"98 



THE OOLOGIST 



the place where mea are assembled for 

 public worship, is as common as it is 

 insiduous. Ooe is often inclined to be- 

 lieve that this saying is far more fre 

 quently an excuse for delinquency than 

 an expression of honest conviction. 

 But, with whatsoever motive su^^h a 

 sentiment is voiced, the cherishing of 

 the idea that underlies it involves the 

 ignoring of certain vital -facts in the 

 make-up of our common humanity. 



"No man liveth to himself." The 

 hermit may escape the bitterness and 

 strife of the forum and the market- 

 place, but he is a one-sided man— he 

 walks with a crutch. Likewise, the 

 man who never worships God any- 

 where save in the depths of his own 

 soul may, indeed, know somewhat of 

 •God, but he will be more than likely to 

 remain in profound ignorance of some 

 of the most lovable of the divine attri- 

 butes. The soul, like the mind, is en- 

 gendered and developed in solitude, 

 but both are rounded and perfected 

 only through intercourse. The ignor- 

 ing of this fact, in the following of the 

 creed of men of modern religionism is 

 instructive as showing how easy is the 

 transition from the communion of 

 saints to individualistic pantheism. 



Let us rnake mutual concession. If 

 it was "liberal thought" that once 

 bathed the streets of Paris with human 

 blood, it was also illiberal religion — 

 New England Puritianism — that has 

 given birth to liberalism. And yet, 

 men with liberal views would do well to 

 remember that they are what they ai'e 

 through the faith and faithfulness of 

 their ancestors, men of strength and 

 force of character, who respect God 

 professedly, yet do not worship Him, 

 are strong and forceful, not by reason 

 of their liberalism, but in spile of it. 

 Give us a 8undayless America with a 

 continental Sabbath and how long will 

 it be before we shall be compelled to 

 flee before a Reign of Terror? By the 

 tender mercy of God these men 



may be able to live without cor 

 porate religion, but the great world of 

 the growing generation cannot do so. 

 Even as "no nation has ever survived 

 the loss of its religion," just so is no in- 

 dividual safe without the exercise, in 

 company with his fellows, of the re- 

 ligious instinct. 



Do I criticise too sharply V Let the 

 following extract reply: 



"We would not scare the well-dressed, pious 

 fool 



Or knave, who loudly enters with the throng 

 The so-called house of God, vain-i'lorious man, 



To help his bought-salvation cause along." 



"Religious sentiments" and ''honest 

 convictions" can hardly co-exist with 

 the bitter sneering that fumes from 

 these verses. Many of us Christians 

 have a very tender sympathy with a 

 certain type of liberalists; but we find 

 it hard to think kindly of those that 

 take apparent pleasure in violating sen- 

 timents like those quoted above. These 

 words are not worthy of a follower of 

 One Who said, "Consider the lilies of 

 the field"— "They that are whole need 

 not a physician, but they that are sick" 

 — "Behold I stand at the door and 

 knock." 



The holiest man I eyer saw, he was 

 at the head of a great school for boys, 

 said once, in substance: "If I could 

 only have my own way about it, with- 

 out shocking the great religious world 

 about me, I would have my boys out on 

 the campus at base- ball and cricket 

 after they had been to church on a Sun- 

 day morning.' 



Here now is a possible common 

 ground between Liberalism and 

 the Church. Only, the whole 

 ground, or none of it, must be occupied 

 by each. It is only after men have as- 

 sembled and met together "to render 

 thanks for God's inestimable benefits," 

 to "hear His Holy Word," that they 

 have the right to go out, with light 

 heart and joyous step to enjoy the won- 

 drous beauties, ever fresh, inspiring 



