no learning, can satisfy it. The cry for the living God is a great fact which scientists must not pass over. Besides, by what process of education have the passions of men ever been trained to submit to the mandates of the will? And what science has ever been able to control and guide the will in the path of duty? How can intellectual cult- ure develop a tender and upright conscience ? And what provision does this non-religious sys- tem make to secnre that respect for others which each one has for himself? There is no more prominent feature of human nature than selfish- ness, and science, so far from overcoming, tends CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 101 to intensify it. There is no fact more universal than the disregard of man for the interests of his neighbor, and education has never been ade- quate to the task of correcting this fault. Count- less facts show the weakness of this atheistic scheme of culture. Those who advocate the separation of education from religion, on the ground that man has no need of the latter, must have studied history and human nature to very poor purpose. This error cannot be guarced against too care- fully. The effort to develop the highest type of men and women exclusively by intellectual processes, by schools, colleges. literature, science, and the fine arts, must ever prove in vain. It is contrary to the laws of mind. The cultiva- tion which does not begin and end with the moral and religious nature is not worthy of the name. True cultivation begins in the develop- ment of great moral and spiritual ideas. The ideas of God, righteousness, duty, self-sacrifice, love, immortality, and eternal life, as manifested in Christ, lie at the foundation of all true cult- ure. On these foundation-stones the best men- tal structures are built. To ignore these is to build on sand. With these fundamental prin- 102 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. ciples firmly fixed in the soul, one may go on to acquire a tender conscience, an upright and com- manding will, that benevolence and_ charity which think no evil and respect others as one’s self, and the highest degree of intellectual vigor and force of which human nature is capable. Other champions of culture admit the reality and importance of religion, but accord to it a secondary place in the work of redeeming and reforming man. They claim that culture is all- inclusive, that it embraces every faculty of the mind and all the needs of man, while religion only offers aid to a part of the mind, and that at the expense of other faculties. Religion, say they, develops the conscience and the devotional feelings at the expense of the judgment and the esthetic faculties. Religion,. according to this theory, is not only a secondary consideration, a mere ornament to the soul, which has been com- pletely developed and formed by culture, but — something which might very well be dispensed with. But religion is either first in importance or of no importance whatever. It comes to man to adjust his relations with God and his fellow-men, and to form and establish his character. Through CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 103 religion man does not merely come into the pos- session of certain kinds of knowledge, but he becomes something different from what he is without it. Man’s relations to his Creator and his neighbor are first. The character is the foundation, development follows. Education may be acquired by personal effort, culture may be developed from the elements within, but religion must be communicated to us from God. Archbishop Trench, as quoted by Principal Shairp, puts in the mouth of an old man, address- ing a despondent and wretched youth who had sought for years true wisdom, these words: “But yet herein you proudly erred, Here may the source of woe be found, You thought to fling yourself around The atmosphere of light and love In which it was your joy to move; You thought by efforts of your own © To take at last each jarring tone Out of your life, till all should meet In one majestic music sweet; And deemed that in your own heart’s ground The root of good was to be found, And that, by careful watering And earnest tendance, we might bring The bud, the blossom, and the fruit To grow and flourish from that root. You deemed you needed nothing more Than skill and courage to explore 104 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES, Deep down enough in your own heurt, To where the well-head lay apart, Which must the springs of being feed, And that these fountains did but need The soil that choked them moved away, To bubble in the open day. But, thanks to Heaven, it is not so: That root a richer soil doth knew Than our poor hearts could e’en supply ;— That stream is from a source more high; From God it came, to God returns, Not nourished from our scanty urns, But fed from his unfailing river, Which runs and will run on forever.” Some have been led to suppose that religion and culture are not in harmony by the fact that science has already overthrown many favorite notions which the representatives of religion once tenaciously held. Many superstitious views of phenomena which are now easily explained on scientific principles were once maintained by religious teachers as evidences of the existence of invisible spiritual beings and an unseen world. To deny these conclusions was to reject the Bible. Science has wrought a good work in clearing away these excrescences which had ac- cumulated about the Christian religion. These facts are relied on by some as proofs that there is a conflict between science and religion, in CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 105 which the latter has already been defeated and driven back, and must soon quit the field. Perceiving that education has already done inuch to remove the evils with which the world was afflicted, they conclude that it may yet re- move all removabie evils. A force which has contributed so much to the progress of the race will not cease to operate until it has elevated man to the highest possible position. That which has contributed so much to eradicate su- perstition will not have accomplished its benev- olent mission until:it has overthrown the last vestige of belief in the supernatural. This is the reasoning of men who see only a half-trnth. Skeptical thinkers, in contributions to current periodical literature, in works of fic- tion and scientific treatises; endeavor to widen the breach and protract the antagonism between culture and religion with these and similar argu- ments. Over against these facts we place other equally patent facts. While education has done good, Christianity lias done more good. While science has wrested from religious teachiers many superstitious notions, it has not yet touched Christianity itself so as to lessen its inflnence in the least. While culture has made — sue- 106 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. cessful war against certain things which were held in the name of Christianity, it has never lifted so much as a finger against the substance of Christianity itself. It is worthy of note that what skepticism has attacked in the past has been in nearly every case not Chiistianity, but some caricature of Christianity. Such carica- tures have existed in abundance, and we rejoice to see them overthrown. Many foolish attempts have been made to recon- _ cile science and the Bible. Among these the most foolish and futile is that which proposes to produce harmony by abandoning those things in’ the Bible to which scholarly skeptics have seen fit to object. For example, unbelievers insist that miracles are impossible and absurd in the light of the wisdom of our day; lence certain weak religious teachers abandon miracles. This process once begun cannot well come to an end. The doctrines of the existence of Satan and future endless punishment are distasteful to refined skeptics, and they too must be given up. The books of the Old Testament contain so many stories hard to be received by intelligent unbelievers that they demand a disavowal of all these in consideration of their refined tastes and CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 107 scientific knowledge. Some preachers and theo- logical professors, in their eagerness to maintain their hold onthecultivated classes, have made one concession after another, until the substantial — facts on which Christianity rests have been thrown aside and not one fragment of spiritual religion retained. Then they begin to advocate what they are pleased to call liberal Christianity or a rational religion. Nothing has been gained by this plan of rec- onciliation. A celebrated German scholar, who is also a close observer, tells us that when ration- alism had charge of the pulpits in Germany the attendance of the educated classes on the services held in the churches was much less than it had been before, and less than it is now, since there has been a partial return to evangelical preach- ing. The same is true in America. Those preachers who have abandoned evangelical or orthodox views, and turned to liberal Christian- ity, have lost their hold on the masses, and gained nothing among the educated classes. To make such concessions is to destroy the respect of the people for the Bible and greatly lessen its influ- ence for good. In proportion as the essential features of Christianity are sacrificed to a false 108 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. culture in order to win cultivated people to the Church, those very classes lose respect for those who, pretending to represent Christianity, be- tray it to its enemies for the sake of policy. There is a false culture and a false Christian- ity. False culture is opposed to true Christian- ity, and false Christianity has often stupidly antagonized true culture. But true culture and true Christianity are both essential to the most substantial progress of humanity and can never really be antagonistic forces. Many of the best and most sanguine advocates of culture have been sincere and exemplary Christians. Per- ceiving the harmony that exists between these two great agents of human advancement, they have not only advocated the cause of both, but, availing themselves of the advantages of both, have risen to the highest place among the leaders of thought and benefactors of mankind. Nor have they been hindered in their intellectual pursuits in the slightest degree by their Chris- tian principles. The most successful discoverers and inventors, those whose intellects have been most fruitful in contributions to the advancement of man, have been disciples of Christ—Roger. Bacon, Columbus, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, CuLTURE—RELATION 'TO CHRISTIANITY. 109 and Faraday were men whose intellectual facnl- ties had been quickened and enlarged, not only by scientific studies, but especially by Christian faith. During recent years a better understand- ing has been brought about between the rep- resentatives of Christianity and those of cult- ure. While there are still eminent scholars and advocates of culture who stoutly oppose Christianity, for the most part leading thinkers and scholars of our day not only respect the Bible, but confess themselves to be disciples of Christ. Institutions of learning, in which at the beginning of this century there were but few students and professors who made a profession of religion, are now thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Christianity. The fact has frequently been pointed out that nearly all the colleges and universities in the United States owe their ex- istence to and receive their support from the Churches. What has done so much for higher education in this country as Christianity? On a large stone which forms a part of the gate-way into the magnificent grounds of Harvard Uni- versity, this inscription may be seen: “After God had carried us safe to New En- 110 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. gland and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship, and settled the civil government, one of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the Church when our pres- ent ministers shall lie in the dust.” It was the anxiety for a pure and enlightened ministry that led to the establishment of the first American colleges. The object of John Har- vard and those associated with him was to pro- mote learning in order that the Gospel might be propagated. The act by which Yale College was chartered contains these words’as explanatory of the pious project: “ The desire of several well- disposed persons, their sincere regard to, and zeal for, the upholding and propagating the Christian Protestant religion by a succession of learned and orthodox men; that youth, through the blessing of God, might be fitted for public employment in church and civil state, and that all due encouragement might be given to such pious resolutions, and that so necessary and religions an undertaking might be forwarded.” CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 111 e The history of higher education in the Middle States, in the West, and in the South, bears tes- timony to the important part taken by Churches and Christian people in the noble work. The historian of higher education in Indiana says: ‘‘ As soon as civilization was settled in the new country the Christian pioneers who had come to the State began the establishment of schools to provide for the higher Christian education of their young men and women. These men be- lieved, with Francis Lieber, that ‘ Christianity, considered as a branch of knowledge, constituted an indispensable element in a liberal education, but that Christianity, taken solely as an_histor- ical fact, is incomparably the mightiest fact in the annals of human society; that it has tinct- ured and penetrated all systems of knowledge, all institutions, both civil and exclusively social, the laws, languages, and literature of the civil- ized nations, their ethics, rights, tastes, and wants.’ This influence and this religion they conceived it the chief end of education to main- tain.” Having looked over the history of higher education in many of the States, I am fully per- suaded that the origin of the movement, in al- most every case, was in the Church of Christ, 112 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. and the inspiration which has carried it forward proceeds from the same source. Princeton, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Amherst, and other Eastern colleges had a similar origin. Of three hundred and seventy-six leading col- leges in the United States three liundred and twelve have been founded and supported by the various Christian denominations. Of the sixty- four remaining institutions twenty-three are State schools, four are city schools, three mili- tary, two agricultural, and one deaf-mute. A large part of these sixty-four institutions are presided over by Christian ministers, while inany of the professors and students are mem- bers of Christian Churches. According to statistical tables found in Dr. Dorchester’s Problem of Religious Progress, the property of the denominational colleges is more than $68,000,000, while that belonging to all other institutions amounts to only a little over $21,000,000. So far as financial support of institutions for the promotion of higher edu- cation is concerned, the Christian Churches have done at least three times as much as the cities, States, and all other corporations combined. Since these statistics were prepared the contri- CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 113 butions to Christian colleges have vastly in- creased. Never before was so much money devoted to the cause of Christian education. Other facts show more clearly still how strong a hold Christianity has on the higher education of the country. The number of students in Christian schools is constantly and rapidly in- creasing. The number of students who are com- municants in Christian Churches is increasing more rapidly still. At the beginning of this century the spirit of infidelity which swept over the country invaded the colleges and achieved its most notable conquests in educational centers. Nearly all young men in the colleges arrayed themselves on the side of infidelity and plumed themselves on the skill with which they could handle the arguments of the celebrated French, English, and American champions of unbelief. The profession of Christianity was stigmatized, and whoever dared avow himself a Christian was compelled to suffer persecution. A great change has taken place. These institutions of Jearning are now thronged with young men who make a public profession of faith in Christ, hundreds of whom are preparing for the Christian ministry. A wholesome spiritual atmosphere pervades thic 8 114 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. colleges throughout the land. Revivals of relig- ion are frequent, and hundreds of students who entered college without religious convictions or principles are thoroughly converted before they graduate. College presidents, professors, and students unite in urging the impenitent to seek Christ, and institutions which once were hot- beds of infidelity have become centers of relig- ious life and power. Several thousand young men in these colleges now have offered them-— selves as candidates for missionary fields when they shall have completed their education and the way shall open. All devout Christians will fervently pray that the chilly atmosphere of skepticism may not again envelop these institu- tions of higher education. When a professor in a Christian college loses faith in the cardinal doctrines of Christianity, and cannot keep his doubts to himself, he is sadly out of place, and the sooner he resigns the better. | Christianity has aided the eause of culture by means of its Bible. The Bible stands in the front rank of books as a treasury of literary gems. It was not written as a literary venture, nor did the writers of our sacred Scriptures think of achieving literary fame or of enriching the CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 115 literary stores of the nations; yet they have done this as no other authors have ever been able todo. Daniel Webster was a great student and a great admirer of the Bible, and to his knowledge of this book he owed, in a large degree, that rare eloquence with which he was able to move the Senate of the United States and to win the ad- miration of his generation. When Mr. Webster was in France he heard a strange story about the Bible, which he used to relate with much inter- est and amusement. He was told of a French skeptic who found among his papers a few loose pages of an unknown book. For although he had been in the habit of attacking the Bible, he had never read it with sufficient care to know that the extract he had found was from the prayer of Habakkuk. Being a man of fine literary taste, he perceived the beauty of his prize and hurried away to the literary club with this rare treat. His associates united with him in admiring the passage and inguired who the author could be. “It was written,” said the skeptic, “by one whose name was Habakkuk, but whose nationality I do not know. Doubt- less he was a Frenchman.” Tad he not been ignorant of the fact that this gem of literature 116 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. was written by one of Jehovah's ancient proph- ets, and constituted a part of the book which he so heartily despised, he would not have been able to appreciate its beauty. Recently an American writer of rare genius had occasion to speak on literature before a company of scholars. Speaking of poetry he referred to the Bible. Directing the attention of his hearers to the first chapter of Genesis, he quoted these words: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light,” and added this | remark: “How many modern writers would have occupied whole volumes in expressing the thought which is here couched in one short sen- tence! When I seek for fine poetry I go back beyond Milton and Shakespeare and Dante and Virgil and Homer. I go back to the beginning and lay my finger on these words, ‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” There is poetry in the highest degree of perfection.” In the historical books of the Old Testament, in the poetical books, in the simple and transpar- ent discourses of Jesus in the New Testament, in - the terse and pungent sentences of Paul, and in the sublime imagery of Jolin there is a literary beauty and excellence which would insure the CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 117 translation of the Bible into every important language under the sun, even if it had no other merit whatever. The Bible has contributed largely to form and enrich the literature of the most advanced and cultivated nations of the globe. It has fur- nished subject-matter and materials for the best songs known to man. It has supplied topies for more thought and study and discussion than all other books combined. If all the commentaries and treatises and discourses which have been written on the Bible and on texts taken from the Bible could be collected, they would make the largest library in the world. Thousands of congregations assemble every Sunday, in many lands, to hear discourses on biblical topics and to sing Christian hymns. Although this process has been going on for centuries millions are still eager to read and hear more, and these millions belong to the cultivated classes of the most highly-cultured nations. Think of a mine which has been worked over and over for gen- erations, still yielding gold as abundant and as good to the last miners as to the first. The Bible is a mine which has been worked over and over by thinkers and writers from the first verse of 118 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. Genesis to the last of Revelation for many cent- uries; yet it yields treasures of thought as rich, as satisfactory, as fresh, to the last student as to the first. No other book will bear so much study; no other book has contributed so much to enrich the thought and to enlarge the mind of the greatest nations as the Bible. Let any one study the literature of Germany, of France, of England, and America, and he will be deeply impressed with the important part played by Christianity in the formation, devel- opment, and improvement of them all. German scholarship is rationalistic to a great extent, but the written language of Germany was shaped by the Gospel. The most ancient monument of German literature is the Gothic translation of the Bible by Bishop Ulfilas. The New High — German, still spoken by the people, was built on the foundation of Luther’s translation of the Bible. French scholarship is largely skeptical, but the French literature owes more to Christian theology and thought than to any other source. The religious influence is the most important factor in French literature. A French writer has pointed ont one of the peculiar elements which Christianity introd uced into the literature CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 119 of that country, distinguishing it clearly from pagan literature, in these words: “On the part of the orators and the wits we have care and cunning of expression; on the part of the first doctors and Christian writers, interest of matter, convictions, a cause for which they contended. Hence arises an energetic feature in Christian literature and a certain hollowness in pagan literature; the latter is elegant and vain; the other more loose, but stronger. On the side of Christianity are all those champions of the faith who fight for it, who repel the successive attacks of various heresies. Grand is the spectacle of the Church in its infancy, combating, not as it has too often combated, by persecution and violence, but by talent, by eloquence, by reason.” Not only those early combatants, but later de- . fenders of the faith and writers who had no con- troversy to wage save the controversy which God has with those who forsake him, have left their mark on French literature. English and American literature are not less but more indebted to Christianity. The English language received a stamp from the various ver- sions of the Holy Scriptures no less distinct and lasting than that which was given to the language 120 RELIGION FOR THE ‘lIMEs. of Germany by the same means. The noblest products of literary genius in England and America would have been impossible except under the influence of Christian culture and thought. If it be said that much of our polite literature is the work of minds that never acknowledged Christ as Lord, and that many great books have been written by the enemies of Christianity and some of them for the purpose of overthrowing the Gospel, it is still true that even these would have been impossible outside of Christendom. The fact must not be over- looked that the genius of antichristian writers was kindled at Christian altars and fed on Chris- tian thought. Christianity has promoted culture also by -means of its missions. We hear much in these days about the power of civilization to prop- agate itself through commerce and_ schools. Christian colleges have indeed done much to ex- tend Christian civilization by sending out edu- cated missionaries, and commerce has incidentally aided in opening the way for the missionary in some cases. But the merchant has not done half so much to prepare the way for the Gospel as the missionary has done to open paths for CULTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 121 commerce into countries lying beyond the pale of civilization. European and American mer- chants in heathen lands have been so intent on making money that they have usually failed to elevate the people with whom they came in contact. Mercantile establishments have existed for centuries on various coasts, and have made no attempt to edueate the natives among whom they traded. The more the aborigines of these pagan lands came in contact with these traders from civilized and Christian countries, the more degraded have they become. Furnishing the savages of Africa with fire-arms and rum in exchange for ivory and other articles of com- merce, teaching them vices with which before they were unacquainted, they have introduced new and mighty elements of evil and agents of mischief and misery. Contact with civilization and culture under these circumstances has be- come a hinderance to the mental and moral elevation of the heathen. Traveling scholars, philosophers, and scientists have made large con- tributions to the stock of knowledge at home, but have made no attempt to introduce culture and improvement among the barbarous natives. But the Christian missionary gves abroad 122 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. with the Gospel in his hand, and brings back contributions to education at home, and leaves his mark for good on the native tribes whom he visits. Missionaries have translated the Bible, the chief of the classics, into hundreds of languages and taught hundreds of thousands of barbarous people to read it, and in reading they have received a new life. Grammars and dic- tionaries have been constructed by them, and they have reconstructed. the languages of the heathen and laid the foundations of literature among them. They have built schools, colleges, and seminaries, introduced printing, periodicals, and books, taught thie sciences, and begun the work of culture and improvement which will go on for ages. As the translation of the Bible into German was the nucleus about which a splendid German literature has been formed, so the translation of the Bible into scores of other languages has been the beginning of their litera- ture and the chief means of the culture after- -ward introduced. Through missionary efforts Western ideas have been poured into Eastern nations where no progress lad been made for centuries. For more than fifty years Hindu youth in large and increasing numbers have becn CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 123 receiving an English education. The base and barbarous ideas and practices of the Hindus are giving way before the Gospel and Christian thought. Not only has a wide-spread thirst for knowledge been awakened, but a desire for female education has been created. Old things are passing away, and all things are becoming new. 3 The missionaries have sent back to Western countries more exact information concerning lands, peoples, manners, customs, languages, and traditions, greatly enriching the treasures of our knowledge and making most valuable contribu- tions to many branches of science. It is not the mission of Christianity to teach science, yet the relation between science and Christianity is interesting and intimate. It hap- pens that science makes most rapid progress in Christian countries. The study of this fact will lead to several important conclusions. The Christian religion awakens thought, quickens the intellect, imparts vigor to the mental pow- ers, stimulates intellectual energy, and leads the mind out to explore the handiwork of God. It is only through the religion of Christ that man learns what an exalted being he is, what a won- 124 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. derful God this world has, and how intimate is his relation to this mighty God. No sooner does man view himself as a son of God, redeemed from sin at the cost of the life of Jesus Christ, and invited to the most intimate friendship and communion with the Creator of the universe, than he aspires to know more’ of himself and of God and his works. Thus Christianity favors the study of science and promotes scientific ex- ploration. : Christianity fosters science by its principle of universal brotherhood. Science is older than Christianity, but science and literature and art, before Christ, belonged exclusively to the aris- tocracy. Among the Greeks and Romans phi- losophy and learning were not for the people. But Christianity is a popular system. It not only belongs to all classes, but it teaches that all good things belong alike to all, and makes the greatest treasures of the mind the common her- itage of the people. Hence, wherever Chris- tianity prevails science is cultivated and ex- tended more generally than anywhere else. Origen says: “The philosophers are physicians who heal only the great and rich; Plato, who must, however, by no means be depreciated, is CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 125 read only by men of science and education. Christ and his apostles, impelled by love to man, sought to gain Greeks and barbarians, wise and simple, learned and unlearned. And because their teaching was intended for all men, it was not to be like the highly seasoned food which could be enjoyed only by the luxurious and the dainty.” This Christian principle has popularized sci- ence, art, literature, and education wherever it has gained ascendency over men. In Christian countries scientific ideas are set forth in simple, popular language, published in cheap form, dis- seminated among all classes who desire to pos- sess them. Scliools are made free and education becomes general. It is this Christian principle which has popularized education in Germany, England, and America. Christianity does more. It purifies the means of culture and makes them a blessing. Art was cultivated among the ancient Greeks and brought _toahigh degreeof perfection. Sculpture reached a degree of completeness and finish before the time of Christ, and in that pagan country, which has never been equaled. But the fine arts among the Greeks ministered to vice instead of 126 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. virtue, tended to corruption instead of culture, and became a snare instead of a blessing. Ancient art, splendid in beauty and finish, appealed to the sensual appetites, debauched the tastes, and debased the social life of the people. Those vices to which Greece and Rome owe their de- cline took root in the age when the glory of ancient art culminated in Athens. The same may be said of ancient literature. But Christianity purifies whatever it touches. If there be any thing corrupt and debasing in modern learning, it is not from Christianity. The influence of the Gospel is all too limited among us. There is too much in the refinement of modern art which does not edify. But the in- fluence of Christianity is manifest, not only in fostering education, science, and art, but in pre- serving them from the elements which destroy. Christianity has elevated art by furnishing it with the highest and noblest subjects. The great mas- ters in painting, in architecture, in music, in sculpture, were Christians, and the highest crea- tions of their genius are representations of Christian thought. Culture divorced from religion is no better than ignorance. It is a mighty force without CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 127 proper control and regulation.- The mind ap- plied exclusively to the study of science, mere intellectual culture without religious principle, tends to atheism, materialism, and rationalisin. As it is dangerous to devote one’s powers exclu- sively to the pursuit of wealth, because it renders the mind hard and eartliy, so it is exceedingly damaging to the soul to give one’s self up wholly to intellectual culture by means of scien- tific and secular studies. There is a religious side to the mind, a spirit which desires, recog- nizes, and enjoys communion with God. But it requires a new birth to bring it into living exer- cise. It needs the word of God and the Spirit of God to quicken it into life and awaken its powers to act. There are any whose religious powers are dead. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: ... neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” They are foolishness to him, but they are revealed unto us by God’s Spirit. The intel- lect may be cultivated to the highest degree and the mind remain wholly ignorant of the things which God has provided for them that love him. The higher the degree of intellectual culture, the closer the mind is applied to scientific studies ; 128 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. while the heart is not turned to God in Christ, the more firmly dves the soul become sealed against the voice and the love of God. The religi- ous powers wither under this process. They are incapable of receiving, appreciating, or enjoying religious ideas and experiences. It is not strange that religion is foolishness to such a man. Gradually he loses even the desire for God, and, in a state of self-sufficiency and satisfaction, he gropes on through the world as a blind man who thinks he can see, as a poor man who believes himself rich, as a peasant possessed of the hallu- cination that he is king. Such culture makes men atheists, materialists, or agnostics. And if the principles of atheism or materialism should pervade the minds of the educated youth, it would be impossible for society to continue long to exist. These systems of thought virtually ignore all moral responsibility and personal ac- countability, and abolish the distinction between right and wrong. They obliterate the founda- tions of truth and honesty, remove all merit and blame from virtue and vice, and leave nothing of moral good and evil but the name. One of the clearest and strongest arguments on this subject I have seen is found in a book, CuLTURE—RELATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 129 entitled Modern Doubt and Christian Belief, by Dr. Theodore Christlieb. The author shows conclusively that the certain and necessary tend- ency of these various forms of skepticism is to- ward the utter destruction of the bonds by which alone society can be held together. The effort being made in certain quarters to divorce religion from culture is one of the most danger- ous movements of our times. These would-be modern reformers propose, not only to take the Bible out of the public schools, but to drive ont of the country all Christian schools and banish from the minds of all educated men and women the last vestige of belief in the supernatural. Happily this project has little promise of suc- cess so long as unbelievers have so little confi- dence in their own principles that they cannot be persuaded to pay over any money for their dissemination, and so long as Christians show their confidence in their Bible and their Master by pouring out their money by the million to build and endow schools where the principles of Christianity shall be inculcated along with the teachings of science. There is scarcely an in- fidel school in the United States, certainly not more than one, having any considerable founda- 9 130 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES, tion. And infidels will not build schools. They talk much about the omnipotence of culture, but the Christian Churches are doing more for the promotion of education in one week than all the infidels in the world have done in twenty generations. DeEsrT oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 131 CHAPTER IV. DEBT OF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY, Accorpine to Archdeacon Farrar civilization means either appliances of comfort, increase of knowledge, refinement of arts, discoveries of science, diffusion of wealth, and all that may be summed up in the words material improvement, or else it means purer happiness, greater noble- ness, clearer and surer wisdom. “ Civilization,” says Pere Hyacinthe, “seems to me to be, in the body politic, what health is in thenatural body —the result of practical harmony between the organic functions and the laws of life.’ John tuart Mill tells us that the word civilization is commonly used in two senses. A country which is more improved, more eminent in the best characteristics of man and society is called civilized. In another sense civilization stands for that kind of improvement which distinguishes a wealthy and powerful nation from savages and barbarians. That the nations where the teachings of the 132 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. Bible have been most generally accepted and practiced are the foremost nations of the world, no one disputes. In education, in science, in art, in wealth, in morals, in every element of progress, they surpass all other countries. This prosperity is so manifest that one might easily trace the boundaries between Christian and non- Christian nations by the difference in culture, in refinement, in agriculture, commerce, manufact- uring, in material, intellectual, and moral im- provement. In some countries Christianity is found as the nominal religion, but the Bible is not read by the people, and asystem of religious ceremonies is substituted for practical Christian- ity. The difference between these priest-ridden lands, where virtual idolatry is practiced in the name of Christianity, and Christian countries, where an open Bible is given to the people and its precepts enforced by earnest appeals, is not much less manifest than the difference between Christian and pagan nations. In proportion to the freedom with which the word of God has been offered to the people and accepted and heartily obeyed by them, has been their advance- ment in civilization. The enemies of Christianity have undertaken Dest OF CIVILIZATION TO:-CHRISTIANITY, 133 to account for the progress of Christian coun- tries by attributing their prosperity to the su- periority of the stock from which the inhabitants have descended, the climate and soil of the lands they have inhabited, or some other outward cir- cumstance. But this argument has been refuted by facts which history has faithfully recorded. Of two nations which sprung from a common stock, one embraced Christianity, while the other fell under the sway of Mohammedanism. The -former marches in the front rank of civilized and advancing countries, while the other, ener- vated and diseased by the errors its people have imbibed, hastens downward in remediless decay. There are countries which have been highly favored by nature in respect to climate, soil, and all natural advantages, but they have never risen to distinction and power, while others on which unfriendly skies have frowned, and where the soil was thin and unproductive, have aston- ished the world with their achievements and progress. The former have been dominated by paganism, while the latter have been quickened into life and energy by the faith and hope of the Gospel. Individual men, touched with the spirit of 134 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. Christianity, manifest a new life. We have seen those who were born in poverty and had spent their childhood among the most adverse environments come to Christ in early manhood and begin to drink the spirit of his Gospel. At once a change occurred in their principles and their lives. They turned about and began to walk in a new way. New thoughts, new aspirations, new hearts, were imparted to them. Laying aside their vices they became virtuous, abandoning their idleness they became industrious. They became prosperous in_busi- ness and accumulated property. They became rich in influence and went about doing good. Their intellectual faculties felt the touch of the new spirit which had entered into and awak- ened them. Some. of them have become emi- nent as scientists, poets, ministers, and scholars, and have shed forth light which has proved a lasting benediction to the world. For Jesus said, “* I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This larger life which Christ gives to individ- uals he also imparts to families, to larger com- munities, and to whole nations.. What Christ is to the individual soul he is also to the home. Dept oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 135 Families have been elevated in culture, in morals, in material possessions and influence, by Christianity as if by magic. The same is true of larger communities. Examples can be pro- duced of communities in the midst of civilized countries in which greater respect was paid to Christianity than in the communities round about them, with the most manifest and happy results. The Rey. Dr. Josiah Strong, in Our Country, a book which every American citizen should read, gives a number of striking illustrations of the truth of what we have just said. He gives an account of two adjoining townships on the Western Reserve, in Ohio, which were settled by men of widely different principles, and the fruits of the seed then planted remain until this day. The southern township was founded by a faith- ful Christian home missionary, who sought to plant a colony which would become a conspicuous example of the utility of the Christian faith and a blessing to the whole State. The settlers were selected with care, only professing Christians becoming land-holders. Public worship was in- augurated in the first cabin erected, and has been uninterruptedly maintained ever since. A church 136 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. was soon erected and located in the eenter of the community, a symbol of the central position of the Gospel in the life of the citizens. Soon a school-house was built and an academy fol- lowed after the lapse of a very few years. Sev- eral benevolent societies were organized, and in due course of time the first deaf-mute school in the State was opened at this place. The settlement in the northern township was started by an infidel, who, besides giving to it his name, stamped it with his principles. It was his expressed purpose that no Christian church should ever be built within the town- ship and no Christian doctrines ineuleated among its inhabitants. Naturally he attracted around him men of like views and feelings with his own. No church has ever been organized there. Education has not flourished in that community. Although an excellent college was founded within five miles of the boundaries of this township, yet Dr. Strong was not able to ascertain that any young man from among that people had ever taken a college course. Only a few of the members of the community have ever entered professional life, none of whom have attained a wide reputation. But from the Dest oF CivitizaTIon TO CHRISTIANITY: 137 other township comes a far different report. It is widely known as a community of high moral and religious character, and has sent an excep- tionally large number of young people to col- lege. It has furnished many members of the State Legislature and Senate, has sent out many ministers and educators, some of whom have achieved a national reputation. It has furnished men for college professorships, for the supreme bench of the State, and the national Congress. Its material prosperity has kept pace with its in- ‘tellectual and moral advancement. Though the northern township has been favored with a bet- ter soil, the assessed valuation of real estate and personal property in the southern exceeds that of the other by fifty-six per cent., and the people are no less noted for liberality than for thrift and material prosperity. The author to whom I am indebted for this incident gives other similar cases, one of which I am constrained to transfer to these pages. “When Northampton, Mass., was settled in 1654, it was ‘way out West,’ on the frontier. Among the early settlers in the then wilderness, who shaped the character and history of the town, were the Allens, Bartletts, Bridgemans, Clapps, 138 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES, Dwights, Elliotts, Hawleys, Kings, Lymans, Mathers, Parsons, Stoddards, Strongs, Tappans, and Wrights. The town early became distin- guished for its religious character and its educa- tional advantages. Jor a century and a quarter the entire population, save the very old and the very young, the sick and their attendants, were found in the church every Sabbath.. In 1735, during tlie pastorate of Jonathan Edwards, over six hundred, out of a population of eleven hundred, were members of the Church. For seven generations the impress given by the early settlers has remained. Their influence upon the community, and that of the community upon the State and the nation, may be, in measure, estimated from the following record: Among the natives and residents of the town there have been 354 college graduates, besides 56 graduates of other institutions, 114 ministers, 84 minis- ters’ wives, 10 missionaries, 25 judges, about 102 lawyers, 95 physicians, 101 educators, including 7 college presidents.and 380 professors, 24 edi- tors, 6 historians, and 34 authors, among whom are George Bancroft, John Lothrop Motley, Professor W. D. Whitney, and J. G. Iloiland ; 38 officers of State, among them 2 governors, 2 Dersr oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 139 secretaries of the commonwealth, 7 senators, and 18 representatives ; 21 army officers, including 6 colonels and 2 generals; 28 officers of the United States, among them a secretary of the navy, 2 foreign ministers, a treasurer of the United States, 5 senators, 8 members of Con- gress, aud 1 President.” Other examples might be mentioned. These are sufficient to show that the effects of the Christian religion on a small community are beneficial, and that these extend through genera- tions and include material, intellectual, social, and moral improvement. ‘Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is.” These beneficial effects of the Gospel are not less apparent when we pass from com- munities to nations. Great advancement has been made during the past fifty years in every department of human excellence. Knowledge has increased, arts have been cultivated and have reached a high degree of perfection, sciences have been developed, discoveries have been made and inventions devised whereby the powers of man have been increased many fold, and wealth has been poured into the lap of man with great profusion ; but strangely enough, 140 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. this wonderful progress in every thing that per- tains to human welfare is found only in those nations where the supreme authority of Jesus of Nazareth is recognized.. Every nation where uncorrupted Christianity has a strong hold on the minds of the people is rising rapidly in ma- terial and moral excellence, and no non-Christian nation is making progress except as it is operated on by influences from Christian nations. Let the light of the Gospel enter intoa nation of barbarous savages, and a change takes place. That people begin to rise. Gradually, as the leaven works in the meal, old customs are abandoned, old ideas discarded, and a new life is manifested. The gifted author of the Hestory of Cwilization in England stoutly maintains that before religion can do any thing for a bar- barous people some intellectual change must first take place. With a considerable show of re- search and learning, he attempts to prove that all nations, where any degree of progress has been made, owe their improvement first to in- tellectual enlightenment. “We may as well expect that the seed should quicken in the barren rock,” says he, “as that a mild and philosophic religion should be established among ignorant DeEbsT OF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 141 and ferocious savages. Of this innumerable ex- . periments have been made, and always with the same result. Men of excellent intentions, and full of fervent though mistaken zeal, have been, and still are, attempting to propagate their own re- ligion among the inhabitants of barbarous coun- tries. By strenuous and unremitting activity, and frequently by promises, and even by actual gifts, they have, in many cases, persuaded savage communities to make a profession of the Chris- tian religion. But whoever will compare the triumphant reports of the missionaries with the long chain of evidence supplied by competent travelers will soon find that such profession is only nominal, and that these ignorant tribes have adopted indeed the ceremonies of the new religion, but have by no means adopted the re- ligion itself.” In these sweeping statements Mr. Buckle fails to distinguish between Catholic and Protestant missionary operations. That these things are true in the case of Roman Catholic missions does not admit of a doubt. A form of Christianity has sometimes been imposed on barbarous tribes, either by force or by art, while the essence and power of the Gospel have been kept out of sight, 142 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. and those who have thus come to bear the name of Christ have been improved but little by the change. Mr. Buckle is guilty of another error. He has chosen to believe. the statements of travelers hostile to Christianity concerning the results of missions among barbarians rather than the testimony of Christian missionaries. This is acommon error. Those who go about as ad- venturers, as soldiers, or as merchants are not always good witnesses in such cases. By their intemperate habits and dishonest dealings among ignorant tribes they have imposed serious ob- stacles in the way of pure Christianity, have hated the missionaries and their work as they hate ministers and churches at home. Such men always bring back to Europe and America unfavorable reports concerning the missionaries and their work, and skeptics such as Mr. Buckle rejoice in their testimony and make the most of it. But there are travelers of another type. In- telligent and manly explorers, like Henry M. Stanley, have gone abroad and returned with a good report of the Gospel and its effects. Who- ever will take the pains to read Mr. Stanley’s admirable volumes will find that this hero of Dept or CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 143 modern travel and exploration, while he some- times criticises the methods and questions the wisdom of certain missionaries, bears unequivocal testimony to the value and substantial fruits of their labors, and firmly believes that the hope of Africa lies in the dissemination of Christian principles. Nor does Mr. Stanley stand alone. There is a cloud of witnesses. These are times in which men are running to and fro and knowl- edge is rapidly inereasing. The facilities of travel are so great, the ways into the nations of the earth are opened so wide, the disposition to travel and the thirst for knowledge have be- come so intense, that intelligent men and women are penetrating the darkest corners into which Christian missionaries have gone with the Gos- pel, and we have no lack of witnesses. The burden of their testimony is that while, in many cases, it is difficult to secure a foothold for the Gospel, yet every-where its fruits are both good and abundant. ; Another glaring mistake must be charged against Mr. Buckle. When he declares Christi- anity has never entered a barbarous country and produced a salutary change, he speaks contrary to the facts. There may be some excuse for 144 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. his error in the fact that he wrote his book in 1855, and at that time modern Protestant mis- sions had only begun to achieve their signal vic- tories. Since that date much more has been accomplished. Whole tribes have abandoned idolatry, laid aside their savage customs, adopted the principle of Christianity, and entered on a high state of civilization. It is too late now to assert that the Gospel has produced no satisfactory effect on the condition of savage and barbarous tribes. One of the characteristic features of the nineteenth century is its missionary movements. This century has witnessed greater progress in all that contributes to the civilization of the world than all former centuries together, and among the forces which have produced those pro- digious results one of the chief is missionary ef- fort. “Inthe foremost rank of powers destined to change the face of the world stands Christian missions,” says Robert Mackenzie. The Bible promotes civilization by exalting labor. The difference between the savage and civilized races is world-wide. Savage and bar- barous tribes live very much like the beasts of the forest. Destitute of culture, of government, and of the inventions which render life com- Dest or CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 145 fortable among us, they roam over the forests, subsisting on game, sleeping under the open sky or in rude huts, defending themselves against wild beasts and hostile tribes like themselves with rude weapons, they seldom or never cultivate the soil, have no property in land, and know nothing of the splendid industries by which the resources of nature are developed and turned to useful purposes. Those nomadic tribes which pursue the occupation of shepherds, driving their flocks from valley to hill-side, have made one step in advance, but have not yet begun to fulfill those conditions which entitle them to be classed among civilized people. It is when men aban- don their nomadic life and make for themselves settled habitations that civilization begins. Then agriculture, which lies at the foundation of civili- zation, begins to be developed. The right of property in land is recognized, and its owners establish settled habitations and draw their sub- sistence from the soil. Savage and barbarous tribes detest labor. The men glory in the chase and in war, and compel their women to perform whatever toil may be necessary to gain a livelihood. Wherevera low grade of civilization prevails labor is looked on 10 ; 146 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. with contempt, and usually confined to slaves who are kept for that purpose by citizens. Among the Greeks and Romans industrial toil was regarded as beneath the dignity of freemen. Cicero, who as a teacher of morals stands in the front rank of pagan philosophers, whose doctrines have been by certain modern writers favorably compared with those of Christ, says: “We are likewise to account as ungenteel and mean the gains of all hired workmen, whose source of profit is not their art but their labor ; for their very wages are the consideration of their servitude. We are likewise to despise all who retail from merchants goods for prompt sale ; for they never can succeed unless they lie most abominably. Now nothing is more disgraceful than insincerity. All mechanical laborers are by their profession mean. For a workshop can contain nothing befitting a gentleman.” Christianity places peculiar honor on industrial pursuits. The great Founder of our religion dignified labor by pursuing the voeation of a mechanic, and Paul, the chief of his apostles, labored with his own hands that he might re- lieve those to whom he ministered from the burden of his support. In the fourth command- DEBT oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 147 ment labor was enjoined as a duty on all the children of Jacob. In the Book of Proverbs the man who is diligent in business and skilled in work has the promise that he shall stand before kings, and one of the virtues of the honored housewife is a willingness to work with her hands. When the King of Babylon carried the Jews away into captivity he found among them an astonishing multitude of craftsmen and smiths. Agriculture became the chief occupa- tion of the Hebrews after their settlement in Canaan, and the basis of their civil life, and was earried on by the high as well as the lowly. The precepts and principles of Christianity sane- tified honest toil, which lies at the foundation of national progress. Christianity promotes civilization also by es- tablishing the home on a pure and solid basis. No sooner do men begin to till the soil than they begin also to occupy settled dwelling-places. Each man becomes the head of a family. The character of the home has much to do with the civilization. Nothing is more important, and no system of philosophy or law has given to man homes of such a high order as Christianity. The idea found in the philosophy aad jurispru- 148 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. dence of Greece and Rome and China is that . the State existed before the family and that the family received its constitution, its laws, its char- acter, from civil government; that the power of civil society over the internal affairs of domestic life is absolute and unlimited. The State decided the rights and duties of husbands and wives and took charge of the lives of the chiidren. The Christian idea is far different. According to the Bible the race begins with the family, and about this center the State is built. Civil gov- ernment exists for the family, and not the family for the State. The mission of the State is not to organize the family, but to recognize and _ pro- tect it; not to make laws for the family, but to recognize the laws which existed in the family before the State had a being, and to guard it from the invasion of the lawless. We are cow- manded to pray for rulers and those who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Christianity establishes the home on a solid basis by elevating woman to her proper position. We need not be told what is the condition of woman in uncivilized countries, or even under forms of civilization found beyond the influence Dest oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 149 of the Gospel. Polygamy, which prevails in Asiatic countries, is essentially degrading to both man and woman, and especially to the latter. In Rome, where civilization reached its highest stage before the time of Christ, the debased con- dition of women can be inferred from the laxity of the marriage contract and the shameless licen- tiousness which was practiced openly, and which displays itself in literature and in art. The specimens of art exhumed with the buried city of Pompeii, the vain efforts of the rulers to re- strain divorce, the testimony of both pagan and Christian writers, is sufficient evidence that even in imperial Rome woman, though not enslaved as in other countries, occupied a position worse than slavery. There are skeptics among us who affect to be- lieve that Christianity debases every thing it touches, and strenuously assert that woman, in- stead of being elevated and improved, has been degraded by the religion of Christ. Those who say such things know little of the condition of woman outside of Christian influence. Perhaps Japan is the most progressive and enlightened non-Christian nation on the globe, and the life of woman under Japanese civilization will give 150 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. some idea of the best that has ever been done for her beyond the boundaries within which the teachings of the Bible prevail. A letter from an American in Japan, printed in the New York Tribune recently, furnishes so striking an illustra- tion of my thought that it is here given in full: “Even in Japan, a country which is so lond and importunate in its demands for recognition as a civilized nation, and concerning the enlight- enment and progress of whose inhabitants so much has been written, contempt for woman prevails. I witnessed a quaint illustration of this on the occasion of my arrival at Yoko- hama. Within an‘hour after landing I made my way to the principal riative hotel to lunch witha Japanese fellow-traveler, who, after spending several years in one of the great capitals of Eu- rope as embassador of the mikado, had been called home to assume the presidency of the sen- ate. AsI entered the long, low room that consti- tuted the salon @honneur of the establishment, I became a witness of the meeting between his Oriental excellency and the members of his fam- ily and household, who had come down from Tokio to greet their lord and master. The lat- ter was standing before a mirror at the further Dept oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 151 end of the room brushing the exceedingly scanty remnants of his hair with a pair of magnificent ivory and silver hair-brushes of European manu- facture and of gigantic dimensions. While thus engaged there entered from another door a pro- cession of ladies and children, every one of them crawling on all fours. The foremost of them was an elderly dame of princely lineage and high rank, who was the wife of the ex-embassa- dor. She was followed by a couple of younger women, the deputy wives, or Hagars, if I may be permitted to style them thus, of this diplo- matic Abraham. The remainder of the prostrate cortege was made up of cousins and aunts and of children of the wife and deputy wives. Every two or three yards the whole procession would halt, touch the floor with their foreheads, and after drawing a deep breath in token of re- spect, would express, in the most deferential lan- guage, hopes that their lord had had a pleasant voyage and that he had enjoyed his stay abroad. When they reached the middle of the room they stopped, and after a few more utterances of the same nature, retreated with the same obeisances. During the entire interview, which lasted about eight minutes, the ex-embassador did not turn 152 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. his head once to look at his family, but remained with his back toward them, brushing his hair before the glass, and replying in almost con- temptuous monosyllables to the greetings ex- tended to him by his nearest and dearest relatives after his absence in Europe of almost four years. Subsequently, when together with a number of other gentlemen, both native and foreign, I at- tended a banquet to which he invited us at his yashiki, at Tokio, I had another opportunity of observing the manner in which the most courte- ous and polished of the Orientals treat their womankind. Toward the close of the repast, which was served European fashion, a sliding door was pushed aside, and there entered on all fours, like an animal, the lady of the house, the wife of the president of the Senate. With the many deprecatory smiles and long-drawn breaths, in token of profound respect, she bade the assem- bled guests of her husband a how-do-you-do that was couched in the most humble of language. Imagine for a moment the dainty wife of the President of the United States receiving her hus- band’s guests in this manner! Having been but a short time in the country and comparatively ignorant of Japanese etiquette, I was about to Dest oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 152 rise to my feet, when my neighbor pulled me down on my chair again, and [ noticed that no one present had considered it worth while to get up or even to bow an acknowledgment to the old lady’s salutations. Meanwhile, our host, pointing backward over his shoulder with his thumb, introduced her to us somewhat in the following fashion : | “Gentlemen, this is my wife. You see she is not very beautiful nor clever, and she is old and unattractive. But, such as she is, I respect- fully submit her to your kind consideration.’ “This extraordinary presentation was further accentuated by a number of long-drawn breaths and prostrations to the ground on the part of the kneeling dame. “No further notice was taken of her presence, and after a few minutes she withdrew as she had come—on all fours. Toward the close of the banquet the president offered us some most ex- quisite cigars, which he described in much the same language that he had used concerning his wife. That is, he requested us to pardon him for submitting to our consideration such inferior tobacco. This manner of depreciating one’s property. with the object of diminishing the 0154 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES, sense of obligation on the part of the persons to whom it is presented is the quintessence of courtesy toward the strangers, but scarcely so toward the wife, who is thus placed on the same level of a mere inanimate object—one, too, that consists of poison, and which ends in ashes and smoke.” Into the midst of such abominations Christian- ity was introduced, with its exalted ideas of mar- riage, of virginity, of womanhood. ‘These prin- ciples were not only preached, they were also practiced by the followers of Christ. As they have gained ascendency among the nations wo- man has risen to a higher plane of honor and life. In the foremost Christian nations to-day woman is the companion and equal of man, occupying with him a common throne in the home, where her influence, her sway, her life, is royal, receiving her education at a school of equal grade with that where he pursues hisstudies, often sitting with him’ in the same classes and receiving her diploma from the same hand. Woman in England and America is found in the school, not only as scholar, but teacher ; in stores, not only as purchaser and clerk and book-keeper, but proprietor; on the farm, not as laborer, but Dept oF CrviILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 155 owner; in society, not as the idol or toy of man, but his associate and peer, engaging in elevating and instructive conversation with vi- vacity of intellect and eloqrence of speech and purity of thought which have been fostered by Christian institutions. Society among us, in all its branches, owes much to Christianity ; but woman, most of all, is indebted to it for the mighty change wrought in her condition. Let her appreciate this blessing, preserve it for future generations, and transmit it unsullied to her children. When woman aban- dons Christ she abandons her best friend, and sinks back into the state in which he found her. Certain women who owe their present attain- ments and advantages to Christianity have, con- sidering themselves still in bondage because they cannot exercise all the civil functions which have been accorded to man, set themselves to overthrow the Bible and the Church, dreaming fondly that in so doing they will achieve what they are pleased to term the emancipation of their sex. Because Paul has written certain precepts concerning the subjection of wives to their husbands, they insist that he belongs to the ancient order of teachers whose doctrines, long 156 RELIGION FOR THE "Times. since outgrown by the race, only tend to prevent progress and drag humanity down. Hence they tell us we must get rid of Paul and the Bible before woman can be free. Others who do not go so far, yet. influenced by this spirit and misled by the sophism that since woman has blessed every sphere into which she has been admitted by the march of modern civil- ization, therefore she should enter every sphere with man, deem that until she does this she is not free. An eminent Christian scholar, president of one of our great universities, has recently written a series of articles in a leading religious journal to prove that as man and woman are complements of each other, the highest form of civil and religious society requires that they should be associated together in every place of honor, trust, and duty. Women should vote at the polls, sit in legislative halls, be admitted to the bar, the ministry, the councils of the Church, and do every thing that man does. There may be some truth underlying this theory, but there is much dangerous error. The clamor which we hear in these days about ad- mitting women to all the vocations of man in order to be consistent should go on and show us Dest or CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 157 how admirably men are adapted to oceupy the position and perform the work which has here- tofore been done by women almost exclusively. Men might care for infants and superintend the parlor and the kitchen, but it is a sad emergency which requires it and a great misfortune that they are ever compelled to undertake it. So we must concede that women can take the place of men in almost every sphere. A woman has la- bored in the field, in the mine, and in the factory. She has supported her children when widowhood or a dissipated husband made it necessary, but it is a sad emergency that requires it. We could wish it might never be so with our wives and daughters. Nature teaches that, while the man and woman were created to work together, their fields of labor are to be identical only in part. The bearded face, the harder muscle, the deeper voice, mark the man for the field, the forum, the place of power. He is the provider, defender, ruler. The gentler touch, the sweeter voice, the milder countenance of woman mark her for the home, the hearth, the place of tenderer minis- tries and more angelic influences. Mental char- acteirstics correspond to physical, and indicate a similar division of sphere and life. 158 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. It is not a question of superiority, but of fitness. It is not a question of freedom, but of place. Man is not excluded from the home because woman reigns there, nor is woman limited to the hearth because that is her throne. The nice questions concerning the rights of man in the home and of woman in the field will be easily adjusted between husband and wife in the family, and between the sexes generally in social and elvil life. Rigid laws cannot be formulated, ex- act precepts cannot be enunciated covering par- ticular acts and movements. Christian principle, interpreted and applied by common sense, must determine in each case. Modest women and prudent men will not push these delicate ques- tions and engage in unseemly scrambles for supposed honors or rights. It is to be feared that the strife for political and ecclesiastical positions on the part of women is the outcropping of a spirit of rebellion, not against cruel tyranny, but divine order. Grow- ing up with advancing civilization there is a spirit of revolt against the hardships and sacri- fices of motherhood. Intelligence produces wealth, wealth begets luxury, and luxury effemi- nacy. Women who have been brought up amid Dest oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 159 - the luxuries of a high degree of civilization sometimes yield reluctantly, if they yield at all, to the yoke of domestic duty. They desire a freedom from care, toil, and sacrifice, and cer- tain conspicuousness of life which they cannot have in the home properly conducted. Under these circumstances both men and women shun marriage, and many women who marry refuse to accept the burdens of motherhood. The more women insist on going out into the places of men, the more do they foster this spirit of revolt against the holiest calling and office of humanity. This is one of the perils of modern civilization. Wealth has increased. Educational advantages have multiplied. Every opportunity for the young is afforded. But the young do not mul- tiply rapidly among the wealthy. In thousands of homes children are not welcome. Against this spirit the religion of Christ lifts up an un- compromising protest. If our civilization is to be saved from ignominious defeat at this point it must be by the influence of Christian teaching. Another feature of Christianity by which a high order of civilization is promoted is the em- phasis it lays on the importance of the individ- ual human being. M. Guizot, in his Zstory of 160 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. Civilization in Europe, says that civilization embraces two elements—the improvement of society and the improvement of the man. Of these two developments he holds that the former is the means and the latter the end. Society was made to advance the individual, and not the in- dividual to advance society. All are aware that these two are reciprocal. The improvement of the individual contributes also to the improve- ment of society, and every individual is aided by whatever advances general culture; but the ultimate end of all advancement is the progress of the individual soul. In all other forms of civilization besides that which Christianity pro- duces the individual has been swallowed up in society and in the State. In Greece and Rome, in Persia, Babylon, and Egypt the individual was nothing, civil society every thing. Children were born and educated for the State. Great armies, masses of citizens, were important, but the individual had no rights which the State was bound to respect save as by so doing it might advance its own interests. In China, with its boasted order and education, the individual is nothing except as he can serve the State. The emperor is distinguished as the Son of Heaven Dest or CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 161 because he represents the State. All men have readily accorded honor to kings, conquerors, and mighty men because of their representative capacity, but to men as individuals they have shown no honor. The Gospel reverses all this. “Honor all men” is the injunction of the apostle. Rulers and captains occupy a common level with sub- jects and servants. There is no respect of per- sons with God. The individual is supremely im- portant. The State is nothing, society is nothing, nations are nothing, only as they serve to elevate individuals. Each man is made in the image of God, possesses an immortal soul, and tends to an eternal destiny. Each one, be he ruler or subject, master or slave, is himself subject to the King Immortal, invisible. Each must stand before him and give account of his stewardship. Out of this doctrine of the supreme impor- tance of the individual have sprung some of the best features of our modern Christian civiliza- tion. Human life is sacred. Not only is the life of the king and the magistrate securely guarded, but the life of each child. Whether he be sick or well, weak or strong, deformed 11 162 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. or well favored, idiot or genius, poor or rich, profitable to the State or unprofitable, his life is equally sacred and securely guarded. This great fact is the fruit of Christian truth. Education is generally diffused in proportion to the preva- lence of this great idea. The supreme impor- tance of the individual carries with it the right of each to educational opportunities. In other countries education is for the State, in Chris- tian countries it is for the individual. In China they educate boys to serve the government, in America and England and Germany we educate boys and girls for their own sakes, that grander, nobler men and women may be raised up. In China, as formerly in Rome, education is encour- aged and supported by individuals and by prov- inces in order to make the State glorious, but in America education is promoted and maintained by the State in order to make individual men and women glorious. This Christian idea has overthrown slavery. That slavery is a curse alike to the slave, the master, and the nation needs noargument. This curse clung to all the nations of the East de- spite their advancement in civilization. It was defended by philosophers, protected by legisla- Dest or CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 163 tors, and considered indispensable to the pros- perity of the State. That slavery and the slave- trade have been practiced with the sanction of modern so-called Christian governments must be with shame confessed. But to Christianity is due the credit for introducing those principles of social justice which finally led to the abolition of slavery in all the great nations of modern times, and, with the combined efforts of these nations, promises soon to put an end to the in- iquitous traffic in human beings forever. At this time a treaty has been signed by the representa- tives of seventeen great nations, including En- gland, Germany, France, and the United States, making provision for a united effort to end the slave-trade in Africa, which has been carried on for centuries by wandering tribes from Arabia. Christianity did not aim to abolish slavery with a stroke. In the nature of things this would have been impossible without revolution and most shocking scenes of bloodshed. Slaves were not counseled to abandon their masters or revolt against their condition, but rather to submit and obey except when required to do wrong. But Christianity inculeated such principles as imme- 164 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. diately moderated the severity with which slaves were treated and led gradually, but certainly, to its complete abolition. Before the doctrines of the universal brotherhood of mankind and the infinite value, grandeur, and importance of each human soul slavery has almost entirely faded from the earth. Even in modern times and in Christian nations the mercenary spirit has at times so far overshadowed the Spirit of Christ that millions of human beings have been held in bondage, in some cases by men_ professing faith in Christ. The institution of slavery has been defended by arguments drawn from the Bible. . But that day has past forever. It was the opposition of Christians to slavery that created the sentiment which swept it away. It was by arguments drawn from the word of God that the death-blow was dealt against this peculiar insti- tution. It was the power of the Christian im- pulse that emancipated the slaves of the United States, enacted the law of progressive liberation in Brazil, and made twenty million serfs free in Russia. From first to last the operation of Christianity can be traced in this wonderful movement. ‘The most prejudiced historians no Dest oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 165 longer deny that to Christianity is chiefly due the credit for the abolition of human slavery. The teachings of Christ are opposed to war, and when sufliciently prevalent will cause this scourge of nations to cease. War is the glory of the savage. Among barbarous tribes a man is honored in proportion to the number of hu- man beings he has killed in battle. The civiliza- tion of ancient nations was but little better in this respect than the barbarism of the savages. Among the Greeks an ancient maxim existed that trophies taken from the enemy in battle were the most acceptable offerings one could present in the temples of the gods. From the first Christianity antagonized this idea. The early Christian teachers, not only emphasized the peaceful tone of the doctrines of Christ, but perhaps carried them to an extreme not intended by their divine Author. They insisted that the profession of arms was incompatible with the profession of faith in Christ, and it is said that the Diocletian persecution was caused by the in- dustrious dissemination of this doctrine on the part of the disciples of Christ. Gradually, however, this view was abandoned and Christians imbibed the military spirit and 166 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. Christian teachers encouraged the use of military force as a means of extending the kingdom of God. It is because the spirit of the world took possession of the visible Church that it became the means of encouraging war instead of the cause of its abolition. For thousands of years ecclesiastical influence did actually increase rather than diminish the number of wars. Not- withstanding this the teachings of Christianity did even during the same period diminish ma- terially the atrocity with which wars were waged and improve the condition of the van- quished. The treatment received by captives became less cruel and the means of achieving victories less barbarous. As the spirit of the world which for ages held sway in the Church, almost completely eclipsing the mild and pacific principles of its great Founder, is thrown off, and the pure light of his truth is permitted to shine from the pulpit and through the Church, wars become less frequent and less inhuman. No one can fail to see that among the leading nations where Christianity has the largest in- fluence war has manifestly fallen into disfavor. The nations of Europe and America do not now rush eagerly to arms under slight provocation, as Dest oF CIVILIZATION TO CHRISTIANITY. 167 has been the custom of nationsin the past. They are finding other and wiser methods of adjusting their differences. Within the past year a con- gress of representatives of nearly all the American nations met in Washington and agreed upon a treaty which commits them to submit all their international difficulties to arbitration, and this treaty has been ratified by the several govern- ments represented. This is a long step toward _ the abandonment of war as a means of settling international disputes. Other families of na- tions will be sure to follow the good example thus set by America, and, although we may not — hope that men shall learn war no more, we may and do expect that a better day has dawned on the nations of the earth. And whence does this dawn arise? This important step has not been taken except by nations which have been touched and warmed by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. This movement is made pos- sible by that broad philanthropy which the Gospel alone inculeates. The exclusiveness and narrowness which looks on all men who are outside of the pale of one’s own country as foes is giving way before the onward march of Christian truth. The spirit of Christianity 168 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES. overleaps all national boundaries and seeks to bind the nations of the earth together in a com- non sisterhood because all men are children of one Father and made of one blood. General diffusion of Christian thought and principles will overcome the perils which arise from a high degree of civilization. There is danger in prosperity. Many forget that out- ward elements of progress and strength are worthless without the inward spirit of manhood and womanhood which can alone make a nation great and strong. They point to our great cities, our flourishing commerce and thriving manufactures, our rapidly developing and ap- parently exhaustless agricultural and mineral resources, our railroads, telegraphs, printing- presses, our schools, colleges, universities, libra- ries, and othereducational facilities, our aboundin g and rapidly increasing wealth, our men of genius and culture, the advancement in arts and sciences, and say, “ Behold this great and mighty nation which we have builded!” But the sight of these things should be a warning as well as an encour- agement. When Greece and Rome and Babylon had reached their highest stage of civilization the seeds of corruption of which they perished Dept or CrymizaTiIon To CHRISTIANITY, 169 were dropping from these boughs of plenty and of glory under which they rejoiced. The ele- ments of their strength were the causes of their ruin. Our wealth, our great and mighty cities, our superior culture, our boasted freedom, are frau ght with perils from which only a high degree of moral excellence can save us. Never was relig- ion more needful to a nation than it is to ours. We must now choose between a wise and proper use of precious possessions and a shameful ship- wreck through self-decay. The temptations growing out of the dominion which mind has achieved over matter are appalling. Christian- ity is our only safe anchor. Culture and knowl- edge without God are stolen blessings, like the forbidden fruit which opened the eyes of Eve, but filled her heart, her home, and her life with pain. The highest, the safest civilization is the result of the union of human culture and im- provement with divine blessing and help. When _ men shall bring the fruits of their civilization and cast them at the feet of Christ and crown him Lord of all, and, with his Spirit in their hearts, feel and acknowledge the higher bond that binds all men in one family, then shall the 170 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. kingdom of God be established among men and the highest civilization possible to humanity be ushered in. “ Bring us the higher example; release us Into the larger coming time: And into Christ’s broad garment piece us, Rags of virtue as poor as crime, National selfishness, civic vaunting. “No more Jew or Greek then taunting Nor taunted; no more England nor France; But one confederate brotherhood, plauting One flag only, to make the advance, Onward and upward, of all humanity; “For, fully developed, Christianity Is civilization perfected. ‘Measure the frontier,’ shall be said? ‘Count the ships,’ in national vanity ?— Count the nation’s heart-beats sooner.” THE PILLAR OF THE STATE, 171 CHAP TERY, THE PILLAR OF THE STATE. Tue Christian’ religion touches every thing that pertains to the welfare of man. Its require- ments are not limited to acts of worship, but ex- tend to all our acts and thoughts. Its benefits are not confined to the Sabbath and the soul and the world to come, but they are found in every week-day and in all the affairs of this world. Our secular, civil, and domestic interests come within the scope.of the teachings and provision of the Gospel. Preaching Christianity is preaching righteousness in all possible human relations, and practicing Christianity is practicing righteousness in all the pursuits of life. Christianity sanctions human government and elevates it to the plane of a divine institution. Writing to the Christians at Rome, Paul says : “Let every soul be subject unto the higher pow- ers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whao- soever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth 172 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. the ordinance of God: and they that resist: shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. ... Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.” The apostle writes to these Roman disciples concern- ing their duty as citizens of the empire. Nero was on the throne. Paul may have suspected that the followers of Christ, reckoning themselves the subjects of one King, even Jesus, might consider themselves free from all other authority, and especially that of such a tyrant as Nero and the cruel and unreasonable magistrates who bore the sword under him. But the apostle corrects all such erroneous views both for his own time and for all time. Christianity does not antago- nize nor subvert human government. The king- doms of this world are not incompatible with the kingdom of Christ, even when the principles of their administration are not altogether righteous. The Gospel of Christ does not annul the authority of unrighteous rulers over those whose citizenship is inheaven. On the contrary, it confirms the rights of rulers and insists on the obedience and loyalty of all citizens, and pro- nounces its condemnation on those that resist. Tue PILLAR OF THE STATE. 173 God has not only sanctioned human govern- ment in his word, but he declares that it is one of his ordinances. ‘There is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” But what shall be said of corrupt governments and tyrannical rulers? Are they ordained and sanctioned of God? These are examples of the abuse of divine and useful institutions. God has not ordained the abuse, but the power. Not the exercise of the power, but the appointment of it, must be attributed to the Almighty. The insti- tution of marriage furnishes an illustration. God ordained marriage, but men abuse it. _It is absurd to say that God is the author of every particular marriage, but he is the author of the institution of marriage. And so of govern- ment. God must not be held responsible for every particular government and the administra- tion of every ruler. He has not taken it on himself to uphold and defend wicked rulers. But the institution of human government is his own ordinance and is as sacred as any other divine institution on earth. On this ground the apostle counsels obedience to existing au- thority. Human government is necessary to human 174 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. society and human happiness. Where there is no magistracy and no authority there is anarchy. No more awful state of things can exist than is found where every man does that which is right in his own eyes. One has said: “ Never did sovereign prince pervert justice as Nero did, and yet Paul appealed to him and under him had the protection of the law and the inferior magis- trates more than once. Better bad government than none at all.” Jehovah isa God of order, and not confusion. In the material world he has established laws and maintains the most per- _ fect order and harmony. He designs to have order among the children of men ; hence he has ordained that laws shall be enacted and enforced, that the disobedient shall be punished and the obedient enjoy the blessings of protection and peace, | Christianity becomes a powerful ally of the State by encouraging patriotism and requiring submission and obedience to properly consti- tuted authority on the part of the people. The passage already quoted proves this proposition. Others, equally explicit, enjoin on all subjects loyal obedience to, and support of, the govern- ment. The enemies of our Lord sought to en- Tue PILLAR OF THE STATE. 175 trap him in his words and array him against the Roman government. They came to him with this inquiry: “Is it lawful to pay tribute to Cesar or not?” This question presented itself in the nature of a dilemma. Answer which way he would his tempters supposed he would be caught inasnare. If he should say, “It-is law- ful,’ he would offend the Jews, who believed that the yoke of Ceesar was unjust and cruel, and not to be endured except under dire com- pulsion. If, on the other hand, he should reply, “Tt is not lawful,” he would embroil himself with the Romans, who would soon bring him to answer to a charge of treason. Under these per- plexing circumstances the answer of Jesus was ready. He says neither yea nor nay, but, “ Show me a penny.” And when the coin had been produced, he said, “‘ Whose image and superscrip- tion is this?” They say unto him, “ Cesar’s.”’ Then said he, “ Render therefore unto Cesar _ the things which are Ceesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Although Jesus was the only begotten Son of God ; although to him was given all power in heaven and earth, he set an example of loyalty to the State and enjoined obedience to magistrates. 176 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. In the First Epistle of Peter we read this pre- cept: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.” It is worthy of note that the motive to obedience is here put on an exalted plane. It is for the Lord’s sake. One way to secure the glory of our Lord among men is to submit to the authority of civil rulers, obey the laws, and pay the taxes imposed by the government. In all nations, the disciples of Christ have distinguished themselves as good citizens. They have com- pelled men to respect the Gospel which imparted to them such noble qualities of citizenship. There may come a time when submission is no longer required, but this is the exception. It is only when tyranny and cruelty have been carried to a high degree, when every other measure for redress has been tried in vain, and when there is a reasonable hope that resistance may im- prove the condition of the oppressed and their descendants—then the powers that be should be resisted. Not only submission and obedience to rulers, Tur PILLAR OF THE STATE. 177 but prayer for them is also required of the Christian. Paul says to Timothy: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men ; for kings, and for all that are in au- thority ; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” While others are speaking evil of magistrates and legislators and governors Christians are commanded to pray for them. Ferms of prayer have been adopted by some Christian denominations in which peti- tions for rulers occur and are regularly offered. In all Churches those who are in authority are remembered in prayer, and how much of the good that exists in the State is due to these prayers, and how often the curse is turned aside, who shall say ? Patriotism is a cardinal virtue, a natural in- stinct encouraged and directed by the word of God. Thomas Corwin once said he objected: to the Bible because it did not inculeate the virtue of patriotism. Mr. Corwin was an admirer and a student of the Bible, not because he wished to practice its precepts, but because of its liter- ary excellence and because of the help it afforded him in his profession. But he must have read 13 178 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. the Bible carelessly indeed not to have found in it one lesson of patriotism. The historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament abound in touching references to Jerusalem and the land of Canaan, the special gift of Jehovah, the pride and delight of the children of Jacob. From the time the Hebrews set foot on the land of prom- ise their literature breathes the spirit of a deep and undying attachment to their own country. And when, on account of their transgressions, the Lord God caused them to be carried away into captivity, they still turned with loving, long- ing hearts to the land where their fathers lived and worshiped and died. This plaintive strain describes their experience: “ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. or there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my THE PILLAR OF THE STATE. 179 chief joy.” If this is not a patriotic song where, in all the range of literature, can one be found ? Count Tolstoi so interprets the precepts of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount as to make him condemn the feeling which men call patriot- ism. He maintains that Christ’s doctrine of love toward all men, without distinction of nation- ality, makes it wrong to love one place or one people more than another. If this interpreta- tion were followed out to its logical conclusions we should be compelled to condemn all conjugal, filial, and fraternal affection, and find ourselves under obligation to love every stranger with the same fondness as we feel for our wives and chil- dren. And this, I believe, is about what Count Tolstoi teaches, but the absurdity of the conclu- sion is so manifest that it will not be seriously indorsed by any reasonable man. Even Jesus, who so loved the world that he laid down his life for it, tasting death for every man, loved Jerusalem with peculiar tenderness, and dis- played his affection when, drawing nigh to the city for the last time, he wept over it as he con- templated the destruction which he saw swiftly approaching. Love of country is not confined 180 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. to good men ; it-may be found in the hearts of all men who have not been wretchedly perverted. “‘ Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land! Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned Fromwandering on a foreign strand?” While patriotism is not peculiar to Christianity, it is recognized, encouraged, and directed by Christianity. The true Christian is an intelligent patriot, a valuable citizen, a wise ruler. The counsels of the Gospel are not for sub- jects only, but for rulers also. No book in the world contains such wholesome precepts for kings and all that hold authority as the Bible. It is, indeed, a melancholy fact that some rulers professing Christianity have displayed a degree of cruelty and injustice which might well bring the blush of shame to the face of pagan princes ; but this only proves that some so-called Chris- tians are mere nominal Christians, possessing little of the knowledge and none of the Spirit of Christ. Ignorance, hypocrisy, ambition, and selfishness have dominated their minds and shaped their course. It is still true that in Christian countries have been found the wisest THe PinuaR or THE STATE. 181 and best rulers. The lawgivers and statesmen who have done most to reform abuses, to im- prove nations, and to elevate governments have been inspired with the truth and spirit of the Bible. If magistrates, legislators, and governors were true Christians and conducted public af- fairs on strictly Christian principles the nations of the earth would be at peace, and boundless prosperity would prevail throughout the whole world. Every truly Christian ruler recognizes God as his Sovereign. He receives his authority and power from the supreme Creator, whether he has been elected to his high office by the suf- frages of his fellow-citizens or has received his throne and scepter as an inheritance from his ancestors. “There is no power but of God.” Jesus said to Pilate, “Thou couldst have no power against me at all, except it were given thee from above.” Receiving his authority from God, the Christian ruler recognizes his obligation to exercise it, not in his own selfish interest, nor in the interest of a party, but according to the will of God and for the good of the people over whom he has been temporarily placed. He _is a man having authority and at the same time 182 RELIGION FOR THE ‘TIMES, under authority. He is a subject also. He owes obedience and loyalty to the King of kings. To him he must give account, and from him receive his just recompense. This doctrine plants the foundations of government on the firmest possible basis. The Bible admonishes magistrates to rule in the fear of God, to be temperate, to be faithful to the trust committed to them, to hate covet- ousness, to abhor bribes, to defend and protect the poor, to judge righteously, to be impartial in the administration of office, to rule with dili- gence. The obligations of legislators and magis- trates are as sacred as those of any others. The duties of a husband and father are no more holy than those of an officer of government. These are the functions with which men often trifle. They are made ‘matters of barter and sale. These positions are used for the purpose of pro- moting the personal and selfish interests of the men who hold them and of enriching their rel- atives. But for all these things God will bring wicked rulers to judgment, and because of the various forms of corruption which prevail among public men the nations are dishonored and dis- graced and filled with mourning. Tur PittaAR OF THE STATE. 183 The Christian religion sustains a most intimate relation to national progress and prosperity. We hear a great deal in these days about the union of Church and State. Certain persons have such a dread of an unholy alliance between the Church and the government that they have set them- selves the task of destroying every vestige of re- ligion in the country. They demand the secu- larization of every thing connected with the State, the abolition of all Sunday laws, the aban- donment of all recognition and encouragement of religion on the part of the government, and the repeal of all statutes affording protection to religious organizations and institutions. What they seek is, not to prevent the union of Church and State, for of this there is no real danger in this country, but rather to demolish religion altogether. It has been supposed by some that religion has nothing to do with the government of the United States. But this is an error. There is no State Church in this country, no sect supported by the government, sharing in its legislation and administration, no denom- ination distinguished as the Church of the re- public. To some minds this fact has seemed sufficient evidence that this is one example of a 184 RELIGION FOR ‘THE TIMES. godless nation, utterly destitute of religion. Not so. For while we have no State Church we have a multitude of free and independent Churches. The principles of religion underlie the foundations of the government and are inter- woven with federal and State legislation and control the moral sense of the people. Instead of being a godless nation it is one of the most religious countries in the world. Religious or- ganizations, as such, have nothing to do with legislation or administration of government, but religion is as needful to the prosperity of the State as it is to the welfare of the individual. This fact has always been recognized in this country, and provision has been made by the gov- ernment for the existence of Churches and the protection of the people in the enjoyment of their religious rights and privileges. The laws of our States do not require citizens to become members of Churches, to worship God, or to attend religious worship. They fur- nish no special advantage or preferment to men on account of their church relationship. But, recognizing the fact that religion is useful to so- ciety and the State, the framers of our govern- ment have made provision for the protection and THe PILAR OF THE STATE. SIRS encouragement of Christians and Churches in their voluntary and beneficent work? The Sab- bath is protected by law in nearly all our States. No man can be required to labor or transact business on that day. Contracts made on that day are not legal. Common labor performed on that day is a violation of law. The intent of these laws is, not to make men religious by stat- ute, but to afford to every man the rest which nature requires, the opportunity to carry out his religious convictions and eultivate his religious nature, and to afford the Churches an opportu- nity to disseminate those religious principles which are so essential to the welfare of men in society. Sunday laws are not bonds uniting Church and State, but witnesses to the value of religion as an element of national prosperity. A good citizen, who is not himself a religions man, obeys these laws, not only because he wishes to be loyal to the State, but also because he takes pleasure in treating with respect that religion which contributes so much to the well-being of individuals, of families, and of the nation. The symbol used in the ceremony by which the President of the republic is inaugurated into his high office is the Bible. Every year the 186 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. President issues a proclamation calling on all the people to assemble in their places of worship and give thanks to God for the mercies of the year. The governors of all the States unite their offi- cial proclamations to that of the President ap- pointing this religious service. This institution is the product of the religious spirit of the peo- ple and their rulers. It is not merely a legal and national holiday, but a religious festival. The President and governors officially recognize the existence of a supreme Creator and Ruler from whom all natioral mercies flow. The day is not merely a season of rejoicing over bountiful har- vests and commercial prosperity, but it is offi- cially set apart as an acknowledgment of the good- ness of God and a witness to the same, and affords an opportunity to express a nation’s gratitude for Heaven’s bounty. If a President should come into office who did not believe in the existence of God nor recognize his supreme authority and man’s obligation to honor him, he would nevertheless be compelled, not by civil statute, but by public sentiment to appoint this festival and call on the people to observe it. A few years ago the governor of one of our Western States issued a so-called thanksgiving fe ( (e2) Tue PILLAR OF THE STATE. 1 proclamation, in which he made no reference to God as the author of the blessings of the year, and did not even mention the name of the Almighty. This omission, which was evidently intentional and expressive of the atheistic senti- ments of the governor, was met with a storm of adverse and indignant criticism. At the next gubernatorial election in that State the author of this famous proclamation was a candidate for re-election and was defeated—a result to which his conspicuous contempt for the religious con- victions of the people largely contributed. Some may call this fanaticism and bigotry. It is neither. It is a solemn witness to the relig- ious character and principles of the people. Religion has nothing to do with legislation, but it has much to do with public character in America. When the foundations of this government were laid the wise men who participated in the deliberations and directed the proceedings be- lieved that the principles of Christianity were essential to the well-being and perpetuity of the nation. They were indeed careful to rear a structure of government untrammeled by eccle- siastical entanglements. They provided for the 188 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. complete separation of Church and State, but recognized the importance of the prevalence of Christian principles among people and rulers. No one can read the record of the discussions of their assemblies and fail to be impressed with this fact. The State papers, the speeches, and other literature of those days breathe the spirit and bear the impress of Christianity. The leaders of the people, whose memory we cherish, were careful to warn the nation of the danger of a low state of morals, and the impossibil- ity of maintaining a high standard of morality without a pure form of religion. Some of these men were not Christians them- selves, but they saw the value of Christianity as the ally of the State. Some of these statesmen have been accounted infidels, but scarcely one of them was so unwise as to desire the banishment of Christianity from this new country. There was a time when Benjamin Franklin was a skeptic and perhaps an atheist. While in London, some years before the Revolution, he wrote a book in which he took strong ground against religion. But he lived long enough to change his mind, and all his infidel sentiments were repudiated by him. Whatever may have Tur PILLAR OF THE STATE. 189 been his personal interest in religion, he became thoroughly persuaded that, although Church and State should: never be united, religion and the State shonld never. be separated. It was Benjamin Franklin who offered the motion in the convention which framed the constitution that the daily sessions should be opened with prayer, and supported his proposition with a re- markable speech. Intelligent Europeans who have traveled ex- tensively in this country for the purpose of studying our institutions have been deeply im- pressed with the religious spirit which pervades the nation. An eminent French scholar and statesman, who made a special study of the gen- ins of American institutions many years ago, wrote this: “There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America. And there can be no greater proof of its utility and of its conformity to human nature than that its influence is most powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation on the face of the earth. In the United States religion exer- cises but little influence on the laws and upon the details of public opinion, but it directs the 190 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. manners of the community, and by regulating domestic life it regulates the State. Religion in America takes no part in the government of society, but it must, nevertheless, be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of the country ; for if it does not impart a taste for free- dom, it facilitates the use of free institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or to a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.” Professor James Bryce, of England, who visited the United States twice, remained in the country many months traveling extensively and studying diligently the history, the laws, and customs of the people, has written two volumes, entitled The Amerecan Commonwealth, a work eminently worthy of study by all Americans. The author has not overlooked the relation which Christianity sus- tains to the government. After referring to the chaplaincies in both houses of Congress, in the army and navy, to Sunday laws, thanksgiv- ing proclamations, and the Bible in the schools as evidences that the national and State govern- ments do give to Christianity a species of recog- nition which is wholly inconsistent with the view that civil government should be absolutely Tuer PILLAR OF THE STATE. 191 neutral in religious matters, Professor Bryce says: “The whole matter may, I think,. be summed up by saying that Christianity is in fact understood to be, though not the legally established religion, yet the national religion. So far from thinking their commonwealth god- less the Americans conceive that the religious character of a government consists in nothing but the religious belief of the individual citi- zens, and the conformity of their conduct to that belief. They deem the general acceptance of Christianity to be one of the main sources of their national prosperity, and their nation to be a special object of divine favor.” The sentiments of these eminent foreigners are shared by leading American statesmen and jurists. William Allen Butler, LL.D., a lawyer of acknowledged ability and varied learning, having occasion to speak on this subject recently, said: ‘‘ While there is an absolute divorce of Church and State, and a controlling mandate against interference by the State with the free- dom of religious opinion and worship, there is not, and never has been, any divorce between Christianity and the State, or between the State government in its administration and the Chris- 192 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. - tian religion as revealed in the Scriptures. On the contrary, it was well settled long ago, and cannot now be disputed, that Cliristianity is a part of the common law of the State.” ‘Two extreme views must be carefully guarded against. One requires the complete separation of religion from every thing pertaining to the government 5 the other requires the union of Church and State in affairs of government. Tf the former view should prevail chaplaincies in the army and navy and in Congress must be- abolished, the Bible must not be used in the in- auguration of the President of the United States into his office, thanksgiving proclamations must not be issued, Sunday laws must be abolished, oaths, in which witnesses and those being in- ducted into office call on God, must be aban- doned. We do not stop now to point out the inevitable and melancholy results of such a course, nor to show how utterly contrary this proposed measure is to the intention of the statesmen who framed our government. This theory, although strenuously advocated and urged by a considerable number, cannot prevail ; but in order to prevent it loyal Americans and Christian citizens must be vigilant and active. Tue PILuaR OF THE STATE. 193 The gradual encroachments of the atheistic and secular spirit, breaking down Sunday laws, ren- dering the oath a meaningless ceremony and blasphemous mockery, and destroying as far as possible the religious couvictions and sentiments of the people, give cause fur alarm and eall for earnest efforts on the part of Christian people. The union of Church and State is not so much to be feared, and yet the controlling influence in political affairs which the Roman Catholic Church wields in certain quarters is not to be treated as a light matter. The members of this denomination may be divided on some questions, but when political issues are to be acted on they are not divided. The fact that this large body delivers a solid vote on election day gives to ita tremendous influence over politicians, legislators, and municipal and State officers. This influence is always used in favor of measures in the inter- est of the Catholic Church. Hence the boast of Catholic journals that before long they will com- pel the division of the school funds, whereby they will get their share for the support of their parochial schools. The suecess with which they have engineered other favorite measures gives reason to fear their success in this. How much 13 194 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. farther they hope to go in the direction of in- fluencing legislation, shaping public policy, over- throwing existing institutions, and manipulating the government in their own interests, we may not presume -to say. But Protestants must not sleep. Christianity is essential to the highest prosperity of the republic, but the alliance with the State of a Christian denomination, however pure, would be a curse, and especially such a denomination as the Roman Catholic. What we need is not so much legislation in favor of Christian Churches as the dissemination of Christian principles among the people. One way to make this a Christian country would be to amend the constitution by inserting a section recognizing Christ as the head of the nation and his Gospel as the fundamental teaching on which all legislation shall be based, and requiring all offices to be filled by Christian men, and intro- ducing religious ceremonies into all the affairs of government. This is the method some would advocate. They think outward forms constitute a Christian nation. But all these measures might be adopted, and the nation be essentially a pagan nation. Another way is to inculeate Christian sentiments and impress the THe PILLAR OF THE STATE. 195 minds of the people with Christian truth and awaken Christian thought and conviction and life throughout the land. Genuine revivals of religion, in which men have been converted from atheism, superstition, and sin, have done more to make this a Christian nation than all the legisla- tive acts ever passed. This is a Christian nation so far as its rulers and people are actuated by Christian principles, and no farther. Much is said about religion in the public schools. The-publie school is one of America’s peculiar and noble institutions. But it has been called godless, as the nation itself has been called god- less. This is a slanderous misrepresentation. The publie schools are religious, not by being under control of a sect, nor by the adoption of a theological creed, nor by adhering to certain re- ligious forms, but by the religions spirit and life abiding in the minds of teachers and scholars. Most public school teachers are Christians. The religious influence exerted by the Christian char- acter of many thousand godly teachers is far greater and more effective than religious forms of the most approved style could be. Religious forms and ceremonies belong to the sanctuary, but religious life belongs every-where. 196 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. ~ Christian ministers and parents should main- tain the most intimate relations with the public schools. Teachers sometimes feel that their work is not appreciated and that they do not have the sympathy and aid of Christian minis- ters and churches. One of the chief allies of the minister is the public school teacher. The © two are working together to the same end, al- though on different lines. Yet how seldom is a prayer offered in the pulpit for the teacher, or a sermon preached for the encouragement. and help of the school! If Christians would pre- serve this distinctive American institution from the overthrow with which its enemies threaten it and infuse into it the leaven of Christian life, which will add immensely to its utility, let them bring the pulpit and the teacher’s desk as near together as possible; let them instill into public school teachers religious ideas and diligently seek to lead them to Christ. Since Christianity sustains such an intimate relation to the prosperity of the State it should be respected, not only by professing Christians, but by others also. There are a few men in al- most every community who will not yield assent to this proposition. They regard religion as ~ Tur PILLAR OF THE STATE. 197 nothing more than superstition founded in igno- rance and fraud, essentially degrading, injurious to the mind, and deserving only contempt from intelligent men. But such views are confined toa small portion of the citizens of this coun- try. Most men who are irreligious themselves acknowledge the benefits of religion to society and the State, and, while they justify themselves in living without religion, they would not inten- tionally interfere with its progress among the people. They see in Christ, in the Bible, and in the Sunday-schools and churches the only foundation on which society can rest securely and permanently. Some men who profess this respect for Christianity do, nevertheless, throw all the weight of their influence against its operations and its progress. This they do either unwittingly or because their greed for gold has blinded their minds to the legitimate results of their pursuits. No man can show decent respect for Chris- tianity and prosecute his secular business on Sunday. The proprictors of Sunday newspapers come under this condemnation. Most of them wish to be numbered among the friends of re- ligion. They make their boast that they use 198 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. their papers largely for the promotion of the Christian religion. But publishing and selling a_ secular newspaper on Sunday secularizes the day and tends mightily to make it like other days. It interposes a serious hinderance in the way of religious work. It crowds out such re- flections and exercises as are necessary to make the day profitable. It cultivates disregard for the Sabbath and all other religious institutions. Men who sincerely wish to show respect for re- ligion, and are willing to incur the cost of doing so, will scrupulously avoid whatever tends to hinder religious thought and worship and coun- teract the effects of religious teaching on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the chief day on which religion is propagated. Business pursuits and school work occupy the minds of the people on other days. They do not offer favorable oppor- tunity for inculeating religious principles. On the Sabbath stores and secular schools are closed and churches and Sunday-schools are open. The minds of men, resting from secular cares and studies, are in a favorable attitude to re- ceive religious instruction. Only atheists and anarchists can desire to open the flood-gates of secular cares and thoughts and occupations on Tue PILLAR OF THE STATE. 199 this day, but the proprietors of Sunday news- papers are doing this without desiring it. Until recently France has been almost with- out a Sabbath. True there are churches and re- ligious ceremonies in France, but ‘atheism and other forms of skepticism had obtained so strong a hold in that country that sacred institutions were held in contempt by the masses, and, for the most part, also by the leaders of the people. The shops and stores were kept open on the Sabbath day, traffic, manufacturing, farming, and all sorts of business moved forward on that day at the pleasure of proprietors. But recently the French have discovered that this violation of an important Christian precept is also a vio- lation of a fundamental law of nature, an injury to society, a curse to the State. A powerful league, under the leadership of some of the lead- ing thinkers and statesmen of France, has been organized for the purpose of restoring to their country the advantages of the Sabbath. This is not a religious movement, but one purely in the interest of the country and thie people. Success has already attended the enter- prise. France is brigging back her Sabbath. Stores and shops are closed at least a part of the 200 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. day, and a season of periodical rest is guaranteed ‘to the toiler. Much objection is still urged against making the Christian Sabbath the day of rest, lest legislation should be earried beyond its legitimate bounds and the liberty of the peo- ple interfered with. Many prefer to require one day of rest in seven, and allow each one to choose which day he will. This is an effort to avoid the appearance of enacting laws in favor of Christianity. But it is easy to see that, in order to make the rest-day available, it must be: uniform. All must observe the same day, or many can have no day. And if one partic- ular day be designated it will be almost im- possible to select any other than the Christian Sabbath. . In Germany a similar reformation is on foot. These European countries have had their time of ignoring the Christian Sabbath, and have discovered the evils resulting from such a course. In all these lands there are signs of returning to the observance of the Sabbath. Just as the wave of anti-Sabbath influence has spent its force on the continent of Europe and begun to sub- side it sweeps over America as though it were some new thing. The more we give way to Tuer PILLAR OF THE STATE. 201 Sabbath desecration the more we weaken the State and bring in demoralization. Not the Sabbath only, but all Christian insti- tutions exert a salutary influence on the State. Christian marriage, the Christian home, the Christian Church, the Christian Scriptures, Chris- tian schools, Christian benevolent associations, Christian hymns, Christian literature, and Chris- tian principles constitute the salt which preserves the State. It is not law nor the police force that keeps back the floods of moral corruption from overwhelining our cities and deluging the whole land. Itis Christianity. Remove from our midst all churches, ministers, Christians, and all their good influence, and what would remain to save the country ? _ It must be confessed that Christianity has done but little for our country compared with what it is capable of doing. It has scarcely colored our politics, our business, our legislation, our education. It has only touched the fringe of social life and hardly affected the life of the na- tion. Christianity has not yet thoroughly per- meated the Church. Tow far below the Gospel standard are the best Churches! How many Christians do we know who, in self-sacrifice, in 202 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. consecrated effort for the redemption of men from vice and sin and ignorance and misery, in the conduct of their secular affairs, and in their private and public life, fill the measure of the stature of a man in Christ Jesus ? If those who are now called Christians were all Christians indeed, intemperance, gambling, licen- tiousness, poverty, ignorance, political and social corruption, and all that mars the glory of our re- publie would vanish before the Church of Christ, as the darkness withdraws before the rising sun. This religion, in which the founders of the republic had such implicit confidence, has been the salt which has preserved the nation ever since. Its doctrines, its spirit, and its inflnence have contributed more than any thing else to secure the prosperity and progress of the nation — for more than a hundred years. So manifest is this fact that Oriental nations, which for centu- ries have made no progress, awaking from their slumbers and beholding our prosperity, are beckoning us to bring to them the secret of our advancement. They have opened their doors to our missionaries and given free course to the Gospel, because they recognize in it a friend of the State. They are sending their sons to our Tue PILLAR OF THE STATE. 208 shores to study our institutions, to be educated in our Christian schools, and to carry back the secret of Western progress. India, China, Japan, are seeking light, and confessing openly that the rock on which our government rests is the best foundation for a State. Something remarkable has recently occurred in China. The emperor of that vast country has issued an edict authorizing Chinamen to be- come Christians without running the risk of losing the privileges and immunities of citizen- ship. Any Chinaman can now profess Christian- ity openly and still remain an acceptable and loyal Chinese subject. But before this edict was issued a thorough examination into the work of Christian missionaries in China was made by a commission of wise men duly appointed and an- thorized by the government. The Tsung-Li Yamen, or Board of Foreign Affairs, is composed of representative statesmen, and holds a position somewhat analogous to tliat of the cabinet of the President of the United States. The men who compose it are stout and arrogant heathen, not disposed to show partiality to a foreign in- stitution, and especially to Cliristianity. Having made a careful examination of the character and 204 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. fruits of Christianity, they presented a memorial to the emperor containing these statements : “The memorialists find that the religion of the great West—that is, Europe and America— persuades people to follow the paths of virtue. The hospitals of the sick and asylums for infants are all good works. Of late years in all places in the different provinces visited by calamities there were many missionaries who contributed large sums and helped to alleviate the sufferings of the people. Their love to do good and their generosity in giving are certainly commendable.” Coming from such a source, this is a wonderful declaration. This memorial was soon followed by a decree of toleration, giving to Christianity free course in the Empire of China. This fact not only shows that the integrity, generosity, ~and charity of Christian missionaries have com- mended the Gospel which they represent to intelligent representatives of the greatest pagan State on earth, but also that the fruits of this Gospel in China have challenged the approval of wise men and statesmen, even the followers of Confucius, and compelled the emperor of this great empire to recognize it as an important and indispensable ally of good government. THE CHRISTIAN Homes. 205 CHAPTER VI. THE CHRISTIAN HOME. Noruine is more common than for men to undervalue what is familiar and attach undue importance to that which is extraordinary, arti- ficial, and rare. The home is with us always. We come in contact with it constantly, and on that account we are in danger of placing upon it too low an estimate. Indeed, to overestimate it is impossible. One of the richest gifts which the beneficent Creator has bestowed on his intelligent creatures is the institution of the home. The family ante- dates the Church and the State 5 it is intended for all nations and belongs to all time. But this divine arrangement for the growth and progress of the race has been sadly perverted, corrupted, neglected, despised, and even banished from some parts of the world altogether. Ignorant of its nature and its benefits, many have undertaken to substitute for it some other form of human society. Dut the Christian home, in which one 206 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. man and one woman are united together by in- dissoluble bonds, where their children are trained up to honor them and honor the truth and honor God, is the chosen plan of Heaven for the de- velopment of humanity and the promotion of the divine glory. Whatever in literature or leg- islation or social custom tends to corrupt or over- throw this institution deserves the reprobation of all good men, and whatever tends to purify, improve, exalt, and establish it merits the highest praise. The Christian home is the corner-stone of social progress and order. “ Show me fami- lies worthy of the name,” says Father Hya- cinthe, “true domestic commonwealths, father and mother, king and minister, enthroned to- gether in the midst of the circle of their chil- dren, talking to them of ancestors, of honor, of duty, and being hearkened to—commanding in respect, and still more in love, and being obeyed ; show me a father, king in his own house, and so much the more free in the world without as he is authoritative in the world within—show me homes like these, and I will show you republics. The genuine, free citizen is the father, respected and obeyed at home. It is out of such materials as these that lasting social order can be built.” THE CurIsTIAN Home. 207 The safety and progress of a nation depend on the homes of the people. The glory of a coun- try is not its climate, its soil, its rivers, lakes, and harbors, its gold and silver mines, its form of government, or even its splendid institutions, but its men and women of noble character. Hence the foundation of a nation’s glory is the home where men and women receive the bent and tone of their characters. Jules Simon says: “Civic virtues, unless they have their origin and consecration in private and domestic virtues, are but the virtues of the theater. He who has not a loving heart for his child cannot pretend to have any true love for humanity.” Obe- dience to the commandment, “ ITonor thy father and thy mother,” learned and practiced in child- hood, becomes the foundation of loyalty to the State and to God, and renders obedience to all just and righteous laws natural and easy. That soul which is not identified with a group of kindred souls from his earliest recollection and joined to them by tenderest ties of affection is in asad case, and knows nothing of the purest joys and holiest motives which earthly relations can furnish. | Home is usually associated with a locality, a 208 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. plot of ground, a building which, however hum- ble, affords shelter and rest to the little group of human beings who have chosen it as their abode. Children of nomad parents, of itinerant minis- ters, and others whom necessity or inclination has not allowed a permanent abiding place must forever miss one of the elements of a real home. “Some spot there is, some cherished spot, We love, all other spots above; And few so wretched that have not Some early cherished spot to love. The mountain heights are dear to some, To some the valley’s deep recess ; To some the desert is a home, With thoughts to cheer and joys to bless.” Home is a place of love and sympathy. One may meet enemies in the world outside, friends may prove false, and trusted allies show treachery, but, turning his steps homeward, he is sure to find there what his heart craves—love and sympathy. ‘“ Home’s not merely four square walls, “ Though with pictures hung and gilded ; Home is where affection calls, Filled with shrines the heart hath builded.” Love is the only true bond of marriage. Souls may be drawn together by covetousness, ambi- bition, or convenience, and united by mere legal THe CurisTIAN Home. 209 obligations, but this cannot constitute a Christian home. The husband or wife who finds greater pleasure elsewhere than at home is to be pitied or blamed, or both. A home where love unites those who dwell together iu one family furnishes consolations to which the homeless are strangers. Those who go through life alone are often reduced to direst straits when overtaken by disappoint- ment and affliction. Washington Irving says: “TI have noticed that a married man falling into misfortune is more apt to retrieve his situa- tion in the world than a single one, chiefly be- cause his spirits are soothed and relieved by do- mestic endearments, and self-respect kept alive by finding that, although abroad be darkness and humiliation, yet there is still a little world of love at home, of which he is monarch. Whereas a single man is apt torun to waste and _ self- neglect—to fall to ruins, like some deserted mansion, for want of inhabitants.” What a recent writer said of society in France nay also be said of the United States: “ And if our morals are going to ruin, if the basis of the family is undermined, if domestic society leans and totters like a ruined edifice, it is because men have forgotten to put love at the foundation of 14 4 210 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. the house, the love of two beings who love each other in honor, in respect, in holiness.” By elevating woman from the position of a slave to that of an equal and companion of man, by inculeating the holiest domestic virtues, by inspiring the hearts of husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, parents and children, with that love which is the embodiment of all spiritual excellence, the Christian religion has brought in- finite blessings to earthly homes. It must be admitted that even in so-called Christian coun- tries there are many wretched homes, but they are far superior to any that can be found in other lands. Religious devotions in the home exert an ele- vating and refining influence on the minds of the members of the household. The day which is begun with family devotions, conducted in the right spirit by the father, is blessed from the start. The day which is concluded in the same way is sanctified by a double benedic- tion. The impressions made on children by these holy exercises are among the most salu- tary the soul is capable of receiving. The bard of Scotland has drawn this picture of a hallowed scene : bs . THE CHRISTIAN Home. 911 ‘‘The cheerfu’ supper done, wi’ serious face, They, round the ingle, form a circle wide; The sire turns o’er, wi’ patriarchal grace, The big ha’ Bible, ance his father’s pride: His bonnet rev'rently is laid aside, His lyart haffets wearing thin and bare ; Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide, He wales a portion with judicious care ; And ‘Let us worship God!’ he says with solemn air. “Then kneeling down to Leaven’s eternal King, The saint, the father, and the husband prays: Hope ‘springs exultant on triumphant wing,’ That thus they all shall meet in future days: There ever bask in uncreated rays, No more to sigh or shed the bitter tear, Together hymning their Creator’s praise, In such society, yet still more dear; While circling time moves round in an eternal sphere.” At certain important crises in the home these occasions become intensely sacred and incaleulably valuable. On the morning of the day when a son or daughter is to leave home or to enter the marriage relation, the room in which the devotions are conducted seems like the council-chamber where God waits to hear his servants’ petitions. As the Christian father pours forth his supplications in faltering accents for the guidance and protection of the one mem- ber of the circle about to take an important step, 212 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. the impressions made and the effects produced are more valuable than volumes of lectures on duty or millions of gold and silver. Much is said in these days about the amend- ment of the marriage and divorce laws of the different States of the Union. This discussion indicates that there is still something wrong 10 the family life of the people. Many hope to remedy this evil by additional legislation. Cer- tainly great benefit will flow from the repeal of bad laws, the amendment of defective laws, and the enactment of new laws for the protection of the home; but greater benefits still may be ex- pected from a revival of interest. in family life and family religion among Christian people and the dissemination of Christian teachings con- cerning the home. Among multitudes of our citizens the home is not regarded with that peculiar sacredness. once accorded to it by almost universal consent. The home is not altogether safe. Many foes rise against it and threaten to overthrow it; some of them are professed and open foes, but most are secret and insidious enemies. While we defend and seek: to perpetuate our Christian American in- stitutions, such as the public school and the civil THe CuristTiAN Homr. 213 Sabbath, we need to look well to this, which is at once an American and a Christian institution. Many profess great respect for the home, while at the same time they despise Christianity. But those who assail Christianity, whether they be atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, or skeptics of whatever name, aim their blows at the founda- tions of the home. In his admirable book, en- titled Meditations on Christianity, M. Guizot mentions a conversation he once had with a Frenchman of distinguished mental capacity and honorable character, concerning the attacks which were at that time being leveled against Christian ity, in which the noted skeptic said: “It is not on my own account that I regret these attacks: you know Iam a‘ Voltairean ;’ but I ask for reg- ularity and peace in my household; I felicitate myself that my wife is a Christian, and I mean my daughters to be brought up like Christian women. These demolishers know not what they are doing; it is not merely upon our churches, it is upon our houses, our homes, and their inmates that their blows are telling.” The doe- trines of Christianity concerning marriage, the relation of husbands and wives, parents and children, and its terrible denunciations of social 214 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. impurity render it the safeguard of the family. The peculiar virtues of charity, patience, kind- ness, and love which it inculeates constitute the only means by which members of one family can be effectually and permanently united. Whatever may be a man’s sentiments con- eerning Christianity, when he comes to choose a wife he will doubtless show his preference for a woman of Christian faith and_ principles. Hence many unbelievers and ungodly men have Christian wives, and there would be many more such cases had not many women rejected offers of marriage on the ground that they considered it hazardous and wrong to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This is a potent argument in favor of the Christian religion as the chief support of the home. It makes. the best wives, the best mothers, the best husbands, the best fathers, and the best children. Family discipline and training are not only important to national progress and stability, but indispensable to a good life. No substitute for them can be found. The public school exerts a wholesome influence on the minds and manners of those who attend it. The Sunday-school is an exceedingly valuable institution for the in- THe CurisTIAN Home. 215 culcation of morality and religion. But those whose home training is neglected frequently re- fuse to attend either of these institutions, and if they should venture under their influence are not generally much benefited by them. There are exceptions. Now and then one may be found who has had no advantages of wholesome parental example and influence in childhood, who nevertheless has turned out well and be- come a noble man or woman. Taken up by some benevolent person or institution and kindly eared for and instructed, the soul which had been an outcast may become an example and an apos- tle of truth and righteousness. One of the most brilliant ministers in a leading religious denomi- nation was, when a child, taken from an orphan’s home by a generous Christian woman and edu- eated for the ministry. Henry M. Stanley is an example and an illustration of the possibility of a homeless child becoming a splendid man. A boy thus unfortunate at the start may wander far from the paths of virtue, even go far as to contract evil habits and fall into crime, yet a ray of truth penetrating his heart may lead him to repentance, and through grace he may become a good and useful man, 216 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. But this is not the rule. Such cases are so rare that they are not to be expected. They produce astonishment when they occur. Home- jess children and children whose parents are criminals or destitute of Christian principles, and whose homes are degraded by ignorance and vice, are almost sure to become criminals, or at least worthless members of society. Mr. A. A. Brush, the warden of Sing Sing prison, re- cently stated, in Prison Sunday, that a large proportion of those incarcerated in our prisons - are there because they never had proper dis- cipline in the family. Being without restraint at home while young, they were restless under discipline at school. By over-indulgence many of them were encouraged to play truant instead of attending school, and hence they were able to escape all restraint. To the question so fre- quently propounded, What is the chief cause that sends men to prison? the warden says his answer of late years has invariably been, “ Want of family discipline.’ His words are worthy of being carefully considered by all parents. The child, even of tender years, who is in- dulged in natural way wardness and allowed to say to its father or mother, “I will,” or aE Tue CurisTIAN Home. 917 wont,” is in a fair way to become an inmate of our penal institutions. In the National Prison Association of the United States inquiry was made a few years ago as to the chief causes of crime, and every expert in criminal studies was said to have replied, “Bad homes and heredity.” One cannot help feeling the deepest sorrow for Lord Byron when he reads the story of the home in which he was brought up. His father was a profligate officer in the army, whose first wife was a divorced woman with whom he eloped to Franee. JIe married his second wife only because he hoped her fortune would enable him to pay his debts, and when he had squandered all she had he abandoned her. Byron’s mother wasa peevish, fret ful, passionate woman, who frequently taunted her son with his physical deformity and knew no method of governing and disciplining him, except by hurling at his head whatever came handiest when she was ina passion. It is not strange that this unfortunate youth should be- come an unhappy and ungovernable man, sing- ing or wailing in the bitterness of his soul: “And thus untaught in youth my heart to tame, My springs of life were poisoned.” 218 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. The attempt has often been made to cast re- proach on the Christian religion by declaring that the children of Christian parents are worse than others, that the sons of ministers surpass all other young men in wickedness. This slan- der has often been refuted. When the son of a good man yields to evil influences and walks in evil ways his conduct is more conspicuous than the vile practices of other young men. Such a youth merits severer censure than these who having had no home training fall into sinful practices. Aaron Burr is an example. Few names are reprobated with deeper contempt than his, and this not merely because of the erimes he committed, but rather because, not- withstanding he was the son of the president of a Christian college and the grandson of the great President Edwards, and had enjoyed the advan- tages of the best early Christian training and example, he threw off these restraints and forced his way downward to a life of selfishness and shame. But while there are marked examples of the sons of good men becoming notoriously wicked, it is not true, as a rule, that they are worse than others. Facts point in the opposite direction. Tur CuristTiAN Home. 219 The late Professor Phelps says that the rec- ords of Christian families were thoroughly ex- amined in a certain New England town, of several thousand inhabitants, and the result re- vealed the fact that the proportion of children in such families who became religious as related to those who did not was more than five to one. He also states that an inquiry into the relations of the students in the theological seminary at Andover brought to light the fact that out of its one hundred and twenty students preparing for the Gospel ministry more than one hundred were from Christian homes and more than twelve were sons of Christian ministers. A writer in a recent number of Zhe Canadian Presbyterian has discovered certain facts which contribute somewhat to the overthrow of the skeptical sneer that the sons of ministers never amount to any thing. These are his statements, as quoted by a New York daily: “Charles Tupper is a son of the late Rev. Charles Tupper; Sir Richard Cartwright, son of the late Rev. R. D. Cartwright; the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott, leader of the government in the Senate, son of the late Rev. Joseph Abbott ; Judge Strong, of the supreme court, son of the 920 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. late Rev. Dr. Strong; Judge Gwynne, son of the late Rev. William Gwynne, D.D.; the Hon. William Hume Blake was a son of the Rev. Dominick Blake; R. N. Hall, M. P. for Sherbrooke, is a son of the Rev. R. V. Hall; J. C. Patterson, M. P. for Essex, son of the Rev. James Patterson; E. G. Prior, M. P. for Victoria, B.C., son of the Rev. Henry Prior; the Hon. W. Hl. Richey, late Lieutenant-Gov- ernor of Nova Scotia, son of the Rev. Matthew Richey ; Deputy Minister of Justice Sedgwick, son of the Rev. Dr. Sedgwick; Alfred Selwyn, director of the geological survey, son of the Rey. T. Selwyn; Robert Bell, assistant director of geological survey, son of the Rev. Andrew Bell; W. H. Smithson, accountant of post-office department, son of the Rev. W. Smithson ; Judge Rose, son of the Rev. Samuel Rose.” We have the testimony of Lord Lyt tton to the same effect, in these words: “T think that of all sections of mankind the clergy are those to whom, not only for their own sakes, but for the sake of the community, marriage should be most commended. There are no homes in England from which men who have served and adorned their country have . THe CuHrRisTIAN Home. 221 issued forth in such prodigal numbers as those of the clergy of our Church! What other class ean produce a list so crowded with eminent names as we can boast in the sons we have reared and sent forth into the world?) How many - statesmen, soldiers, sailors, lawyers, physicians, authors, men of science, have been the sons of village pastors? Naturally—for with us they receive careful education—they acquire, of ne- cessity, the simple tastes and disciplined habits which lead to industry and perseverance; and, for the most part, they carry with them through life a purer moral code, a more systematic rev- erence for things and thoughts religious, asso- ciated with their earliest images of affection and respect, than can be expected from the sons of laymen, whose parents are wholly temporal and . worldly.” q Similar results would be found by careful in- vestigation in any community where Christianity prevails. It should be remembered that unchristian ex- amples and influences are often present in so- ealled Christian homes, and this will sometimes account for the waywardness of the children who grow up in such homes. Some parents 922 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. who make a profession of religion do not make a practice of it. In the church on Sunday they appear to be saints, but in their homes on week- days they appear to be devils. Parents who be- long to the Chureh, and yet make a bedlam of their homes; parents who talk much about God, but really serve mammon; parents who with violent tempers and words try to scold the evil spirit out of their sons, have themselves to blame when those sons grow up to despise religion and become notorious for wickedness. Those par- ‘ents whose highest ambition it is to have a good tie, who spend their money for personal gratification, who think more of personal pleas- ure than of the souls of their children, who spend much of their time, and are more content, away from home, leaving their children to the nurse, the governess, the street, or whatever formative influence they may find, are recreant to the highest trust committed to them by their Creator. Over-indulgence is a grievous fault in many so-called Christian homes. With many the day of discipline appears to be past. They fondly hope that their children will escape the evils that are in the world without those parental re- Tuer CHRISTIAN Home. 223 straints which are so disagreeable to young peo- ple. Some parents have conceived a notion of trusting in God which is false and pernicious. They permit their sons to associate with what- ever companions they may fancy, to read what- ever books they may have a taste for, to spend their Sabbaths according to the desires of their own hearts, and say they have committed them to the Lord and firmly believe he will save them. We have known fathers to commit their children to God in such a manner as to retain little or no interest or share in their training. When a mother leaves her home under the impression that God has called her to some evangelistic work, and allows her sons and daughters to run wild during the critical years of their history, it is safe to conclude that she has made a mistake. The exceptions are rare in which God, who has committed children to the eare of his servants, calls them to other duties which conflict with the work of training their offspring. In these days of grasping, greed, and worldly ambition, many utterly forget their obligations to their homes in their haste to get rich or to get office. Plunging into business and politics they drag their families away from quiet, peace- Q24 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. ful country homes into the heart of wicked cities, reckless of the consequences to their children. These things are telling on the homes of the people and on the character of the nation. No amount of money hoarded for children can com- pensate for the loss of proper home influences. The characters and destinies of our children are more important than fortunes and offices and names. Fortunes ruin children more frequently than they benefit them. Ilow long will Amer- ican parents neglect their homes for the sake of gold or office ? It sometimes happens that a father who would govern his children wisely is hindered by the interference of a kind but imprudent mother. The mother who secretly encourages her chil- dren in conduct which their father has forbid- den encourages rebellion, disloyalty, and sin, and as the fruit of her course she will one day see her children rise up and curse her memory. We have heard of a mother who not only de- ceived her husband with regard to the evil prac- tices of their children in order to shield them from punishment, but. gave them money to spend on. questionable indulgences which their father would not allow. The sons grew up to _ * Tue CuristTiAN Homnk, 225 be criminals and to bring disgrace on their par- ents in many ways. Although these parents were Christians their children wandered far from the paths of virtue, because no discipline could be maintained in the home. Unless there be a cordial agreement between the father and mother, wholesome discipline is out of the ques- tion. Family discipline is looked on by many with contempt. In some quarters it is a relic of the past. For one cause and another it has been abandoned, until children rule their parents, and in their ignorance and inexperience they soon carry the home to destruction. It is high time a note of warning was sounded for the stability . and safety of our homes. It may be said with truth that many homes where. no religious professions are made are nevertheless models of domestic happiness, virtue, and honor, and that from such homes come some of the best citizens. But the fruits of Christianity are not limited to those who pub- licly acknowledge their allegiance to Christ and openly engage in his service. Thousands of men and women, who belong to no Church and have not entered into the kingdom of God by faith, have been greatly benefited by the word 15 226 RRLIGION FOR THE TIMES. of God and Christian education. They heartily indorse the teachings of the Gospel concerning the home, and have imbibed those domestic and social virtues which elevate and beautify human character without publicly confessing or knowing that they have borrowed or inherited them from a Christian ancestry and Christian society. The advantages enjoyed by the children of godly parents are unspeakable. The prayers, the example, the restraints of discipline, the instruc- tion, in such a home constitute an inheritance of priceless value. Christian parents not only train their children properly at home, but also pro- vide for their education away from home with . great care and often at great sacrifice. There is a certain inward heritage which such children receive from their parents of greater value than the best intellectual education. After all that has been said about heredity and good stock there is an immense value in good ancestry. The descendant of along line of cultivated, re- fined, pure, and honest men has an advantage over one whose ancestors were all ignorant and base people. Neither culture nor character can be transmitted from father to son, but some of Tue CurisTIAN Homer. 227 the results of both are transmitted. If every one should exercise due care to preserve the line of his generation from contamination of vice or crinfe what a noble seed would be raised up in a few centuries! The promise of Jehovah, to show mercy unto thousands of them that love him and keep his commandments, would be literally and wonderfully fulfilled unto the third and fourth generation. Archdeacon Farrar has written beautifully and well on many great subjects, but never did he write sentiments more deserving of immortality than those recently published by him concerning his mother. In an article concerning formative influences, in the Yorum for December, 1890, he says: ‘First among the influences which have formed my life I must mention the charac- ter of a mother who has been dead for nearly thirty years, but of whom my reminiscences are as vivid and as tender as if she had passed away but yesterday. She has had no memorial in the world; she passed her life in the deep valley of obscurity, poverty, and trial; but she has left to her only surviving son the recollections of a saint. I may say of her with truth, that she was canonized by all who looked on her, and I 228 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. ean echo with all my heart the words of the poet laureate : “ Happy he With such amother! Faith in womankind ‘ Beats with his blood, and trust in all things high Comes easy to him.” These utterances do honor at once to the heart of their author and to the memory of his mother. If we should make a list of the great men whose lives have been largely formed by Christian mothers it would be an illustrious record. Most of the men in modern times who have con- tributed any thing considerable to the progress of the race owed their success to the example and teachings of Christian mothers. Family duties are considered by many as trifles. They look with interest on the deeds of warriors, the distinction achieved by statesmen and politicians and men of literary genius. They thirst for the glory which may be won on the forum of debate in legislative halls and in the arena of public strife. Tell them that a woman’s work is chiefly in her home, and, with a sneer, they ask, “Is that all? Must women be con- demned to waste their talents on this obscure and limited sphere?” These aspiring creatures are Tue CuristiAN Home. 299 to be pitied. “Obscure and narrow,” indeed ! The father and mother who in this age of strife for publicity and preferment bring up well and educate a large family of children deserve well of their country and the Church. Though they lay by no money and have no sounding name to spread abroad, they are more worthy of a pension than the warrior who has defended his country in time of battle. They should feel content with their life-work rather than those who figure conspicuously in politics and in the senate. Public speakers and writers are accustomed to call great orators, great statesmen, and great thinkers the civilizers and reformers of the hu- man race. These truly have wrought wonders and must not be robbed of one grain of the glory which is their due. But the true civilizers and reformers, the builders of the most substantial and enduring social fabrics are the Christian fathers and mothers, and the corner-stone of these noble structures is the Christian home. Many modern institutions and _ influences which have grown up in the midst of our ad- vanced civilization threaten the home. The drinking-saloon, the gambling-house, and other places of resort and amusement, where men are 230 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. attracted from their homes at night, act on the home with pernicious effect. The mere tempta- tion to go from home at night and spend the evening with other society than that of one’s own kindred is exceedingly harmful. These places offer powerful inducements. It is not merely the hope of gain by means of playing, and the gratification of a thirst for stimulants, that leads young men to frequent these institu- tions, but the social feature is at the start the chief allurement. There young men assemble, and nothing attracts young men like young men. Men’s clubs also operate in the same way. The tendency of social life among men in cities just now is toward the club. This is a recent invention. The association of men in large numbers has a powerful influence on other men whose tastes are congenial with their own. Meeting in ample and comfortable and some- times richly-furnished quarters for social inter- course, and occasionally providing attractive entertainments, these associations are becoming a prominent feature of the social life of men. There may be praiseworthy objects in the minds of those who organize and unite with clubs, but, for the most part, they tend to weaken the affec- Tur CuHrRIsTIAN Homes, 931 tions of their members for their homes. When it is known that the luxuriously appointed apart- ments in which men’s clubs hold their meetings have card-rooms, bars, and billiard-rooms, the perils which beset them and the dangers with which they threaten the home are all the more manifest. For those who have no home, asso- ciations that aim to promote some educational and benevolent object, with a high moral stand- ard, are certainly beneficial. Nothing here said is intended to reflect on any benevolent, educa- tional, or philanthropic movement. It is only where the chief end of the club is social, and where it takes men from their homes, that these remarks are applicable. Men must necessarily be from home quite enough. Merchants, mechanics, laborers, teacli- ers, students, physicians, men of all classes and professions, are called from home by day and often at night to attend to the duties of their vocation. Why should any man wish to spend more time away from his family than is abso- lutely necessary 2 What motive can induce him to employ the leisure hours at his command in a company of men rather than with his wife and children? This motive, whatever it be, is not 232 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. in harmony with the teaching and spirit of Christianity and tends powerfully to destroy the Christian home. If the Christian home is to be preserved among us in the face of all the ene- mies it must encounter, the domestic feelings must be cultivated. Even in Christian countries there is much neglect of Christian precepts and principles. Thousands enter into the sacred re- lationship of marriage and found homes with very little appreciation of the Christian principles underlying this holy institution or the solemn obligations they assume. Absenting themselves from home needlessly, yielding to the temp- tation to spend their leisure hours in other so- ciety than that of their own families, they pursue the course which will surely end in the total destruction or serious injury of their homes. The true Christian will love his home and abide in it. He will heed the counsel of Long- fellow, in these lines: “Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest; Home-keeping hearts are happiest, For those that wander, they know not where, Are full of trouble and full of care ; To stay at home is best.”’ And when husband and wife are both true Christians they will bring up their children in * THe Curistian Home, . ~ 238 the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The members of such a family will find more happi- ness in the society of each other than of the best social clubs that men can organize. The ques- tion concerning the failure of marriage will never enter their minds. Happy in mutual con- fidence, mutual affection, and communion with each other, they will constitute a community which is the best type of heaven that earth has ever witnessed. 234 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. CHAPTER VII. LIGHT IN DARKNESS. Arrutction plays an important part in the drama of human life. ‘“ Man is born to trouble.” The ills which torment the family of man are not limited to any particular age or race. The cup of sorrow is pressed to the lips of every human being. Many afflictions may be traced to ignorance and vice, and may and should be overcome. They cannot be charged to the Creator, nor properly said to be a part of the lot of man designed for him and fastened upon him by any power beyond his control. They are marks of shame and guilt. It has been truly said that man was made to be happy and not miserable. Evidences of the benevolent purposes of the Creator are every- where present. The eye and the light are adapted to each other with marvelous wisdom and skill; so are the ear and sound, the nerves and surrounding objects, the palate and neces- sary food, the lungs and the atmosphere, the LIGHT IN DARKNESS. 235 man and his work and his fellow-creatures. But this great fact does not tell the whole story. A considerable part of the afflictions that have invaded the world cannot be attributed to the ignorance or folly of man. The highest wisdom and virtue are not sufficient to protect us against lightning, tornadoes, earthquakes, and ocean tempests. The very -delicacy of the bodily or- gans, the tenderness of natural affection, and the uncertainty of life expose us to pain and grief beyond all possibility of control or escape. Un- doubtedly the ills of life may be materially miti- gated and diminished by wise self-restraint, the exercise of intelligent precaution, and the prac- tice of such Christian virtues as we shall pres- ently mention; but after all the body must still be the seat, of much pain, and the soul the lurk- ing-place of deep griefs. A careful study of the problem of human life will convince any intelli- gent person that God intends us to suffer. The highest end of human existence is not happiness, but character. Wise men will not ask to be exempted from suffering, but rather to be pre- pared to endure it and derive from it the great- est possible advantage to themselves and others. In considering the adaptation of Christianity 236 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. to human needs, the problem of sorrow cannot be avoided. One of the most stupendous facts in human experience is the element of pain and. misery. Yet man longs for nothing so much as for happiness, and concerning nothing do those who have assumed to teach us differ so widely. “Q happiness! our being’s end and aim, ‘Good, pleasure, ease, content, whate’er thy name; That something still which prompts th’ eternal sigh, For which we bear to live, or dare to die; Which still so near us, yet beyond us lies, O’erlooked, sgen double by the fool and wise. “Ask of the learned the way! The learned are blind; This bids to serve, and that to shun mankind; Some place the bliss in action, some in ease ; Those call it pleasure, and contentment these ; Some, sunk to beasts, find pleasure end in pain; Some, swelled to gods, confess e’en virtue vain ; Or indolent, to each extreme they fall, To trust in every thing, or doubt of all.” No subject has occupied the thought of wise men more than this. All systems of pagan phi- losophy have grown out of the natural longing of the human heart after the highest good. The advice of Epicurus to all who desire to enjoy life was to exercise moderation, self-restraint, and even entire abstinence from pleasure in certain cases in order to overcome the natural tendency to exercise indulgence, out of which Ligut 1N DARKNESS. Oey much pain and sorrow grow. According to this system of philosophy it is necessary to forego the highest enjoyment and discard the most im- portant interests of society in order to escape the greatest suffering and care. The joys of domestic life, the pleasures of progress, promo- tion, and the possession of the good things of earth are indeed desirable, but not worth the cost, and he who keeps aloof from them is wiser and happier than those that seek them. Zeno taught that the most exalted happiness was to be found in complete victory over the baser de- sires of the flesh and the mind. Thus the wise man will find peace in his superior manhood and sublime consciousness of power over himself. That there was much good in these systems of philosophy cannot be denied; but both of them made happiness to center in self and required the extinction or suppression of the social affections. The ideal state according to these schemes was really one of degradation, in which the noblest and finest elements of manhood were erncified. Failing to overcome human grief and pain by these methods, there was one more refuge to which the unhappy victim of bitter anguish might fly with the full sanction of the wisest 238 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. philosophers in Greece and Rome. He might end all his troubles in suicide. This method of escape was recommended by Plato, Seneca, . Marcus Aurelius ; and some of the most eminent ancient philosophers and statesmen actually took this method of terminating their calamities and evading the infirmities and privations of old age. Without pausing to consider other theories of overcoming the sorrows of earth, let us note what Christianity has done for man in this respect. Christianity reduces the amount of suffering wherever it prevails, The charge has been made by certain writers that Christianity finds man happy and contented, and by introducing horrible doctrines of God and sin and hell, and requiring severe self-denial and self-mortifica- tion, has robbed the people of pleasure and turned the world into a gloomy dungeon. Those who believe that men are happier and more contented without the Gospel than with it have read history to a very poor purpose. Those who think that the rigid requirements of Christianity tend to make men more miserable do not understand its teachings. They have per- haps looked on some perversion of Christianity where asceticism and fasting and bodily mortifi- Ligut 1n DaRKNEss, 239 cations and vigils were substituted for the simple duties of religion, and have formed their opinions from these wretched caricatures. Christianity does not, like stoicism and epicureanism, teach men to forego the natural relationships and in- terests of social life. On the other hand, it per- mits and counsels men and women to appreciate ’ the joys of earth as the gifts of God. | Is there no self-denial required by Christ ? Yes; his disciples are taught to deny themselves of all ungodliness and worldly lusts, to renounce such desires as would contract their spirits, paralyze their consciences, and corrupt their affections. They are to mortify those passions which tend to strife and uncleanness. Such sacrifices may be painful for the moment to men who have wrong ideas of their own best in- terests, but, instead of entailing any loss, they bring great gain. For the momentary pang which such mortifications cost there results end- less bliss of the highest order. Christianity lessens the afflictions of men first by ministering to their bodily health. By in- sisting on cleanliness, industry, and temperance in eating and drinking it promotes physical health and prevents disease and pain. Leprosy, 240 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. - epidemics, and loathsome diseases are bred and perpetuated by the filth, idleness, and sensu- ality of pagan cities and lands. Our own cities are bad enough, but they are as much superior to those of pagan Asia as the day is brighter than the night. The Gospel is a remedy for poverty, as it is of disease. Bishop Foster writes of the poverty which he witnessed in India and other Oriental countries as one of the peculiarly dark features of society. We hear much about poverty in America, but the bishop says what we call poverty here is luxury and affluence compared with the condition of countless multi- tudes in the East. By its teachings and in- © fluence concerning envy, jealousy, selfishness, ambition, and strife, by its doctrines of benevo* lence, charity, mercy, and love, Christianity not only mitigates the ills that afflict humanity, but greatly diminishes the amount of pain and agony under which it finds the tribes of earth groaning. It is the unyielding foe of cruelty and of crime, it inspires the hearts of all its true disciples with a sincere and deep interest in the comfort and happiness of their fellow-men, and diffuses a spirit of sympathy and humanity not only among Christians themselves, but through- LIGHT IN DARKNEss..... ~ 94] out the entire community where its doctrines are inculecated. But the Gospel does not propose to banish pain and sorrow altogether. The process by which it removes the evils of this world is neces- sarily gradual. After its doctrines have been proclaimed and its advocates have labored for centuries in Europe for the establishment of the kingdom of God, diseases, plagues, poverty, cru- elty, and crime still abound. This is partly be- cause only a small proportion of the people have _accepted Christ, and partly because multitudes of those who have nominally become his follow- ers have not received his Spirit, and partly also because it is not the province of the Gospel nor the purpose of its Author to remove all afflic- tions from men while they remain in this world. When one builds a house he does not expect that it will prevent the rain and snow and hail from falling; but, if he is wise, he so builds that his house will not fall when the rain descends and the winds blow and beat upon that house, but it will shelter and protect those who make it their refuge. Christianity does not promise to turn aside the tempests of affliction which visit the earth, but to furnish an abiding and secure 16 242 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. retreat into which believers may run and find refuge. When one builds a ship he does not imagine that it will banish tempests from the sea, but he does hope to construct it so that it will carry those who take passage in it safely through the raging billows. The Author of Christianity does not appear to have imagined that his system would abolish all pain and mis- ery, but he has assured us that it will bear us safely and triumphantly through the pitiless tempests of earthly sorrow and bring us to a _ peaceful haven. The Gospel promises abundant consolation. Philosophers have invented various methods of fortifying the mind against the assaults of sor- row. But there are no consolations equal to those which Christianity offers. There is consolation in the God of the Bible. Atheism would banish the idea of God. There are’ men who teach that the doctrine of the ex- istence of God is fraught with mischief, because it fills the mind with fear and dread and compels it to cringe with craven spirit before the invisi- ble eye of an imaginary supreme Ruler and Judge. This theory, absurd as it must appear to many, still has its advocates. Atheists, or LicgHT In DARKNEssS. 243 free-thinkers or liberals, as they prefer to call themselves, consider their opinions of so much importance that they seek diligently to propa- gate them by means of lectures, books, conven- tions, and the periodical press. In two or three instances recently a noted atheist has ventured to deliver discourses at the funerals of certain members of their fraternity. The cold and cheerless sentiments contained in these orations indicate the inadequacy of the consolation they bring. Consolation is a blessing of which atheism knows absolutely nothing. Refusing to believe in God and a futurestate of existence, it has no hope, nocomfort, no promise for the suffer- ing. Atheism has seldom presumed to sit by the mourner’s side or present its cup of nega- tions to the lips of the anguish-riven soul. It is a rare thing to find an atheist attempting torfill the office of comforter. But the doctrine of the existence of God is very full of comfort. He is called “The God of all comfort.” Tlis son is called “ The Consola- tion of Israel,” and his Holy Spirit is styled “The Comforter.” There is a God who made the heavens and the earth and all that in them is. Although we may not be able to compre- 944 RELIGION FOR THE ‘J1MES. hend the meaning and uses of pain and suffering, yet the fact that these unwelcome guests are here, not by chance, but by the permission and under the power of One whose infinite wisdom and goodness are displayed in the works of his hands which we see, is no small consolation. We can trust this God even in the darkness. The doctrine of the fatherhood of God is also. full of comfort. Materialism, pantheism, deism, and other forms of skepticism leave suffering humanity as comfortless as atheism does. There are those who admit that some unknown and unknowable power exists back of the universe, but they are unwilling to accord to it personality or volition or feeling. But our God is a person, intelligent, affectionate, tender, sympathetic. Heisa father. “Our Father who art in heaven” is the first phrase in the address to the Creator which Jesus has put in the mouths of his dis- ciples. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him ” is the declaration of his word. “ What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him. a stone? ... If ye then, being evil, know how to give =e gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give Licgnt In DARKNESS, 245 good things to them that ask him?” “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of such things.” With these words did Christ teach his disciples to commit the keeping of their souls and bodies and all their interests to God. The heathen have gods, but they are not gods of consolation. Their power is limited, their tempers capricious, their thoughts partial, cruel, and selfish. They are destitute of pity, strangers to compassion, and their interest in mortals is generally neutralized by their jealousy and re- venge. Search through the long catalogue of the gods of Greece and Rome and India and China, and where is one that may be compared with our God? As the shepherd goes after the sheep that wanders from the fold and finds it torn and bleeding and ready to die, and, laying it tenderly on his shoulder, returns with rejoie- ing home, so God pities every ignorant, way- ward, unfortunate, crushed human soul, and follows it with fond solicitude and ample aid. As the father beholds through his tears his prodigal son returning from his life of shame, covered with badges of misery and want, and, running to meet him, embraces and comforts him with paternal compassion and bounty, so 246 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. God watches with pitying eye’ for opportunities. to comfort and bless his suffering and unworthy children. There is comfort in the providence of God. Some teachers who magnify the majesty and glory of the Almighty deny that he takes special interest in every particular event that happens to his creatures. According to their view, this world is an immense machine with wheels and shafts of immutable law, and after having cre- ated this machine and placed an engine behind it and set it in motion God withdrew from the scene, and if he looks on at all does so with stolid indifference and set purpose not to interfere. Those who find themselves out of harmony with this machine must suffer without pity and with- out remedy. This is not the God of Christianity. The Christian’s God notes every movement of the universe and every event that happens to his creatures with special personal interest. Nothing escapes him. His ear is open to the ery of the least worthy, the most obscure. Nota sparrow falls on the “ ground without your Father. ... Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” According to the teaching of Christianity, God leads his Ligut IN DARKNESS. 247 children, whether they walk through scenes of deepest gloom or the delightful paths of life where odors from Eden’s bowers cheer the sense. They may suffer, but nothing can really harm them, while trusting in God. He makes all things work together for their good. These lines from Whittier breathe the spirit of Chris- tian faith: “T know not what the future hath Of marvel or surprise, Assured alone that life and death His mercy underlies. “ And if my heart and flesh are weak To bear an untried pain, The bruised reed he will not break, But strengthen and sustain. “‘ And so beside the silent sea, I wait the muffled oar; No harm from Him can come to me On ocean or on shore. “T know not where his islands lift Their fronded palms in air; I only know I cannot drift Beyond His leve and care. “‘ And theu, O Lord, by whom are seen Thy creatures as they be, Forgive me if too close I lean My human heart on thee.” 248 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. There is consolation also in the Son of God. It was when his disciples were overwhelmed with grief and disappointment that Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in ine.” There never entered this dark world another fountain of consolation so rich and sweet as that which is found in the life and words of Jesus Christ. His path- way lay along the vale of poverty. He was “a’ man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He possessed unlimited power, but not for one moment did he exert it for selfish ends or the gratification of mean ambitions. He moved about among the afflicted and broken-hearted, pouring on their suffering bodies the healing virtue of his command and on their erushed spirits the soothing balm of heavenly consola- tion. At his word the lame man leaped for joy and the tongue of the dumb sang. Before his rebuke unclean spirits fled and loathsome dis- eases were banished. At his command the par- alytic rose, took up his couch and walked, the blind man washed in the pool of Siloam and came seeing, and the dead came forth from the foul sepuleher and greeted his kindred, who stood wondering at the mighty power of God. Ligut my DaRKNEss. 249 He was touched with the feeling of human in- firmities. So deep were his sympathies that he did not shrink back from any abyss of pain and woe from which it was needful to rescue the sons of men. | “Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Looking on this picture in the Gospel and re- membering what the purest being that ever trod the earth endured for them, his followers have found ample comfort and support under the sorest afflictions. They have rejoiced in the fellowship of his sufferings. They have counted themselves happy that they were counted wor- thy to suffer for his sake. They have con- sidered it one of the most exalted privileges to bear some share of the pain and loss which be- long to the saints, looking unto Jesus. In this spirit, Horatius Bonar sang: ‘Sweet cup of sorrow, I would drink thee! Cup of unearthly wine, As thy lip touches mine, I would bethink me: ‘Christ, my joy and hope, Once drained a bitter cup, Let me drink thee up.’ ” 250 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. There is consolation in the grace of God. The existence of God, the fatherhood of God, the providence of God, the Son of God, and the grace of God—what infinite consolation in these doctrines! Under a peculiar affliction, which appears to have touched both body and mind with severe torture, the apostle Paul sought relief from God. “A thorn in the flesh” gave him pain, and “the messenger of Satan” buf- feted him, and he besought the Lord three times that it might be removed. To this petition, sent up to God so often and so earnestly, this answer came: “ My grace is sufficient for thee.’ The grace of God is the peculiar help and strength which he imparts to his people in time of trouble. That grace is free. All are invited to come and receive it according to their necessi- ties. Paul says: “ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” When times of sorrow and affliction come upon us we need special, inward, spiritual aid. One thing that helps the soul very much in time of tronble is the grace of God that bring- eth salvation from sin. Sin embitters every thing in life. It gives affliction of every kind its Ligut IN DARKNESS. 251 peculiar poignancy. It is not so much the physi- cal pain or mental grief that weighs the soul down in sickness and desertion of friends and disappointment, but the consciousness of guilt which inspires fear and terror. But if sin is pardoned, if the soul is redeemed from sin and assured of the favor of God, the burden of every affliction is materially lessened. The sting of affliction is extracted by the grace which saves from sin. This grace strength- ened and comforted Paul. The thorn in the flesh was not so hard to bear, the buffeting of Satan’s messenger was not half so painful, when ‘Paul could look up and call God Father, and feel the sweet assurance that his sins were all pardoned. The gracious presence of God is another ele- ment of strength in time of affliction. This is the peculiar comfort of the Christian. The atheist does not believe that there is any God to help him. The pagan has no assurance that his god is with him. So anxious are the heathen to be always within call of their gods that they have them in the house, in the field, in the tem- ple, in the city, in the country. Numerous as their gods are, they cannot always have thein at 952 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES, hand, and if they stand in the very presence of their gods the fact is not particularly encourag- ing or assuring. It is no comfort to an ungodly sinner to think of God as being always present. But with the Christian the case is different. The most comforting thought with him is that God will never leave him nor forsake him. ‘“ Lo, I am with you alway,” said Jesus to his disciples. “ But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel : Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not over- flow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” This is the comfort where- with the Almighty strengthens the heart of his people. And the psalmist sings, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” The pres- ence of God is more than the presence of any other friend. To have a friend worthy of confi- dence sit down by the side of the afflicted one, even though he utter no word nor furnish any more substantial aid, is no small help. But to Licut IN DARKNESS. 253 be assured of the presence of God as a Friend and Father is infinitely more. Christian consolation arises in part, also, from the benefits to be derived from afiliction. It is difficult to see how pain or loss can benefit its victim. Indeed, it cannot if our chief interests are of this world. Only those who seek spirit- ual good as the chief end of man in this life can hope to derive any benefit from sorrowful - and painful experiences. It is while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen that suffering enriches us. “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s suffer- ings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” “ That the trial of your faith, being much more pre- cious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” “ For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” “ For our light affliction, which is but for a mo- 254 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. ment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” According to the _ Gospel this life is only the beginning of our ex- istence, but it sustains a most important and inti- mate relation to the life to come. Our thoughts, our acts, our principles, and experiences here will in some way tell on the future, as the prac- tices of youth tell on future manhood. Even our afflictions are related to eternity. In making up the awards of heaven God will have regard not only to what his people have done, but also to what they have endured. The Christian who > ean think of his earthly sufferings as working out for him additional bliss in heaven will not despise them. Nor is this the only benefit of afflictions. They add to the spiritual treasures of the Chris- tian in this life. ‘“ We glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Many good men have been made better, wiser, stronger by the things they have suffered. The discipline of suf- fering under the great Teacher develops many of LicguT IN DARKNESS. 255 the noblest qualities. It is not possible to develop sympathy, humility, meekness, patience, and benevolence so fully without as with suffering. In the valleys certain flowers of exquisite beauty grow which cannot be produced on higher alti- tudes. In the valleys of sorrow elements of goodness have flourished which the world could never have known if these souls had not known trouble. These consolations are real. It is a fact that Christians find inward help in trouble, and light in darkness which others never know. Go to heathen lands and witness the comfortless an- guish which wrings the hearts of parents when robbed of their children by death. The sad wailing customs of the heathen on funeral ocea- sions are expressive of the utter desolation of souls who know not the true God. The forti- tude and heroic firmness with which genuine Christians endure sorrow has been the astonish- ment of their enemies. Some years ago a skep- tic, who sought to detract from this particular glory of Christianity, said: “ All men have their own consolations. The Christian takes comfort in his belief in God and heaven, the heathen in his ideas of God and truth, the philosopher in 256 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. his views of man and his destiny.” This is a com- mon opinion, but the force of it is completely broken when we consider how much more abundant and satisfactory is the comfort which the Christian derives from his faith than that which comes from any other source. Take two examples. Cicero was one of the wisest of ancient philosophers. | Whatever strength can be found in the best type of pagan religion and the best system of ancient philosephy he possessed. His discourses on morals, on old age, on happiness and death are among the most elevated that can be found in non-Christian lit- erature. But when Cicero confronted calamity his heart failed. When banished from Rome his patience, courage, and hope gave way. His letters written while in exile betray weakness, unmanliness, pusillanimity, utterly unworthy of a great teacher and example. So long as the sun of prosperity smiled on him his heart was strong, but when darkness enveloped him his soul be- trayed cowardice. Over against Cicero I place St. Paul. We see him in prison at Rome and at Philippi, suffering indescribable wrongs and afflictions, but in it all there is no craven or weak spirit. Read his letters written from prison to Licgur in Darkness. 257 the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Philippians and to Philemon, and you shall find no trace of weakness, fear, or despair. An elevated spirit, a brave soul, a grand manhood may be seen in every line of those epistles. Who, then, had the best rock for a foundation 2 Not Paul only; but tens of thousands of Chris- tians have suffered bravely, cheerfully, triumph- antly, singing anthems of praise to God in the midst of the fires. If Christianity had done nothing for the world besides this it would de- serve the respect of all intelligent men. It would be the duty of all who understand its value to do their utmost to introduce it every- where as the sovereign remedy for human sorrow. 17 258 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. CHAPTER VIII. THE FRIEND OF THE POOR. SeveRaL exceedingly interesting and valu- able books recently written have forced the con- sideration of the problem of poverty upon think- ing people in the United States and England. How the Other Half Lives, by Mr. Riis, and In Darkest England, by General Booth, show how vast are the multitudes in the great cities of these two highly favored countries that are unable to support themselves, and how wretched ‘s the condition in which many of them live. These disagreeable revelations show how far the highest form of civilization yet attained is below the Christian ideal. It 1s no reproach to Christianity that poverty still exists even where the Church of Christ exerts its greatest ‘nfluence. But this fact is a reproach to this generation because better use has not been made of the advantages and the light with which Christianity has surrounded us. This is not a new problem. It is as old as THE FRIEND or THE Poor. 259 civilization. It is not true that poverty abounds more in England and America than other coun- tries. The appalling condition of the millions of England who are not supplied with bread enough to eat is nothing to ¢ompare with the squalor, the wretchedness, the want, of vastly larger pro- portions of the populations of India and China. There is this difference: in Christendom this unhappy state of things awakens sympathy, pro- vokes comment, challenges inquiry, receives attention, and ealls forth intelligent, influential, and brave men who expose the misery, advocate the cause, and determine to remedy the wrongs of the poor, while in heathendom nothing is said, nothing thought, of the matter. Systematic efforts are being made to poison the minds of the poor and the working classes with infidel sentiments, and to persuade them that Christianity is their foe, and that the Church sympathizes with the rich in the contest now being waged between capital and labor. That some ministers and some Churches have given occasion for such criticisms is perhaps true, but by these Churches and ministers the Christian religion is sadly misrepresented. When the final adjustment of these jarring elements in a 260 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. society shall take place it will be found that the principles of Christianity have presented the solid foundation on which eapitalists and labor-, ers, rich and poor, may stand together, equally respected, mutually helpful, and all rejoicing in the entire confidence of each other. Many schemes have been proposed for the ab- olition of poverty. Anti-poverty societies have been organized, and are now making strenuous efforts to create public sentiment in favor of their movement and to secure such legislation concerning property as will make poverty im- possible. Teachers of political economy have delivered lectures, published books, and filled public journals with arguments on some favorite theory about the rights of poverty and the duties of the government with relation to the poor. Political parties have introduced doc- trines into their platforms which, if adopted and put in practice, they have declared would re- move the yoke from the neck of the poor man. Of all books written on social questions by an- cient and modern teachers none can be compared with the Bible as a means of helping the poor. Of all the theories invented for this purpose there is none equal to Christianity. Nowhere Tue Frienp oF THE Poor. 261 else will be found such noble sentiments, whole- some precepts, and sound doctrines concerning poverty as the bible contains. One who has not studied the Bible with reference to this topic would be surprised to find how much space it devotes to the poor, and how applicable to our times are the teachings it contains. The intelli- gent student of social questions who reads eare- fully the literature on these subjects will be con- strained to admit that though many scholars have written well concerning this matter the writers of the Christian Scriptures have sur- passed them all. The Bible represents God as the friend of the poor. He takes their part against those who de- spise, rob, oppress, and wrong them. IIe sends judgments on the cruel who have no pity for the sorrows of the poor and take advantage of them in civil judgments. “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, . . . to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.” Even his own people are not spared when they so far forget his law as to wrong the poor, but are visited with condign 262 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. punishment. In the severe calamities which Jehovah sent on Israel he declared that he sought to avenge the needy. He entered into judgment with them, because they ate up the vineyards and the spoil of the poor was in their houses. ‘* What mean ye that ye beat my peo- ple to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor ? saith the Lord God of hosts.” In the estimation of the Alinighty there is no difference between the poor and the rich. He is not, like the rulers of this world, a respecter of persons. The offerings, the services, and the souls of the needy are quite as acceptable in his sight as those of the rich. One of the most beautiful pictures in the New Testament is that in which Christ is represented as sitting over against the treasury of the Lord and beholding the people as they laid their money on the altar: “ And many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw intwo mites, which make a farthing.” How many great teachers or leaders of men would have ex- hausted their vocabulary in uttering the praises of the generous wealthy who threw into the treasury their princely gifts and allowed the pittance of the poor woman to pass un mentioned! ‘Tue FRIEND OF THE Poor. 263 This is the fashion with the world and worldly Churches, and the reason of it is easy to find. But the spirit of Christ is different. “He called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Ver- ily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did east in all that she had, even all her living.” And by thus noting and commenting on the offering of the poor widow Jesus exalted it to great honor and made it the means of doing more good in the world than the largest gift of the wealthiest mill- lonaire has ever been able to accomplish. Others may overlook the services of the poor because they are meager, but God remembers them and sanctifics them. This great principle is laid down by the apostle: “If there be first a will- ing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” This divine rule is not only an encouragement to the poor.to do what good they can, but it re- veals the impartiality of the divine mind. Christianity discloses the fact that usefulness does not depend on wealth. There be many who imagine that however acceptable to God 264 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. the offerings of the poor may be they have not much power in them to bless mankind. But this is a mistake. We are apt to look on the stores of wealth which selfish men have hoarded and think if we had their fortunes we would be able to set in motion a tide of good which would flow on forever, but we are slow to learn the les- son of the Gospel, that this world is to be blest, not so much by material, as by spiritual riches. More good is done by character than by money. One of the marvelous utterances of the apostle is this: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” There is a depth of wisdom in these words which we may not hope fully to sound. But we must not miss the thought that it is through the poverty of Christ that we are to become rich. How much his poverty meant, and how much it did for man, we may never fully know, but all the wealth of all the continents can never contribute such comfort and blessing to humanity as the poverty of Christ has wrought. He honored the poor by becoming a poor man; sharing the penury and tuil of the poor, he showed the high regard in Tue FRIEND OF THE Poor. 265 which the Father holds the righteous poor, and out of his poverty he caused streams of wealth to flow forth to all men. Many of his disciples have followed his example ; voluntarily renouncing the advantages of wealth for the sake of principle, they have made the world rich by a life of poverty. There is power in money. Those whom God has favored with large stores of wealth possess a potent means of benefiting the race, and will be required to render a strict account of the use they make of this peculiar treasure, but the poor may be quite as useful as the rich. The Bible requires men to deal with each other without partiality. No man can be an ac- ceptable disciple of Christ and make distinctions between the rich and poor in his dealings or in his thoughts. As God is impartial, so are his people. The worldly custom of offering the choice seats in the synagogue to the wealthy and cultivating them by attentions which are not shown to others is utterly incompatible with the Spirit of Christ. On this point the word of God speaks plainly: “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there 266 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then par- tial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor.” To neglect the poor is to neglect Christ, is in- consistent with the love of God, and an unmis- takable sign of unbelief. There is no clcarer evidence of unfitness for the kingdom of God and disloyalty to the King of glory. “ Inas- much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me,” is the dread- ful sentence which the Lord will pronounce upon selfish professors of his religion in the last day. It matters not what professions of faith in Christ and devotion to his cause a man may make, nor how large the sums he gives to the cause of religion and education and missions, THe FRIEND OF THE Poor. 267 if in his business pursuits he oppresses the poor or turns a deaf ear. to the cry of the needy, he is no disciple of Jesus, but a manifest unbeliever. According to the view of the Author of Chris- tianity himself, one of the infallible signs of the kingdom of God and the work of the Messiah is, that “the poor have the Gospel preached unto them.” Any arrangement of church buildings or conduct of religious services or prosecution of church work which does not include the poor or which discriminates againsttheneedyis essentially unchristian. To suppose that the interests of the kingdum of God require one style of church and worship for the rich and another for the poor is to make Christ contradict himself. Until the problem of adapting one house and one service to rich and poor alike has been solved the Church has not quite found the ground on which Christ stands. O, ye ministers who court the rich and neglect the poor, who encourage the easte principle in building and equipping churches, whose frequent and fulsome speeches concerning the wealthy are the expressions of a blind love of money, you are giving oceasion to the enemies of the Gospel to blaspheme, and bringing down the curse of God on the churches 268 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. where you profess to preach his glorious Gos- pel! This Gospel has achieved its most splendid ~ triumphs among the poor, and whoever is too proud to preach it to the poor is not in sympa- thy with it and knows not its divine Author. The principles of Christianity are eminently adapted to the elevation and improvement of the poor. Atheism tends to crush the poor. Infidelity delights to boast of its practical be- nevolence, but, with rare exceptions, it is an empty boast. No enemy of the Bible can be a valuable friend of the poor. Men who traffic in strong drink usually pretend to be the special friends of the poor man, and denounce the Churches because of their neglect of the poor. The provision they make for men who have no ‘homes, to enter their shops, sit down by a warm fire, meet their neighbors, and enjoy an hour of good cheer and social converse, has the appear- ance of comfort, and attracts multitudes of poor men. But it is really no refuge. It is a snare. It is the place where the poor man is robbed of his money, his health, his reputation, his charac- ter, his happiness, and often of his life. It isa notable fact that most of the saloon-keepers in America are infidels, and not a few of them THe FRIEND OF THE Poor. 269 atheists. Those of them who are professing Christians are Roman Catholics, whose religion is one of ceremonies, and who are utterly desti- tute of the spirit of Christ. They are thor- oughly godless and conscienceless, and no other institution in America produces so much poverty as the saloon. ~ The psalmist has described the spirit and work of this class of citizens, so far as their relation to the poor is concerned, in language that would burn into any conscience not completely har- dened by sin. “ Hesitteth in the lurking-places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.” Satan never in- vented a net with greater skill than that which the saloon-keeper spreads in the cities and vil- ‘lages. It is not to be denied that the rich some-’ times fall into this snare and there lose their treasures. Many a splendid fortune has been squandered in the place where strong drink is sold. but the poor are the principal victims of this evil. By strong drink many have become 270 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. poor, and by it they sink still deeper in the mire of poverty. Most of the poverty in America is caused by the saloon. The Bible is the friend of the poor and the enemy of atheism, infidelity, and wickedness. The late Bishop Thomson, in his Jloral and Le- ligious Essays, gives an account of an influen- tial, intelligent, and strong-minded infidel in Ohio, who gathered about him a community of unbelievers whose religious views corresponded with and were largely molded by his own. Ile took pride in his benevolence and kindness to the poor. Soon the drafts on his liberality be- came so numerous as to awaken the inquiry, “ How does it happen that this community is becoming more and more thriftless, while pros- perity abounds among the people who live near?” Prosecuting his investigation thor- oughly, he discovered that in homes where the Bible was found and well used there was no want, but where the Bible was absent he found present or approaching poverty. Soon after an itinerant preacher came to hold services in a school-house, and when “lewd fellows of the baser sort” sought to break up the meeting, and drive away the minister, this champion of infi- THE FRIEND OF THE Poor. val! delity defended him, and said to his infidel neigh- bors: “I have been abroad among you, and I find that you who revere the Bible live in pros- perity ; you who despise it are approaching pau- perism, if not actually in distress. I am alarmed at what I have done; I have made you infidels, but in doing so have I not ruined you? . Many of you are young men of good minds. I have a family of daughters; but I would rather fol- low them all to the grave than to see them united in marriage to you. Henceforth I will be the friend of the Bible; it is the instrument of good.” Not every house where the Bible is read and obeyed is free from poverty, and not every atheist is a pauper; but the tendency of depart- ure from the precepts of the Bible is to produce poverty, and the tendency of obedience to the requirements of Christianity is to produce thrift and plenty. The Bible inculeates industry, economy, temperance, chastity, honesty, and all those virtues which insure temporal prosperity, and denounces those courses which naturally tend to reduce men to want. Almost any one may take observations enough in his own neigh- borhood to convince him that the vices which ya ie RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. the Bible condemns are fruitful of poverty. Recently an eminent physician in the West re- turned to the college from which he graduated twenty years before, and made an address to thie students. Of the young men who were in his class several were moderate drinkers. Although as brilliant and promising as any other students in the college, not one of them had succeeded in life. Of ten men connected with a daily news- paper in that city at the time he was in college, nine were accustomed to use strong drink and one was a total abstainer. Out of the nine, three had died of drunkenness and six were filling in- ferior positions in newspaper offices. Bad habits had not only prevented them from rising, but had forced them down lower and lower to less and less remunerative positions, and all were surely marching down to poverty. The one young man who regarded the precept of the Bible, to look not on the wine “ when it givetly his color in the cup,” rose steadily until he became editor-in-chief of a leading journal on the At- lantic coast. In almost every community simi- lar cases may be found. “The way of the transgressor is hard.” Poverty produced by circumstances over which its victim has no con- THE FRIEND OF THE Poor. ons trol is no disgrace and need be no serious hinder- ance in the way of his happiness and usefulness, but poverty which men bring on themselves by their vices is a mark of shame and a burden intolerable. Other vices besides intemperance produce poverty. -A large share of the poverty which we witness is the result of vice, and on these vices the Bible makes uncompromising war. We are told by some, who have devoted much study to this question, that the two chief causes of pov- erty are heredity and environment. Children born in poverty frequently inherit feeble consti- tutions and mental faculties which utterly dis- qualify them for success in the battle of life. This is true. But in how many cases are these unfortunate hereditary conditions due to vice! It is not always the vice of the man himself that dooms him to a life of destitution, but often the vices of his ancestors produce this bitter harvest in his body and mind. The third and fourth generation of them that hate God are not unfre- quently visited with a curse. The work of re- deeming the world from poverty is not the work of a day or a year, but of centuries. The seeds of temperance and virtue which are sown to-day 18 274 RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. will yield their fruits in the generations to come. It is not by almsgiving and refuges for the poor and labor legislation alone, but chiefly by the dissemination of righteous principles that the condition of the poor is to be reformed, and these principles are found in the Bible. These principles sometimes accomplish their ends with marvelous swiftness. We have known men who had been reduced to poverty and wretchedness by vice to become Christians sud- denly, and, exchanging their habits of indolence and vice for those of industry and virtue, begin at once to rise and accumulate means for the comfortable support of their families in a short time. But it is not always so. There are cases where, on account of lack of opportunity or abil- ity, those who follow Christ must continue to walk in the vale of poverty. But with the wealth of character and happiness which Chris- tianity imparts poverty ceases to pinch as it does when the soul is stained with guilt and over- whelmed with shame. Christianity improves the condition of the poor by making war on those outward arrange- ments of society which produce poverty. In these days of sharp conflict between capital and Tut Friend oF THE Poor. 275 labor, the Churches and ministers are severely criticised because they do not openly espouse the cause of labor and become the champions of the working classes. Ministers and Churches must advocate principles, and not parties; they must denounce wrongs, and not classes. Chris- tianity knows no classes, no parties. It did not take the side of the slaves as a class against their masters and against the governments which legalized slavery in the time of Christ and his apostles. To have done so would have been to engage in the very evil practices it proposed to overthrow. It left the slave to serve its master, but announced such principles of justice and brotherhood as did effectually put an end to slavery in time. This is its position now. It will not lend itself to a party, but denounces wrongs every-where. The social conditions which produce poverty and crush the needy are wrong. The power of wealth when used to grind the poor fights against God. The condition of tenement-houses in large cities which weigh heavily on the poor, the arrangements of labor, wealthy corporations, and cruel employers that lay heavy burdens on the poor and remunerate them scantily are 976 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. wrong. Being contrary to the princi ples of Christianity it will not cease to wage war against them until, like slavery, they shall be abolished. With regard to property the principle maintai ned by Christianity is that no man is the absolute owner and disposer of that which is held in his name. God is the only proprietor. All things are his. Men are his stewards. They administer the possessions which for a time have been com- mitted to their hands. Not only one tenth be- longs to God, but ten tenths. That which a man gives in charity is the Lord’s, and that which he keeps and uses for himself and the support of his family is the Lord’s also. For every penny he must account. Happy is the man who uses his Lord’s money according to the Lord’s will, but woe to him who forgets his true relation to the property he holds and uses it for selfish pur- poses and makes it the instrument of oppression and tyranny. It were better for that man never to have been born. This is the doctrine which will effectually re- form all abuses of the power of money. When this doctrine shall be believed and practiced the evils growing out of wealth will be abolished, and the evils of poverty will cease. Acting on THE FRIEND OF THE Poor. OFT ‘this principle, Christian men are now contribut- ing much to ameliorate the condition of the poor. It was this that led Mr. Peabody to de- vote many millions to this purpose in London. The munificent gift of Mr. Peabody is not being doled out in alms—a measure of doubtful value unless discreetly managed—but it is being used to improve the dwellings and the environment of the poor and to elevate them by opening the way for them to rise. Christian organizations are being formed in our great cities to help the poor by giving them something to do, presery- ing their self-respect, and making nobler men and women of them. Where do all these efforts originate? Ministers of the Gospel are the men who find out the condition of the poor, lift up the voice against the oppressions under which . they suffer, plead for them in the pulpit and through the press, and set on foot the movements which are now operating effectually for their relief. By placing a high value on man Christianity presents the highest motive for aiding the poor. Paganism makes little account of the individual human being. Pagan religion and pagan phi- losophy never discovered or taught with any 278 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. degree of certainty the immortality of the soul. Hence the multitudes of slaves and poor people who brought little strength to the State were valued at a very low price. To starve the poor, to murder the slave, or even to strangle one’s own offspring in infancy was not considered a erime. But Christianity changed all this. It taught that man was made in the image of his Creator, that each individual was immortal, des- tined to an endless existence of happiness or misery, and that God so loved man, even in his sinful condition, that he gave his own Son to die for his redemption. These doctrines stamped each soul with an infinite value and rendered human life sacred. Whether a man or a little child brings any strength to the State or not, he is more valuable than all the material interests of the State. Even though he should be a charge to the State or the community all his days, still he is a child of God, the special care of the Almighty, destined to live forever. Pov- erty may pinch him and affliction prey upon him, still his priceless worth appeals to the higher nature of every one. Ethical societies have been organized recently for the purpose of teaching morals and promot- Tue Frienp or THE Poor. 279 ing the social interests of man apart from relig- ion. These organizations propose to find out methods whereby the degraded can be elevated, the poor relieved and improved, and the race redeemed from wretchedness without God, with- out prayer, and without religion. But whatever these societies may propose, they must fail be- cause of one essential weakness. Denying the doctrines of God and of immortality, they have no sufficient motive to sustain their efforts for a long period. The discouragements presented in the condition and life of the poor are so great, the want of personal interest in their own eleva- tion is so painfully manifest, that all efforts to improve them must fail unless they are sup- ported by the highest motives. Only Christianity is sufficient for this task. When the doctrines of God, of immortality, and the universal broth- erhood of the race shall be received by men and become deep and settled convictions, the race will rise out of its bondage and rejoice in the freedom which comes from the truth, Christians are commanded to help the poor. The final and splendid fruits of Christianity are not yet. In the meantime much can be done for the poor, whom we always have with us. 280 RELIGION FoR THE TIMES. Although poverty cannot be cured by almsgiv- ing, yet almsgiving is useful, and under the Christian system it isa duty. Wherever.there is a Christian church worthy of the name there is a treasury from which the poor are con- stantly supplied with the comforts of life. The Gospel does not teach that the poor should be helped indiscriminately. The folly of this course is manifest. Indiscriminate almsgiv- ing fosters idleness, breaks down self-respect, and paralyzes personal effort among the poor. Some thoughtful men have even concluded that alimsgiving does more harm than good. But this is an unjust and ill-founded opinion. Those who aid the poor, either as individuals or by means of societies, must distinguish between two classes at least.’ Dr. Thomas Guthrie divided them into “the poor of providence and the poor of improvidence.” There are those who through no fault of their own, but by sickness, frand, fire, or other misfortune, have been reduced to penury. Many of them are not only free from vice, but devout, exemplary, useful disciples of Christ. These have the first claim on the beney- olence of Christian people, and that for many reasons. We are commanded to “do good unto Tuer FRIEND OF THE Poor. 281 all men, especially to them who are of the house- hold of faith.” But charity which is genuine does not stop here, but reaches out to those who are unworthy. The plea, “These people are improvident and thriftless, spending their money in needless lux- > ig often an excuse of- uries, and even in vice,’ fered by men who seek to justify their parsi- mony. If we would be imitators of God in our benevolence we must not turn away the unwor- thy at all times, for he sendeth his rain on the just and on the unjust, and maketh his sun to shine on the unthankful and the evil, and he bestowed on us his unspeakable gift while we were yet sinners. We must discriminate, it is true, and bestow our charity where it will do the most good; but those who have received abun- dance from the open hand of a benevolent Cre- ator must not be so much afraid of wasting it as to withhold help from the needy who deserve it not. God is lavish with his good gifts, often bestowing them where they seem to be utterly wasted and worse than wasted. The highest ex- hibition of Christian charity is seen in those who cheerfully extend a helping hand to their ene- mies. “If thine enemy hunger, feed him.” 282 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. It is not enough to help the poor through so- cieties which have been organized for that pur- pose. Doubtless the officers of these societies are in a better position to judge of the needs of those who apply for alms than others can be. No doubt charities can be more economically ad- ministered in this way than any other, and these organizations deserve encouragement, and are proper channels through which to distribute alms. ut aside from these there will be indi- vidual cases coming under the notice of each Christian where personal aid may be given. It is not according to the plan of Christ that his followers should do their charity by proxy. They must “visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction.” A large share of the benefit of helping the poor falls on the benefactor. To come into personal contact with poverty, to enter into communion with the poor, to cheer them with the presence of friendship and kindness, to feel the bliss that thrills the soul when following in the footsteps of Christ among the poor, is an important part of the great plan of the Gospel for lifting the unfortunate into a higher life. No institution on earth is doing so much for the poor as the Christian Church. Monuments THe FRIEND OF THE Poor. 283 of her benevolence may be seen in the hospitals, asylums, homes for the aged, almshouses, and other eleemosynary institutions which she has builded and supported. It is the peculiar mission of Christ and his disciples to bind up the broken- hearted and comfort those that mourn. We are often told that it is because the Church is delin- quent in charitable operations that other bene- ficiary institutions have become necessary. We have no excuse to offer for the delinquency of the Church. She has not done a tithe of what she ought. But if the streams of benevolence which originate in the Christian Church were turned away from other societies there would be no element of beneficence left in them. The vast charities of modern times owe their exist- ence to Christianity. Christians are required to extend to the needy help which is far better than gifts of money. Sympathy unostentatiously bestowed, genuine Christian friendship, and the respect due from one son of Adam to another are far more valu- able to the poor than gold and silver. Let Christian people imitate their Master in spirit and in life. Let them practice those principles of justice and righteousness set forth in the Gos- 284 - RELIGION FOR THE TIMEs. pel which, when accepted and practiced gener- ally in business pursuits, will secure to the poor their just dues, supply their wants, redeem them from misery, and inspire them with a spirit of independence and manly courage which will dis- dain unnecessary aid. It is chiefly by inspiring into the hearts and lives of the poor themselves those elements which will improve their condition that Christian- ity proposes to help them. It is not by alms alone, though that is something. It is not by legislation alone, thongh much remains to be done in this direction. It is not merely. by changing the environment of the poor, though Christianity has effected much, and will still do more in this way. But it is by establishing in each heart a kingdom of truth and righteousness which makes its possessor, independent of sur- roundings, master of his environment. He be- comes rich without money, royal in a hovel, happy in the midst of the badges of woe, mighty to help others while he himself is needy. “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesseth.” When the life of Christ is within us the whole world cannot keep us from rising. There is an inspiration in genuine Tue FRIEND OF THE Poor. 285 religion which lifts its possessor above his envi- ronments and renders him superior to the most formidable obstacles. A single fact is often bet- ter than an elaborate argument. This fact will - illustrate the thought in hand. Mr. Spurgeon once related an incident of an infidel lecturer who at the close of his discourse invited any one in the audience to reply to what he had said, supposing that some zealous youth would come forward with the usual arguments in favor of Cliistianity. All these he thought himself prepared to meet. But to his surprise an aged woman, wearing a faded shawl and an antiquated bonnet, and carrying a market-basket and a storm-worn umbrella, advanced to the platform, and said: “I paid threepence to-day to hear something better than Christianity, and I have not heard it. Now let me tell you what religion has done for me, and you tell me some- thing better, or you have cheated me out of the - threepence I paid to come in. I have been a widow for thirty years. I was left with ten children, and I trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ in the depths of poverty, and he.appeared for me and comforted me and helped me to bring up my children so that they have grown up and 286 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. turned out well. None of you can tell what the troubles of a poor woman alone in the world are, but the Lord has made his grace all-sufti- cient. I was often very sore pressed, but my prayers were heard by my Father in Heaven, and I was always delivered. Now you are going to tell me something better than that—better for a poor woman like me! I have gone to the Lord sometimes when I was very low indeed, and there’s been scarcely any thing for us to eat, and I’ve always found his providence has been good and kind to me. And when I lay very sick and thought I was dying, and my heart was ready to break at leaving my poor fatherless boys and girls, there was nothing kept me up but the thought of Jesus and his faithful love to my soul ; and you tell me that it was all nonsense. Those who are young and foolish may believe you, but after what I have gone through I know there isa reality in religion, and itis no fancy. Tellme something better than what God has done for me, or you have cheated me out of my three- pence. Tell me something better!” The lect- urer was at his wits’ end, and said the poor woman was so happy in her delusion that he would not like to undeceive her. “No,” said she, “that ~ Tur FRIEND OF THE Poor. 287 wont do. Truth is truth, and your laughing can’t alter it. Jesus Christ has been all this to me, and I could not sit still in this hall and hear you talk against him without speaking up for him and asking you whether you can tell me something better than what he has done for me. I’ve tried and proved him, and that’s more than you have done.” Better than alms, better than good laws for the protection of the poor, better than wealth, is the experience of the divine presence and help which God gives to all those who love him and keep his commandments. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. 288 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. CHAPTER IX. THE FOUNTAIN OF BENEVOLENCE. In the preceding chapter no mention was made of the benevolent organizations through which human suffering is being materially alleviated by the agency of Christianity, for the reason that this subject merits separate treat- ment. There are sundry reasons why paganism has never produced charitable institutions to any considerable extent. The superstition by which those false religions are characterized hinders benevolent action, whether individual or organized. Not long since a boat on one of the great rivers of China met with an accident. Many passengers were thrown into the river and drowned. While hundreds of Chinese stood on the shore’ and witnessed the horrors of that dreadful scene, it was said that no effort was made to rescue the unfortunate victims. One would suppose that the common sentiment of humanity would render such neglect of suffering THE FountTAIN oF BENEVOLENCE. 289 fellow-beings impossible, and so it would did not some other principle neutralize the. humane im- pulses and prevent them from effecting the beneficent designs of the Creator. Inacase like the one just mentioned the Chinese, beholding the shipwrecked passengers struggling with the waves, would say: “These people have been overtaken by the wrath of the gods of the river, who mean to overwhelm them in the floods, and if we interfere the anger of these gods will turn against us, and we may share the same fate.” In the Acts of the Apostles there isa story of shipwreck which brings out a similar supersti- tious view of the meaning of calamities. Paul and his company were overtaken by a tempest on the Mediterranean Sea, as they journeyed toward Rome. The ship in which they sailed was wrecked on the coast of Melita, and the pas- sengers and crew made their way to land, “some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship.” The barbarous people on the island, moved with natural compassion, showed them no little kind- ness, and, kindling a fire, they attempted to make the strangers as comfortable as possible in the midst of the rain and cold. But when Paul gathered a bundle of sticks to replenish the fire 19 290 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. a viper, warmed and aroused from stupor by the heat, crept from among the burning fagots and fastened itself on the hand of the apostle. Im- inediately the superstitious barbarians began to fear that they might be found fighting against invisible powers by offering comfort to these ship- wrecked men. They said among themselves, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.” This pagan notion of calamity has prevented natural benevolence from doing good and fixed a peculiar stigma on the unfortunate mortals on whom severe affliction has fallen. The disciples of Jesus had imbibed this false doctrine. As they walked out with their Master one day they saw a man who was blind from his birth, and they said unto Jesus, “ Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” They supposed that his affliction was the mark of a relentless retribution, which if it failed to strike the guilty man himself would vent itself on his children, There are many professing Christians who, without thinking much about. it, have fallen into a similar error. When sickness or trouble overtakes them they THE FounTAIN oF BENEVOLENCE. 291 exclaim, “ We do not know what we have done that we should be afflicted in this way.” Or when some good man meets with a great loss they try to connect it with some act which may have been wrong, and begin to suspect that he may not be so good a man as his neigh- bors supposed. But Jesus left not his disciples to grope their way through the sorrows of earth in such dense ignorance. “ Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents,” said he, “but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.” And when he had thus spoken he proceeded to give sight to the blind. He did not teach that sin and suffering bear no relation to each other. It is clear that certain calamities are the necessary and legitimate results of certain crimes. Jesus recognized this fact, and more than intimated to one whom he had healed that his illness was the result of his sins, and that the only way to escape a worse calamity was to “sin no more.” It is true that a large share of the diseases and pains and anguish which men suffer are the fruits of sin directly or indirectly. But what Jesus taught was that each particular ill is not the re- sult of some definite sin, and that afflictions are 292 RELIGION FOR THE TIMES. not marks of God’s vengeance on individuals or families, and that by aiding the unfortunate no one runs any risk of incurring the anger of some supernatural power. This doctrine alone has given a mighty im- pulse to Christian charity. True Christians who have learned well this lesson cannot look on the dark shadows of affliction which eishroud a large part of the race and say: ‘‘ These people are to blame for their unhappy condition. God is angry with them and shows his displeasure. in these burdens laid on them. We are God’s fa- vored people, and the fact that all is well with us is evidence of our happy relations with him.” Not so; “ Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Those who reach out a helping hand to the weak, so far from rendering themselves hateful to God by this act, really draw the richest blessings of heaven down on their own souls. Those who visit the sick and imprisoned and minister to their wants, those who clothe the naked and feed the hungry, shall in nowise lose their re- ward. ‘Not only are the recipients of their bene- factions comforted and strengthened, but the benefactors themselves are benefited even more. Tur Fountain OF BENEVOLENCE. 293 And if it should turn out that those who were aided were unworthy pretenders, so that the gifts bestowed and the efforts put forth seem wasted, yea, though the ungrateful wretches should use the means furnished them for vile purposes and lustful indulgences, still God re- members the givers, whose motives and purposes were pure and holy, and on their own souls his rewards will not fail to come. The charge has been brought against Chris- tianity that it encourages sin and discourages benevolence by teaching the doctrine of salva- tion by faith only. The enemies of the Gospel claim that according to this system a man who spends his strength in vice or in accumulating substance by dishonest methods, wringing the life-blood from the veins of the poor by extor- tion and oppression, heaping up treasures for selfish enjoyment and turning the needy from his door, is weleomed into the bliss of heaven if he only believes the stories related in the Bible, while one who does not believe the Bible is sent to hell even though he may have spent his days in doing good, and, dying, left his fortune to found and support asylums for the suffering. This argument has been paraded through this 294 RELIGION FOR THE ‘l'IMEs. country on lecture platforms recently with a display of rhetoric and wit which has attracted no small share of public attention. | The weakness of this antichristian argument is in the falsehood which it contains. The Gos- pel teaches no such thing. This is a flagrant misrepresentation of the doctrine of salvation by faith. Christianity does teach the doctrine of salvation by faith, but no such faith as the infi- del has in mind. “ Faith without works is dead, being alone.” “ By their fruits ye shall know them.” a = N Ti =< Oo S z m = O Qo. Cee