,,our ,,unitarian ,,gospel ,b ,m4 ,j4   
,,savage ,the good news of the blessed  
,god ,,boston ,,geo4 ,,ii4 ,ews1 #ada   
,,franklin ,,street #ahih4  ,dedication 
,,to ,,those ,,who ,,believe ,,that     
,,the ,,message ,,of ,,god ,,to ,,his   
,,children ,,must ,,be ,,one ,,of ,,life
 ,,and ,,hope ,,instead ,,of ,a         
,,theology ,,which ,,teaches ,,death    
,,and ,,despair4  ,,note4 ,the sermons  
which make up this volume were spoken in
 the ,church of the ,messiah during the 
season of #ahig-ih4 ,they are printed as
 delivered1 not as literature1 but for  
the sake of preaching to a larger       
congregation than can be reached on     
,sunday morning4    ,,contents4         
,,unitarianism ,,what ,,do ,,you ,,in   
,,place ,,of ,,what ,,you ,,take ,,away8
 ,,are ,,there ,,any ,,creeds ,,which   
,,it ,,is ,,wicked ,,for ,,us ,,to      
,,question8 ,,why ,,have ,,unitarians   
,,no ,,creed8 ,,the ,,real              
,,significance ,,of ,,the ,,present     
,,religious ,,discussion ,,doubt ,,and  

,,faith - ,,both ,,is ,,life ,a         
,,probation ,,ended ,,by ,,death8 ,,sin 
,,and ,,atonement ,,prayer1 ,,and       
,,communion ,,with ,,god ,,the ,,worship
 ,,of ,,god ,,morality ,,natural1 ,,not 
,,statutory ,,reward ,,and ,,punishment 
,,things ,,which ,,doubt ,,cannot       
,,destroy ,,evolution ,,loses ,,nothing 
,,of ,,value ,,to ,,man ,,why ,,are     
,,not ,,all ,,educated ,,people         
,,unitarians8 ,,where ,,is ,,the        
,,evangelical ,,church8                 
,,unitarianism4  ,,through the lack of  
having made themselves familiar with the
 matter1 there is a common and1 ,i      
think1 a widespread impression among    
people generally that ,unitarianism is a
 new-fangled notion1 a modern fad1 a    
belief held only by a few1 who are one  
side of the main currents of religious  
life and advance4  ,even if it were new1
 even if it were confined to the modern 
world1 this would not necessarily be    
anything against it4 ,the ,copernican   
theory of the universe is new1 is       

modern4 ,so are most of the great       
discoveries that characterize and       
glorify the present age4  ,but in the   
case of ,unitarianism this cannot be    
said4 ,it is not new3 it is very old4   
,and1 before ,i come to discuss and     
outline a few of its great principles1  
it seems to me well that we should get  
in our minds a background of historic   
thought1 that we may see a little what  
are the sources and origins of this     
,unitarianism1 and may understand why it
 is that there is a new and modern birth
 of it in the modern world4  ,all races 
start very far away from any            
,monotheistic or ,unitarian belief4 ,the
 ,hebrews are no exception to that rule4
 ,the early part of the ,bible shows    
very plain traces of the fact that the  
,jews were polytheists and              
nature-worshippers4 ,if ,i should       
translate literally the first verse of  
the ,bible1 it would read in this way3  
,in the beginning the ,strong ,ones     
created the heavens and the earth4 ,the 

word that we have translated ,god is in 
the plural2 and ,i have already given   
you its meaning4 ,this is only a        
survival1 a trace1 of that primeval     
belief which the ,jews shared with all  
the rest of the world4  ,from this      
polytheistic position the people took a 
step forward to a state of mind which   
,professor ,max ,muller calls           
henotheism2 that is1 they believed in   
the real existence of many gods1 but    
that they were under allegiance to only 
one1 their national ,deity1 and that him
 only they must serve4  ,i suppose this 
state of thought was maintained         
throughout the larger part of the       
history of the ,hebrew nation4 ,you will
 find traces constantly1 in the early   
part of the ,old ,testament1 at any     
rate1 of the belief of the people in the
 other gods1 and their constant tendency
 to fall away to the worship of these   
other gods4 ,but by and by all this was 
outgrown1 and left behind2 and the      
,hebrew people came to occupy a position

 of monotheism1 spiritual monotheism1   
that is1 they were passionate           
,unitarians1 so far as the meaning of   
that word is concerned4 ,though1 of     
course1 ,i would not have you understand
 that many1 perhaps most1 of the        
principles which are held today under   
the name of ,unitarian were known to    
them at that time1 or would have been   
accepted1 had they been known4  ,in the 
sense1 however1 of believing in the     
oneness of ,god1 they were ,unitarians4 
,now1 when ,christianity comes into the 
world1 what shall we say8 ,it is the    
assumption on the part of most of the   
old- time churches that ,jesus made it  
perfectly plain to his disciples that he
 was a divine being1 that he claimed to 
be one himself1 and that the claim was  
recognized4  ,so far1 however1 as any   
authentic record with which we are      
familiar goes1 ,jesus himself was a     
,unitarian4 ,all the disciples were     
,unitarians4 ,paul was a ,unitarian4    
,the ,new ,testament is a ,unitarian    

book from beginning to end4 ,the finest 
critics of the world will tell you that 
there is no trace of any other teaching 
there4 ,and so1 for the first three     
hundred years of the history of the     
,church1 ,unitarianism was its          
prevailing doctrine4  ,i have no very   
good memory for names4 ,so ,i have      
brought here a little leaflet which     
contains some that ,i wish to speak of4 
,among the ,church ,fathers1 ,clement1  
,polycarp1 ,irenaeus1 ,tertullian1      
,origen1 and ,lactantius1 all of them in
 their writings make it perfectly clear 
and unquestioned that the belief of the 
,church1 the majority belief for the    
first three centuries1 was ,unitarian4  
,of course1 the process of thought here 
and there was going on which finally    
culminated in the doctrine of the       
,trinity4 ,that is1 people were         
beginning more and more to exalt1 as    
they supposed1 the character1 the       
office1 the mission of ,jesus2 coming   
more and more to believe that he was    

something other than a man1 that he was 
above and beyond humanity4  ,but one    
other among the ,fathers1 ,justin       
,martyr1 one of the best known of all1  
takes care to point out explicitly his  
belief4 ,i will read you just two or    
three words from it4 ,he says3 ,there is
 a ,lord of the ,lord ,jesus1 being his 
,father and ,god1 and the ,cause of his 
existence4  ,this belief1 then1 was     
universal1 practically universal1       
throughout the first three centuries4   
,but the process of growth was going on 
which finally culminated in the         
controversy which was settled by the    
,council of ,nicaea1 held in the early  
part of the fourth century2 that is1 the
 year #cbe4 ,the leaders of this        
controversy1 as you know1 were ,arius1  
on the ,unitarian side1 and ,athanasius1
 fighting hard for the doctrine then new
 in the ,church1 of the ,trinity4  ,the 
majority of the bishops and leading men 
of the ,church at that time were on the 
side of ,arius2 but at last the ,emperor

 ,constantine settled the dispute4 ,now 
you know that the sceptre of a despotic 
emperor may not reason1 may not think2  
but it is weightier than either reason  
or thought in the settlement of a       
controversy like this at such a period  
in the history of the world4 ,so        
,constantine settled the controversy in 
favor of the ,trinitarians2 and         
henceforth you need not wonder that     
,unitarianism did not grow1 for it was  
mercilessly repressed and crushed out   
for the next thousand years4            
,unitarianism1 however1 is not alone in 
this4 ,let me call your attention to a  
fact of immense significance in this    
matter4 ,all this time the study of     
science and philosophy1 that dared to   
think beyond the limits of the ,church's
 doctrine1 were crushed out4 ,there was 
no free philosophy1 there was no free   
study of science1 there was no free     
anything for a thousand years4 ,the     
secular armed forces of ,europe1 with   
penalties of imprisonment1 of the rack1 

of the fagot1 of torture of every kind1 
were enlisted against anything like     
liberty of thinking4  ,so you need not  
wonder1 then1 that there was neither any
 science nor any ,unitarianism to be    
heard of until the ,renaissance4 ,what  
was the ,renaissance8 ,it was the rising
 again of human liberty1 the possibility
 once more of man's freedom to think and
 study4 ,though the armed forces of     
,europe were for a long time against it1
 the rising tide could not be entirely  
rolled back1 and so it gained on human  
thought and human life more and more4   
,and out of this the ,renaissance came1 
the new birth of science1 on the one    
hand1 and on the other1 issuing in the  
,reformation's assertion of the right of
 thought and of private judgment in     
matters of religion2 and along with this
 latter the rebirth of ,unitarianism1   
its reappearance again as a force in the
 history of the world4  ,during this    
,reformation period there are many names
 of light and power1 among them being   

,servetus1 whom ,calvin burned because  
he was a ,unitarian2 ,laelius and       
,faustus ,socinus1 ,bernardino ,ochino1 
,blandrata1 and ,francis ,david2 and1   
more noted in some ways than any of     
them1 ,giordano ,bruno1 the man who     
represents the dawn of the modern world 
more significantly than any other man of
 his age1 not entirely a ,unitarian1 but
 fighting a battle out of which         
,unitarianism sprung1 freedom of        
thought1 the right of private judgment1 
the scientific study of the universe1   
the attempt1 unhampered by the ,church's
 dogma or power1 to understand the world
 in which we live4  ,as a result of this
 ,renaissance1 what happened8 ,let me   
run over very rapidly the condition of  
things in ,europe at the present time1  
with some glances back1 that you may see
 that ,unitarianism has played just as  
large a part as you could expect it to  
play1 larger and grander than you could 
expect it1 considering the conditions4  
,in ,hungary1 one of the few countries  

where freedom of thought in religion has
 been permitted1 there has been a grand 
organization of the ,unitarian ,church  
for more than three hundred years1 not  
only churches1 but a ,unitarianism that 
has controlled colleges and universities
 and directed the growth of learning4   
,let us look to the ,north4 ,in ,sweden 
and ,norway it is still a crime to      
organize a church that teaches that     
,jesus is not ,god4 ,so we may expect to
 find no ,unitarian churches there2     
though there are many and noble         
,unitarian men1 thinkers and teachers4  
,come to ,germany4 ,there are no        
organized ,unitarian churches under that
 name here2 but there is a condition of 
things that is encouraging for us to    
note4 ,there is a union of the          
,protestant organizations1 in which the 
liberals1 or ,unitarians1 are free1 and 
have their part without any question as 
to their doctrine4  ,there are hundreds 
and thousands of ,unitarians in ,south  
,germany4 ,in the city of ,bremen ,i    

called on a clergyman who had translated
 one of my books1 and found out from him
 the condition of things there4 ,the    
cathedral of ,bremen has half a dozen   
different preachers attached to it4     
,some of them are orthodox1 and some are
 ,unitarian1 all perfectly free2 living 
happily together in this way1 and the   
people at liberty to come and listen to 
which one of them they choose4 ,this is 
not an uncommon thing in ,germany4 ,that
 is the condition of things1 then1      
there4  ,in ,holland there are no       
,unitarian churches1 no churches going  
by that name2 but there are thousands of
 ,unitarians particularly among the     
educated and leading men1 and one       
university1 that of ,leyden1 entirely in
 control of the liberal religious       
leaders of the country4  ,when you come 
to ,france1 which you know is dominantly
 ,catholic1 you still find a large body 
of ,protestants2 but one wing of their  
great organization is virtually if not  
out and out ,unitarian4 ,and a few of   

the most noted preachers of the modern  
time in ,france have been ,unitarians4  
,i have had correspondence with men     
there which showed that they were       
perfectly in sympathy with our aims1 our
 purposes1 our work4  ,in ,transylvania 
and ,poland there were large numbers of 
,unitarian churches which were          
afterwards crushed out4  ,you find1     
then1 all over ,europe1 all over        
civilization1 just as much ,unitarianism
 as you would expect to find1 when you  
consider the questions as to whether the
 law permits it and as to whether the   
people are educated and free4  ,i should
 like1 not for the sake of boasting1 but
 simply that you may see that you are in
 good company1 to mention the names of  
some of those who are foremost in our   
thought4 ,take ,mazzini1 the great      
leader of ,italy2 take ,castelar1 one of
 the greatest men in modern ,spain2 take
 ,kossuth1 the flaming patriot of       
,hungary1 all ,unitarian men4  ,now let 
us come a step nearer home3 let us      

consider ,england1 and note that just   
the moment free thought was allowed1 you
 find ,unitarianism springing into      
existence4 ,milton was a ,unitarian2    
,locke1 one of the greatest of ,english 
philosophers1 a ,unitarian2 ,dr4        
,lardner1 one of its most famous        
theological scholars1 a ,unitarian2 ,sir
 ,isaac ,newton1 one of the few names   
that belong to the highest order of     
those which have made the earth         
glorious1 a ,unitarian4  ,and1 then1    
when we come to later ,england1 we find 
another great scientist1 comparatively  
modern1 ,dr4 ,priestley1 who1 coming to 
this country after he had made the      
discovery of oxygen which made him      
famous for all time1 established the    
first ,unitarian church in our neighbor 
city of ,philadelphia4  ,the first      
,unitarian church which took that name  
in the modern world was organized in    
,london by ,dr4 ,theophilus ,lindsey in 
#aggd2 and its establishment coincides  
with the great outburst of freedom that 

distinguished the close of the          
eighteenth century4  ,you must not look 
for ,unitarians where there is no       
liberty2 for it is a cardinal principle 
of their thought and their life4  ,soon 
after the ,london movement1 the first   
,unitarian church in this country was   
organized1 or rather the first          
,unitarian church came into existence4  
,it was the old ,king's ,chapel of      
,boston1 an ,anglican church1 which came
 out and took the name ,unitarian4      
,there is a very bright saying in       
connection with this old church1 which  
,i will pause long enough to repeat1    
because there is a principle in it as   
well as a great deal of wit4 ,they kept 
there the old ,english church service1  
except that it was purged1 according to 
their point of view1 from all           
,trinitarian belief4 ,it is said that   
,dr4 ,bellows1 who was attending a      
service there some years ago1 had with  
him an ,english gentleman as a visitor4 
,this man picked up the service1 looked 

it over1 and1 turning to ,dr4 ,bellows1 
with a sarcastic look on his face1 said1
 ,ah ,i see that you have here the      
,church of ,england service watered4    
,whereupon ,dr4 ,bellows1 with his power
 of ready wit1 replied1 ,no1 my dear    
sir1 not watered1 washed4 ,king's       
,chapel1 then1 was the first ,unitarian 
church in this country4 ,but the number 
grew rapidly1 and in a few years perhaps
 half1 or more than half1 of the old    
historic ,puritan and ,pilgrim churches 
in ,new ,england had become ,unitarian1 
including in that number the old ,first 
,church of ,plymouth4  ,now1 before ,i  
go on to discuss the principles         
underlying our movement1 ,i wish to call
 your attention to a few more names2 and
 ,i trust you will pardon me for this4  
,there is no desire for vain-glory in   
the enumeration4 ,i simply wish that    
people should know1 what only a few do  
know1 who have been ,unitarians in the  
past1 and what great names1 leading     
authoritative names in the world's      

literature and science and art1 find    
here their place4  ,among the ,fathers  
of the ,revolution1 all the ,adamses1   
,dr4 ,franklin1 ,thomas ,jefferson1 and 
many another were avowed ,unitarians4   
,and1 when we come to modern times1 it  
is worth your noting that all our great 
poets in this country1 ,bryant1         
,longfellow1 ,whittier1 ,holmes1        
,lowell1 and in this city ,stedman1 are 
,unitarian names4  ,then the leading    
historians1 ,bancroft1 ,motley1         
,prescott1 ,sparks1 ,palfrey1 ,parkman1 
and ,john ,fiske1 are ,unitarians4      
,educators1 like ,horace ,mann1 like the
 last seven presidents of ,harvard      
,university1 ,unitarians4 ,great        
scientists1 like ,agassiz1 ,peirce1     
,bowditch1 ,professor ,draper1          
,unitarians4 ,statesmen and public men1 
like ,webster1 ,calhoun1 the ,adamses1  
the ,hoars1 ,curtis4 ,two of our great  
chief justices1 ,marshall and ,parsons4 
,supreme ,court ,judges1 ,story and     
,miller4 ,literary men1 like ,whipple1  

,hawthorne1 ,ripley1 and ,bayard        
,taylor2 and eminent women1 such as     
,margaret ,fuller1 ,lydia ,maria ,child1
 ,lucretia ,mott1 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson1
 ,mrs4 ,mary ,a4 ,livermore1 and ,mrs4  
,julia ,ward ,howe4  ,i mention these1  
that you may know the kind of men1      
ethical1 scientific1 judicial1          
political1 literary1 who have been      
distinguished1 as we think from our     
point of view1 by being followers of    
this grand faith of ours4  ,and now ,i  
wish you to note again1 what ,i hinted  
at a moment ago1 that it is not an      
accident that ,unitarianism should      
spring into being in the modern world   
coincidently with the great movements of
 liberty in ,france and ,england1 and   
the outburst that culminated in our own 
,revolution and the establishment here  
of a ,state without a king as well as of
 a church without a bishop4  ,wherever  
you have liberty and education1 there   
you have the raw materials out of which 
to make the free1 forward looker in     

religious thought and life4  ,now what  
are the three principles out of which   
,unitarianism is born8 ,first1 ,i have  
already intimated it1 but ,i wish to    
emphasize it again for a moment with an 
addition1 ,liberty4 ,humanity at last   
had come to a time in its history when  
it had asserted its right to be free2   
not only to cast off fetters that       
hampered the body1 not only to dethrone 
the despots that made liberty impossible
 in the ,state1 but to think in the     
realm of religion1 to believe it more   
honorable to ,god to think than to      
cringe and be afraid in his presence4   
,second1 coincident with the birth of   
,unitarianism is an enlargement and a   
reassertion of the conscience of        
mankind4 ,a demand for justice4 ,just   
think for a moment1 and take it home to 
your hearts1 that up to the time when   
this free religious life was born1      
according to the teaching of all the old
 creeds1 justice and right had been one 
thing here among men and another thing  

enthroned in the heavens4 ,the idea has 
always been that might made right1 that 
,god1 because he was ,god1 had a right  
to do anything1 though it controverted  
and contradicted all the ideas of human 
righteousness2 and that we still must   
bow in the dust1 and accept it as true4 
,if ,i could be absolutely sure that    
,god had done something which           
contradicted my conscience1 ,i should   
say that probably my conscience was     
wrong4 ,i should wait at any rate1 and  
try to find out4 ,but1 when ,i find that
 the condition of things is simply this1
 that certain fallible1 unjust1         
uneducated1 barbaric people have said   
that ,god has done certain things1 then 
it is another matter4 ,i have no direct 
word from ,god3 ,i have only the report 
of men whose authority ,i have no       
adequate reason to accept4  ,at any     
rate1 the world came to the point where 
it demanded that goodness on earth      
should be goodness up in heaven1 too2   
that ,god should at least be as just and

 fair as we expect men to be4 ,and that1
 if you will think it out a little      
carefully1 is enough to revolutionize   
the theology of the world2 for the      
picture of the character of ,god as     
contained in the old theologies is even 
horribly unjust1 as judged by any human 
standard4  ,in the third place1         
,unitarianism sprang out of a new       
elevation of love and tenderness4 ,as   
men became more and more civilized1 they
 became more tender-hearted2 and they   
found it impossible to believe that the 
,father in1 heaven should not be as kind
 and loving as the best father on earth4
  ,and here1 again1 if you think it out1
 you will find that this is enough to   
compel a revolution of all the old      
theological ideas of the world4  ,just  
as soon1 then1 as the civilized modern  
world became free1 there was a new      
expansion of the sense of the right to  
think2 there was a new expansion of     
conscience1 the insistent demand for    
justice2 there was a new expansion of   

tenderness and love2 and out of these1  
characterized by these1 having these in 
one sense for its very soul and body1   
came ,unitarianism4  ,now another point4
 ,it is commonly assumed by those who   
have not studied the matter that1       
because ,unitarians have no printed and 
published creed1 they are all abroad in 
their thinking4 ,they take this for     
granted2 and so it is assumed by people 
who speak to me on the subject4 ,they   
think that there must be just as many   
views of things as there are            
individuals4  ,if there are any persons 
here having this idea1 perhaps ,i shall 
astonish them by the statement ,i am    
going to make4 ,after more than twenty  
years of experience as a ,unitarian     
minister1 ,i have come to the conviction
 that there is not a body of ,christians
 in the world to-day1 not ,catholic or  
,presbyterian or ,methodist or          
,congregational or any other1 that is so
 united in its purposes1 not only1 but  
in its beliefs1 as these very           

,unitarians4  ,and the fact is perfectly
 natural4 ,take the scientific men of   
the world4 ,they do not expect a        
policeman after them if they do not hold
 certain scientific opinions4 ,there is 
no authority to try them for heresy or  
to turn them out of your society unless 
they hold certain scientific ideas4     
,they have no sense of compulsion except
 to find and accept that which they     
discover to be true4 ,the one aim of    
science is the truth4 ,there is no      
motive for anything else4  ,and truth   
being one1 mark you1 and they being free
 to seek for it1 and all of them caring 
simply for that1 they naturally come    
together1 inevitably come together4 ,so 
that1 without any external power or     
orthodox compulsion1 the scientific men 
of the world are substantially at one as
 to all the great principles4 ,they     
discuss minor matters2 but1 when they   
discuss1 they are simply hunting for a  
deeper truth1 not trying to conquer each
 other4  ,now ,unitarians are precisely 

in this position4 ,the only thing any of
 us desire is the truth4 ,we are        
perfectly free to seek for the truth2   
and1 the truth being one1 we naturally  
tend towards it1 and1 tending towards   
it1 we come together4 ,so there is1 as  
,i said1 greater unanimity of opinion in
 regard to the great essential points   
among ,unitarians than among any other  
body in ,christendom4  ,now1 as briefly 
as ,i can1 ,i want to analyze what ,i   
regard as the fundamental principles of 
,unitarianism4 ,i am not going to give  
you a creed1 ,i am not going to give you
 my creed3 ,i am going to give you the  
great fundamental principles which      
characterize and distinguish            
,unitarians4  ,first1 liberty1 freedom  
of the individual to think1 think as he 
will or think as he must2 but not       
liberty for the sake of itself4 ,liberty
 for the sake of finding the truth2 for 
we believe that people will be more     
likely to find the truth if they are    
free to search for it than they will if 

they are threatened or frightened1 or if
 they are compelled to come to certain  
preordained conclusions that have been  
settled for them4 ,freedom1 then1 for   
the sake of finding the truth4  ,second1
 ,god4 ,the deep-down conviction that   
wisdom1 power1 love1 that is1 ,god1 is  
at the heart of the universe4 ,third1   
that ,god is not only wisdom and power  
and love1 but that he is the universal  
,father1 not merely the ,father of the  
elect1 not merely the ,father of        
,christians1 not merely the ,father of  
civilized people1 but the ,father of all
 men1 equally1 lovingly1 tenderly the   
,father of all men4  ,in the next place1
 being the ,father of all men1 he would 
naturally wish to have them find the    
truth4 ,so we believe in revelation4    
,not in revelation confined to one book 
or one epoch in the history of the      
world1 though we do not deny the        
revelation contained in them4 ,we       
believe that all truth1 through whatever
 medium it comes to the world1 is in so 

far a revelation of our ,father2 and it 
is infallible revelation when it is     
demonstrably true1 and not otherwise4   
,the next step1 then3 in the words of   
,lucretia ,mott1 we believe that truth  
should be taken for authority1 and not  
authority for truth4 ,the only authority
 in the world is the truth4 ,the only   
thing to which intellectually a free    
,unitarian can afford to bow is         
ascertained and demonstrated truth4 ,we 
believe1 then1 in revelation4  ,in the  
next place1 we believe in incarnation4  
,not in the complete incarnation of ,god
 in one man1 in one country1 in one age1
 in the history of the world4 ,we       
believe in the incarnation of ,god      
progressively in humanity4 ,all that is 
true1 all that is beautiful1 all that is
 good1 is so much of ,god incarnate in  
his children1 and reaching ever forth   
and forward to higher blossoming and    
grander fruitage4 ,the difference       
between ,jesus and other men1 as we hold
 it1 is not a difference in kind3 it is 

a difference in degree4 ,so he is the   
son of our ,father1 our elder brother1  
our friend1 our leader1 our helper1 our 
inspiration4  ,the next principle of    
,unitarianism is that character is      
salvation4 ,we do not even say that     
character is a condition of salvation4  
,character is salvation4 ,a man who is  
right1 who is in perfect accord with the
 law and life of ,god1 is safe1 in this 
world1 in all worlds1 in this year1 in  
all future time4  ,and1 then1 lastly1 we
 believe in the eternal and universal   
hope4 ,we believe that ,god1 just       
because he is ,god1 is under the highest
 conceivable obligation1 not to me only1
 but to himself1 to see to it that every
 being whom he has created shall        
sometime1 somewhere1 in the long run1   
find that gift of life a blessing1 and  
not a curse4  ,we believe in            
retribution1 universal1 quick1          
unescapable2 for we believe that this is
 mercy1 and that through this is to come
 salvation4  ,these1 then1 are the main 

principles1 as ,i understand them1 of   
,unitarianism4  ,there is one point more
 now that ,i must touch on4 ,when ,i was
 considering the question of giving this
 series of sermons1 one of my best      
friends raised the question as to       
whether ,i had better put the word      
,unitarian8 into the title4 ,he was     
afraid that it might prejudice people   
who did not like the name1 and keep them
 from listening to what ,i had to say4  
,this is a common feeling on the part of
 ,unitarians4 ,i was trained as a boy1  
and through all my youth and early      
manhood in the ministry1 to look with   
aversion1 suspicion1 on ,unitarianism1  
and to hate the name4 ,but to-day1 after
 more than twenty years of experience in
 the ,unitarian ministry1 ,i have come  
to the conviction1 which ,i wish to     
suggest to you1 that it is the most     
magnificent name in the religious       
history of the world2 and ,i1 for one1  
wish to hoist it as my flag1 to inscribe
 it on my banner1 not because ,i care   

for a name1 but because of that which it
 covers and comprehends4  ,now1 not in  
the slightest degree in the way of      
prejudice against other names or to find
 fault with them1 let me note a few of  
them1 and then compare ,unitarianism    
with them4 ,take the word ,anglican1 for
 example1 the name of the ,church of    
,england4 ,what does it mean8 ,of       
course1 you know it is simply a         
geographical name4 ,it defines nothing  
as to the ,church's government or belief
 or anything else4 ,there is the word   
,episcopal1 which simply means a church 
that is governed by bishops2 that is    
all4 ,take the word ,presbyterian1 from 
a ,greek word which means an elder1 a   
church governed by its old men or its   
elders4 ,no special significance about  
that4 ,then ,baptist1 signifying that   
the people who wear that name believe   
that baptism always means immersion1    
indicating no other doctrine by which   
that body is known1 or its method of    
government4 ,congregational1 no doctrine

 significance there4 ,it simply means a 
church whose power is lodged in the     
congregation4 ,it is democratic in its  
methods of government4 ,methodist11     
applied to the members of a particular  
church because they were considered     
over-exact or methodical in their ways4 
,there is no governmental significance  
there4 ,the name ,catholic8 or          
,universal8 is chiefly significant from 
the fact that the claim implied by it is
 not true4 ,now let us look for a moment
 at the word ,unitarian1 and see whether
 it has a right to be placed not only on
 a level with these1 but infinitely     
above and beyond them in the richness1  
in the wonder of its meaning4 ,let me   
lead you to a consideration of it4 ,i   
want you to note that unity8 is the one 
word of more significance than any other
 in the history of man2 and that it is  
growing in its depth1 its               
comprehensiveness4 ,what have we        
discovered8 ,we have discovered in this 
modern world1 only a few years ago1 that

 this which we see1 the earth1 the      
stars1 and all the wonders of the       
heavens1 is one1 a universe4 ,not only  
that4 ,we have discovered the unity of  
force4 ,there are not1 as primitive man 
supposed1 a thousand different powers in
 the universe1 antagonistic and fighting
 with each other4 ,we have learned to   
know that there is just one force in the
 universe4 ,that light1 heat1           
electricity1 magnetism1 all these       
marvellous and diverse varieties of     
forces1 are one force1 and can be at the
 will and skill of man converted into   
each other4  ,next1 we have learned that
 there is one law in the universe4      
,should we not be ,unitarians8 ,should  
we not believe in the unity of ,god1    
when we can see1 as far as the telescope
 can reach on the one hand and the      
microscope on the other1 one eternal1   
changeless ,order8  ,another point4 ,we 
have learned the unity of substance4 ,we
 know how ,comte1 the famous ,french    
scientist1 advised his followers not to 

attempt to find out anything about the  
fixed stars1 because1 he said1 such     
knowledge was forever beyond the reach  
of man4 ,how long had ,comte been dead  
before we discovered the spectroscope8  
,and now we know all about the fixed    
stars4 ,we know that the stuff we step  
on in the street this morning as we go  
home from church is the same stuff of   
which the sun is made1 the same stuff as
 that which flamed a few years ago as a 
comet1 the same stuff as that which     
shines in ,sirius1 in suns so many miles
 away that it takes millions of years   
for their light to reach us4 ,one stuff1
 one substance1 throughout the universe2
 and this poor old1 tear-wet earth of   
ours is a planet shining in the heavens 
as much as any of them1 of the same     
glorious material of which they are     
made4  ,then1 again1 we have discovered 
the unity of life4 ,from the little tiny
 globule of protoplasm up to the brain  
of ,shakspere1 one life throbbing and   
thrilling with the same divinity which  

is at the heart of the world4  ,we have 
discovered not only the unity of life1  
we have discovered the unity of man4    
,not a hundred different origins1       
different kinds of creatures1           
different-natured beings1 but one blood 
to dwell in every country on the face of
 the earth3 the unity of man4  ,we have 
discovered the unity of ethics1 of      
righteousness1 of right and wrong1 one  
right1 one wrong4 ,a million            
applications1 but one goal towards which
 all those who hunger and thirst after  
righteousness are striving4  ,one       
religion3 for underneath all the        
diversity of creeds and religions1      
barbaric1 semi-civilized1 civilized1    
enlightened1 we find man1 the one child 
of ,god1 hunting for the clearest light 
he can command1 after the one ,father1  
that is1 the one eternal1 universal     
search of the religious life of the     
race4  ,religion then one2 one unifying 
purpose2 every step that the world takes
 in its progress leading it towards     

liberty1 towards light1 towards truth1  
towards righteousness1 towards peace4   
,one goal1 then1 for the progress of    
man4  ,and1 then1 one destiny4 ,some    
day1 every soul1 no matter how belated1 
shall arrive2 some day1 somewhere1 every
 soul1 however sin stained1 shall       
arrive2 every soul1 however small1      
however distorted1 however hindered1    
shall arrive4 ,one destiny4 ,not that we
 are to be just alike2 only that some   
time we are to unfold all that is       
possible in us1 and stand1 full         
statured1 perfect1 complete1 in the     
presence of our ,father4  ,do ,i not    
well1 then1 to say that ,unity1         
,unitarianism1 is a magnificent name1 a 
name to be flung out to the breeze as   
our banner under which we will fight for
 ,god and man2 a name beside which all  
others pale into insignificance2 a name 
that sums up the secret1 the centre1 the
 hope1 the outcome of the universe8     
,greatest name in the religious history 
of man1 it coincides with that          

magnificent hope so grandly uttered by  
,tennyson1 ,one ,god1 one law1 one      
element1 ,and one far-off divine event1 
,to which the whole creation moves4     
,,what ,,do ,,you ,,give ,,in ,,place   
,,of ,,what ,,you ,,take ,,away8  ,,my  
theme is the answer to the question1    
,what do you give in place of what you  
take away8 ,for my text ,i have chosen  
two significant passages of ,scripture4 
,one is from the seventh chapter of     
,hebrews1 the nineteenth verse2 and it  
sets forth1 as ,i look at it1 the drift 
and outcome of the process of which we  
are a part1 the bringing in of a better 
hope4 ,then from the eleventh chapter of
 ,hebrews1 the thirty- ninth and        
fortieth verses1 expressing the relation
 in which we stand to those who have    
looked for ,god and his work in the     
past3 ,and these all1 having obtained a 
good report through faith1 received not 
the promise2 ,god having provided some  
better thing for us1 that they without  
us should not be made perfect4  ,what do

 you give in place of that which you    
take away8 ,this is a question which is 
proposed to ,unitarians over and over   
and over again4 ,it is looked upon as an
 unanswerable criticism4 ,we are        
supposed to be people who tear down1 but
 do not build2 people who take away the 
dear hopes and traditional faiths of the
 past1 and leave the world desolate1    
without ,god1 without hope4  ,not only  
is this urged against us1 from the other
 side1 but there are a great many       
,unitarians1 possibly1 who have not     
thought themselves out with enough      
clearness to know the relation between  
the present conditions of human thought 
and the past2 and sometimes even they   
may look back with a regretful longing  
towards something which they have       
outgrown1 and left behind4  ,i propose  
this morning to answer this question1   
just as simply1 as frankly1 as ,i can2  
to treat it with all reverence1 with all
 seriousness1 and try to make clear what
 it is that the world has lost as the   

result of the advances of modern        
knowledge1 and what1 if anything1 it has
 gained4  ,but while ,i stand here1 on  
the threshold of my theme1 and before ,i
 enter upon its somewhat fuller         
discussion1 ,i wish to urge upon you two
 or three considerations4  ,it is       
assumed1 by the people who ask this     
question1 that1 if we do take away      
anything1 we are under obligation       
straightway to put something in its     
place4 ,i wish you to consider carefully
 as to whether this position is sound4  
,suppose1 for example1 that ,i should   
discover that some belief that has been 
held in the past is not well founded1   
not true4 ,must ,i say nothing about it 
because1 possibly1 ,i may not have      
discovered just what is true8  ,to      
illustrate what ,i mean3 ,prince        
,alphonso of ,castile used to say1 as he
 studied the ,ptolemaic theory of the   
universe1 that1 if he had been present  
at creation1 he could have suggested a  
good many very important improvements4  

,in other words1 he was keen enough to  
see that the ,ptolemaic theory of the   
universe was not a good working theory4 
,must he keep still about that because1 
forsooth1 he was not able to establish  
another theory of the universe in its   
place8  ,do you not see that the        
criticism1 the testing of positions     
which are held1 are the primary steps in
 the direction of finding some larger   
and grander truth1 provided these       
positions are not adequate and do not   
hold8  ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,george ,a4      
,gordon1 of the historic ,old ,south    
,church in ,boston1 told us1 in an      
address which he gave in ,brooklyn the  
other day1 that ,calvinism was dead2    
that it was even necessary to clear the 
face of the earth of it1 in order to    
save our faith in ,god4 ,at the same    
time ,dr4 ,gordon said frankly that he  
had no other as complete and finished   
system to put in place of it4 ,was he   
justified in telling the truth about    
,calvinism because he has not a         

ready-made scheme to substitute for it8 
,i wish you to note that ,i do not      
concede for an instant that ,i must not 
tell the truth about anything that ,i   
perceive because ,i have not a          
ready-made theory of some kind to put in
 the place of that which is taken away4 
,it is my business to tell what seems to
 me true in all reverence1 seriousness1 
earnestness and love1 and trust the     
consequences to ,god4  ,in the next     
place1 another consideration4 ,i have   
been talking as though ,i conceded that 
,unitarians1 or that ,i myself1         
sometimes take away things1 beliefs4    
,now ,i wish to ask you who it is that  
takes away beliefs4 ,has ,unitarianism  
ever taken away any faith or hope or    
trust from the world8 ,has anybody ever 
done it8  ,if we pit ourselves against  
one of ,god's eternal truths1 is that   
truth going to suffer8 ,rather shall we 
not beat ourselves to pieces against    
,god's adamant8 ,if a thing is true1    
nobody is going to take it away from the

 world2 for nobody has the power to     
uproot or destroy a divine truth4  ,who 
is it1 then1 that takes these beliefs   
away8 ,is it not just this8 ,does it not
 mean that men have discovered that what
 they supposed to be true is not true1  
and it is the old belief that passes    
away in the presence of a larger and    
clearer light8 ,is not that the process8
  ,when ,magellan1 for instance1        
demonstrated that this planet of ours   
was round by circumnavigating it1 the   
ship returning to the port from which it
 started1 did he take away the old flat 
earth1 fixed and anchored1 immovable1   
around which the sun moved8 ,why1 there 
was no old1 flat and anchored1          
stationary earth to take away4 ,there   
never had been4 ,all ,magellan did was  
to demonstrate a new1 higher1 grander   
truth4 ,he took away a misconception    
from the minds of ignorant and          
uneducated people1 and helped put one of
 ,god's grand1 luminous truths in the   
place of it4 ,that is all he did4  ,it  

is modern intelligence1 increasing      
knowledge1 larger1 clearer light that   
takes away old beliefs4 ,but1 if these  
old beliefs are not true1 it simply     
means that we are discovering what is   
true2 that is1 having a clearer view and
 vision of ,god's ways and methods of   
governing the world4  ,i wish you to    
note1 then1 in this second place1 that  
,unitarianism does not take away        
anything4  ,one third consideration3    
,suppose we did4 ,suppose we took away  
belief in the existence of ,god4        
,suppose we took away belief in man as a
 soul1 leaving him simply an animal4    
,suppose we took away faith in continued
 existence after death4 ,suppose we had 
the power to sweep all of these grand   
beliefs out of the human mind4 ,then    
what8  ,if ,i had my choice1 ,i would do
 it gladly1 with tearful gratitude1     
rather than keep the old beliefs of the 
last two thousand years4  ,the late     
,henry ,ward ,beecher1 in a review      
article published not long before his   

death1 said frankly this which ,i am    
saying now1 and which ,i had said a good
 many times before ,mr4 ,beecher's      
article was written1 that no belief at  
all is infinitely1 unspeakably better   
than those horrible beliefs which have  
dominated and darkened the world4  ,i   
would rather believe in no ,god than in 
a bad ,god1 such as he has been painted4
 ,and1 if ,i had my choice of the       
future1 what would it be8 ,i have1 ,i   
trust1 just over there1 father1 mother1 
two brothers1 numberless dear ones2 and 
,i hope to see them with a hope dearer  
than any other which ,i cherish4 ,but1  
if ,i were standing on the threshold of 
heaven itself1 and these loved ones were
 beckoning me to come in1 and ,i had the
 choice between an eternity of felicity 
in their presence and eternal sleep1 ,i 
would take the sleep rather than take   
this endless joy at the cost of the     
unceasing and unrelieved torment of the 
meanest soul that ever lived4 ,and ,i   
would have no great respect for any man 

who would not4 ,i would not care to     
purchase my joy at the price of endless 
pangs1 the ascending smoke of torment1  
the wail going up to the sweet heavens  
forever and ever and ever4  ,so1 even if
 it were a choice between no belief at  
all and the old beliefs1 the darkness   
would be light to me2 and ,i would      
embrace it with joy rather than take the
 selfish felicity of those men who      
estimate it as a part of their future   
occupation to be leaning over the       
battlements of heaven and witnessing the
 torture of the damned4 ,this1 though   
sounding so terrible to us now1 is good 
old ,christian doctrine1 which has often
 been avowed4 ,thank ,god we are        
outgrowing it4  ,these1 then1 for       
preliminary considerations4  ,now let me
 raise the question as to what has been 
taken away4 ,you remember ,i said that  
,i have taken nothing away1             
,unitarianism has taken nothing away4   
,but the advance of modern knowledge1   
the larger1 clearer revelation of ,god1 

has taken away no end of things4 ,what  
are they8  ,let me make two very brief  
statements right here4 ,i am in the     
position1 this morning1 of appearing to 
repeat myself2 that is1 ,i must go over 
a good many points that ,i have made    
from this platform before4 ,but please  
understand that it is not on account of 
lapse of memory on my part4 ,i am doing 
it with a distinct end in view1 which   
can only be attained by these steps4    
,in the next place1 my treatment has so 
much ground to cover that what ,i say   
will appear somewhat in the nature of a 
catalogue2 but ,i see no other way in   
which to make the definite statement ,i 
wish to lay before you4 ,i am going to  
catalogue1 first1 a lot of the things   
that modern knowledge has taken away4   
,then ,i am going to tell you some of   
the things that modern knowledge is     
putting in place of what it has removed4
  ,in the first place1 the old universe 
is taken away2 that is1 that little tiny
 play-house affair1 not so large as our 

solar system1 which in the first        
chapters of ,genesis ,god is reported to
 have made as a carpenter working from  
outside makes a house1 inside of six    
days4 ,that little universe1 that is1   
the story of creation as told in the    
early chapters of ,genesis1 is          
absolutely gone4 ,i shall tell you      
pretty soon what has taken the place of 
it4  ,secondly1 the ,god of the ,old    
,testament1 the ,god of most of the     
creeds has been taken away1 that ,god   
who was jealous1 who was partial1 who   
was angry2 who built a little world1 and
 called it good1 and then inside of a   
few days saw it slip out of his control 
into the hands of the devil1 either     
because he could not help it or did not 
wish to2 who watched this world develop 
for a little while1 and then1 because it
 did not go as he wanted it to1 had to  
drown it1 and start over again2 the ,god
 who in the ,old ,testament told the    
people that slavery was right1 provided 
they did not enslave the members of     

their own nation1 but only those outside
 of it2 the ,god who indorsed polygamy1 
telling a man that he was at liberty to 
have just as many wives as he wanted and
 could obtain1 and that he was free to  
dispose of them by simply giving them a 
little notice and telling them to quit2 
the ,god who indorsed hypocrisy and     
lying on the part of his people2 the    
,god who sent a little light on one     
little people along one edge of the     
,mediterranean1 and left all the rest of
 the world in darkness2 the ,god who is 
to damn all of these people who were    
left in darkness because they did not   
know that of which they never had any   
chance to hear2 the ,god who is to cast 
all his enemies into the pit1 trampling 
them down1 as ,edwards pictures so      
horribly to us1 in his hate for ever and
 ever4 ,this ,god has been taken away4  
,in the third place1 the story of ,eden1
 the creation of man and then           
immediately the fall of man and the     
resulting doctrine of total depravity1  

this has been taken away4 ,that man was 
made in the image of ,god1 and then1    
inside of a few days1 fell into the     
hands of the ,power of ,evil1 and that  
since that day he has been the          
legitimate subject here on this earth of
 the prince of this world1 that is1 the 
devil1 and that is taught both in the   
,old ,testament and in the ,new1 that   
man is this kind of a being1 this is    
forever gone4 ,there is no rational1    
intelligent1 free belief in it left4    
,then the old theory of the ,bible has  
been taken away1 that theory which makes
 it a book without error or flaw1 and   
makes us under the highest obligation to
 receive all its teachings as the       
veritable word of ,god1 whether they    
seem to us hideous1 blasphemous1        
immoral1 degrading1 or not4 ,this is    
gone4  ,professor ,goldwin ,smith1 in an
 article published within a year1 treats
 the belief1 the continued holding to   
this old theory about the ,bible1 under 
the head of ,christianity's ,millstone4 

,he writes from the point of view of the
 old belief2 but he says1 if            
,christianity is going to be saved1 this
 millstone must be taken off from about 
its neck1 and allowed to sink into the  
sea4  ,if we hold that theory1 what8    
,why1 then1 we must still believe that1 
in order to help on the slaughter of his
 enemies on the part of a barbarian     
general1 ,god stopped the whole         
machinery of the universe for hours     
until he got through with his killing4  
,we must believe the literal story of   
,jonah's being swallowed by the whale4  
,we must believe no end of              
incredibilities2 and then1 if we dare to
 read with our eyes open1 we must       
believe immoral things1 cruel things1   
about men and about ,god1 things which  
our civilization would not endure1 were 
it not for the power of tradition1 which
 hallows that which used to be believed 
in the past4  ,this conception of the   
,bible1 then1 is gone4  ,then1 in the   
next place1 the blood atonement is gone4

 ,what did that mean to the world8 ,it  
meant that the eternal ,father either   
would not or could not forgive and      
receive back to his heart his own       
erring1 mistaken1 wandering children    
unless the only begotten ,son of ,god   
was slaughtered1 and we1 as the old     
awful hymn has it1 were plunged beneath 
this fountain of blood ,i ,revolting1   
terrible1 if you stop to think of it for
 one reasoning moment1 that ,god cannot 
forgive unless he takes agony out of    
somebody equal to that from which he    
releases his own children6 ,that1 though
 embodied still in all the creeds1 has  
been taken away4 ,it is gone1 like a    
long1 hideous dream of darkness4        
,belief in the devil has been taken     
away4 ,what does that mean8 ,it means   
that ,christendom has held and taught   
for nearly two thousand years that ,god 
is not really ,king of the universe2    
that he holds only a divided power1 and 
that here thousands on thousands of     
years go by1 and the devil controls the 

destiny of this world1 and ruins right  
and left millions on millions of human  
souls1 and that ,god either cannot help 
it or does not wish to1 one of the two4 
,this belief is taken away4  ,and then1 
lastly1 that which ,i have touched on by
 implication already1 the belief in     
endless punishment is taken away4 ,are  
you sorry8 ,does anybody wish something 
put in the place of this8 ,the belief   
that all those except the elect1 church 
members1 those who have been through a  
special process called conversion1      
these1 including all the millions on    
millions outside of ,christendom and    
from the beginning until to-day1 have   
gone down to the flame that is never    
quenched1 the worm that never dies1 to  
linger on in useless torture forever and
 ever8 ,simply a monument of what is    
monstrously called the justice of ,god6 
,this is gone4  ,now1 friends1 just ask 
yourselves1 as you go home1 as you think
 over what ,i have said this morning1 as
 to whether there is anything else lost4

  ,is there anything of value taken     
away8 ,let me run over now in parallel  
fashion another catalogue to place      
opposite this one1 so that we may see as
 to what has been our loss and as to    
whether there has been any gain4  ,in   
the place of the little1 petty universe 
of ,hebrew dream1 what have we now8     
,this magnificent revelation of the     
,copernican students2 a universe        
infinite in its reach and in its        
grandeur2 a universe fit at last to be  
the home of an infinite ,god2 a universe
 grand enough to clothe him and express 
him1 to manifest and reveal him2 a      
universe boundless2 a universe that has 
grown through the ages and is growing   
still1 and is to unfold more and more of
 the divine beauty and glory            
forevermore4 ,is there any loss in this 
exchange8  ,now as to ,god4 ,i have     
pictured to you1 in very bald outline1  
some of the conceptions of ,god that    
have been held in the past4 ,what is our
 ,god to-day8 ,the heart1 the life1 the 

soul1 of this infinite universe2 justice
 that means justice2 power that means   
power2 love that surpasses all our      
imagination of love2 a ,god who is      
eternal goodness2 who from the beginning
 has folded his child man to his heart1 
whispering all of truth that he could   
understand1 breathing into him all of   
life that he could contain1 inspiring   
him with all love and tenderness that he
 could appreciate or employ1 and so1 in 
this way1 leading him and guiding him   
through the ages1 year by year and      
century by century1 still to something  
better and finer and higher2 a ,god1 not
 off somewhere in the heavens1 to whom  
we must send a messenger2 not a ,god    
separated from us by some great gulf    
that we must bridge by some supposed    
atonement2 a ,god nearer to us than our 
breath2 a ,god who hears the whisper of 
our want1 who understands the dawning   
wish or aspiration before it takes form 
or shape2 a ,god who loves us better    
than we love ourselves or love those who

 are dearest to us2 a ,god who knows    
better what we need than we know        
ourselves1 and is more ready to give us 
than fathers are to give good gifts to  
their children4 ,is there any loss here8
  ,in the third place1 the new man that 
has come into modern thought4 ,not the  
broken fragments of a perfect ,adam2 not
 a man so crippled intellectually that1 
as they have been telling us for        
centuries1 it was impossible for him to 
find the truth1 or to know it when he   
did find it2 not a being so depraved1   
morally1 that he never desires any good1
 and never loves anything which is sweet
 and fine2 a being totally depraved1 a  
being who1 as one passage in the ,old   
,testament tells us1 is so corrupt his  
very prayer is a sin2 conceived1 born1  
in evil1 and all his thoughts tainted1  
and drifting towards that which is      
wicked4 ,not this kind of a man4 ,a man 
who has been on the planet hundreds of  
thousands of years1 who has been        
learning by experience1 who has been    

animal1 who has been cruel1 but who at  
every step has been trying to find the  
light1 has been becoming a little truer 
and better2 a being who has evolved all 
that is sweetest and finest in the      
history of the world2 who has made no   
end of mistakes1 who has committed no   
end of crimes1 but who has learned      
through these processes1 and at last has
 given us some specimens of what is     
possible by way of development in       
,abraham and ,moses and ,elijah and     
,david and ,isaiah1 and a long line of  
prophets and seers of the ,old          
,testament time2 not perfect1 but       
magnificent types of actual men2 who has
 developed in other nations such men as 
,gautama1 the heroes and teachers of    
,china1 like ,confucius2 then           
,aristotle1 ,plato1 ,socrates2 the noble
 men of ,rome2 who has given us in the  
modern world the great poets1 the great 
discoverers1 the great philanthropists2 
those devoted to the highest1 sweetest  
things2 musicians and artists2 who has  

given us ,shakspere1 who has given us1  
crowning them all1 as ,i believe1 by the
 moral beauty and grandeur of his love1 
the ,nazarene1 ,jesus1 our elder        
brother1 ,son of ,god1 and helper of his
 fellow-man2 this humanity that has     
never fallen2 that has been climbing up 
from the beginning1 and not sinking     
down4 ,is there any loss here8  ,then   
let us see what kind of a ,bible modern 
science and modern discovery and modern 
scholarship and modern life have given  
us4  ,our ,bible is the sifted truth of 
the ages4 ,there is not a passage in it 
or a line for which we need apologize4  
,there is nothing incredible in it1     
except as it is incredibly sweet and    
good and true4 ,it is the truth that has
 come to men in all ages1 no matter     
spoken by whose lips1 no matter written 
by what pen1 no matter wrought out under
 what conditions or in whatever         
civilization or under whatever sky4     
,all that is true and sweet and fine is 
a part of ,god's revelation of himself  

to his children1 and makes up our       
,bible1 which is not all written yet4   
,every new truth that shall be          
discovered in the future will make a new
 line or a new paragraph or a new       
chapter4 ,god has been writing it on the
 rocks1 in the stars1 in the hearts1 on 
the brains of his children2 and his hand
 does not slacken4 ,he is not tired3 he 
is writing still4 ,he will write        
to-morrow1 and next year1 and throughout
 all the coming time4 ,this is the      
,bible4  ,we believe1 for example1 that 
the saying of the old ,egyptian1 ,god   
shall wipe away all tears from their    
eyes1 is just as divine and sweet as    
when said in the ,new ,testament4 ,we   
believe that the ,golden ,rule is just  
as golden when uttered by ,confucius    
hundreds of years before ,jesus as it   
was afterwards4  ,we believe that the   
saying about two commandments being the 
sum and substance of the law was just as
 holy when ,hillel spake them as when   
,jesus uttered them after his time4 ,all

 truth is divine1 and part of ,god's    
divine revelation to his children4      
,here is our ,bible1 then4 ,now let me  
speak about ,jesus1 and see if our      
thought is less precious than the old4  
,in my old days1 when ,i preached in the
 orthodox church1 ,jesus was never half 
so dear1 so helpful to me1 as he is now4
 ,if ,i thought of him at all1 ,i was   
obliged to think of him as somehow a    
second ,god1 who stood between me and   
the first one1 and through whom ,i hoped
 deliverance from the law and the       
justice of the first4 ,i had to think of
 him as a part of a scheme that seemed  
to me unjust and cruel1 involving the   
torture of some and the loss of most of 
the race4 ,you cannot pick the old-time 
,jesus out of that scheme of which he is
 a part4 ,i could not love him then as  
,i love him now4 ,i could not think of  
him as an example to follow2 for how can
 one take the ,infinite for an example8 
,how can one follow the absolutely      
,perfect except afar off8  ,but now ,i  

think of ,jesus and his cross as the    
most natural and at the same time the   
divinest thing in the history of man4   
,nothing outside of the regular divine  
order in it4 ,jesus reveals to me to-day
 the humanness of ,god and the          
divineness of man4 ,and he takes his    
place in the long line of the world's   
redeemers1 those who have wrought       
atonement1 how8 ,through faithfulness   
even unto death4  ,the way we work out  
the atonement of the world1 that is1 the
 reconciliation of the world to ,god1 is
 by being true to the vision of the     
truth as it comes to us1 no matter by   
the pathway of what suffering1 true as  
,jesus was true1 true even when he      
thought his ,father had forsaken him4   
,do you know1 friends1 ,i think that is 
the grandest thing in the world4 ,he    
verily believed that ,god had forsaken  
him2 and yet he held fast to his trust1 
to his truth1 to his faithfulness1 even 
when swooning away into the             
unconsciousness of death4  ,there is    

faith1 and there is faithfulness2 and he
 shares this with thousands of others4  
,there are thousands of men who have    
suffered more than ,jesus did dying for 
his own truth2 thousands of martyrs who1
 with his name on their lips1 have gone 
through greater torture than he did4    
,all these1 whoever has been faithful1  
whoever has suffered for the right1     
whoever has been true1 has helped to    
work out the atonement1 the             
reconciliation1 of the world with ,god1 
showing the beauty of truth and bringing
 men into that admiration of it that    
helps them to come into accord with the 
divine life4  ,then one more point4     
,instead of the wail of the damned that 
is never1 through all eternity1 for one 
moment hushed in silence1 we place the  
song of the redeemed1 an eternal hope   
for every child born of the race4 ,we do
 not believe it is possible for a human 
soul ultimately to be lost4 ,why8       
,because we believe in ,god4 ,god either
 can save all souls or he cannot4 ,if he

 can and will not1 then he is not ,god4 
,if he would and cannot1 then he is not 
,god4 ,let us reverently say it3 he is  
under an infinite obligation to his own 
self1 to his own righteousness1 to his  
own truth1 his own power1 his own love1 
his own character1 to see to it that all
 souls1 some time1 are reconciled to    
him4  ,this does not mean a poor1 cheap1
 an easy salvation4 ,it means that every
 broken law must have its consequences  
so long as it remains broken4 ,it means 
that in this world and through all      
worlds the law- breaker is to be        
followed by the natural and necessary   
results of his thoughts1 of his words1  
of his deeds2 but it means that in this 
punishment the pain is a part of the    
divine love4 ,for the love of ,god makes
 it absolutely necessary that the object
 of that love shall be delivered from   
sin and wrong1 and brought into         
reconciliation with himself2 and the    
pain1 the necessary results of          
wrongdoing1 are a part of the divine    

tenderness1 a part of the divine        
faithfulness1 a part of the divine love4
 ,so we believe that through darkness or
 through light1 through joy or through  
sorrow1 some time1 somewhere1 every     
child of ,god shall be brought into his 
presence1 ready to sing the song of     
peace and joy and reconciled love4      
,now1 friends1 ,i have gone over all the
 main points of the theology of our     
question4 ,i have told you what ,i think
 the results of modern study have taken 
away4 ,i have indicated to you what ,i  
believe is to come and take the place of
 these things that are absolutely gone4 
,ask yourselves seriously1 if you are   
not one of us1 is there a single one of 
these things that modern investigation  
is threatening that you really care to  
keep8 ,if you could choose between the  
two systems and have your choice settle 
the validity of them1 would you not     
choose the second1 and be grateful to   
bid good-by to the first8  ,remember1   
however1 at the end let me say1 as ,i   

did at the beginning1 that1 if these    
things pass away and the other finer    
things come in their places1            
,unitarianism is not to be charged by   
its enemies with destroying the old1    
neither is it to take the credit on the 
part of its friends for having created  
all the new4 ,that distinguishes us as  
,unitarians from any other form of faith
 is that we believe in the living1      
loving1 leading ,god of the modern      
world1 and are ready gladly to take the 
results of modern investigation1        
believing that they are only a part of  
the revelation of the divine truth and  
the ,father's will4  ,we accept these   
things1 stand for them1 proclaim them2  
but we did not create them4 ,if anything
 is gone that you did not like1 we did  
not take it away4 ,if anything is come  
that you do like1 give ,god the glory2  
and let us share with you the joy and   
praise4  ,,are ,,there ,,any ,,creeds   
,,which ,,it ,,is ,,wicked ,,for ,,us   
,,to ,,question8  ,,any body of people  

whatsoever has1 of course1 an undoubted 
right to organize on the basis of any   
belief or principles which it may happen
 to hold4 ,this1 always1 on the         
supposition that those principles or    
beliefs are not antagonistic to human   
welfare4 ,they have a right to establish
 the conditions of membership and limit 
their numbers as much as they please4   
,for example1 suppose a set of persons  
chanced to hold the belief that the     
so-called ,shakspere plays were written 
by ,bacon4 ,they have a perfect right to
 organize a society1 and to say that    
nobody shall be a member of that society
 unless he agrees with them in this     
belief4 ,if ,i happen1 as ,i do1 to hold
 some other conviction about the matter1
 ,i have no right to blame them because 
they do not wish me to be a member4 ,i  
can organize1 if ,i please1 another     
society that shall have for its cardinal
 doctrinal statement the belief that    
,shakspere was the author of these      
plays4 ,there is no need that ,i should 

quarrel with people holding these other 
ideas4  ,or1 if ,i am a laboring man1 in
 the technical sense of the word that is
 commonly used to-day1 ,i have a right  
to organize a society devoted to the    
furtherance of the eight- hour movement1
 or any other specific end or aim which 
seems to me necessary to the welfare of 
society as organized in the modern      
world4  ,all this we concede at the     
outset4 ,people have a perfect right to 
organize on the basis of their          
particular beliefs1 and to keep out of  
their organization those persons who do 
not happen to agree with them4 ,but1 and
 here is a most important consideration1
 if these beliefs seem to us who are    
outside to be vital2 if they appear to  
concern us1 to touch our well-being1 our
 future hopes1 then we certainly have a 
right to study those beliefs1 to        
criticise them1 to put them to the test 
to see whether they are well founded1   
whether they have any adequate basis of 
support4  ,and1 still further1 if the   

people holding a certain set of beliefs 
tell us that they are inspired of ,god1 
that they are spokesmen for ,god1 that  
they have had committed to them a       
certain definite deposit of faith for   
the benefit of the world2 if they tell  
us that1 unless we agree with them1     
unless we accept the conditions and come
 into their organization1 then we are   
opposed to ,god1 are endangering our own
 souls1 and are enemies of the human    
race1 then it becomes not merely our    
right to look into these matters3 does  
it not become our most solemn duty8 ,are
 we not under the highest of all        
obligations to decide for ourselves one 
way or the other as to whether these    
claims are valid8 ,for1 if they are1    
then there is nothing so important for  
us as that we should accept them and    
live in accordance with them1 join the  
societies that are organized on them as 
a basis1 do our utmost to extend their  
acceptance throughout the world4  ,if   
they are not valid1 then we ought to do 

our very best to prove this also1 and   
help those who are in bondage to these  
false ideas to attain their liberty1 in 
order that they may join with us in     
finding out that which is true1 in order
 that together we may work for the      
discovery of the will of ,god1 and that 
we may co-operate in helping the world  
to find and obey that will4  ,you would 
suppose from the ordinary assumption of 
those who hold the old creeds1 and who  
have organized their churches on these  
creeds1 as foundation stones1 that there
 had been at the outset a clear1 a      
definite revelation of truth1 that it   
had been unquestioned1 that it had come 
with credentials enough to satisfy the  
world that the speakers spoke by        
authority1 and that the matter had from 
the beginning been well understood4  ,it
 is assumed that we who do not hold     
these ideas are wilfully wrong1 that we 
are not inclined to accept the divine   
truth1 that it is on account of the     
hardness and wickedness of our hearts1  

and that we prefer evil rather than     
good4 ,we are told that we might know1  
if we would1 that the matter is         
definite1 and has been perfectly well   
settled from the beginning4 ,this1 ,i   
say1 is the assumption4  ,let us now1   
then1 investigate the matter for a      
little while1 just as calmly1 just as   
simply1 just as dispassionately as we   
are able4  ,i confess to you1 at the    
outset1 that ,i do not like such a task 
as to- day seems to be imposed upon me4 
,i do not like to be put in the position
 of seeming to criticise my fellow-     
citizens1 my friends1 and neighbors2 but
 it seems to me that it is more than a  
task1 that it is a duty1 and one that ,i
 cannot readily escape4 ,i mean as      
little as possible even to seem to      
criticise people2 but ,i must look into 
the foundations of their beliefs1 and   
see whether they are valid1 whether     
there is any reason why we should feel  
ourselves compelled to-day to accept    
them4  ,let us take our place1 then1 at 

the outset of ,christianity by the side 
of ,jesus and the apostles4 ,now let us 
note one strange fact4 ,for the first   
two or three hundred years the belief of
 the ,church was chaotic1 unconfirmed1  
unsettled4 ,there was dispute and       
discussion of the most earnest and most 
bitter kind concerning what are regarded
 to-day as the very fundamentals of the 
,christian faith4  ,this would hardly   
seem possible1 would it1 if ,jesus had  
made himself perfectly clear and        
explicit in regard to these matters8 ,if
 ,jesus were really ,god1 and if he came
 down on to this earth for the one      
express purpose of telling humanity what
 kind of moral and spiritual condition  
it was in1 just what it needed in order 
to be saved1 would you not suppose that 
he would have been so clear that there  
could have been no honest question about
 it8  ,if1 for example1 ,jesus knew he  
was ,god1 ought not he to have told it  
so plainly that no honest man could go  
astray about it8 ,if he knew that the   

human race fell in ,adam and was in a   
condition of loss under the general     
wrath and curse of ,god1 ought not he to
 have said something about ,adam1       
something about the ,garden of ,eden1   
something about the fall8 ,yet it never 
appears anywhere that he did4 ,if he    
knew it was absolutely necessary for us 
to hold certain ideas about the ,bible1 
ought not he to have told us8 ,if he    
knew that the great majority of the     
human race was going to endless and     
hopeless torment in the future unless   
they held certain beliefs1 ought not he 
to have made it plain8  ,but take that  
which ,i read as a part of our          
,scripture lesson this morning1 that    
magnificent picture of the judgment     
scene1 where he divides the sheep on his
 right hand and the goats on his left4  
,who are the sheep1 and who are the     
goats8 ,those who are to be admitted    
with glad welcome to the presence of the
 ,father are simply those that have been
 morally good2 and those who are told   

they must be shut out are simply those  
who have bee morally bad4 ,there is no  
hint of the necessity of any belief at  
all4 ,nothing said about any ,bible1    
about any ,trinity1 about any faith1    
about anything that is supposed to be   
essential as a condition of salvation1  
not a word4 ,only the good receive the  
welcome1 and the bad are shut out4 ,that
 is all4  ,if this is not true1 ought he
 not to have told us something about it1
 and made it perfectly clear8  ,now what
 was the condition of popular belief8   
,let me illustrate it by one or two     
points4 ,origen1 for example1 one of the
 most famous of the ,church ,fathers1   
believed and preached the pre-existence 
of the human soul and universal         
salvation4 ,now1 if ,jesus said anything
 contrary to this belief of universal   
salvation1 either ,origen did not know  
anything about it or he did not regard  
it as of any authority1 one or the      
other4 ,we cannot conceive of his       
holding a position of this sort if he   

had known that ,jesus had pronounced    
explicitly to the contrary4  ,take      
another illustration4 ,two weeks ago    
this morning ,i had occasion to quote to
 you a few words from another of the old
 ,church ,fathers1 ,justin ,martyr1 who 
taught explicitly that ,jesus was not   
the equal of the ,father1 but a         
subordinate and created being4 ,now1 if 
,jesus had clearly taught anything      
approaching the doctrine of the         
,trinity1 is it conceivable that ,justin
 ,martyr had not heard of it1 or1 having
 heard of it1 had not accepted it8  ,at 
any rate1 if these things were true and 
important1 it is inconceivable that the 
,church ,fathers1 the very founders of  
,christianity1 should have been all at  
sea in regard to them1 should have held 
divergent opinions1 and should have been
 discussing these questions one way and 
the other for three hundred years4  ,let
 us now see what we have as a basis for 
belief in regard to what ,jesus really  
did say4 ,the ,gospels grew up in a time

 when there was no shorthand writing1 no
 reporting4 ,jesus does not say one word
 about having any record made of his    
teaching1 does not seem to have         
considered it of the slightest          
importance4 ,he simply talks and        
converses as friend with friend1        
preaches to the crowds wherever they    
gather1 but says nothing whatever about 
founding any system of doctrine1 says   
nothing about the importance of having a
 statement of his doctrine kept4  ,the  
,gospels1 as a matter of fact1 did not  
come into their present shape for many  
years after his death4 ,how long8 ,the  
critics are not at one in regard to it4 
,a book has recently been translated    
from the ,german1 by a professor in the 
,union ,theological ,seminary in this   
,state1 which says that not a single one
 of the ,gospels was known in its       
present shape until between the years   
#aej and #bjj ,a4,d4 ,all scholars do   
not accept this2 but they are all at one
 in the statement that it was a great   

many years after the death of ,jesus    
before they came into the shape in which
 we know them to-day4  ,there was1 then1
 no clear record at the first in regard 
to these matters of belief2 and1 as ,i  
said a moment ago1 for the first two or 
three hundred years the condition of the
 ,church was chaotic4 ,it was a long    
time coming to a consciousness of       
itself4  ,now let us note the time when 
a few of the creeds were formed1 and    
what are some of their characteristics4 
,although the ,apostles' ,creed would   
seem to take us back to the apostles1 we
 are not to deal with that first1       
because it was not the first one of the 
creeds to come into its present shape4  
,the oldest creed that we have to-day is
 the ,nicene4 ,when was that formed8 ,it
 was agreed upon at the ,council of     
,nicaea1 in the early part of the fourth
 century4 ,now note1 if you please1 what
 influences shaped and determined it4   
,did those who proposed that this       
particular clause or that should enter  

into it have any proof of their belief8 
,did they even claim to have8 ,why1 the 
idea of evidence1 the thought of proof1 
was absolutely unknown to the mind of   
,christendom at that time4 ,nobody      
thought of such a thing as proposing to 
prove that this or that or the other was
 true4  ,the ,nicene ,creed came into   
existence very much1 indeed1 as does the
 platform of a political party at the   
present time4 ,one man fought for this  
proposition1 another man for that one2  
and at last it was a sort of compromise 
decided by a majority4 ,and how was the 
majority reached8 ,friends1 there were  
bribes1 there were threats1 there were  
all kinds of intimidation1 there were   
blows1 there was wrangling of every     
kind1 there was banishment1 there was   
murder4 ,there has not been a political 
platform in the modern world evolved out
 of such brutal1 conflicting1           
anti-religious conditions as those which
 prevailed before and in connection with
 the ,council of ,nicaea4  ,anything    

like evidence8 ,not heard of or thought 
of4 ,anything like quiet brooding of    
those who supposed they were1 under the 
influence of the ,holy ,ghost1 receiving
 divine and sacred truth8 ,the farthest 
possible from any conditions that could 
be suggested by such a thought4  ,and at
 the last1 though undoubtedly the       
majority of the ,church at that time was
 ,unitarian1 as ,i told you the other   
day it was the decisive influence of the
 ,emperor ,constantine which settled the
 controversy4 ,thus came into existence 
in the fourth century the oldest of the 
church ,creeds which is recognized as   
authoritative in the ,catholic1 the     
,anglican1 and the ,episcopal churches  
of the present time4  ,and this ,nicene 
,creed1 if ,i had time to go into it and
 analyze it1 ,i could show you contains 
elements which no intelligent man in any
 of these churches thinks of believing  
at the present time2 and yet nobody     
dares suggest a change1 or the bringing 
it into accord with what the            

intelligence of the modern world knows  
to be true4  ,let us pass on1 and       
consider for a moment the ,apostles'    
,creed1 so called4 ,there was a time in 
the ,church when people really supposed 
that the apostles were its author4      
,there are persons to-day who have not  
discovered the contrary4 ,i crossed the 
ocean a few years ago when on board were
 a bishop of one of the ,western ,states
 and a young candidate for orders who   
was travelling with him as his pupil4 ,i
 fell into conversation with this young 
man1 and found that he really believed  
that the twelve clauses of the          
,apostles' ,creed were manufactured by  
the apostles themselves4 ,he had never  
discovered anything to the contrary4  ,a
 still more astonishing fact came to my 
knowledge last year4 ,during that       
discussion over ,ian ,mc,laren's creed1 
in which so many people were interested 
last winter1 ,chancellor ,mc,cracken1 of
 the ,university of ,new ,york1         
published a letter1 in which he referred

 to the ,apostles' ,creed as  written   
eighteen hundred years ago4 ,it took my 
breath away when ,i read it4 ,i         
wondered1 ,could the chancellor of a    
great ,university possibly be ignorant  
of the facts8 ,would he state that which
 he knew was not true8 ,i could not     
explain it either way4 ,i was compelled 
to think1 if he was thoughtless and     
careless about it1 that he had no       
business to be about a matter of such   
importance4 ,but he said the ,apostles' 
,creed was written eighteen hundred     
years ago4  ,now what are the facts8    
,the apostles had nothing whatever to do
 with the creed1 as everybody knows     
to-day who chooses to look into the     
matter4 ,it grew1 and was four or five  
hundred years in growth1 one phrase in  
one shape held in a certain part of the 
,church1 another phrase in another shape
 held in another part of the ,church1   
people holding nothing so sacred about  
it but that they were at perfect liberty
 to change it and add to it and take    

away from it1 until1 as we get it to-   
day1 it appeared for the first time in  
history at about the year #ejj4 ,and yet
 it stands in the ,church to-day        
claiming to be the ,apostles' ,creed4   
,and this ,apostles' ,creed1 if it were 
a part of the purpose ,i have in mind   
this morning1 ,i could analyze1 and find
 that it contains elements which nobody 
accepts to-day2 and yet nobody dares to 
propose touching it1 such is the        
reverence for that which is old4 ,so    
much more reverence does the world have 
for that which is old than for that     
which is true4  ,if you approach a      
,churchman in regard to his belief in   
the resurrection of the body1 he will   
say1 ,of course1 we do not believe in   
the resurrection of the body3 we believe
 in the resurrection of the soul4 ,but  
he does not believe in the resurrection 
of the soul1 either4  ,let me make two  
statements in regard to this4 ,in the   
first place1 if he does not believe in  
the resurrection of the body1 he has no 

right to say it1 because the ,house of  
,bishops1 representing the whole ,church
 of the ,united states1 in an           
authoritative pastoral letter issued    
within three years1 declares that fixity
 of interpretation is of the essence of 
the creeds4 ,no man1 then1 is at liberty
 to change the interpretation to suit   
himself4  ,and then1 again1 nobody1 as  
,i say1 believes in the resurrection of 
the soul4 ,why8 ,because that statement1
 with the authority of the ,house of    
,bishops that nobody has any business to
 change or reinterpret1 carries with it 
a world underneath the surface of the   
earth to which the dead go down2 and    
resurrection means coming up again from 
that underground world4 ,nobody believes
 in any underground world to-day4 ,you  
cannot be resurrected4 ,that is1 you    
cannot rise again unless you have first 
gone down4 ,it is the ascent of the soul
 we believe in to-day1 and not its      
resurrection1 much less the resurrection
 of the body4  ,now a word in regard to 

another of the great historic creeds4   
,the third one to be shaped was the     
,athanasian ,creed4 ,curiously named    
most of these are4 ,there was a         
tradition in the ,church that           
,athanasius1 who was one of the great   
antagonists of the ,council of ,nicaea1 
wrote this creed called after his name2 
but1 as a matter of fact1 the creed was 
not known in the ,church in the shape in
 which we have it now until at least    
four or five hundred years after        
,athanasius was dead4  ,the ,athanasian 
,creed dates from the eighth or ninth   
century2 and in this for the first time 
there is a clear1 explicit1 definite    
formulation of the doctrine of the      
,trinity4 ,it never had been shaped in  
perfection until the time of the        
,athanasian ,creed2 and this creed      
contains among other things those famous
 damnatory clauses8 which the ,episcopal
 ,church in this country1 to their      
credit be it said1 have left out of     
their ,prayer ,book4 ,but this          

,athanasian ,creed is obliged to be sung
 thirteen times every year in the       
,church of ,england2 and you can imagine
 with what grace and joy they must sing 
the statement that1 unless a man        
believes every single word and sentence 
of it1 he shall no doubt perish         
everlastingly4  ,the ,athanasian ,creed1
 then1 takes us only to the eighth or   
ninth century4 ,you see1 do you not1    
that1 instead of there having been any  
clear1 explicit1 definite statement of  
church beliefs on the part of ,jesus and
 his apostles1 they are long and slow   
growths1 and not built up on the basis  
of proof or evidence1 simply opinions   
which people came to hold and fight for 
and preach1 until at last they got a    
majority to believe in them1 and they   
were accepted by some council4  ,i wish 
now to ask your attention for a few     
moments to one or two of the modern     
statements of beliefs4 ,we are face to  
face here in this modern world with a   
very strange condition of affairs4 ,i   

wish ,i could see the outcome of it4    
,here are churches printing1 publishing1
 scattering all over ,america and       
,europe1 statements of belief which     
perhaps hardly one man in ten among     
their pew-holders or vestrymen believes4
 ,they will tell you they do not believe
 them2 they are almost angry with you if
 you make the statement that these are  
church beliefs2 and at the same time we 
are in the curious position of finding  
that the man who proposes himself as a  
candidate for the ministry in any of    
these churches dares not question or    
doubt these horrible statements4 ,and1  
if it is found that he does question    
them after he gets into the ministry1 he
 is in danger of a trial for heresy4    
,we have had a perfect storm here in    
,new ,york in one of our greatest       
churches over ,dr4 ,briggs4 ,and what   
was ,dr4 ,briggs tried for8 ,simply for 
raising the question as to whether every
 part of the ,old ,testament was        
infallible4 ,that was all4 ,another     

professor in a theological seminary in  
the ,west was turned out of his         
professorship for a similar offence4 ,an
 ,episcopal minister1 a friend of mine  
in ,ohio1 was turned out of his church  
for daring to entertain some of the     
modern ideas which are in the air1 and  
which intelligent people believe        
everywhere4 ,one of the best known      
,episcopal ministers in this city to-day
 has an indictment over his head4 ,it   
has been there for eight years2 and it  
is only by the good will of his bishop  
that he is tolerated4 ,his crime is     
daring to think1 and to believe what all
 the respectable text-books of the      
modern world teach4  ,and people in the 
pews are indignant if you say that their
 ,church holds these ideas6 ,it is a    
curious state of affairs4 ,how long is  
it going to last8 ,what is to be its    
outcome8 ,i do not know4  ,but let us   
look for a moment at another4 ,let us   
note one or two points in the           
,presbyterian ,confession of ,faith4    

,it teaches still1 with what it claims  
to be absolute authority1 that ,god1    
before the foundation of the world1     
selected just the precise number of     
people that he was going to save2 that  
he did this1 not in view of the fact    
that they were going to be good people  
at all1 but arbitrarily of his own will1
 not to be touched or changed by        
anything in their character or conduct4 
,all the rest he is to pass by 2 and    
they are to go to everlasting woe4 ,the 
elect are very few3 those who are passed
 by are the many4 ,and why does he do   
this8 ,just think for a moment4 ,there  
is no such colossal egotism1 such       
extreme of selfishness1 in all the world
 as that attributed to ,god in this     
,confession of ,faith4 ,the one thing he
 lives for1 cares for1 thinks of1 labors
 after1 is what8 ,his own glory4 ,he    
saves a few people to illustrate the    
glory of his grace and mercy4 ,he damns 
all the rest purely to illustrate the   
glory of some monstrous thing called his

 justice4  ,this kind of doctrine we are
 expected to believe to-day4  ,and worse
 yet1 if anything can be worse4 ,i      
wonder how many loving1 tender mothers  
in all these churches know it1 how many 
know that the little babe which they    
clasp to their bosoms with such infinite
 tenderness and love1 which they think  
of as a gift from the good ,god1 right  
out of heaven1 is an enemy of ,god1 is  
under the curse and wrath of ,god8 ,how 
many of you know that your creed teaches
 that ,god hates this blessed little    
babe1 and that1 if he does not happen to
 be one of the elect1 he must suffer    
torment in darkness forever and ever8   
,that is taught in your confession of   
faith1 which ,i have right here at my   
hand4 ,the only mitigation of it that ,i
 have ever heard of on the part of      
consistent believers is the saying of   
,michael ,wigglesworth1 a famous alleged
 poet of the ,puritan time in ,new      
,england1 when he states explicitly that
 none of these non-elect children can be

 saved1 but since they are infants1 and 
not such bad sinners as the grown up    
ones1 their punishment shall be         
mitigated by their having the easiest   
room in hell4  ,friends1 you smile at   
this4 ,this poem of ,michael            
,wigglesworth's was a household treasure
 in ,new ,england for a hundred years4  
,no end of editions was sold4 ,it was   
earnestly1 verily believed2 and the     
doctrine is still taught every time that
 a new edition of the ,presbyterian     
,confession of ,faith8 is issued in this
 country or in ,europe4  ,shall we      
escape these things by going into other 
churches8 ,some of them1 yes2 but the   
essentials are there in all of them4    
,take for one moment the ,episcopal     
,prayer ,book4 ,i have had friends in   
the old churches who have become        
,episcopalians for no reason that ,i    
could imagine1 except that it seemed to 
them they were escaping some of the     
sharpest corners of the old beliefs2 and
 yet1 if you will read carefully the    

form of service for the baptism of      
infants in the ,episcopal ,prayer ,book 
as held to-day and in constant use in   
every ,episcopal ,church in this country
 and ,england and throughout ,europe1   
you will find that it is taught there in
 the plainest and most forcible way that
 the unbaptized infant is a child of    
wrath1 is under the dominion of the     
devil1 is destined to everlasting death1
 and is regenerated only by having a    
little water placed on its forehead and 
by a priest saying over him certain     
wonderful words4  ,can you believe1     
friends1 for one moment that a little   
child this minute belongs to the devil1 
is under his dominion1 hated of ,god1   
doomed to eternal death1 then the priest
 puts his fingers in some water1 touches
 its forehead1 and says1 ,i baptize     
thee1 etc41 and the child1 after this is
 said1 five minutes later1 ,god loves1  
has taken to his arms as one of his own 
little children1 and is going to receive
 him to eternal felicity forever8  ,can 

we believe such things to-day8 ,do      
people believe them8 ,if they do not1   
are they sincere in saying they do1 in  
supporting the institutions that        
proclaim to the world every hour of     
every day of every week of every month  
of every year that they do believe them8
  ,i have now said all ,i am going to   
about these creeds in any special way4  
,i wish now to discuss the general      
situation for a little4  ,i have        
heretofore said1 ,i wish to say it      
again1 to make it perfectly plain and   
emphasize it1 that all these old ,creeds
 are based on the supposed ruin of the  
race4 ,they have come into existence for
 the express purpose of saving as many  
souls as possible from this ruin4 ,they 
never would have been heard of but for  
the belief in this ruin4 ,and yet to-day
 there is not a intelligent man in      
,christendom that does not know that the
 doctrine of man's fall and ruin is not 
only doubtful1 but demonstrably untrue4 
,it is not a matter of question3 it is  

settled2 and yet these churches go on   
just as though nothing had happened4    
,is it sincere8 ,is it quite honest8 ,is
 this the way you use language in ,wall 
,street1 in your banks and your stores8 
,is this the way you maintain your      
credit as business men8  ,oh1 let us    
purge these statements of outgrown      
crudities1 cruelties1 falsities1        
blasphemies1 infamies6 ,let us dare to  
believe that the light of ,god to-day is
 holier than the mistakes about ,him    
made by those who walked in darkness4   
,now let me suggest to you4 ,every one  
of these creeds sprang out of a theory  
of the universe that nobody any longer  
holds4 ,they are ,ptolemaic in their    
origin1 not ,copernican4 ,they sprang   
out of a time when it was believed that 
this was a little tiny world1 and ,god  
was outside of it1 governing it by the  
arbitrary imposition of his law4 ,every 
one of these creeds is fitted to that   
theory of things2 and that theory of    
things has passed away absolutely and   

forever4  ,consider for just a moment4  
,why should we pay such extravagant     
deference to the opinions of men who    
lived in the dark ages1 of the old      
,church ,fathers1 of ,athanasius1 of    
,arius1 of ,justin ,martyr1 of ,origen1 
of ,tertullian8 ,why1 friends1 just     
think for a moment4 ,there was hardly a 
single point connected with this world  
that they knew anything about4 ,how did 
it happen that the whole modern world   
should get on its knees in their        
presence1 as though they knew everything
 about the ,infinite1 when they knew    
next to nothing about the finite8 ,is   
there any proof that they knew anything 
about it8 ,not one single particle4     
,think for a minute4 ,we know to-day    
unspeakably more about the origin of the
 ,bible1 how it grew1 how it came into  
its present shape1 than any man from the
 first century until a hundred years ago
 could by any possibility know4 ,we know
 a good deal more than ,paul1 though he 
was one of the writers1 unspeakably     

more4 ,he had no means of knowing4 ,we  
have sifted every particle of evidence1 
every source of knowledge that the world
 has to show4 ,we know unspeakably more 
about this universe than any man of the 
olden time had any way of knowing4 ,he  
had no way of knowing anything4  ,i said
 something recently about the origin and
 nature of man4 ,very little was known  
about this until within the present     
century4 ,we know something about how   
religions grow4 ,we have traced them1   
studied them1 not only ,christianity and
 ,judaism1 but all the religions of the 
world back to their origin1 and seen    
them coming into shape4 ,we can judge   
something about them to-day4 ,you want  
the antiquity of the world8 ,people are 
bowing in the presence of what they     
suppose to be the antiquity1 that is1   
the hoary-headed wisdom1 of the world4  
,why1 friends1 as you go back1 you are  
not going back to the old age of the    
world3 you are going back to its        
childhood4 ,the world was never so old  

as it is this morning4 ,humanity was    
never so old1 never had such accumulated
 experience1 such accumulated knowledge1
 as it has this morning4  ,if you want  
the results of the world's hoary-headed 
antiquity1 its wisdom1 its accumulated  
experience1 its knowledge1 then get the 
very latest results of the very finest  
modern investigations2 for that is where
 you will find them4  ,then let us note 
in just a word some other reasons why we
 cannot hold these old creeds4 ,the     
statements that are made about ,god are 
horrible4 ,the statements that are made 
in regard to the method by which ,god is
 going to deal with his creatures are   
horrible2 and then what they tell us in 
regard to the outcome of human history  
is pessimistic and hopeless in the      
extreme4  ,where do they claim to get   
the authority for these old beliefs8    
,they tell us they find them on the one 
hand in the ,bible4 ,what do you find in
 the ,bible8 ,you find almost anything  
you look for4 ,is it not perfectly      

natural you should8 ,the ,bible was     
written by ever so many different       
writers during a period covering nearly 
a thousand years4 ,would you expect to  
find the same ideas throughout it8 ,the 
book of ,ecclesiastes teaches that man  
dies like a dog4 ,the ,bible upholds    
polygamy1 slavery1 cruelty of almost    
every kind4 ,you might prove almost any 
kind of immorality from the ,bible if   
you wished to4  ,but take the highest   
and noblest conception of the ,bible you
 can have4 ,i was talking with an       
eminent and widely known clergyman of   
the ,presbyterian ,church during the    
present year2 and we were speaking about
 the ,bible4 ,i tell you this to show   
how modern ideas are permeating the     
thoughts of men4 ,he said3 ,i confess   
that1 if ,god had ever given the world  
an infallible book1 ,i should be utterly
 appalled and disheartened2 because it  
is perfectly clear that we have no such 
book now4 ,and1 if ,god ever gave us    
such a book1 then he has lost control of

 his universe1 and was not able to keep 
us in possession of it4  ,here are      
,quakers and ,methodists proving their  
beliefs1 the ,baptists proving theirs1  
the ,episcopalians proving theirs1 the  
,presbyterians theirs1 all of them      
different in some particular1 and each  
of them getting their proof from the    
,bible4  ,let us remember that the      
,bible is simply a great body of        
national literature1 and that you can   
prove anything out of it4 ,then remember
 that it has been proved over and over  
again by the facts of the handwriting of
 ,god himself to be mistaken and wrong  
in any number of directions4  ,god is   
writing his own book in the heavens1 in 
the earth1 in the human heart2 and we   
are reading the story there4 ,no creed1 
then1 particularly if it be infamous and
 unjust and horrible1 can prove itself  
to us so that we are bound to accept it 
to-day on the basis of an appeal to any 
book4 ,but the ,catholic ,church claims 
not only that the book is infallible1   

but that their church tradition is      
infallible too4 ,is it8 ,how can a      
church prove that its declarations are  
infallible8 ,is there any way of proving
 it8 ,think for a moment4 ,it can make  
the claim3 the only conceivable way of  
proving it is by never making a mistake4
 ,try the ,catholic ,church by that     
test4 ,it has committed itself over and 
over and over again to things which have
 been demonstrated beyond question to be
 mistakes4 ,it has made grave mistakes1 
not only as to fact1 but as to morals as
 well4  ,on what1 then1 shall we base   
any one of these infallible creeds8     
,there is no basis for any such claim2  
and thank ,god there is not4 ,for now we
 are free to study1 here1 there1        
everywhere2 to read ,god's word in the  
stars2 to read it in the rocks2 to read 
it in the remains of old-time           
civilizations2 to read it in the        
development of education1 the arts1     
science2 to read it in the light of the 
love we have for each other1 the love   

for our children1 and the growing       
philanthropy and widening benevolence of
 mankind4  ,we have thus perfect freedom
 to listen when ,god speaks1 to see when
 he holds a leaf of his ever-growing    
book for our inspection1 and to believe 
concerning him the grandest and noblest 
and finest things that the mind can     
dream or the heart can love4  ,,why     
,,have ,,unitarians ,,no ,,creed8  ,,for
 a ,scripture suggestion touching the   
principle involved in my subject1 ,i    
refer you to the words found in the     
fifth chapter of the ,gospel according  
to ,matthew1 the forty-third and the    
forty-fourth verses1 ,ye have heard that
 it hath been said2 but ,i say unto you4
 ,i take these phrases simply as        
containing the principle to which ,i    
wish to call your earnest attention at  
the outset4  ,jesus here recognizes the 
fact that the religious beliefs of one  
age are not necessarily adequate to a   
succeeding age4 ,so he says over and    
over in this chapter1 ,ye have heard    

that it hath been said by the fathers1  
by the teachers1 the religious leaders  
in old times1 so and so3 but ,i say unto
 you something else1 something in       
advance1 something beyond4  ,if any one 
chooses to say that ,jesus was          
infallible1 inspired1 and therefore had 
a right to modify the teachings of the  
fathers1 still this does not change the 
principle at all4 ,in any case he       
recognized the fact that the beliefs of 
the old time might not be sufficient to 
the new time4  ,and1 even if any one    
should take the position that ,jesus was
 the second person in the ,trinity1 that
 he was the one who revealed the        
old-time truth1 and also revealed the   
new1 still the principle is not changed3
 it is conceded1 whatever way we look at
 it4 ,for1 even if he were ,god1 he is  
represented as giving the people in the 
time of ,moses1 the time of ,david1     
certain precepts1 certain things to     
believe1 certain things to do1 and then1
 recognizing at a later time that they  

were not adequate1 changing those       
precepts1 and giving them something     
larger1 broader1 deeper1 to accept and  
to practise4  ,because this principle is
 here involved1 ,i have taken these     
words as my ,scripture point of         
departure4  ,now to come to the question
 as to why ,unitarians have no creed4   
,of course1 the answer1 though it sounds
 like an ,hibernicism1 is to say that   
they do have a creed4 ,not a creed in   
the sense in which some of the older    
churches use the word4 ,if by creed you 
mean a written or published statement of
 belief1 one that is supposed to be     
fixed and final1 one that is a test of  
religious fellowship1 which is placed at
 the door of the church so that no one  
not accepting it is able to enter1 why1 
then1 we have no creed4 ,but1 in the    
broader sense of the word1 it means     
belief2 and ,unitarians believe quite as
 much1 and1 in my judgment1 things far  
nobler and grander1 than those which    
have been believed in the past4  ,we are

 ready1 if any one wishes it1 to write  
out our creed4 ,we are perfectly willing
 that it should be printed4 ,we can put 
it into twelve clauses1 like the        
,apostles' ,creed2 we can make          
thirty-nine clauses or articles1 like   
the ,creed of the ,anglican ,church2 we 
can arrange it any way that is          
satisfactory to the questioner4 ,only we
 will not promise to believe all of it  
to-morrow2 we will not say that we will 
never learn anything new2 we will not   
make it a test of fellowship2 we will   
admit not only to our meeting-house1 but
 to our church organization1 if they    
wish to come1 people who do not believe 
all the articles of the creed that we   
shall write4 ,perhaps we will admit     
people who do not believe any of it2 for
 our conception of a church is not the  
old conception4  ,what was that8 ,that  
it was a sort of ark in which the saved 
were taken1 to be carried over the      
stormy sea of this life and into the    
haven of eternal felicity beyond4 ,as   

opposed to that1 our conception of the  
church is that it is a school1 it is a  
place where souls are to be trained1 to 
be educated2 and so we would as soon    
refuse to admit an ignorant pupil to a  
school as to refuse to admit a person on
 account of his belief to our church4   
,we welcome all who wish to come and    
learn2 and if1 after they have studied  
with us for a year1 they do not then    
accept all the points which some of us  
believe1 and hold to be very important1 
we do not turn them out even on that    
account4  ,unitarians1 then1 do have a  
creed1 only it is not fixed1 it is not  
final1 and it is not the condition of   
religious fellowship4  ,now ,i wish to  
give you some of the reasons1 as they   
lie in my mind1 for the attitude which  
we hold in regard to this matter4  ,i do
 not believe in having a fixed and final
 statement of belief which we are not at
 liberty to criticise or question or    
change4 ,why8 ,because ,i love the      
truth1 because ,i am anxious to find the

 truth1 because ,i wish to be perfectly 
free to seek for the truth4  ,our first 
reason1 then1 is for the sake of the    
truth4  ,now let me present this to you 
under three or four minor heads4 ,the   
universe is infinite1 ,god is infinite1 
truth is infinite4 ,if1 then1 on the    
background of the infinite you draw a   
circle1 no matter how large it may be1  
no matter how wide its diameter1 do you 
not see that you necessarily shut out   
more than you shut in8 ,do you not see  
that you limit the range of thought1 set
 bounds to investigation1 and that you  
pledge yourselves beforehand that the   
larger part of truth1 of ,god1 of the   
universe1 you will never study1 you will
 never investigate8  ,there is another  
point bearing on this matter4 ,if a man 
pledges himself to accept and abide by a
 fixed and final creed1 he does it      
either for a reason or without a reason4
 ,if he does it without a reason1 then  
there is1 of course1 no reason why we   
should follow his example4 ,if he has a 

reason1 then two things3 either that    
reason is adequate1 sound1 conclusive1  
or it is not4 ,if it is not adequate1   
then we ought to study and criticise and
 find that out1 and be free to discover 
some reason that is adequate4 ,if the   
reason for his holding the creed is an  
adequate one1 then1 certainly1 no harm  
can be done by investigation of it1 by  
asking questions4  ,if the men who hold 
these old creeds and defend them can    
give in the court of reason a perfectly 
good account of themselves1 if they can 
bring satisfactory credentials1 then all
 our questioning1 all our criticism1 all
 our investigation1 cannot possibly do  
the creeds any harm4 ,it will only mean 
that we shall end by being convinced    
ourselves1 and shall accept the creeds  
freely and rationally4  ,it has always  
seemed to me a very strange attitude of 
mind for a man to feel perfectly        
convinced that a certain position is    
sound and true1 and to be angry when    
anybody asks a question about it4 ,if   

there are good reasons for holding it1  
instead of calling names1 why not show  
us the reasons8 ,he who is afraid to    
have his opinions questioned1 he who is 
angry when you ask him for evidence1 to 
give a reason for the position that he  
holds1 shows that he is not at all      
certain of it4 ,he admits by implication
 that it is weak4 ,he shows an attitude 
of infidelity instead of an attitude of 
faith1 of trust4  ,there is no position 
which ,i hold to-day that ,i consider so
 sacred that people are not at liberty  
to ask any questions about it they      
please2 and1 if they do not see a good  
reason for accepting it1 ,i am certainly
 not going to be angry with them for    
declining to accept4 ,the attitude of   
truth is that of welcome to all inquiry4
 ,it rejoices in daylight1 it does not  
care to be protected from investigation4
  ,then there is another reason still1  
another point to be made in regard to   
this matter4 ,people are not very likely
 to find the truth if they are          

frightened1 if they are warned off1 if  
they are told that this or that or      
another thing is too sacred to be       
investigated4 ,i have known people over 
and over again in my past experience who
 long wished they might be free to      
accept some grander1 nobler1 more       
helpful view of truth1 and yet have been
 trained and taught so long that it was 
wicked to doubt1 that it was wicked to  
ask questions1 that they did not dare to
 open their minds freely to the incoming
 of any grander hope4  ,if you tell     
people that they may study just as      
widely as they please1 but1 when they   
get through1 they must come back and    
settle down within the limits of certain
 pre-determined opinions1 what is the   
use of their wider excursion8 ,and1 if  
you tell them that1 unless they accept  
these final conclusions1 ,god is going  
to be angry with them1 they are going to
 injure their own immortal souls1 they  
are threatening the welfare of the      
people on every hand whom they          

influence1 how can you expect them to   
study and come to conclusions which are 
entitled to the respect of thoughtful   
people8  ,i venture the truth of the    
statement that1 if you should inquire   
over this country to-day1 you would find
 that the large majority of people who  
have been trained in the old faith are  
in an attitude of fear towards modern   
thought4 ,thousands of them would come  
to us to-day if they were not kept back 
by this inherited and ingrained fear as 
to the danger of asking questions4  ,do 
,i not remember my own experience of    
three years' agonizing battle over the  
great problems that were involved in    
these questions1 afraid that ,i was     
being tempted of the devil1 afraid that 
,i was risking the salvation of my soul1
 afraid that ,i might be endangering    
other people whom ,i might influence1   
never free to study the ,bible1 to study
 religious questions as ,i would study  
any other matter on the face of the     
earth on account of being haunted by    

this terrible dread8  ,and1 then1 there 
is one other point4 ,i must touch on    
these very briefly4 ,the acceptance of  
these creeds on the part of those who do
 hold to them does not1 after all1      
prevent the growth of modern thought4   
,it does hinder it1 so far as they are  
concerned2 but the point ,i wish to make
 is this1 that these creeds do not      
answer the purpose for which they were  
constructed4 ,they are supposed to be   
fixed and final statements of divine    
truth1 which are not to be questioned   
and not to be changed4  ,dr4 ,richard   
,s4 ,storrs1 of ,brooklyn1 the famous   
,congregational minister1 said a few    
years ago that the idea of progress in  
theology was absurd1 because the truth  
had once for all been given to the      
saints in the past1 and there was no    
possibility of progress1 because        
progress implied change4 ,and yet1 in   
spite of the effort that has been made  
to keep the faith of the world as it was
 in the past1 the change is coming1 the 

change does come every day2 and it puts 
the people who are trying to prevent the
 change coming in an attitude of what   
shall ,i say ,i do not wish to make a   
charge against my brethren1 it puts them
 in a very curious attitude indeed      
towards the truth4 ,they must not accept
 a new idea if it conflicts with the old
 creed1 however much they may be        
convinced it is true4 ,if they do accept
 it1 then what8 ,they must either leave 
the ,church or they must keep still     
about it1 and remain in an attitude of  
appearing to believe what they really do
 not believe4 ,or else they must do     
violence to the creed1 reinterpreting it
 in such a way as to make it to them    
what the framers of it had never dreamed
 of4  ,do you not see the danger that   
there is here of a person's disingenuous
 attitude towards the truth1 danger to  
the moral fibre1 danger to the progress 
of man8 ,take as a hint of it the way   
the ,bible has been treated4 ,people    
have said that the ,bible was absolutely

 infallible3 they have taken that as a  
foregone conclusion2 and then1 when they
 found out beyond question that the     
world was not created in six days1 what 
have they done8 ,frankly accepted the   
truth8 ,no1 they have tried to twist the
 ,bible into meaning something different
 from what it plainly says4 ,it         
expressly says days1 bounded by morning 
and evening2 but no1 it must mean long  
periods of time4 ,why8 ,because science 
and the ,bible must somehow be          
reconciled1 no matter if the ,bible is  
wrenched and twisted from its real      
meaning4  ,and so with regard to the    
creeds4 ,the creeds say that ,christ    
descended into hell2 that is1 the       
underworld4 ,people come to know that   
there is no underworld2 and1 instead of 
frankly admitting that that statement in
 the creed is not correct1 they must    
torture it out of its meaning1 and make 
it stand for something that the framers 
of it had never heard of4 ,i think it   
would greatly astonish the writers of   

the ,bible and the ,church ,fathers if  
they could wake up to-day1 and find out 
that they meant something when they     
wrote those things which had never      
occurred to them at the time4  ,is this 
quite honest8 ,is it wise for us to put 
ourselves in this attitude8  ,i wish to 
speak a little further in this matter as
 to not preventing the coming in of     
modern thought1 and to take one         
illustration4 ,look at ,andover         
,seminary to-day4 ,the ,andover ,creed  
was arranged for the express purpose of 
keeping fixed and unchangeable the      
belief of the ,church44 ,its founders   
declared that to be their purpose4 ,they
 were going to establish the statement  
of belief1 so that it should not be open
 to this modern criticism1 which had    
resulted in the birth of ,unitarianism  
in ,new ,england2 and1 in order to make 
perfectly certain of it1 they said that 
the professors who came there to teach  
the creed must not only be sound when   
they were settled1 but they must be     

re-examined every five years4 ,this was 
to prevent their changing their minds   
during the five years and remaining on  
there1 teaching some false doctrine     
while the overseers and managers were   
not aware of it4 ,so every five years   
the professors and teachers of ,andover 
have to reaffirm solemnly their belief  
in the old creed4  ,it is not for me to 
make charges against them2 but it is for
 me to make the statement that so       
suspicious have the overseers and       
managers come to be of some of the      
professors in the seminary that they    
have been tried more than once for      
heresy2 and everybody knows that the    
leading professors there to-day do not  
believe the creed in the sense in which 
it was framed4  ,and1 to illustrate how 
this is looked upon by some of the      
students1 let me tell you this4 ,my     
brother was a graduate of ,andover2 and 
not long ago he said to me that when the
 time came around for the professors to 
reaffirm their allegiance to the creed1 

one of the other students came into his 
room one day1 and said1 ,savage1 let's  
go up and see the professors perjure    
themselves4  ,this was the attitude of  
mind of one of the students4 ,this is   
the way he looked at it4 ,i am not      
responsible for his opinion2 but is it  
quite wise1 is it best for the truth1 is
 it for the interests of religion1 to   
have theological students in this state 
of mind towards their professor8        
,modern thought does come into the minds
 of men3 they cannot escape it4 ,what   
does it mean8 ,it means simply a new1   
higher1 grander revelation of ,god4 ,is 
it wise for us to put ourselves into    
such a position that it shall seem      
criminal and evil for us to accept it8  
,if we pledge ourselves not to learn the
 things we can know1 then we stunt      
ourselves intellectually4 ,if1 after we 
have pledged ourselves1 we accept these 
things and remain as we are1 ,i leave   
somebody else to characterize such      
action1 action which1 in my judgment1   

and so far as my observation goes1 is   
not at all uncommon4  ,we then propose  
to hold ourselves free so far as a fixed
 and final creed is concerned1 because  
we wish to be able to study1 to find and
 accept the truth4 ,there is another    
reason4 ,for the sake of ,god1 because  
we wish to find and come into sympathy  
with him1 and love him and serve him1 we
 refuse to be bound by the thoughts of  
the past4  ,what do we mean by coming   
into a knowledge of ,god8 ,let me       
illustrate a moment by the relation     
which we may sustain to another man4    
,you do not necessarily come close to a 
man because you touch his elbow on the  
street4 ,the people who lived in        
,shakspere's ,london might not have been
 so near to ,shakspere as is ,mr4       
,furness1 the great ,shakspere critic   
to- day1 or ,mr4 ,rolfe1 of ,cambridge4 
,physical proximity does not bring us   
close to a person4 ,we may be near to a 
friend who is half-way round the world3 
there may be sympathetic heart-beats    

that shall make us conscious of his     
presence night and day4 ,we may be close
 alongside of a person1 but alienated   
from him1 misunderstanding him1 and     
really farther away from him than the   
diameter of the solar system4 ,if1 then1
 we wish to get near to ,god1 and to    
know him1 we must become like him4      
,there must be love1 tenderness1        
unselfishness4 ,we must have the divine 
characteristics and qualities2 and then 
we shall feel his presence1 know and be 
near him4  ,people may find ,god1 and   
still have very wrong theories about    
him2 just as a farmer may raise a good  
crop without understanding much about   
theories of sunshine or of soil4 ,but   
the man who does understand about them  
will be more likely to raise a good     
crop1 because he goes about it          
intelligently2 while the other simply   
blunders into it4 ,so1 if we have right 
thoughts about ,god1 it is easier for us
 to get into sympathy with him4 ,if we  
think about him as noble and sweet and  

grand and true and loving1 we shall be  
more likely to respond to these         
qualities that call out the best and the
 finest feelings in ourselves4  ,i do   
not say that it is absolutely necessary 
to have correct theories of ,god4 ,there
 have been good men in all ages1 there  
have been noble women in all ages1 in   
all religions1 in all the different     
sects of ,christendom4 ,there are lovely
 characters among the agnostics4 ,i have
 known sweet and true and fine people   
who thought themselves atheists4 ,a man 
may be grand in spite of his theological
 opinions one way or the other4 ,he may 
have a horrible picture of ,god set     
forth in his creed1 and carry a loving  
and tender one in his heart4 ,so he may 
be better than the ,god of his creed4   
,all this is true2 but1 if we have1 ,i  
say1 right thoughts about him1 high and 
fine ideals1 we are more likely to come 
into close touch and sympathy with him4 
,and1 then1 and here is a point ,i wish 
to emphasize and make perfectly clear1  

this arbitrary assumption of            
infallibility cultivates qualities and  
characteristics which are un and        
anti-divine4  ,let us see what ,jesus   
had to say about this4 ,the people of   
his time who represented more than any  
others this infallibility idea were the 
,pharisees4 ,they felt perfectly sure   
that they were right4 ,they felt        
perfectly certain that they were the    
chosen favorites of ,god4 ,there was on 
their part1 then1 growing out of this   
conception of the infallibility of their
 position1 the conceit of being the     
chosen and special favorites of the     
,almighty4 ,they looked with contempt1  
not only upon the ,gentiles1 who were   
outside of the peculiarly chosen people1
 but upon the publicans1 upon all of    
their own nation who were not           
,pharisees1 and who were not            
scrupulously exact concerning the things
 which they held to be so important4    
,what did ,jesus think and say about    
them8 ,you remember the parable of the  

,pharisee and the publican4 ,jesus said 
that this poor sinning publican1 who    
smote upon his breast1 and said1 ,god be
 merciful to me a sinner1 was the one   
that ,god looked upon with favor1 not   
the ,pharisee1 who thanked ,god that he 
was not as the other people were4 ,and1 
if there is any class in the ,new       
,testament that ,jesus scathes and      
withers with the hot lightning of his   
scorn and his wrath1 it is these        
infallible people1 who are perfectly    
right in their ideas1 and who look with 
contempt upon people who are outside of 
the pale of their own inherited         
infallible creeds and opinions4  ,we    
believe1 then1 that the people who are  
free to study the splendors of ,god in  
the universe1 in human history1 in human
 life1 and free to accept all new and   
higher and finer ideas1 are more likely 
to find ,god1 and come into sympathetic 
and tender relations with him1 than     
those who are bound to opinions by the  
supposed fixed and revealed truths of   

the past4  ,we reject1 then1 these      
old-time creeds for another reason1 for 
the sake of man4 ,a long vista of       
thought and illustration stretches out  
before me as ,i pronounce these words2  
but ,i can only touch upon a point here 
or there4  ,one of the most disastrous  
things that have happened in the history
 of the past and it has happened over   
and over again is this blocking and     
hindering of human advance1 until by and
 by the tide1 the growing current1      
becomes too strong to be held back any  
more2 and it has swept away all barriers
 and devastated society1 politically1   
socially1 religiously1 morally1 and in  
every other way4  ,and why8 ,simply     
because the natural flow of human       
thought1 the natural growth of human    
opinion1 has been hindered artificially 
by the assumption of an infallibility on
 the part of those who have tried to    
keep the world from growth4  ,suppose   
you teach men that certain theological  
opinions are identical with religion1   

until they believe it4 ,the time comes  
when they cannot hold those opinions any
 more1 and they break away2 and they    
give up religion1 and perhaps the       
sanctities of life1 which they are      
accustomed to associate with religion4  
,take the time of the ,french           
,revolution4 ,people went mad4 ,they    
were opposed not only to the ,state3    
they were opposed to the ,church4 ,they 
tried to abolish ,god1 they tried to    
abolish the ,ten ,commandments2 they    
tried to abolish everything that had    
been so long established and associated 
with the old regime4  ,were the people  
really enemies of ,god8 ,were they      
enemies of religion8 ,were they enemies 
of truth8 ,no3 it was a caricature of   
,god that they were fighting1 it was a  
caricature of religion that they were   
opposed to4 ,when ,voltaire declared    
that the ,church was infamous1 it was   
not religion that he wished to          
overthrow3 it was this tyranny that had 
been associated with the dominance of   

the ,church for so many ages4  ,this is 
the result in one direction of          
attempting to hold back the natural     
growth and progress of the world4 ,if   
you read the history of the ,church for 
the last fifteen hundred years until    
within a century or two1 and by the     
,church ,i mean that organization that  
has claimed to speak infallibly for     
,god1 you will find that it has been    
associated with almost everything that  
has hindered the growth of the world4 ,i
 cannot go into details to illustrate   
it4 ,it has interfered with the world's 
education4 ,there is only one nation in 
,europe to-day where education has not  
been wrenched out of the hands of the   
priesthood in the interests of man1 and 
that even by ,catholics themselves2 and 
that country is ,spain4 ,it pronounced  
its ban on the study of the universe    
under the name of science4 ,it made it a
 sin for ,galileo to discover the moons 
of ,jupiter4 ,and ,catholic and         
,protestant infallibility alike         

denounced ,newton1 one of the noblest   
men and the grandest scientists that the
 world has ever seen1 because in        
proclaiming the law of gravity1 they    
said1 he was taking the universe out of 
the hands of ,god and establishing      
practical atheism4  ,so almost          
everything that has made the education1 
the political1 the industrial1 the      
social growth of the world1 this        
infallibility idea has stood square in  
the way of1 and done its best to hinder4
 ,take1 for example1 an illustration4   
,when chloroform was discovered1 the    
,church in ,scotland opposed its use in 
cases of childbirth1 because it said it 
was a wicked interference with the      
judgment ,god pronounced on ,eve after  
the fall4  ,so1 in almost every         
direction1 whatever has been for the    
benefit of the world has been opposed in
 the interests of old-time ideas1 until 
the whole thing culminated at last in   
this3 ,here is this nineteenth century  
of ours1 which has done more for the    

advancement of man than the preceding   
fifteen centuries all put together4     
,political liberty1 religious liberty1  
universal education1 the enfranchisement
 and elevation of women1 the abolition  
of slavery1 temperance1 almost          
everything has been achieved1 until the 
world1 the face of it1 has been         
transformed4 ,and yet ,pope ,pius ,,ix41
 in an encyclical which he issued a     
little while before his death1          
pronounced1 ex-cathedra and infallibly1 
the opinion that this whole modern      
society was godless4 ,and yet1 as ,i    
said1 this godless modern world has done
 more for man and for the glory of ,god 
than the fifteen hundred years of church
 dominance that preceded it4  ,for the  
sake of man1 then1 that intellectually1 
politically1 socially1 industrially1    
every other way1 he may be free to grow1
 to expand1 to adopt all the new ideas  
that promise higher help1 hope1 and     
freedom1 for the sake of man1 we refuse 
to be bound by the inherited and fixed  

opinions of the past4  ,now two or three
 points ,i wish to speak of briefly1 as 
,i near the close4  ,we are charged     
sometimes1 because we have no creed1    
with having no bond of union whatever4  
,as ,i said a few ,sundays ago1 they say
 that we are all at loose ends because  
we are not fixed and bound by a definite
 creed4  ,what is ,god's method of      
keeping a system like this solar one of 
ours together8 ,does he fence it in8    
,does he exert any pressure from        
outside8 ,or does he rather place at the
 centre a luminous and attractive body1 
capable of holding all the swinging and 
singing members of the system in their  
orbits1 as they play around this great  
source of life and of light8 ,god's     
method is the method of illumination and
 attraction4 ,that is the method which  
we have adopted4 ,instead of fencing men
 in and telling them to climb over that 
fence at their peril1 we have placed a  
great1 luminous1 attractive truth at the
 centre1 the pursuit of truth1 the love 

of truth1 the search for ,god1 the      
desire to benefit and help on mankind4  
,and we trust to the power of these     
great central truths to attract and keep
 in their orbits all the free activities
 of the thousands of minds and hearts   
that make up our organization4  ,then   
there is one more point4 ,suppose we    
wanted an infallible creed2 suppose it  
was ever so important2 suppose the      
experience of the world had proved that 
it was very desirable indeed that we    
should have one4 ,what are we going to  
do about it8 ,i suppose that men in     
other departments of life than the      
ecclesiastical would like an infallible 
guide4 ,men engaged in business would   
like an infallible handbook that would  
point them the way to success4 ,the gold
 hunters would like an infallible guide 
to the richest ores4 ,navigators on the 
sea would like infallible methods of    
manning and sailing their ships4 ,the   
farmer would like to know that he was   
following an infallible method to       

success4 ,it would be very desirable in 
many respects2 it would save us no end  
of trouble4  ,but it is admitted that in
 these other departments of life1       
whether we want infallible guides or    
not1 we do not have them4 ,and ,i think1
 if you will look at the matter a little
 deeply and carefully1 you will become  
persuaded that it would not be the best 
for us if we could4 ,men not only wish  
to gain certain ends1 but1 if they are  
wise1 they wish more than that1 to      
cultivate and develop and unfold        
themselves1 which they can only do by   
study1 by mistakes1 by correcting       
mistakes1 by finding out through        
experience what is true and what is     
false4 ,in this process of study and    
experience they find themselves1        
something infinitely more important than
 any external fact or success which they
 may discover or achieve4  ,so ,i       
believe that a similar thing is true in 
the religious life4 ,it might be a great
 saving of trouble if we were sure we   

had an infallible guide4 ,i am inclined 
to think that a great many persons who  
go into the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 in
 this modern time1 go there because they
 are tired of thinking1 and wish to     
shift the responsibility of it on to    
some one else4  ,it is tiresome1 it is  
hard work4 ,sometimes we would like to  
escape it3 we would like infallible     
guides4 ,but ,i have studied the world  
with all the care that ,i could2 and ,i 
have never been able to find the        
materials out of which ,i could         
construct an infallible guide1 if ,i    
wanted it ever so much4  ,whether it is 
important or not to have infallible     
teaching in the theological realm1 there
 is no such thing as infallibility that 
is accessible to us2 and ,i1 for one1 do
 not believe that it would be best for  
us if there were4 ,god is treating us   
more wisely and kindly than1 if we were 
able1 we would treat ourselves2 because 
it is not the discovery of this or that 
particular fact or truth that is so     

important as is the development of our  
own intellectual and moral and spiritual
 natures in the search for truth4       
,lessing said a very wise thing when he 
declared that1 if ,god should offer him 
the perfect truth in one hand and the   
privilege of seeking for it in the      
other1 he should accept the privilege of
 search as the nobler and more valuable 
gift1 because1 in this seeking1 we      
develop ourselves1 we cultivate the     
,divine1 and work our natures over into 
the likeness of ,god4  ,and now at the  
end ,i wish simply to say that ,god has 
given us the better thing in letting us 
freely and earnestly and simply         
investigate and look after the truth1   
cultivating ourselves in the process1   
and being wrought over ever more and    
more into the likeness of the divine4   
,and ,i wish also to say1 for the       
comfort of those who may think that this
 lack of infallible guides is a serious 
matter1 it may astonish you to have me  
say it1 that there is not a single      

matter of any practical importance in   
our moral and religious life concerning 
which there is any doubt whatsoever4 ,if
 anybody tells you that he is not living
 a religious life or not living a moral 
life1 for the lack of light and         
guidance1 do not believe him4  ,what are
 the things that are in question8 ,what 
are the things of which we are sure8    
,take1 for example1 the matter of       
,biblical criticism1 as to who wrote the
 book of ,chronicles1 as to whether     
,deuteronomy was written by ,moses or   
compiled in the time of ,king ,josiah4  
,are there any great spiritual problems 
waiting for those questions to be       
settled8 ,do you need to have that      
matter made clear before you know       
whether you ought to be an honest man in
 your business1 whether you ought to    
judge charitably of a friend who has    
gone astray1 whether you ought to be    
helpful towards your neighbors1 whether 
you ought to be kind to your wife1 and  
whether you ought to lovingly train and 

cultivate your children8  ,take another 
of the great questions1 as to the       
authorship of the ,gospel of ,john4 ,i  
shall be immensely interested in the    
settlement of that if the time ever     
comes when it is settled2 but it would  
be a purely critical interest that ,i   
should have4 ,i am not going to wait    
until that is settled before ,i lead a  
religious life4 ,i am not going to let  
that stand in the way of my helping on  
the progress of the world4  ,i tell you1
 friends1 that these matters that are in
 doubt1 that need an infallibility to   
settle them1 are not the practical      
matters at all4 ,we look off into the   
vast universe around us1 and question   
about ,god4 ,is he personal8 ,can we    
have the old ideas about him8 ,one thing
 is settled3 we know we are the product 
of and in the presence of an ,eternal   
,order1 and that knowing and keeping the
 laws of the universe mean life and     
happiness1 but the opposite means death4
 ,that is the practical part of it4  ,we

 know that the ,power that is in this   
universe is making gradually through the
 ages for righteousness2 and we know    
that the righteous and helpful life is  
the only manly life for us to lead1 for 
our own sake1 for the sake of those we  
can touch and influence4  ,are we going 
to wait for criticism to settle         
metaphysical problems before we do      
anything about these great practical    
matters8  ,whatever your theory about   
,jesus may be1 you can at least be like 
him1 and wait2 and1 when you see him1   
you will love him1 and know the truth   
about him1 if you cannot before4        
,matthew ,arnold1 an agnostic1 has put  
into two or three lines1 which ,i wish  
to read now at the end1 what might well 
be the creed of the person who doubts so
 much that he thinks nothing is settled4
 ,if you cannot say any more than this1 
here is all that is absolutely necessary
 to the very noblest life3  ,hath man no
 second life8 ,pitch this one high4     
,sits there no ,judge in heaven our sin 

to see8 ,more strictly1 then1 the inward
 judge obey4 ,was ,christ a man like us8
 ,ah ,i let us try ,if we1 then1 too1   
can be such men as he4  ,,the ,,real    
,,significance ,,of ,,the ,,present     
,,religious ,,discussion4  ,,science    
tells us that the law of growth is      
embodied in the phrase1 the struggle for
 life and the survival of the fittest4  
,as we look beneath the surface in any  
department of human endeavor1 analyze   
things a little carefully1 we discover  
that this contest is going on4 ,we know 
that it is not confined to the lower    
forms of life or the order of the       
inanimate world4 ,it is a universal law4
 ,we are not always conscious of it2    
but1 when we do think and study1 we     
discover it as an unescapable fact4  ,in
 the religious world1 for example1      
between the different thoughts and      
theories which are held among men as    
solutions of the problems of life we    
find this contest going on4 ,here1      
again1 it is not always noticed2 but in 

the mind of any man who thinks1 who     
reads1 who reflects1 this process is    
apparent4 ,this view is considered1     
another view mentioned by somebody else 
is set over against it1 and the claims  
of the two theories are brought up for  
judgment4 ,and so there goes on         
perpetually this debate4 ,now and again 
it comes to the surface1 and attracts   
popular attention4 ,we have been in the 
midst of an experience of this kind for 
the last two or three weeks here in ,new
 ,york ,city4  ,but the thing ,i want   
you to note is -- and that is the great 
lesson ,i have in mind this morning that
 all of this superficial discussion of  
one point or another is only an         
indication of a larger1 deeper contest4 
,when1 for example1 men are debating as 
to the infallibility or inerrancy of the
 ,old ,testament1 as to the story of the
 creation as told in ,genesis1 as to the
 nature and work of ,jesus1 as to the   
future destiny of the race1 when they   
are discussing any one of these         

particular problems1 they are dealing   
with matters that are really            
superficial4 ,underneath these there is 
a larger problem2 and to this problem   
and its probable issues ,i wish to call 
your attention this morning4  ,there are
 two great world theories1 complete each
 in itself1 both of them thinkable1     
mutually exclusive1 one of which only   
can be true1 and one of which must      
finally become dominant in the educated 
and free thought of the world4 ,these   
two theories ,i wish to place face to   
face before you this morning1 call your 
attention to some of their special      
features and note the claims they have  
on our acceptance4  ,before doing this1 
however1 ,i wish you to note that there 
are indications of a dual tendency on   
the part of the human mind which has not
 been manifested in the development of  
these two theories alone1 but which has 
had illustrations in other directions   
and in other times4  ,in the early      
traditions of ,greece and ,rome you find

 two tendencies on the part of the mind 
of man4 ,there was1 first1 an old-time  
tradition which placed the ,golden ,age 
of humanity away back in the past4 ,the 
people dreamed of a time when ,saturn1  
the father of gods and men1 lived on the
 earth1 and governed directly his       
children and his people4 ,in that happy 
time there was no disease1 no pain1 no  
poverty4 ,there were no class           
distinctions4 ,there were no wars4 ,the 
evil of the world was unknown4 ,that was
 the ,golden ,age which a certain set of
 thinkers then placed far back in the   
past4 ,they told how that age was       
succeeded by a bronze age1 a poorer     
condition of affairs1 how the gods left 
the earth1 and ill contentions and evils
 of every kind began to afflict the     
world4 ,this was succeeded by the age of
 brass1 that by the age of iron2 and so 
the poor old world was supposed to be   
getting worse and worse1 lower and      
lower1 from one epoch of time to        
another4  ,but also among these same    

people there were another set of        
traditions1 illustrated sufficiently for
 our purpose by the story of            
,prometheus4 ,according to this the     
first age of humanity was its worst and 
poorest and lowest age4 ,the people     
lived in abject poverty and misery4     
,they were even neglected on the part of
 the gods1 who did not seem to care for 
them1 but treated them with contempt4   
,prometheus is represented as pitying   
their evil estate1 caring more for them 
than the gods did2 and so he steals the 
celestial fire1 and comes down to the   
world and presents it to men1 and so    
helps them to begin civilization1 a     
period of prosperity and progress4 ,for 
this he is punished by the gods4  ,the  
point ,i wish you to note is that even  
among the ,greeks and the ,romans there 
were two types of mind1 one of which    
placed the ,golden ,age in the past1 and
 the other of which placed it in the    
future as the goal of man's endeavor and
 growth4  ,a precisely similar thing we 

find in the ,old ,testament1 so that    
these two types of mind appear among the
 ,hebrews4 ,in one of these we find     
again the ,golden ,age1 the perfect     
condition of things1 placed at the      
beginning4 ,there was a garden1 and man 
and woman were perfect in it4 ,there was
 no labor1 no toil1 no pain1 no sorrow1 
no fear1 no trouble of any kind4 ,but   
that was followed by sin1 evil1 entering
 the world1 by their being driven out2  
and so the world has again been going   
from bad to worse1 as the ages have     
passed by4  ,on the other hand1 among   
the ,hebrews1 as illustrated in the     
writings of the great prophets1 the     
master minds of the ,hebrew race1 there 
is the opposite belief manifested4      
,there is no fall of man1 no perfect    
condition of things1 no ,golden ,age at 
the beginning1 in the prophets4 ,there  
is none in the teaching of ,jesus4      
,rather do they look forward with       
kindling eye and beating heart to some  
grander thing that is to be4  ,here is  

this dual tradition1 then1 in the world1
 in different parts of the world1 this  
dual way of looking at the problem of   
life4  ,now ,i wish to place before you 
the two great contrasted theories of the
 universe4 ,in presenting that which has
 been dominant for the last two or three
 thousand years1 two thousand1 perhaps1 
speaking roughly1 ,i am quite well aware
 that ,i shall have to seem to tell you 
what you perfectly well know1 what ,i   
have said on other occasions2 but it is 
necessary for me to run over it1 and ,i 
will do so as briefly as ,i can1 setting
 it before you in outline as a whole1 so
 that you may see it in contrast with   
the other theory which ,i shall then    
endeavor to set forth also as a whole4  
,according to that theory of the world1 
then1 which lies at the foundation1 the 
old-time and still generally accepted   
theory of ,christendom1 the world was   
created in the year #djjd ,b4,c4 ,it was
 created in a week's time4 ,this was the
 general teaching until thinkers were   

compelled to accept another theory by   
the advances of modern investigation4   
,the world was created inside of a week4
 ,god got through1 pronounced it good1  
and rested4 ,then in a short period of  
time we do not know how long evil       
entered this world which ,god had       
pronounced perfect4 ,satan1 a real      
being1 the leader of the hosts of the   
fallen angels1 the traditional enemy of 
,god1 who had fought him even in his own
 heaven and been cast out1 invades this 
fair earth4 ,he seduces our first       
parents1 gets them to commit a sin      
against ,god which makes them his       
enemies1 turns them into rebels against 
his just and holy government4 ,the      
world1 then1 is fallen4 ,now from that  
day to this the one effort on the part  
of ,god1 according to this theory1 has  
been to deliver the world from this lost
 condition4 ,jonathan ,edwards1 for     
example1 published a book called ,the   
,history of ,redemption4 ,he conceived  
the entire history of the world under   

that title1 because the history of the  
world1 according to this theory1 has    
been the history of the effort of ,god  
to deliver man from the effects of the  
fall4  ,now let us note the story as it 
proceeds a little further4 ,the world   
exists for ,i think ,i have a date here 
which may interest you #a1fef years1    
,god meantime doing everything he could1
 by sending angels and special          
messengers and teaching the people2 and 
he had accomplished so little that the  
world was in such a condition that he   
was compelled to drown it4 ,so came the 
flood4 ,after that1 he chooses one      
family1 one little family and the       
descendants of that family1 one little  
people1 and bends all his energies to   
the education and training of that      
people1-- a small people inhabiting a   
country on the eastern coast of the     
,mediterranean ,sea just about as large 
as the ,state of ,massachusetts4  ,for  
more than two thousand years he devotes 
himself to the training of this people4 

,how does he succeed here8 ,he sends his
 messengers again1 his angels1 his      
prophets1 one after another4 ,he        
inspires a certain number of men to     
write a book to deliver his will to the 
people1 fallen into such condition that 
they are incapable of discovering the   
truth for themselves4 ,but1 after all   
his efforts1 they are so far from the   
truth that1 when the second person of   
the ,trinity appears1 they have nothing 
to do with him except to put him to     
death4 ,after that1 ,god sends the third
 person of the ,trinity1 the ,holy      
,spirit1 to organize his ,church1 spread
 his truth1 convert men1 bring them into
 the ,church1 and so fit them to be     
saved4 ,and1 after two thousand years of
 that kind of effort1 what is the       
result8 ,they tell us that not more than
 a third part of the inhabitants of the 
world have heard anything about it1 that
 the majority of those who have heard   
about it reject it4 ,mr4 ,moody told us 
last year that in this country1 which we

 love to think of as the most favored   
and highly civilized and intelligent    
country in the world1 out of seventy    
millions of inhabitants1 not more than  
thirty millions ever see the inside of  
any kind of church4 ,i do not vouch for 
the accuracy of the statistics4 ,i wish 
to impress upon you the result of this  
theory of this six thousand years of    
endeavor on the part of ,god to bring   
his own children to a knowledge of his  
own truth4 ,the upshot of it is that the
 few1 the minority1 will be saved1 and  
the great majority eternally lost4  ,now
 here is one world theory1 one scheme of
 world history which ,i wish you to hold
 clearly and as definitely as possible  
in your minds1 while ,i place alongside 
of it another theory4  ,according to    
this other1 ,god did not suddenly create
 the world in a week or in a hundred    
thousand years4 ,it is a story of       
continuous and eternal creation4 ,as    
,jesus said1 with fine and noble        
insight1 ,my father worketh hitherto4   

,he did not recognize that ,god was     
resting on any day or through any period
 of time4   ,the world1 then1 has always
 been in process of creation4 ,the same 
forces at work in accordance with       
substantially the same laws4 ,the world 
has been millions of years in this      
process2 and the process all around us1 
if we choose to open our eyes and note  
it1 is still going on with all its      
wonder and divinity4 ,and we know1 as we
 study the heavens above us1 or around  
us rather1 with our telescopes1 that    
there are worlds and systems of worlds  
in process of creation on every hand4   
,we are permitted to look into the      
divine workshop and observe the divine  
method4  ,the world1 then1 is always in 
process of creation4 ,this is the first 
point in the new theory4 ,it follows1 of
 course1 from this that we are to hold  
the story of the antiquity of the earth1
 the earth millions of years old1       
instead of six thousand or ten thousand4
  ,and then1 in the third place1 it     

tells us the story of the antiquity of  
the human race4  ,all scholars1 for     
example1 as bearing on this ,i will give
 you just this one illustration1 know   
that there was a civilization in ,egypt1
 wide- spread1 highly developed1 with   
nobody knows how many ages of growth    
behind it1 there was this civilization  
in ,egypt before the world was created  
according to the popular chronology that
 has been generally received until      
within a few years4  ,we know that man  
has been on the earth hundreds of       
thousands of years4 ,this is the next   
point in that story4  ,in the next      
place1 they tell us a wondrous tale of  
the origin and nature of man1 tracing   
his natural development from lower forms
 of life4 ,when ,i say natural1 ,i do   
not wish you to think for one moment    
that ,i leave out the divinity2 for1    
according to this story of the world    
which ,i am hinting and outlining now1  
,god is infinitely nearer1 more         
wonderfully in contact with us1 than he 

ever was in the old4 ,natural1 then1 but
 divine at every step1 so that we are   
seeing ,god face to face1 if we but     
think of it1 and are feeling his touch  
every moment of our lives4  ,no fall of 
man1 then1 on this theory4 ,no invasion 
of this world by any form of evil or any
 evil person from without4 ,this story  
of the fall of man came into the world  
undoubtedly to account in some          
philosophical fashion for the existence 
of pain1 of evil1 and of death4 ,we     
account for it on this new theory much  
more naturally1 rationally1 more        
honorably for ,god1 more hopefully for  
man4  ,the history of the world1 then1  
since man began has not been by any     
means a history of universal            
progression4 ,evolution1 however much it
 may be misunderstood and               
misrepresented1 does not mean the       
necessity of progress on the part of any
 one person or any one people1 any more1
 for example1 than the growth of the    
human body is inconsistent with the fact

 that cells and composite parts of the  
body are in process of decay and        
dissolution every hour1 every moment of 
our lives4  ,nations grow1 advance1 if  
they comply with the laws1 the          
conditions1 of growth and advance2 and1 
if not1 they die out and disappear4 ,and
 so is it of individuals4 ,but1 on the  
other hand1 in the presence of the      
loving1 lifting1 leading ,god1 humanity 
in the larger sense has been advancing  
from the beginning of human history     
until to-day2 and the grade1 dim        
glimpses of which we gain as we look out
 toward the future1 is still up and     
still on4  ,according to this theory of 
the universe1 there does not need to be 
any stupendous breaking in of ,god into 
his own world after any miraculous      
fashion4 ,we do not need an infallible  
guide in religion any more than anywhere
 else1 unless we are in danger of       
eternal loss because of an intellectual 
mistake4 ,we do not need any stupendous 
miracle to reconcile ,god to his own    

world2 for he has always been           
reconciled4 ,we do not need any         
miraculous bridging of any mythical     
gulf2 for there never has been any gulf4
 ,and the outcome1 not as we look       
forward are we haunted by fearful       
anticipations of darkness and evil2 as  
we listen1 we do not ever hear the      
clanking of chains2 as we look1 we know 
that the dimness that hangs over the    
coming time is not caused by the smoke  
of the torment that ascendeth up forever
 and ever4 ,it is a story of eternal    
hope for every race1 for every child of 
man and child of ,god4  ,here are these 
two theories1 then1 two schemes of the  
universe and of human history4 ,which of
 them shall we accept8  ,i wish you to  
note now1 and to note with a little     
care1 that you cannot rationally accept 
a part of one theory and a part of the  
other1 and so make up a patchwork to    
suit yourselves4 ,take1 for example1 the
 one question1 ,is man lost or is he    
not8 ,he is not half lost or sort of    

lost3 he is either lost or he is not    
lost4 ,which is true8 ,if he is not     
lost1 then he does not need to be saved4
 ,he may need something else2 but he    
does not need that1 for the two         
correspond and match each other4 ,let us
 think1 then1 a little clearly in regard
 to this matter1 and remember that the  
outcome of the conflict between these   
two theories must be the supremacy of   
either one or the other4  ,now1 before  
,i come to any more fundamental and     
earnest treatment of the subject1 let me
 call your attention to certain things  
that are happening to the old theory4   
,how much of that old theory is intact  
to-day8 ,how much of it is held even by 
those who1 being scholars and thinkers1 
still hold their allegiance to the      
old-time theology8 ,let us see4 ,the    
story of the sudden and finite creation 
of the world is completely gone4 ,nobody
 holds that now who gives it any        
attention4 ,they have stretched the six 
days of the week1 even those who hold   

the accuracy of the ,genesis account1   
into uncounted periods of time4 ,so that
 is gone4 ,the antiquity of man is      
conceded by everybody who has a right to
 have and express an opinion2 that is1  
by everybody who has given it any study4
 ,every competent and free scholar knows
 to-day that the story of the fall of   
man and the whole ,eden story1 is a     
,babylonian or a ,persian legend that   
came into the life of the ,jews about   
the time of their captivity1 and was not
 known of till then among them1 and did 
not take hold on the leading and highest
 minds of their own people4 ,and there  
are1 as you know1 hundreds1 if not      
thousands of clergymen in all the       
churches to- day who are ready to       
concede that the story of ,eden is      
poetry or legend or tradition3 they no  
longer treat it as serious history4 ,and
 yet1 as ,i have said a good many times1
 they go on as though nothing had       
happened1 although the foundation of    
their house has been removed4 ,only     

theories which stand in the air can thus
 defy the law of gravitation4  ,nobody  
to-day who has a right to have an       
opinion believes that ,god ever drowned 
the world4 ,that is gone4 ,as to the    
question as to whether we have an       
infallible book to guide us in religious
 matters1 there are very few scholars in
 any church to-day1 so far as my        
investigations have led1 who hold any   
such opinion4 ,that is gone2 and the    
,bible1 the ,old ,testament1 at any rate
 is coming to be recognized1 not as     
infallible revelation1 but as ancient   
literature1 immensely interesting1 full 
of instruction1 but not as an           
unquestioned guide in any department of 
life4  ,there are many among the        
nominally old churches who are coming to
 hold a very different theory concerning
 ,jesus1 his life1 his death1 and the   
effect of his death on the salvation of 
man4 ,more reasonable ideas are         
prevailing here4 ,in every direction    
also there are thousands on thousands   

who are becoming freed from that        
horrible incubus of fear as they look   
out towards the future4  ,as you note   
then1 point after point of this old     
scheme of the universe is disappearing1 
being superseded by something else2     
until ,i am astonished1 as ,i converse  
with friends in the other churches1 to  
find how little of it is really left1   
how little of it men are ready1 out and 
out1 to defend4 ,in conversation with an
 ,episcopal clergyman a short time ago  
on theological questions1 we agreed so  
well that ,i laughingly said ,i saw no  
reason why ,i should not become a       
clergyman in the ,episcopal ,church4    
,now1 friends1 what ,i wish you to note 
is this3 that there is not one single   
point in this old scheme of the universe
 that can be reasonably defended to-day4
 ,it is passing away from intelligent1  
cultivated human thought4  ,and note    
another thing3 it is a scheme which is a
 discredit to the thought of ,god4 ,it  
is unjust4 ,it is dishonorable in its   

moral and religious implications4 ,it is
 pessimistic and hopeless in its outlook
 for the race4 ,it does not explain the 
problems of human nature and human      
experience half as well as the other    
theory does1 even if it could be        
demonstrated as truth4  ,now let us look
 at the other4 ,the other theory is     
magnificent in its proportions4 ,it is  
grand in its conception and in its      
age-long sweep and range4 ,it is worthy 
of the grandest thought of ,god we can  
frame2 and we cannot imagine any        
increase or heightening or deepening of 
that thought which would reach beyond   
the limits of this conception of the    
universe1 magnificent in its thought of 
,god4 ,and1 instead of being pessimistic
 and hopeless in its outlook for man1 it
 is full of hope1 of life1 of           
inspiration1 of cheer1 something for    
which we well may break out into songs  
of gladness as we contemplate4  ,and1   
then1 it is true4 ,there is not one     
single feature of it1 or point in it1   

that has not in the main been           
scientifically demonstrated to be ,god's
 truth4 ,i make this statement1 and     
challenge the contradiction of the      
world4 ,whatever breaks there may be in 
the evidence for this second theory that
 ,i have outlined1 every single scrap   
and particle of evidence that there is  
in the universe is in its favor2 and    
there is not one single scrap or        
particle of evidence in favor of the    
other4 ,as ,i say1 ,i challenge the     
contradiction of the scholarly world to 
that statement4  ,it is true then4      
,being true1 it is ,god's truth1 ,god's 
theory of things1 the outline of human  
history as ,god has laid it down for us2
 and1 as we trace it1 like ,kepler1 we  
may say1 ,o ,god1 ,i think over again   
thy thoughts after ,thee4  ,now ,i wish 
you to note one or two things concerning
 this a little further4 ,there are a    
great may persons who shrink from       
accepting new ideas because they are    
haunted with the fear that in some way  

something precious1 something sweet1    
something noble1 something inspiring    
that they have associated with the past1
 is going to be lost4 ,but think1       
friends4 ,when the ,ptolemaic theory of 
the universe gave way to the            
,copernican1 not only did the           
,copernican have the advantage of being 
true1 but not one single star in heaven 
was put out or even dimmed its light4   
,all of them looked down upon us with an
 added magnificence and a fresher glow1 
because we felt at last we were standing
 face to face with the truth of things1 
and not with a fallible theory of man4  
,do not be afraid1 then1 that any of the
 sanctities1 any of the devoutness1 any 
of the tenderness1 any of the sweet     
sentiments1 any of the loves1 any of the
 charities1 any of the worships of the  
past1 are in danger of being lost4 ,why1
 these1 friends1 are the summed-up      
result of all the world's finest and    
sweetest achievement up to this hour2   
and our theories are only vessels in    

which we carry the precious treasure4   
,i am interested in having you see the  
truth of this universe1 because ,i      
believe you will worship ,god more      
devoutly and love man more truly and    
consecrate yourselves more unreservedly 
to the highest and noblest ends1 when   
you can think thoughts of ,god that     
kindle aspiration and worship1 and      
thoughts of men as children of ,god that
 make it grandly worth your while to    
live and die for them4  ,do you think   
there is going to be a poorer religion  
than there has been in the past8 ,i look
 to the time when we shall have a church
 as wide as the horizon1 domed by the   
blue1 lighted by the sun1 the ,sun of   
,righteousness1 the ,eternal ,truth of  
the ,father2 a church in which all men  
shall be recognized as brothers1 of     
whatever sect or whatever religion1 in  
which all shall kneel and chant or lisp 
their worship according as they are     
able1 the worship of the one ,father1   
cheered and inspired by the one         

universal and eternal hope for man4  ,do
 not be afraid of the truth1 then1 for  
fear something precious is going to be  
lost out of human life4 ,evolution never
 gives up anything of the past that is  
worth keeping4 ,it simply carries it on1
 and moulds it into ever higher and     
finer shapes for the service of man4    
,i intimated a moment ago8 ,i wish to   
touch on this briefly for the sake of   
clearness that man1 according to this   
new theory1 does not need to be saved1  
in the theological sense1 of course1 ,i 
mean1 because he is not lost4 ,he has   
never been far away from the ,father1   
never been beyond the reach of his hand1
 never been beyond the touch of his love
 and care4 ,what does he need8 ,he needs
 to be trained1 he needs to be educated1
 he needs to be developed for man is    
just as naturally religious as he is    
musical or artistic1 as he is interested
 in problems of government or economics1
 or any of the great problems that touch
 the welfare of the world4  ,man needs  

churches1 then1 or societies of those   
interested in the higher life of the    
time1 needs services1 needs all these   
things that kindle and train and develop
 and lift him up out of the animal into 
the spiritual and divine nature which is
 in every one of us4 ,so that none of   
the worships1 none of the religious     
forms of the world that are of any      
value1 are ever going to be cast aside  
or left behind4  ,but there is one very 
important point that ,i must deal with  
for just a little while4 ,i will be as  
brief as ,i can4  ,i have been very much
 surprised to note certain things that  
have come out in the recent religious   
discussions4 ,the editor of the         
,brooklyn ,eagle1 for example1 has      
deprecated all talk in regard to matters
 of this sort1 saying1 in effect3 ,what 
difference does it make8 ,what is       
involved that is of any importance8 ,why
 not let everybody worship and believe  
as he pleases8 ,a writer in the ,new    
,york ,times8 ,i think perhaps more than

 one1 but one specially ,i have in mind 
has said substantially the same thing4  
,it does not make any difference4 ,let  
people worship as they please1 let them 
believe as they please1 let them go     
their own way4 ,what difference does it 
make8  ,friends1 it makes no difference 
at all1 provided there is no such thing 
in the world as religious truth4 ,if    
there is1 it makes all difference4 ,let 
us take this ,don't care and ,no matter 
theory for a moment1 and in the light of
 it consider a few of the grandest lives
 of the world4  ,if it makes no         
difference what a man believes in       
religion or how he worships or what he  
tries to do1 how does it happen that we 
,unitarians1 for example1 glorify       
,theodore ,parker1 and count him a great
 moral and intellectual hero8 ,why      
should he have made himself so unpopular
 as to be cast out even of the          
,unitarian fellowship8 ,was he          
contending for nothing8 ,was he a fool8 
was he making himself uncomfortable over

 imaginary distinctions8 ,perhaps2 but1 
then1 why are we foolish enough to honor
 him8  ,why is it that we glorify       
,channing1 who at an earlier period was 
cast out of the best religious society  
of the world for what he believed to be 
a great principle8 ,why is it to-day    
that we lift ,john ,wesley on such a    
lofty pedestal of admiration8 ,he left  
the ,church of ,england1 or was cast out
 of it1 went among the poor1 preached a 
great religious reform1 led a           
magnificent crusade1 teaching a higher  
and grander spiritual religion1 a       
religion of heart1 of life1 of          
character1 against the mere formalism of
 the ,church of his time4 ,was he       
contending about airy nothings without  
local habitation or a name8 ,if so1 why 
are we so foolish as to admire him8  ,go
 back further to ,martin ,luther1       
putting himself in danger of his life1  
standing against banded ,europe1 and    
saying1 ,here ,i stand3 ,god help me1 ,i
 can do no otherwise6 ,what is the use8 

,what did he do it for8 ,if it made no  
difference whether a man worshipped ,god
 intelligently or according to the      
things ,luther thought all wrong1 what  
was the difference8 ,what was he        
contending about1 and why does the world
 bow down to him with reverence and     
honor8  ,why are we fools enough to     
honor the men who were burned at        
,oxford8 ,why do we honor to-day the    
line of saints and martyrs8 ,why do we  
look upon ,savonarola with such         
admiration8  ,to go back still farther1 
why was it that the early ,christians   
were ready to suffer torture1 to be     
racked1 to be persecuted1 to be thrown  
into kettles of boiling oil1 to be cast 
to the wild beasts in the arena8 ,were  
they contending for nothing at all8 ,if 
it makes no difference1 why were they   
casting themselves away in this         
,quixotic and foolish fashion and1 if   
there was nothing involved1 how is it   
that these names shine as stars in the  
religious firmament of the world's      

worship8  ,go to the time of ,jesus     
himself4 ,a young ,nazarene1 he leaves  
his home in ,nazareth1 joins the        
fortunes of ,john the ,baptist4 ,after  
,john the ,baptist had been fool enough 
to get his head cut off contending for  
his theory1 ,jesus takes up his work1   
dares to speak against the temple1 dares
 to challenge the righteousness of the  
most righteous men of their time1 dares 
at last to stand so firmly that he is   
taken out one afternoon and hung upon a 
tree on the hill beyond the walls of the
 city1 the one supreme piece of folly in
 the history of the world from the ,does
 not make any difference point of view4 
,is there any truth involved8 ,does it  
touch the living or the welfare of the  
world8 ,if not1 why1 then1 are these    
looked upon as the grandest figures     
since the world began8 ,are all men     
fools for admiring them1 except these   
wiseacres who stand for the theory that 
it makes no difference and who ought not
 to admire them at all8  ,suppose you   

apply the principle in other departments
 of life4 ,we had a tremendous issue in 
this city and country last fall over the
 financial question4 ,would it have made
 any difference which side won8 ,if it  
was just as well one way as the other1  
why not let the people who clamored for 
silver have silver1 those who wanted    
greenbacks have greenbacks1 and those   
who desired gold have gold8 ,what was   
the use of troubling about it8 ,we      
thought there were principles involved4 
,take it in the economic world1 the     
individualist here with his theory1 the 
socialist here with his2 theories       
outlined like those in ,edward          
,bellamy's ,looking ,backward2 a hundred
 advancers of these different schemes1  
each contending for mastery4 ,and we    
feel that the welfare of civilization is
 at stake2 and we stand for our great   
principles4 ,take it in politics4 ,what 
difference does it make whether the     
theories embodied in the reign of the   
,czar of ,russia prevail1 or these here 

in the ,united ,states which we are so  
foolish as to laud and pride ourselves  
so much about8 ,what did we have a      
,civil ,war for1 wasting billions of    
money and hundreds of thousands of      
lives8 ,are these great human contests  
about nothing at all8  ,friends1 think  
one moment4 ,either man is a child of   
,god or he is not4 ,man fell at the     
beginning of his history1 and came under
 the wrath and curse of ,god1 or he did 
not4 ,god has sent angels1 breaking into
 his natural order of the world1 or he  
has not4 ,he has created an infallible  
book or he has not4 ,he has organized an
 infallible church that has authority to
 guide and teach the world or he has    
not4 ,he himself came down to earth in  
the form of a man once and for all1 and 
was crucified1 dead and buried and      
ascended into heaven1 or he did not4    
,these are questions of historic fact4  
,does it make no difference what we     
believe about them8 ,if man is a fallen 
being1 condemned to eternal death1 and  

,god has provided only one way for his  
escape and salvation1 then it makes an  
infinite and eternal difference as to   
whether we know it or believe it or act 
on it or not4 ,if the majority of the   
human race is doomed to eternal torture 
unless it escapes through certain       
prescribed conditions1 does it make any 
difference whether we know it or not8   
,and1 if he is not so doomed1 does it   
make no difference to the heart and     
hope1 the life1 the cheer1 the courage  
and inspiration of man1 whether or not  
we lift from the brain and the heart    
this horrible incubus of dread and fear8
  ,here are all these churches with     
their wealth1 their intelligence1 their 
enthusiasm1 their inspiration1 ready to 
do something for humanity4 ,does it make
 any difference whether they are doing  
the right thing for it or not8 ,we could
 revolutionize the world if we could be 
guided by intelligence1 and find out    
what man really needs1 and devote       
ourselves to the accomplishment of what 

that is4 ,the waste1 the waste1 the     
waste of money and thought and energy   
and time and inspiration poured into    
wrong channels1 unguided by             
intelligence1 directed towards things   
that do not need to be done1 and away   
from things that do need to be done6    
,these are the questions involved in    
discussions as to what ,god is and has  
done and is going to do with his world4 
,the one thing we need1 then1 almost    
more than all others just now1 is to be 
led by the truth1 and have the truth    
make us free from the errors and the    
burdens of the past1 so that we may     
place ourselves truly at the disposal of
 ,god for the service of our fellows4   
,o star of truth down-shining1 ,through 
clouds of doubt and fear1 ,i ask but    
'neath your guidance ,my pathway may    
appear4 ,however long the journey1 ,how 
hard soe'er it be1 ,though ,i be lone   
and weary1 ,lead on1 ,i'll follow thee4 
,i know thy blessed radiance ,can never 
lead astray1 ,however ancient custom    

,may tread some other way4 ,e'en if     
through untrod desert ,or over trackless
 sea1 ,though ,i be lone and weary1     
,lead on1 ,i'll follow thee4 ,the       
bleeding feet of martyr ,thy toilsome   
road have trod2 ,but fires of human     
passion ,may lead the way to ,god4      
,then1 though my feet should falter1    
,while ,i thy beams can see1 ,though ,i 
be lone and weary1 ,lead on1 ,i'll      
follow thee4 ,though loving friends     
forsake me ,or plead with me in tears1  
,though angry foes may threaten ,to     
shake my soul with fears1 ,still to my  
high allegiance ,i must not faithless   
be1 ,through life or death1 forever     
,lead on1 ,i'll follow thee4  ,,doubt   
,,and ,,faith-,,both ,,holy4  ,,the     
object of all thinking is the discovery 
of truth4 ,and truth for us1 what is    
that8 ,it is the reality of things as   
related to us4 ,there has been a good   
deal of metaphysical discussion first   
and last as to what things are in       
themselves4 ,it seems to me that this1  

if it were possible to find it out1     
might be an interesting matter1 might   
satisfy our curiosity1 but is of        
absolutely no practical importance to   
us4 ,i do not believe that we can find  
out what things are in themselves1 in   
the first place2 and ,i do not believe  
that1 if we could1 it would be of any   
service to us4 ,what we want to know is 
what things are as related to us1 as    
touching us1 as bearing upon our life1  
upon our practical affairs4  ,once more3
 there has been a good deal of          
discussion as to whether the universe is
 really what it appears to be to us4    
,they tell us that it is quite another  
thing from the point of view of other   
creatures1 to beings differently        
constituted from ourselves4 ,again1 all 
this may be4 ,it might be interesting to
 me1 for example1 to look at the world  
from the point of view of the fly or of 
the bird or some one of the animals2    
but1 again1 while it might satisfy my   
curiosity1 it could be of no practical  

importance to me4 ,it might be very     
interesting to me to know how the       
universe looks from the point of view of
 an angel4 ,but1 so long as ,i am not an
 angel1 but a man1 what ,i need to know 
is what the universe is as related to   
man4  ,so truth1 ,i say1 then1 is the   
reality of things as related to us4  ,i 
must make another remark here1 in order 
perfectly to clear the way4             
,philosophers and scientific men1 a     
certain class of them1 are perpetually  
warning us of the dangers of being      
anthropomorphic4 ,some one has said1    
,man never knows how anthropomorphic he 
is4 ,this means1 as you know1 that we   
look at things from the point of view of
 ourselves4 ,we see things as men1 as   
anthropoi4 ,this has been erected in    
certain quarters into a good deal of a  
bugbear in the way of thinking4 ,we are 
told we can never know the universe     
really1 because we shape everything into
 our own likeness1 we are               
anthropomorphic1 we look at everything  

from the point of view of men4  ,i grant
 the charge2 but1 instead of being      
frightened by it1 ,i accept it with     
content4 ,how else should we look at    
things except from the point of view of 
men1 since we are men8 ,we cannot look  
at them in any other way4 ,let us be1   
then1 anthropomorphic4 ,the only thing  
we need to guard against is this3 we    
must not assume that we have exhausted  
the universe1 and that we know it all4  
,this is the evil of a certain type of  
anthropomorphism4 ,but ,i cannot        
understand why it is important for us to
 be anything else but anthropomorphic4  
,i want to know how things look to a    
man1 what things are to a man1 how      
things affect a man1 how ,i am to deal  
with things1 being a man4  ,this is the 
only matter1 let me repeat again1 which 
is of any practical importance to us1   
until we become something other than    
men4  ,truth1 then1 the truth that we   
desire to find1 is the reality of things
 as related to us4 ,now doubt and faith 

are attitudes of mind1 and are neither  
good nor bad in themselves1 either of   
them4 ,they are of value only as they   
help us in the discovery of this reality
 about which ,i have been speaking4 ,if 
a certain type of doubt stands in our   
way in seeking for truth1 then that     
doubt so far is evil4 ,if a certain     
something1 called faith1 stands in the  
way of our seeking frankly and          
fearlessly for the truth1 that is evil4 
,if -doubt helps us to find truth1 it is
 good3 if faith helps us to -find truth1
 it is good4 ,but the only use of either
 of them is to help us discover and live
 the truth4  ,the attitude of the       
,church and by the ,church ,i mean the  
historic ,church of the past towards    
doubt and faith is well known to us4 ,it
 has condemned doubt almost universally 
as something evil1 sinful4 ,it has      
extolled faith as something almost      
universally good4 ,but in my judgment   
and ,i will ask you when ,i get through1
 perhaps1 to consider as to whether you 

do not agree with me the trouble with   
the human mind up to the present time   
has not been a too great readiness to   
doubt3 it has been a too great          
inclination to believe4 ,there has been 
too much of what has been called perhaps
 by the time ,i am through you will     
think miscalled faith2 and there has    
been too little of honest1 fearless1    
earnest doubt4 ,this is perfectly       
natural1 when you consider how the world
 begins1 and the steps by which it      
advances4  ,let us take as an           
illustration the state of mind of a     
child4 ,a child at first does not doubt1
 does not doubt anything4 ,it is ready  
to believe almost anything that father1 
mother1 nurse1 playmate1 may say to it4 
,and why8 ,in the first place it has had
 no experience yet of anything but the  
truth being told it2 and in the next    
place it lives in a world where there   
are no canons or standards of           
probability4 ,in the child- world there 
are no laws1 there are no               

impossibilities1 there is nothing in the
 way of anything happening4 ,the child  
mind does not say1 in answer to some    
statement1 ,why1 this does not seem     
reasonable4 ,the child's reason is not  
yet developed into any practical        
activity4 ,the child does not say1 ,why1
 this cannot be1 because there is such a
 force or such a law that would be      
contravened by it4 ,the child knows     
nothing about these forces or laws3 it  
is a sort of a ,jack- and-the-,beanstalk
 world4 ,the beanstalk can grow any     
number of feet over night in the world  
in which the child lives4 ,anything is  
possible4 ,if father and mother and     
nurse tell the child about ,santa ,claus
 coming down the chimney with a pack of 
toys on his back1 it does not occur to  
the child to note the fact that the     
chimney flue is no more than six inches 
in diameter1 and that ,santa ,claus and 
his pack could not possibly pass through
 such an opening4 ,all this is beyond   
the range or thought of the stage of    

development at which the child has      
arrived4  ,so in the childhood world4   
,as ,i said1 anything may happen4 ,but  
you will note1 beautiful1 sunny1 lovely 
as this childhood world is as a phase of
 experience1 as a stage of development1 
sweet as may be the memory of it1 yet1  
if the child is ever to grow to manhood1
 is ever to be anything1 ever to do     
anything1 it must outgrow this          
,jack-and-the- ,beanstalk world1 this   
,santa ,claus world1 this world in which
 anything may happen1 and must begin to 
doubt1 begin to question1 begin to test 
things1 to prove things1 find out what  
is real and what is unreal1 what is true
 and what is untrue1 must measure itself
 against the realities of things1 learn 
to recognize the real forces and the    
laws according to which they operate1 so
 as to deal with them1 obey them1 make  
them serve him1 enable him to create    
character and to create a new type of   
civilization1 new things on the face of 
the earth4  ,now what is true of each   

individual child has been true of the   
race4 ,the world started in childhood2  
and for thousands of years it believed  
very easily1 it believed altogether too 
much for its good1 it believed          
altogether too readily4 ,naturally1     
perhaps1 necessary in that stage of its 
development2 but so long as it remained 
in that stage there was no possibility  
of its becoming master of the earth4    
,note1 for example1 the state of mind of
 the old ,hebrews1 ,i use them merely as
 an illustration1 because you are       
familiar with their story as told in the
 ,old ,testament4 ,similar things are   
true of every race on the face of the   
earth4 ,they knew nothing about the real
 nature of this universe4 ,they knew    
nothing about natural forces working in 
accordance with what we call natural    
laws4 ,consequently1 they lived in a    
child- world1 a world of magic and      
miracle1 a world in which anything might
 happen4 ,it did not trouble one of the 
people of that time to be told that1 in 

answer to the prayer of one of the      
prophets1 an axe-head which had sunk in 
the water rose and floated on the       
surface4 ,there were no natural laws in 
his mind contradicted by an asserted    
fact like that4 ,it never occurred to   
him to be troubled about it4 ,there was 
nothing very startling to him in being  
told that the sun stood still for an    
hour or two to enable a general to      
finish a battle in which he was engaged4
 ,he did not know enough about the      
universe to see what tremendous         
consequences would be involved in the   
possibility of a thing like that4 ,he   
was not troubled when you told him that 
a man had been swallowed by a great     
fish1 and had lived for three days and  
three nights in its stomach1 and had    
come out uninjured4 ,there was no       
improbability in it to him4 ,simply1 a  
question as to whether ,god had chosen  
to have the fish large enough so that it
 could swallow him4 ,to be told again   
that a human body that could eat food   

and digest it1 a body like ours1 might  
rise into the air and pass out of sight 
into some invisible heaven1 not very far
 away1 there was nothing incredible     
about it4 ,he knew nothing about the    
atmosphere1 limited in its range so that
 it would be impossible to breathe      
beyond a certain distance from the      
planet4 ,he knew nothing about the      
intense cold that would make life       
impossible just a little way above the  
surface4  ,the world in which our       
forefathers lived until modern times was
 just this magic1                       
,jack-and-the-,beanstalk world1 a world 
without any impossibilities in it1      
without any improbabilities in it4 ,all 
this thought of the true and the untrue1
 the possible and the impossible1 the   
probable and the improbable1 is the     
result of the fact that man has grown   
up1 has left his childhood behind him1  
has begun to think1 has begun to study1 
has begun to search for reality1 to find
 out the nature of the world in which he

 lives1 the forces with which he must   
deal1 to understand the universe at     
least in some narrow range1 measured by 
his so-far experience4  ,the world1     
then1 until modern times has believed   
too readily1 has accepted things too    
easily4 ,let us note1 for example1 what 
have been called by way of pre-eminence 
the ,ages of ,faith1 the ,middle ,ages1 
the age1 say1 from the seventh or eighth
 century until the thirteenth or        
fourteenth4 ,what was characteristic of 
those ages8 ,were they grand1 noble8    
,they were ages of ignorance1 of        
superstition1 of cruelty1 of immorality1
 of poverty1 of tyranny1 of degradation4
 ,almost everything existed that men    
would no longer bear to-day2 and hardly 
any of the grand things that            
characterize modern civilization had    
then been heard of4  ,where did this    
modern civilization of ours begin8 ,did 
it ever occur to you that it began when 
men began to doubt8 ,it began1 we say1  
with the ,renaissance4 ,what was the    

,renaissance8 ,the ,renaissance was the 
birth of doubt1 the birth of question1  
the demand on the part of men1 who began
 to wake up and think1 for evidence4 ,it
 was the beginning of the scientific    
age1 the birth of the scientific spirit 
which has renovated1 re- created1       
uplifted the world4 ,men began to think1
 to look about them1 and to prove all   
things4 ,and instead of holding fast all
 things1 as they had been doing in the  
past1 they began to hold fast only the  
things which they found by experience1  
and after testing and trial1 to be good4
  ,here began1 then1 the civilization of
 the world2 and all that is finest and  
highest in industry1 in education1 in   
discovery1 in the whole external        
civilization of the world1 came in with 
the coming of this spirit that questions
 and that asks for proof4  ,i do not    
wish you to understand me as supposing  
that all kinds of doubt are good1       
equally good4 ,the ,church1 as ,i said a
 little while ago1 has been accustomed  

to teach us that doubt was wrong2 and   
there are certain kinds of doubt that   
are morally wrong1 certain kinds of     
doubt that are disastrous to the highest
 and finest life of the world4  ,i wish 
now to analyze a little and define and  
make clear these distinctions1 that you 
may see the kind of doubt which is evil 
and the kind of doubt which is good4    
,there are doubts which spring out of   
the fact that men1 under the influence  
of personal interest1 as they suppose1  
or strong desire1 wish to follow certain
 courses1 wish to walk in certain paths2
 and they doubt and question the laws1  
moral or mental1 religious or what not1 
which stand in their way1 which would   
prohibit their having their will4 ,as an
 illustration of what ,i mean1 suppose a
 man is engaged in a certain kind of    
business1 or wishes to manage his       
business in a certain kind of way4 ,he  
suspects1 if he stops and thinks about  
it1 that the interests of other people  
may be involved1 that the way in which  

he wants to conduct his business is a   
selfish way1 that the interests of other
 people may be injured1 that the world  
as a whole may not be as well off2 but  
it seems to be for his own advantage4   
,now it is very difficult1 indeed1 for  
you to persuade a man that he ought to  
do right under such circumstances4 ,he  
is ready to doubt and question as to    
whether these laws of right are         
imperative1 whether they are divine1    
whether they may not be waived one side 
in the interest of the thing which he   
desires to do4 ,so you must guard       
yourself very carefully1 no matter what 
the department of life may be that you  
are facing1 if you find yourself        
doubting under the impulse of your own  
wishes1 if you are trying to argue      
yourself into the belief that you may be
 permitted to do something which you    
very much want to do4  ,be suspicious of
 your doubts1 then1 and remember that   
probably they are wrong4 ,great moral   
questions may be involved1 and doubt may

 mean wreck here4  ,there is another    
field where doubt is dangerous and      
presumably an evil4 ,you will find most 
people1 in regard to any question which 
they have considered or which has       
touched them seriously1 with their minds
 already made up4 ,they have some sort  
of a persuasion about it1 they have a   
theory which they have accepted2 and1 if
 you bring them a truth with ever such  
overwhelming credentials which clashes  
with this preconceived idea or          
prejudice1 the chances are that it would
 be met with doubt1 with denial1 not a  
clear-cut1 intelligent1 well- balanced  
doubt1 but a doubt that springs out of  
the unwillingness that a man feels to   
reconstruct his theory4  ,let me give   
you an illustration of what ,i mean1 and
 this away off in another department of 
life from our own1 so that it will not  
clash with any of your particular       
prejudices4 ,sir ,isaac ,newton won a   
great and world-wide renown1 and        
magnificently deserved1 by his grand    

discovery of the law of gravity4 ,you   
will see1 then1 how natural it was for  
people to pay deference to his opinion1 
to be prejudiced in favor of his        
conclusions4 ,it was perfectly natural  
and1 within certain limits1 perfectly   
right4 ,sir ,isaac ,newton not only     
propounded this law of gravity1 but he  
propounded a theory of light which the  
world has since discovered to be wrong4 
,but it was universally accepted because
 it was his4 ,it became the accepted    
scientific theory of the time4 ,by and  
by a man1 unknown up to that time1 by   
the name of ,young1 studied ,newton's   
theory1 and became convinced that it was
 wrong2 and he propounded another       
theory1 the one which to- day is        
universally accepted through the        
civilized world4 ,but it was years      
before it could gain anything like      
adequate or fair consideration1 because 
the preconception in favor of ,newton's 
theory stood in the way of any adequate 
consideration of the one which was      

subsequently universally adopted4  ,so  
you will find scientific men1 ,i know   
any quantity of them1 grand in their    
fields1 doing fine work1 who are not    
willing to consider anything which would
 compel a reconstruction of their       
theories and ideas4 ,this is true not   
only in the scientific field1 but it is 
true everywhere3 it is true in politics4
 ,how many men can you get fairly to    
consider the political position of his  
opponent8 ,he not only doubts the       
rightness and the sense of it1 but he is
 ready to deny it4 ,how many people can 
you get fairly to weigh the position of 
one who occupies a religious home       
different from their own8 ,and these    
religious prejudices1 being bound up    
with the tenderest and noblest          
sentiments1 feelings1 and traditions of 
the human heart1 become the strongest of
 all1 and so are in more danger of      
standing in the way of human progress   
than anything else in all the world4    
,people identify their theories of      

religion with religion itself1 with the 
honor of ,god1 with the worship and the 
love of ,god1 and feel that somehow it  
is impious for them to consider the     
question whether their intellectual     
theories are correct or not2 and so the 
world stands by the ideas of the past1  
and opposes anything like finer and     
nobler ideas that offer themselves for  
consideration4 ,and not only in the     
religious field2 but these religious    
prejudices stand in the way of accepting
 truths outside the sphere of religion4 
,for example1 when ,darwin published his
 book1 ,the ,origin of ,species1 the    
greatest opposition it met with was from
 the religious world4 ,why8 ,had they   
considered ,darwin's arguments to find  
out whether they were true8 ,nothing of 
the kind4 ,but they flew to the sudden  
conclusion that somehow or other the    
religion of the world was in danger1 if 
,darwinism should prove to be true4 ,and
 it is very curious to note ,i wonder   
how long the world will keep on         

repeating that serio-comic blunder from 
the very beginning it has been the same2
 almost every single step that the world
 proposes to take in advance is opposed 
by the constituted religious authorities
 of the time because they assume at the 
outset that the theories which they have
 been holding are divinely authorized   
and infallible1 and that it is not only 
untrue1 this other statement1 but that  
it is impious as well4  ,the doubt1     
then1 that springs from preconceived    
ideas is not only unjustifiable1 but may
 be dangerous and wrong4  ,then there is
 another kind of doubt against which you
 should beware4 ,there are certain      
doubts that1 if accepted and acted on1  
stand in the way of the creation of the 
most magnificent facts in the world4    
,take as an illustration of what ,i     
mean3 when ,napoleon1 a young man in    
,paris1 was asked to take command of the
 guard of the city1 suppose he had      
doubted1 questioned1 distrusted1 his own
 ability2 suppose he had been timid and 

afraid1 the history of the world would  
have been changed by that one doubt4    
,take another illustration4 ,at the     
opening of our war or in the months just
 preceding the beginning of active      
hostilities the man then occupying the  
presidential chair had no faith1 no     
faith in himself1 no faith in the       
perpetuity of our institutions1 no faith
 in the people2 and so he sat doubting1 
while everything crumbled in pieces     
around him4 ,and then appeared a man in 
whom the people had little faith at     
first1 and who had no great faith       
perhaps in his own ability2 but he had  
infinite faith in ,god1 faith in right1 
faith in the people1 faith in the       
possibilities of freedom trusted in the 
hands of the people4 ,and this faith    
created a new nation4  ,if there had    
been doubt in the heart of ,abraham     
,lincoln1 again the history of the world
 would have been hanged4 ,he believed   
that ,right is right1 since ,god is     
,god1 ,and right the day must win3 ,to  

doubt would be disloyalty1 ,to falter   
would be sin4  ,you see1 then1 here is  
another field where you had better be   
wary of doubt4 ,do not doubt yourself1  
do not doubt the possibilities of noble 
action1 noble character1 of achievement4
 ,we say of a young man entering life1  
brimful of enthusiasm1 that all this    
will be toned down by and by2 and we    
speak of it as though the enthusiasm    
itself somehow was a fault or a folly4  
,and yet it is just this enthusiasm of  
the young men that moves and lifts the  
world4 ,it is this faith in themselves  
and in the possibility of great things1 
it is this faith that lies at the heart 
of every invention1 of every great      
discovery1 of every magnificent         
achievement4 ,read the history of       
invention4 ,the world is full of stories
 of men who got a new idea4 ,they were  
laughed at1 they were told it was       
impracticable2 and1 if they had been    
laughed out of it1 it would have been   
impracticable4 ,it was their faith in   

the possibility of some great new thing1
 their faith in the resources of the    
universe1 their faith in themselves as  
able to discover some new truth and make
 it applicable to the needs of the      
world1 it was this faith which has been 
at the root of the grandest things that 
have ever been done4  ,it is this which 
was in the heart of ,columbus as he     
sailed out towards the ,west4 ,it is    
this which was in the heart of ,magellan
 as he studied the shadow of the earth  
across the face of the moon1 and        
believed in the story that shadow told  
him against the constituted authorities 
of the world4  ,but now let us turn     
sharply1 and find out where doubt does  
come in1 and where it is as honorable1  
as noble1 as necessary as faith4        
,people misuse this word faith4 ,doubt  
applies to all questions of fact that   
may be investigated1 to all questions of
 history1 to all questions open to the  
exercise of the critical faculty4 ,for  
example1 if ,i am told that ,moses wrote

 the ,pentateuch1 and ,i say ,i accept  
that statement on faith1 ,i am abusing  
the dictionary4 ,i have no business to  
accept it on faith4 ,faith has nothing  
whatever to do with it4 ,it is a pure   
matter of scholarship4 ,it is a matter  
of study1 of investigation1 a matter of 
clear and hard intelligence and nothing 
more4  ,suppose ,i am told that the     
,catholic ,church is infallible1 and ,i 
am asked to accept it as an article of  
faith4 ,here1 again1 the introduction of
 the word faith into a domain like that 
is an impertinence4 ,faith has nothing  
whatever to do with it4 ,that is a      
question of fact4 ,we can read history  
for the last eighteen hundred years4 ,we
 can find out what the ,catholic ,church
 has said and what the ,catholic ,church
 has done1 as to whether it has proved  
itself absolutely infallible or not4 ,it
 is a matter of study and decision      
intellectually2 and it is my duty to    
doubt that which does not bring         
authentic credentials in a field like   

this4  ,take the question of the        
authorship of the ,gospel of ,john4 ,was
 it written by the apostle ,john1 who   
lay in the bosom of ,jesus1 and was     
called the beloved disciple8 ,have ,i   
any business to say ,i have faith that  
it was written by him1 and let it rest  
there8 ,faith has nothing to do with it4
 ,we can trace the history of that book1
 find out when first it was referred to1
 follow it back as far as possible1 find
 out whether it was in existence before 
the apostle ,john had died or not4 ,it  
is a pure matter of criticism1 a matter 
of study2 and ,i have no business to    
accept it as a matter of faith1 because1
 if ,i do1 ,i am in danger not only of  
deceiving myself1 but of misleading the 
world4 ,and truth1 we cannot say it too 
often or too emphatically1 truth is the 
only thing that is holy in              
investigations of this kind4 ,men's     
beliefs and mistakes1 old1 venerable1   
reverenced though they may have been by 
thousands and for hundreds of years1 are

 no less unworthy longer to delude the  
minds of men4 ,truth is divine1 truth is
 the one object of our search4  ,now let
 us come to consider for a moment the   
nature of faith4 ,i said a little while 
ago that the word is very frequently    
misused4 ,nine times out of ten1 when ,i
 hear people using the word faith and ,i
 see the connection in which they use   
it1 ,i discover they do not know the    
meaning of the word4 ,that which has    
favor generally under the name of faith 
is simple credulity4 ,it is closing the 
eyes and accepting something on         
somebody's authority without any        
investigation4 ,that1 remember1 is not  
faith4  ,let us see now if ,i can give  
you a clear idea of what faith really   
is2 and now ,i have the ,bible and ,i am
 glad to say it  behind me4 ,this       
magnificent chapter199 a portion of     
which ,i read as our lesson this        
morning1 gives precisely the same idea  
of faith as that which ,i am going to   
outline4 ,what is faith8 ,faith is a    

purely rational faculty4 ,it is not     
irrational1 but it is perfectly         
understandable4 ,suppose there is a man 
suddenly accused of a crime1 and ,i     
never saw him before1 ,i do not even    
know his name2 but ,i go into court when
 he is brought up for trial1 and ,i say 
that ,i have faith in that man1 and ,i  
do not believe that he committed the    
crime4 ,do you not see that ,i am       
talking nonsense8 ,i have no business to
 have faith in him1 there is no ground  
for faith1 it is an entire misuse of the
 word4 ,but now take another case4 ,here
 is a man that ,i have known for twenty 
years4 ,i have seen him in business4 ,i 
have seen him in his home1 among his    
neighbors and friends1 and in the       
street4 ,i have met him in all sorts of 
relations4 ,i have talked with him1 ,i  
have tested him4 ,i have been intimate  
with him4 ,he is suddenly accused of    
crime1 and is brought into court4 ,i    
appear1 and say ,i have faith in that   
man1 ,i do not believe that he committed

 the crime4 ,i do not know that he did  
not commit it2 but ,i have grounds here 
for faith4 ,in the light of his past    
life1 of his experience1 of his         
temptations1 of his opportunities to go 
wrong1 and of his having gone right1 in 
the light of all this past experience of
 years1 ,i have faith in this man2 and  
,i say it1 and ,i am talking reason and 
sense4 ,in the other case ,i am talking 
folly4  ,faith1 you see1 is a rational  
faculty4 ,let me give you another       
illustration4 ,suppose ,i am driving    
along through the country some morning  
when there is a very thick fog hanging  
over the landscape4 ,the fog is so thick
 that ,i can see no more than ten or    
fifteen feet ahead of me2 but ,i        
discover that ,i am near the bank of a  
river1 and ,i come to the entrance to a 
bridge4 ,i can see enough to know that  
here is an abutment of a bridge and an  
arch springing out into the fog4 ,i     
drive on to that bridge with simple     
confidence4 ,i do not know that there is

 any other end to the bridge4 ,i have   
never seen it before4 ,i have seen other
 bridges1 however2 and ,i know that1    
generally1 bridges not only begin       
somewhere1 but end somewhere4 ,so1      
though ,i do not know for certain that  
the bridge ends on the other side of the
 river1 for aught ,i know there may be a
 break in it1 the bridge may not be     
completed1 something may have happened  
to it1 ,i confidently drive on2 and in  
ninety-nine times out of a hundred my   
faith is justified by the result4 ,this 
is a pure act of faith1 but faith1 do   
you not see1 based in reality1 springing
 out of experience1 and so a purely     
rational act of the mind4  ,let me give 
you one illustration of the scientific  
use of faith1 very striking1 beautiful1 
as it seems to me4 ,the only time ,mr4  
,huxley was in this country1 ,i happened
 to be in ,new ,york1 and heard him give
 the opening one of a brief course of   
three lectures in ,chickering ,hall4 ,he
 was very much interested then in the   

ancestry of the horse4 ,most of you are 
probably aware of the fact that they    
have traced its ancestry to a little    
creature having five toes1 like ordinary
 animals4 ,at the time that ,mr4 ,huxley
 was here1 one link in this chain was   
missing2 that is1 one of the forms in   
the line of the horse's ancestors had   
not been discovered4  ,but here1 for    
example1 was the first one and the      
second one1 we say1 and the third one   
was missing1 and here was the fourth    
one1 and here was the horse itself4     
,now1 in the light of the presumable    
uniformity of nature1 ,mr4 ,huxley went 
on to describe this missing animal4 ,he 
said1 if the remains of this creature   
are ever found1 they will be so and so2 
and he went into an accurate detailed   
explanation as to what sort of creature 
it would be4 ,he had not been at his    
home in ,england a year before          
,professor ,marsh1 of ,yale ,college1   
discovered this missing link in         
,colorado1 and it answered precisely to 

the description which ,professor ,huxley
 had beforehand given of it4  ,now here 
is a case of scientific prophecy1       
scientific faith1 a faith based on      
previous scientific observations1 based 
on the experienced uniformity of nature4
 ,mr4 ,huxley did not know1 he could not
 have known2 but he believed4 ,he       
believed in the universe1 he believed in
 the sanity of the universe1 he believed
 in the uniformity1 the order1 the      
beauty of the universe2 and the result  
justified his faith4  ,faith1 then1 is a
 purely rational faculty4 ,it has       
nothing to do with the past1 but is     
always the evidence of things hoped for1
 the substance of something not yet     
seen4 ,it is always looking along the   
lines of possible experience for        
something as possibly or probably to be4
  ,now at the end ,i wish to suggest a  
few things that are in the rightful     
province and field of faith1 fields     
where we can fearlessly exercise this   
grand faculty1 where indeed we must     

exercise it if we are to achieve the    
highest and finest results in the world4
  ,and1 in the first place1 quoting the 
words of the old writer1 let me say1    
,have faith in ,god4 ,i do not mean by  
this1 accept certain intellectual       
statements or propositions about him1   
though they may be mine1 and though ,i  
may thoroughly accept and believe them4 
,you may doubt the representation of    
,god that is made in any one of the     
theologies of the world1 as to whether  
the statements made about him are       
accurate4 ,it is not this intellectual  
belief that ,i am talking about at this 
minute4 ,have faith in ,god6 ,you may   
not even use the name4 ,i am no such    
stickler for phrases as to condemn a man
 who cannot say ,god4 ,i have known a   
good many men1 who have hesitated to    
pronounce the name1 who were infinitely 
more divine in their life and character 
than those who are glibly uttering it   
every hour of their lives4 ,it is not   
this ,i mean4 ,it is something deeper1  

higher1 grander than that4 ,as you look 
along the lines of history from the     
far-off time when we begin to trace it  
until to-day1 and see the magnificent   
march of advance1 an orderly universe   
lightening and glorifying as it         
advances1 becoming ever finer and higher
 and better2 as you observe the order   
and truth and beauty and good dominant1 
and ever coming to be more and more     
dominant as the years advance1 believe  
in this and trust this1 trust to all    
possibilities of something finer and    
grander by way of outcome in the future4
 ,have faith in ,god6  ,and1 then1 have 
faith in truth4 ,i meet only a few      
people that seem to me to have utter    
faith in truth1 who really believe that 
it is safe to tell the truth1 always    
tell it4 ,i talk with a great many      
people ,i wish to mention this as an    
illustration of what ,i mean who speak  
in the greatest commendation of the     
,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,they say1 ,we
 do not know what we should do in this  

country if we had not the ,roman        
,catholic ,church to keep a certain     
section of the people down1 to keep them
 in order4 ,i wonder if people ever     
realize just what this means4 ,it means 
a lack of faith in ,god and faith in    
truth and faith in humanity1 all three4 
,if it is not safe to tell the truth1   
then ,i am not responsible for it4 ,i   
propose to say it1 although people tell 
me that there is danger of the explosion
 of the universe on account of it4 ,if  
there is1 ,i am not responsible for     
making it true4 ,oh1 ,i get so tired of 
this kind of timidity1 this playing     
hide-and-seek with people6 ,i have had a
 minister tell me that he wished he was 
free to tell the truth in his pulpit1 as
 ,i am2 and then ,i have had people in  
his congregation tell me afterwards that
 they wished their minister would preach
 the truth plainly1 as ,i did4 ,simply  
playing hide-and-seek with each other6  
,you remember the story of the man in   
,italy1 who asked the priest if he      

really believed the religion of the     
country2 and the priest said1 ,oh1 no6  
we have to go slowly on account of the  
people2 they believe it4 ,and when the  
people were asked if they believed it1  
they said1 ,oh1 no1 we are not such     
fools2 but the priests believe it4 ,and 
so people play hide-and-seek with each  
other1 not daring to tell the           
magnificent1 clear truth of things4     
,have faith in the truth4 ,it is feared 
that it is not quite safe to tell people
 the truth1 because they are not quite  
ready for it2 and ,i have had no end of 
conversations during the religious      
discussion of the last two or three     
weeks right in this line4 ,it seems to  
me very much like saying that1 because a
 man has been shut up in a dark prison  
for a long time1 you had better keep him
 there1 because it would be such a shock
 to him suddenly to face the light4     
,undoubtedly1 it would be a shock4      
,undoubtedly1 it would trouble and      
stagger people for a little while to be 

told the simple truth2 but how is the   
world ever to get ahead1 if you keep on1
 as a matter of policy1 lying to it for 
ages8 ,how is it ever going to find the 
truth8 ,shall ,i lie for the glory of   
,god1 the supposed honor of ,god8 ,i    
will take no such responsibility4  ,let 
us have faith in the truth1 then4 ,tell 
it fearlessly1 simply1 utterly2 and1 if 
,god is not able to take care of his own
 world1 why1 the sooner it ends and we  
get into a stage of existence where it  
is safe to tell the truth1 the better4  
,have faith in men4 ,have faith in the  
people4 ,this it is that we trust to in 
all our hopes of progress for the       
future4 ,this it is which distinguished 
,lincoln among our statesmen4 ,you      
remember that grand saying of his1 true 
and humorous1 so that it sticks in our  
memory1 and we can never forget it1 ,you
 can fool all the people a part of the  
time2 you can fool a part of the people 
all the time2 but you can't fool all the
 people all of the time4 ,here is the   

basis on which we rest our republic4    
,our republic is fallen unless the      
people are really to be trusted4  ,have 
faith1 then1 in the people1 faith in    
their healthy instincts1 faith in their 
general sanity1 faith in their desire   
for the right and the true2 and this is 
a genuine exercise of faith1 for the    
past history of the world justifies it4 
,and1 then1 have faith in yourself as a 
child of ,god4 ,i do not mean conceit   
now4 ,i do not mean an overestimate of  
your ability1 but belief that you can do
 great1 grand1 noble things1 belief that
 you can become something great1 noble1 
grand2 belief in the possibility in this
 life or in some other life of unfolding
 all that is highest1 truest1 sweetest1 
in manhood and womanhood4 ,it is this   
faith that is able to create the fact   
and make that which it trusts in4  ,let 
us then believe in ,god1 believe in     
truth1 believe in humanity1 believe in  
ourselves2 and then we may work towards 
the coming of that far1 grand time when 

the dreams of the world shall be        
realized and its faith shall become     
reality4  ,,is ,,life ,a ,,probation    
,,ended ,,by ,,death8  ,,my subject this
 morning is an attempted answer to the  
question1 ,is ,life a ,probation ended  
by ,death8 ,it will broaden itself      
naturally1 if we cannot accept that     
theory of it1 into the further question1
 ,what is the main end and purpose of   
our life8 ,i take my text from the fifth
 chapter of the ,epistle to the         
,ephesians1 the fifteenth and the       
sixteenth verses4 ,i will read them as  
they appear in the ,old ,version3 ,see1 
then1 that ye walk circumspectly1 not as
 fools1 but as wise1 redeeming the time4
  ,the idea of the writer is that1 as we
 pass through the world1 we should do it
 with our eyes kept intelligently open1 
looking about us on every hand1 trying  
to comprehend the situation1 to see what
 things are1 and what we ought to do to 
play our part in the midst of them4 ,not
 heedlessly1 not unwisely1 he says1     

perhaps hardly the harsh word fools1 but
 as wise1 as persons intelligently ready
 to take advantage of the situation and 
make the most of the condition in which 
one finds himself2 redeeming the time1  
or1 as the ,revised ,version has it1    
buying up the opportunity 2 being ready1
 that is1 to pay whatever price is      
necessary in order to make the most of  
the situation4  ,this1 then1 is the     
spirit according to our text in which we
 should look over the problem of life2  
and this is the method by which we      
should attempt to guide its practical   
affairs4  ,that which people regard as  
the matter of most importance1 any      
particular theory or plan of life which 
they may hold to be for them the most   
desirable1 this1 of course1 is that to  
which they will direct their chief      
attention1 on which they will lavish    
their thought1 on which they will pour  
out their care1 to which they will      
consecrate their energies4 ,if now the  
theory or plan of life be false1 if it  

be inadequate1 if one is looking in the 
wrong direction for the success that he 
desires1 or if he expects to achieve the
 great end and object of living by means
 which are not real1 which do not match 
the actual facts of the world and of    
human life1 then of course his effort is
 so far thrown away4 ,he wastes         
energies1 power1 time1 enthusiasm on    
wrong ends which might be used to the   
attainment of things which are real and 
fine and high4  ,is it not then of the  
utmost importance that our conception of
 life1 what it is for1 what we ought to 
attempt to reach1 and how we should make
 this attempt1 should be an accurate    
one8 ,any young man starting out in     
life1 if he sets up for himself a goal  
which is unworthy1 which does not match 
his faculties and powers1 and if he     
proposes to reach it by means which are 
not adequate to the attainment of his   
desires1 do you not see how he wrecks   
and wastes his life8 ,his opportunity is
 gone2 and by and by he wakes up to find

 that the years have been dissipated1   
and he has not attained any worthy or   
noble end4  ,if this be true of a young 
man as he looks forward to a scheme or  
plan of life here during these few short
 years1 how much more is a similar thing
 true1 when we are contemplating not    
merely the question of a business1 or   
professional or social failure and      
success1 but are looking at the grander 
and more inclusive theme of the         
beginning and aim and outcome of life   
itself ,we have inherited from the past 
the idea that this life here1 under the 
blue sky for a few years1 as we live it1
 is a probation1 that we are put here on
 trial1 and that death ends it1 and     
that1 when we have passed that line1    
gone over from that which is visible    
here into the invisible1 we are either  
lost or saved1 and things are definitely
 fixed forever4  ,i am perfectly well   
aware that the most of us who are here  
have given up this idea1 though there   
may remain fragments and suggestions of 

it in our minds still haunting the      
chambers of the brain1 not yet outgrown1
 not yet cleared away4 ,but with most   
people in the modern world1 if they are 
sincere1 if they are consistent1 the one
 great question with them is whether    
they are to be saved or lost in another 
life4 ,and1 if this be the true theory  
of things1 then not only ought men to   
bend all their thought1 their energies1 
devote their enthusiasms1 consecrate    
their time and money to it as much as   
they do1 but a thousand times more4  ,we
 look1 perhaps1 with a sort of amused   
curiosity1 some of us1 from what we     
regard as our superior point of view1 at
 a man like ,mr4 ,moody2 and yet ,mr4   
,moody is one man out of a million for  
his consistency and consecration to the 
thought which underlies all the         
,protestant churches of the modern      
world1 with the exception of a few here 
and there4 ,mr4 ,moody believes that    
this life is a probation ended by death4
 ,there are thousands on thousand on    

thousands of men who say they believe   
it1 who still cast in all their         
influence with churches that are based  
on it1 and who yet devote their energies
 mainly to making money1 to attaining   
social success1 to pleasures of one kind
 or another1 to political ambitions1 who
 live as though this great fate were not
 overhanging the world1 who meet their  
neighbors for pleasure or business1     
believing1 if they are sincere1 that    
this neighbor is heedlessly walking on  
to the brink of a gulf1 and yet never   
speaking to him about it1 never saying a
 word to imply that they really believe 
it2 and yet this fear hangs over them1  
haunts their consciousness waking or    
sleeping2 and1 if you ask them if they  
believe it1 they will say they suppose  
they do4 ,in hours of danger1 when      
disease threatens them or they are      
looking death in the face1 they are     
affrighted1 and try to flee to the      
traditional refuge as a place of safety4
  ,the whole great ,catholic ,church    

teaches that nobody has the slightest   
chance of being saved except by becoming
 a member of her great body of believers
 and partaking of her sacramental means 
of grace4  ,this1 ,i say then1 is the   
great underlying belief of ,christendom2
 and1 if it is true1 the world ought to 
consecrate itself1 head and brain and   
soul1 time1 money1 power1 prayer1       
enthusiasm1 everything1 to delivering   
men from the imminent danger4 ,if it is 
not true1 then it ought to be brushed   
completely one side1 put out of         
consciousness1 of thought1 of fear4 ,the
 world ought to be dispossessed of its  
haunting presence4 ,why8 ,so that we may
 fix our attention on the true end and  
aim of life1 and find out what it means 
to live1 how we ought to live1 and why  
and what for1 what ought to be the goal 
of our human endeavor4  ,so long1 then1 
as this belief does lie at the          
foundation of all the great churches of 
,christendom1 so long as it is employed 
in all the criticisms of us who do not  

any longer accept it1 it seems to me    
that it is worth our while to reconsider
 the question for a little while1 so    
that we may clear our minds and         
thoughts1 and may fix our attention     
definitely and earnestly on that which  
ought to be the goal of all our         
endeavor1 our enthusiasm and our hope4  
,let us1 then1 look for just a few      
moments at this theory1 and see what it 
means and implies4  ,it is said that our
 first father was put on probation1 was 
called upon to decide1 not for himself  
only1 but for all his descendants1 as to
 what the future history of the         
inhabitants of this planet should be4   
,two famous books were published only a 
few years ago by ,dr4 ,edward ,beecher1 
the eldest son in that famous family4   
,these were ,the ,conflict of ,ages and 
,the ,concord of ,ages4 ,dr4 ,beecher   
argued that anything like a fair        
probation on the part of ,adam was an   
impossibility4 ,this in the face of the 
prevailing beliefs of the time when the 

books were written4 ,he said that1 if a 
man were to choose on such a momentous  
question as this1 choose adequately1    
choose fairly1 he must be so            
circumstanced and endowed that he could 
comprehend the entire result of his     
choice4 ,he must be able to look down   
the ages imaginatively1 and see on one  
hand all the line of sin and misery1 of 
death1 finite and eternal1 which should 
issue from his choosing in one          
direction4 ,he must be able to          
comprehend all the good1 the music1 the 
joy1 the beauty1 the glory1 the infinite
 perfectibility1 in this world and the  
next1 which should follow his choice in 
the other direction4 ,and he said that  
,adam had no such opportunity as that1  
and was not endowed with the ability or 
the experience to make any such         
momentous choice2 in other words1 that  
the fundamental basis of the whole      
theological scheme of the world was     
unjust and unfair4  ,this was ,dr4      
,beecher's contention4 ,how did he get  

over the difficulty8 ,he believed in the
 pre-existence of human souls1 and that 
in some other life before ,adam there   
must have been an intelligent and fair  
choice1 and that we here and now are    
only fighting out one stage of the      
results of that far-off decision4 ,but1 
if you will stop to think of it a       
moment1 you will see that this puts the 
difficulty only a little further back3  
it does not solve it4 ,how does this    
first person1 if it is so1 countless    
millions of ages ago1 happen to be      
endowed with intelligence and experience
 and ability enough to make such a      
momentous choice8  ,and now just        
consider a moment4 ,is it conceivable   
that a sane person should intelligently 
choose evil1 unless he had some         
inherited bias or tendency in that      
direction8 ,for what does the choice of 
evil mean8 ,it means sorrow1 it means   
pain1 it means death1 it means          
everything horrible1 everything         
undesirable1 and means that a person    

deliberately and intelligently pits     
himself against an infinite and almighty
 power in what he knows must be an      
eternally losing battle4 ,can you       
conceive of a sane person making such a 
choice as that8  ,if one of these first 
ancestors in the ,garden of ,eden1 or no
 matter how far back1 had a right to    
choose for himself1 ,i deny his right to
 choose for me4 ,what right had he to   
choose for you8 ,what right had he to   
determine that you should be born with a
 perverted and corrupt nature1 so that  
you would be certain to choose evil     
instead of good1 helpless in the hands  
of a fate like this8  ,now you may look 
at this theory any way you please1 place
 this probationary choice at the        
beginning of human history on this      
planet1 or place it just as far back as 
you will1 it is inconceivable1 it is    
unfair1 it is unjust1 it is insane1 it  
is everything that is foolish and wrong4
 ,and yet1 note clearly one thing4 ,so  
long as the world believes this1 so long

 as the one end and aim of human life1  
as held up to people1 is to be saved1   
think of the waste1 think of the time1  
the anxiety1 the enthusiasms1 the       
prayers1 the consecrations2 think of the
 wealth1 think of the intellectual      
faculties1 think of the moral devotion1 
this whole power of the world expended  
on a false issue1 turned into wrong     
channels6  ,is this a dead question8 ,is
 there no reason for us to consider it  
here in this latter part of the         
nineteenth century8 ,why1 nine-tenths of
 ,christendom to-day is spending its    
time in trying to propitiate a ,god who 
is not angry and trying to save souls   
that are not lost4 ,expending its       
energies along mistaken channels towards
 issues that are entirely imaginary6    
,think1 for example1 if during the last 
two thousand years all the time and the 
money1 all the intelligence1 all the    
consecration1 could have been spent on  
those things that would have really     
helped men to find out the meaning of   

life1 and to illustrate that meaning in 
earnest living2 suppose the money that  
has been spent on the cathedrals1 on the
 monasteries1 spent in supporting hordes
 and hordes of priests1 spent in all the
 endeavor to save men in a future life1 
if all this had been used in educating  
men and training them into a            
comprehension of what kind of beings    
they really are1 what kind of a world   
this is in which they have found        
themselves1 spent in training them into 
mastery of themselves1 spent in teaching
 them how to understand and control the 
forces of nature in order to serve and  
develop the higher life1 think what a   
civilization might have been developed  
here on this poor old planet by this    
time6 ,how much of the disease1 how much
 of the corruption1 how much of the     
unkindness1 how much of the cruelty1 how
 much of all that still remains in us of
 the animal1 might have been outgrown1  
sloughed off1 put underneath our feet6  
,is it not1 then1 a vital question1 so  

long as so many thousands1 so many      
millions of people are still            
consecrating their time1 their money1   
their energy1 in the attempt to do that 
which does not need to be done8  ,let us
 turn1 now1 and for a little while face 
another theory of human life2 try to    
find out1 or to suggest1 what we are    
here on this planet for1 what may be    
accomplished1 how much of grand and true
 may be wrought out as the result of our
 attempt4  ,the philosopher ,kant has   
somewhere said that there are three     
things needed to the success of a human 
life1 something to do1 some one to love1
 something to hope for4 ,the old        
,catechism says that the chief end of   
man is to glorify ,god and enjoy him    
forever4 ,i indorse the words of ,kant2 
,i agree most heartily and thoroughly   
with the ,catechism4 ,philip ,james     
,bailey1 the author of that once famous 
poem ,festus1 has said1  ,life's but a  
means unto an end2 that end1 ,beginning1
 mean1 and end to all things1 ,god4     

,this also ,i indorse4 ,i believe that  
life is something inner1 something      
deeper than that which we ordinarily    
think of as constituting the matters of 
chief concern regarding it4 ,let me     
quote two or three lines again from     
,bailey's ,festus1 familiar to you      
because so fine4  ,we live in deeds1 not
 years2 in thoughts1 not breaths2 ,in   
feelings1 not in figures on a dial4  ,we
 should count time by heart-throbs4 ,he 
most lives ,who thinks most1 feels the  
noblest1 acts the best4  ,what is human 
life1 then8 ,what is it for8 ,the object
 of life is living4 ,but what does      
living mean8 ,most people cannot answer 
that question1 because they have never  
more than half lived1 and consequently  
have never appreciated its depth and    
significance4 ,as ,i have had occasion  
over and over and over again1 to say to 
business men1 and ,i like to say it on  
every opportunity1 it seems to me1 as ,i
 look over the face of society1 that    
most people live only in some little    

fragmentary way1 some corner of their   
being4  ,most men spend their lives in  
the attempt to accumulate the means to  
live1 and forget to begin to live at    
all4 ,sometimes1 as you are riding      
through the country on a winter evening1
 you come to a silent farm- house1 and  
you see one window lighted2 and1 if you 
should go and knock at the door1 you    
would probably find out that the light  
is shining from the kitchen1 where the  
family is gathered in the evening1      
perhaps as a matter of economy to save  
fire1 perhaps to save trouble4 ,and1 if 
you examine the lives of these people1  
you would find that they live chiefly in
 the kitchen4 ,they may have a          
sitting-room where they spend a few     
leisure hours2 perhaps they have the    
beginning of a library2 but they do not 
spend much time in that4 ,they have     
little opportunity for the life of the  
parlor1 representing the expansive1     
social human life which comes into      
contact with other lives4 ,and so you   

will find that this1 which is a figure1 
represents that which is true of most of
 us4 ,we have only begun to live2 and we
 live in the lower ranges of our nature1
 or perhaps we have touched life on a   
higher level in some tentative sort of  
way4 ,but the most of us are only partly
 alive1 have only developed a little of 
what is possible in us1 have only come  
in contact with some fragments of this  
wonderful universe that is all around us
 on every hand4  ,what1 then1 is the    
meaning of life8 ,what shall we try to  
do8 ,what are we here for8 ,i do not    
attempt to go into the profound         
explanation of mysteries too deep for me
 to answer1 as to what must have been in
 the mind of ,god when he planned and   
created this universe of which we are a 
part4 ,my task is a humbler one4 ,let us
 see if ,i can help you comprehend a    
little part of it4 ,take an             
illustration4  ,an immensely wealthy man
 suddenly dies1 leaving his estates to a
 little boy seven or eight years of age4

 ,he has wide stretches of land1 hill   
and valley1 river1 woods1 all that is   
beautiful as making up a landscape4 ,the
 house represents the accumulated       
resources of the experiences and the    
intelligence of a lifetime4 ,there are  
not only beautiful drawing-rooms1       
telling of taste1 but there is a library
 in which is all that the world has been
 able to accumulate of learning1 of     
literature in every department4 ,here is
 another room containing instruments of 
music and the works of the great        
composers4 ,there is an art gallery1    
containing some of the finest           
masterpieces in the way of painting and 
sculpture2 and then there is a room     
devoted to scientific experiments1--    
chemistry1 the microscope1 the          
telescope4 ,here are means and          
opportunity for finding out what the    
world has so far developed4  ,now has   
this young boy come into possession of  
these things8 ,he has inherited them1 he
 is his father's heir4 ,we say they     

belong to him2 but do they belong to    
him8 ,in what sense and to what extent  
do they belong to him8 ,they belong to  
him just in so far and just as fast as  
he develops himself into capacity of    
comprehension and enjoyment1 no faster1 
no farther4 ,as he enters upon his      
inheritance then he is put under tutors4
 ,some man comes to teach him the       
languages which he does not comprehend2 
and by and by that part of the library  
which is composed of books written in   
other speech than his own begins to     
belong to him4 ,it belongs to the tutor 
a good deal more than it does to the    
child1 until the child has learned the  
lessons of the tutor4 ,and so another   
teacher comes to instruct him in art2   
and the masterpieces of art belong to   
the person of taste1 of culture1 with   
appreciation1 to the teacher again1 to  
any one who knows and who feels1 instead
 of to the boy1 who merely has          
possession of the title-deeds4  ,do you 
see the suggestion of the picture8 ,man 

wakes up here on this planet what sort  
of a being8 ,not at first a little lower
 than ,god1 as the old ,psalmist says of
 him1 but only a little higher than the 
animals1 ignorant of himself1 ignorant  
of his surroundings1 weak1 undeveloped  
in every faculty and power4 ,he begins1 
we say1 to live2 and what does that     
mean8 ,he begins to explore this        
wonderful world1 which is his heritage2 
and do you not see that along with this 
exploration there goes of necessity a   
process of self- development8 ,i would  
pit against that statement of ,kant's a 
phrase something like this4 ,the object 
of life is threefold3 it is to become   
all possible1 it is to serve all        
possible1 it is to enjoy all possible4  
,but ,i cannot outline completely either
 one of these suggestions2 for they     
blend1 they intermingle1 as you will see
 in a moment4 ,they are like different  
notes in a piece of music that are so   
blended together that they constitute   
one tune1 while separate they are only  

fragments1 or discords4  ,the first     
thing1 then1 if a man wishes really to  
live1 is that he should develop himself1
 unfold the faculties and powers which  
lie dormant in him4 ,he is a child of   
,god4 ,he is capable of comprehending   
within his limit that which is divine4  
,he is capable of being touched1 played 
on1 by all the phases and forces of the 
universe surrounding him4 ,he is an     
instrument of ten thousand strings2 and 
marvellous may be the music of his life4
  ,first1 he should be as complete an   
animal as possible4 ,then he should     
develop himself as a being capable of   
thinking1 of knowing4 ,how many men are 
there that take possession of the       
intellectual realm that lies around them
 on every hand8 ,just think4 ,let me    
hint suggestions1 illustrations1 in one 
or two directions4 ,a man goes out for a
 walk in the park1 or1 better yet1 into 
the country4 ,the park is too           
artificial1 perhaps1 to carry just the  
meaning that ,i have in mind4 ,let it be

 a walk in the country1 then4 ,how much 
do the grasses and the flowers have to  
say to him8  ,i have a friend in        
,washington1 a famous botanist1 a       
botanist not only of all things that    
live and grow to-day1 but who has pushed
 his researches back and down into the  
prehistoric ages so as to understand and
 explain the records1 the prints1 the   
leaves and twigs1 the forms of every    
kind that are on the rocks and left to  
tell the story of a life that has passed
 away many thousands on thousands of    
years ago4 ,how much of all this        
marvellous realm1 or even a suggestion  
of it1 is revealed to the ordinary man  
as he walks through the field8  ,look in
 the direction of geology a moment4     
,here is a river course2 here is the    
shape of a hill top2 do they say        
anything to the ordinary man who walks  
with his head down1 and occupied with   
some problem of ,wall ,street1 perhaps8 
,here are marvels of creative power4    
,god shaped the slope of that hill as   

really as though he smoothed it down    
with his hand4 ,and he who understands  
the methods of world building1 of       
landscape-sculpture1 may stand in wonder
 and awe and reverence before the forces
 that have been at work for millions of 
years1 and are at work the same to-day4 
,how many men have even a conception of 
the wonders of the microscopic world8   
,to how many men do the star have       
anything to say at night8 ,a man looks  
at a bowlder1 unlike any other rock     
there is to be found anywhere in the    
neighborhood1 and perhaps he does not   
even ask a question about it2 while a   
man who has made a careful study of     
these things sees spring up before him  
in his imagination that long ice age    
before man lived on the planet1 when    
this bowlder was swept from some far-off
 place by the glacial power1 deposited  
where it is1 scraped on its surface by  
the passing of the ice1 as if ,god      
himself had left his sign-manual here1  
his autograph1 that he1 in after- ages  

who might make himself capable of       
reading1 might understand4  ,these      
merely as fragmentary1 brief hints of   
what it is to live in the intellectual  
realm4  ,go up to that realm where the  
intellect is blended with the emotions1 
the glamour of pictures1 poetry1        
sculpture1 music1 beauty of color and   
form and sound4 ,what a world this is1  
infinite resources of an infinite       
universe1 appealing to1 and1 if a man   
responds1 calling out the faculties and 
powers of his own nature that are       
capable of dealing with these things1 so
 that a man may feel that he is thinking
 over the thoughts of ,god1 tracing his 
footsteps1 listening to the marvellous  
music of his words6 ,this is one of the 
results of self-development1 if a man is
 unfolding1 developing himself1 becoming
 as much as possible4  ,now let us turn 
sharply to one of these other phases    
which ,i spoke of1 of doing what we can 
to help the world4 ,and now note1 this  
universe is so cunningly contrived that 

a man cannot possibly be successful as a
 selfish man4 ,it is one of the most    
conclusive proofs1 it seems to me1 not  
only of the divine goodness1 but of the 
moral meaning and scope of the world4   
,selfishness is not wicked only1 it is  
the most outrageous folly on the face of
 the earth4 ,if a man develop himself1  
if he develops that which is finest in  
him1 that which is best and sweetest and
 truest1 he develops not only his power 
to think1 but his capacity to love1 his 
capacity to enjoy1 and to bestow        
enjoyment2 and he cannot possibly       
succeed in the long run1 and in the best
 ways1 on selfish lines4  ,people used  
to have a notion that he who grasped and
 retained everything he could get hold  
of was the fortunate1 the successful    
man4 ,people had an idea in politics1   
for example1 that that nation was       
happiest which humbled other nations2   
and1 if it was superior to all the rest1
 by as much as they were poor and       
devastated1 this nation was fortunate4  

,we know now that a nation finds its    
prosperity in that of other nations1 in 
its ability to exchange1 to trade1 to   
carry on all the grand avocations of    
life with them4 ,if a man writes a book1
 he wants the world intelligent enough  
to understand and appreciate it4 ,if a  
man paints a picture1 he wants artistic 
ability on the part of the public1 so   
that they will appreciate and buy his   
pictures4 ,if a man carves a statue1 he 
wants the people to appreciate glory of 
form enough to see how great and true   
his work is1 and reward him for his     
endeavor4 ,in other words1 no man would 
write a book1 and go off with it alone  
by himself4 ,no man would paint a       
picture1 and hide it4 ,no man would     
carve a statue1 and conceal it from his 
fellows4  ,we have learned1 and are     
learning constantly in every direction1 
that our happiness is involved in the   
happiness of other people4 ,the world is
 haunted to-day and ,i thank ,god that  
it is with the thought of the           

unhappiness1 the misery1 of men4 ,what  
does it mean8 ,it means that men have   
developed so on their sympathetic side  
that they cannot be happy themselves    
while the world is unhappy4 ,so you see 
that this self- development1 which ,i   
placed as the chief thing at the outset 
in the meaning of life1 carries with it 
the necessity on the part of those who  
are developed1 of doing everything they 
can to develop and lift up everybody    
else2 so that making the most of        
yourself means making the most of       
everybody else4  ,and now1 if ,i turn   
for a moment to that other point1 merely
 to distinguish it by itself1 although  
,i have been dealing with it all the    
while1 the end and aim of life once more
 is to be happy4 ,i am perfectly well   
aware that the old ,puritan theology has
 taught otherwise1 so far as this life  
is concerned4 ,i was brought up with the
 feeling that1 if ,i wanted to do       
anything1 the chances were it was wrong1
 that it was a good deal more likely to 

be in the way of virtue if it was       
something that was disagreeable to me4  
,and yet1 curiously enough1 this old    
,puritan theology invented and held up  
before men1 as a lure to lead them to   
virtue1 the most tremendous bribe that  
ever entered into the imaginations of   
men1 eternal felicity on the one hand1  
and eternal woe on the other4 ,so that  
it conceded the very thing that it      
seemed to deny1 that men naturally and  
necessarily sought happiness1 and could 
not possibly do otherwise4  ,and so we  
learn to live1 to think1 to serve       
others4 ,we are beginning to learn also 
that this desire for happiness is       
natural1 is necessary1 is right4 ,if a  
man is not happy1 you may be sure there 
is something wrong4 ,if there is pain in
 the body1 it means disease1 difficulty1
 obstruction1 something out of the way4 
,it means that ,god's laws are not      
perfectly kept4 ,if there is pain up in 
the mental realm1 pain in the moral     
realm1 pain in the spiritual realm1 it  

means always something wrong4 ,man ought
 to be happy4 ,he ought to seek         
happiness as the great end and outcome  
of human life4  ,and we are learning1 as
 the natural and necessary result of our
 experiences in knowing and in serving1 
that just in so far as we know the laws 
of ,god1 just in so far as we obey the  
laws of ,god1 just in so far as we help 
others to know and obey1 just in so far 
there comes into our lives the          
blessedness of the blessed ,god4  ,the  
end of life1 then1 the object of life   
here on earth1 is to develop ourselves  
to the utmost4 ,it is to learn to know1 
take possession of our inheritance1 this
 earth1 control all its forces for the  
service of civilization4 ,it is to      
rejoice in all this self-development1 in
 all this help1 in all this knowledge1  
in all this power4 ,it is to feel       
ourselves thrilling with the            
consciousness that we are sons of ,god1 
and are co-operating with him in        
bringing about the grand result of the  

ages1 the perfection of man4  ,and then 
what8 ,death8 ,this is only one stage of
 our career4 ,we are here at school2 we 
learn our lessons or we do not2 we      
attain the ends we seek after or we only
 partly attain them or do not attain    
them at all2 and then we go on4 ,does   
that mean that it ends there8 ,i do not 
believe it4 ,i believe that it simply   
means that we go out into a larger      
opportunity1 from the planet to the     
system1 to the galaxy1 to the universe1 
wider knowledge answering to more       
magnificent resources in the infinite   
universe4 ,we1 with undeveloped powers  
that may increase and advance forever1  
and a universe so complete1 so          
exhaustless1 that it may match and lure 
and lead and rejoice us forever2 we     
being trained as ,god's children in     
,god's likeness and helping others to   
attain the same magnificent ends1 this  
,i believe to be the significance1 the  
meaning1 the purpose1 of life4  ,are    
there any here this morning who think or

 fear that the taking away of the old   
idea concerning the results of ,lying   
may remove moral motive1 may undermine  
character1 nay make people less careful 
to do right8 ,it seems to me hat1 if    
people understand the significance of   
this universe1 and their relation to it1
 they will find that all the            
carelessness of motive1 the ease of     
salvation1 as they call it1 is with the 
old idea4 ,our theory is a more         
strenuous and insistent one4 ,children  
are learning as they become wiser that  
evil is not only evil1 but it is folly4 
,a man wishes life1 health1 happiness1  
prosperity1 all good4 ,he learns1 as he 
goes on1 that the universe is in favor  
of the keeping of its own laws2 and     
that1 f he flings himself against the   
forces of the universe1 he is only      
broken for his pains4 ,if you wish to be
 healthful1 sappy1 strong1 wish to      
attain any desirable thing1 it is to be 
bound not in defiance of the laws of the
 universe1 but in loving and tender     

obedience4  ,and1 then1 if you only     
remember that in this universe and coder
 the universal law of cause and effect  
you are building to-morrow out of       
to-day1 and next week and next year1 and
 all he future1 that every thought1     
every word1 every action1 is  cemented  
together as a part of this structure    
that you build1 hat you can make your   
own future for good or ill1 and that you
 cannot build it successfully except in 
accordance with he eternal laws of      
things1 then you find that here are the 
most insistent and tremendous motives it
 is possible for the human mind to      
conceive4  ,this life of ours1 if we    
lead it nobly and truly1 then1 we shall 
find to be a growth into the likeness of
 the ,divine1 a growth into an          
increasing opportunity to share the work
 of our ,father in building and helping 
men1 and that1 as the result of this1   
joy1 infinite joy1 is to fill our hearts
 until we share the very blessedness of 
our ,father4  ,god made our lives to be 

a song ,sweet as the music of the       
spheres1 ,that still their harmonies    
prolong ,for him who rightly hears4 ,the
 heavens and the earth do play ,upon us1
 if we be in tune3 ,winter shouts hoarse
 his roundelay1 ,and tender sweet pipes 
,june4 ,but oftentimes the songs are    
pain1 ,and discord mars our harmonies3  
,our strings are snapped by selfish     
strain1 ,and harsh hands break our keys4
 ,but ,god meant music2 and we may1 ,if 
we will keep our lives in tune1 ,hear   
the whole year sing roundelay1 ,december
 answering ,june4 ,god ever at his      
keyboard plays1 ,harmonics1 right2 and  
discords1 wrong3 ,he that hath ears1 and
 who obeys1 ,may hear the mystic song4  
,,sin ,,and ,,atonement4  ,for the sake 
of clearness1 and in order that you may 
definitely comprehend the doctrine of   
sin and atonement which ,i believe to be
 the true one1 ,i need in the first     
place to outline as a background that   
which lies at the foundation of all the 
popular theologies of ,christendom4 ,i  

am perfectly well aware that at least a 
part of the time1 while ,i am doing     
this1 ,i shall be traversing ground with
 which you are already familiar4 ,some  
of it1 however1 ,i think may be somewhat
 strange to you4  ,the tradition begins 
with the story of a war in heaven4 ,in  
some way rebellion began among the      
angels2 and he who had been ,lucifer1   
the light-bearer1 prince among the      
glorious sons of ,god1 took up arms of  
rebellion against the ,almighty4        
,naturally1 he failed in this inevitably
 losing battle1 and was cast out into   
the abyss1 with a third part of all the 
angels1 who had followed him4 ,then the 
tradition goes on3 ,god decided to      
create the world1 that the sons of men  
born and trained here might ultimately  
take the places that had been held by   
the angels who had been cast out on     
account of their sin4 ,but ,satan1      
seeing this fair and beautiful earth1   
this wondrous handiwork of ,god1        
determined1 if possible1 to thwart and  

defeat the purposes of the ,almighty4   
,he therefore invades this beautiful    
world4 ,he finds ,adam and ,eve in their
 condition of perfect felicity1         
innocent1 but inexperienced2 and they   
fall a ready prey to his intention4     
,they then share his rebellion1 accept  
him instead of ,god as king4 ,henceforth
 they are followers of him in his       
age-long warfare against light and      
truth1 and1 unless in some way saved1   
are to be sharers of his eternal        
destiny1 cast out into chains and       
darkness forever4  ,now comes the       
necessity for noting for a moment the   
nature of sin on this theory4 ,you see  
it is not ignorance1 it is not weakness 
merely1 it is not inherited passion     
only3 it is conscious and purposeful    
rebellion against ,god1 putting yourself
 at enmity with his truth1 his          
righteousness1 his love4 ,in action it  
is some specific deed done against ,god 
or against his truth or his right4 ,as a
 state of mind1 it is a heart perverted1

 choosing always that which is evil1 a  
heart at enmity with ,god and with all  
that is good2 and the theologians have  
always been obliged1 as a matter of     
consistency1 to hold1 no matter how     
noble1 how unselfish men might appear to
 be1 that the natural man has           
inherently1 always1 necessarily been    
evil4 ,he carries about with him the    
taint of original sin2 that is1 sin of  
constitution1 ingrained1 inherited1 that
 which is of the very fibre of his      
being4 ,this is the character of man as 
required by the old theological systems2
 and this is how it happened to come    
about4 ,evil is not something natural1  
not imperfection1 not something         
undeveloped1 not yet outgrown4 ,sin     
originated outside of this world1       
invaded it1 and worked its ruin and     
destruction4  ,now comes the device that
 has been called the ,atonement1 by     
which it is supposed that ,god is going 
to be able to save at least a part of   
this rebellious humanity4 ,there have   

been a good many different theories of  
the atonement that have been held1      
eighteen or twenty varieties of the     
doctrine1 three or four of which ,i must
 outline1 in order to make them clear to
 your mind1 that you may see what have  
been the devices by which the           
theologians have supposed that they     
could find a way for the deliverance of 
man from this condition of loss1 and fit
 him to share the felicity for which he 
was originally intended4  ,of course1   
the main point in the whole scheme is   
that the ,second ,person of the ,trinity
 becomes incarnate1 comes down here to  
this world1 is born1 grows up1 teaches1 
suffers and at last is put to an        
ignominious death4 ,this is the central 
idea of the doctrine of the atonement2  
or1 rather1 the ,christ is the central  
figure in that doctrine4 ,but how is it 
supposed to work out the atonement that 
is necessary1 in order that man may be  
saved8 ,you will see that the world1    
according to the ideas ,i have been     

delineating1 is in a condition of       
rebellion4 ,what men need is to be      
persuaded that they are wrong1 convinced
 of sin1 in theological language1 and   
then made repentant1 and in some way be 
forgiven for the wrong which they have  
done4  ,now it is supposed that ,god    
must invent some scheme by which to make
 it possible for him to save these lost 
and fallen men4 ,if you read the parable
 of the ,prodigal ,son as ,jesus has so 
tenderly1 touchingly1 beautifully       
outlined it for us1 you will see that   
there is no thought or plan or necessity
 for either in that4 ,the son left his  
home1 followed the impulses and passions
 of youth1 had gone among those that    
were degraded1 had soiled his character1
 done despite to his father's love1     
injured his own nature1 degraded himself
 by his associations and actions4 ,but  
when at last he awakes1 becomes         
conscious of his father's love and      
righteousness and truth1 and says1 ,i   
will arise1 and go to my father1 there  

is no talk of ,god's not being ready to 
receive him1 or not being able to       
receive him1 or needing to have         
something done before he can receive    
him1 no thought of anybody's suffering  
any more in order that he may be        
forgiven4 ,you see all these elements   
that are associated with the popular    
doctrines of atonement are not once     
thought of1 never even alluded to4 ,he  
simply arises1 and goes to his father2  
and his father is so anxious to help him
 that he goes to meet him before he     
reaches the father's house1 and gladly  
falls on his neck and kisses him and    
folds him in his arms4 ,it only needs   
that the son should recognize the       
righteousness and goodness of his       
father1 and should wish to go back4     
,that is the doctrine of ,jesus as      
taught in this wonderfully sweet and    
beautiful parable4  ,now what are the   
theories of atonement as outlined in the
 popular theology8 ,for the first       
thousand years of ,christian history one

 of the strangest conceptions possessed 
the ecclesiastical mind that has ever   
been dreamed of4 ,it was held literally 
that through the sin of ,adam the human 
race had become the rightful subjects of
 ,satan1 that they belonged to him4 ,he 
was their king1 their emperor1 their    
ruler1 and had a right to them in this  
world and the next4 ,and so some        
diplomatic negotiations must be entered 
into with the ,devil1 in order to       
deliver a certain part of these his     
subjects1 and open the way for them to  
be saved4 ,so the ,church ,fathers      
taught that ,satan recognized in ,christ
 his old adversary in heaven1 and he    
entered into a bargain with ,god that1  
if he could have ,christ delivered over 
to him1 in exchange for that he would   
give up his right to so many of the     
souls of men as were to be saved as the 
result of this compact4 ,so the work of 
the atonement used to be preached as    
being this sort of bargain entered into 
with ,satan4  ,but note what quaint1    

naive ideas possessed the minds of      
people at that time4 ,satan did not know
 that ,jesus possessed a divine nature1 
and that1 consequently1 he could not    
beholden of death2 and so1 when he      
entered into this bargain1 he was       
cheated1 he found out to his dismay that
 he had lost not only humanity1 but     
,christ also1 had been defrauded of them
 both4 ,this was the doctrine of the    
atonement that was preached during the  
early centuries of the ,christian       
,church1 at least in certain parts of   
,europe4  ,but later there came another 
doctrine1 the belief that the sufferings
 of the ,christ were a substitute       
offered to ,god for what would have been
 the sufferings of the lost4 ,he was    
made sin for us1 he who had known no    
sin1 as the ,new ,testament phraseology 
has it4 ,so that he1 being infinite1 in 
a brief space of time during his little 
earthly career1 during his suspension on
 the cross and his descent into hell1   
was able to suffer as much pain as all  

the lost would have suffered throughout 
eternity4 ,and this suffering of the    
,christ was supposed to be accepted on  
the part of ,god as the substitute for  
that which he would have exacted on the 
part of the souls of those that for his 
sake were to be saved4  ,there is still 
another theory that ,i must mention     
briefly1 that which is called the       
governmental theory1 that which ,i was  
taught during my course of theological  
instruction4 ,the idea was that ,god had
 a moral government to maintain1 not    
only on this earth1 but throughout the  
range of the universe among all his     
intelligent creatures1 and1 if he       
permitted his laws to be broken without 
exacting an adequate penalty1 then all  
governmental authority would be         
overthrown4 ,in other words1 men took   
their poor human legal devices1 their   
political ideals1 and lifted them into  
the heavens1 made them the models after 
which it was supposed ,god was to govern
 his great1 intelligent universe4  ,so  

they said that ,god would be willing to 
forgive1 he would like to forgive1 he   
was loving and tender and kind1 but it  
was not safe1 safe for the interests of 
his universal government1 for him to    
forgive any one until an adequate       
penalty had been paid in expiation of   
human sin4  ,you see1 according to this 
theory1 it does not apparently make much
 difference who it is that suffers1     
whether it is the person who has        
committed the sin or not2 but somebody  
must pay an adequate penalty1 and ,jesus
 volunteered to do this1 to be the      
victim1 and so to deliver man from the  
righteous deserts which he had incurred 
as a transgressor of the law of ,god4   
,gradually1 however1 as the world became
 civilized1 as wider and broader        
thoughts manifested themselves in the   
human mind1 as tenderer and truer       
feelings took possession of the human   
heart1 these theories receded into the  
background2 and there came to the front 
,i remember the bitter controversies    

over it in my younger days what was     
called the ,moral ,theory of the        
,atonement4 ,the originator and sponsor 
for this theory was the famous ,dr4     
,horace ,bushnell1 of ,hartford4 ,he    
taught that ,god did not need the       
punishment of anybody to uphold the     
integrity of his moral government4 ,he  
taught that ,god was not angry with the 
race1 and did not care to exact a       
penalty before he was ready to forgive  
human sin4 ,he taught that the inner    
nature of ,god was love1 and that in the
 ,second ,person of the ,trinity he came
 to earth1 was born1 grew up1 taught1   
suffered1 died1 as a manifestation to   
the world of his love1 of his goodness1 
of his readiness to forgive and help1   
and that the efficacy of the atonement  
as thus wrought on the part of the      
,christ was in its revelation to men of 
the love and saving power of            
righteousness4  ,this was the moral     
theory of the atonement4 ,it was not    
supposed to work any result in the      

nature of ,god or his disposition       
towards men4 ,its effect was to work    
along the lines of human thought and    
human action3 it was to affect men1 and 
make them willing to be saved instead of
 making ,god willing to save them4 ,this
 was the moral theory of the atonement2 
and you will see how it gradually       
approaches that which intelligent and   
free men1 it seems to me1 must hold     
to-day in the light of their careful    
study of human history and human nature4
 ,it is almost the theory which is being
 held by the freest and noblest men of  
to-day4 ,the difference between it and  
that which ,i shall in a moment try to  
set forth is chiefly that ,dr4 ,bushnell
 confines this work of the atonement to 
the person and history and character of 
one man instead of letting all men share
 in this divine and atoning work which  
is being wrought out through all the    
ages4  ,let me now come to set forth    
what ,i believe to be the simple and    
demonstrated truth4 ,my objections      

against this old theory are threefold4  
,i will mention them1 and have done with
 them in a word4  ,in the first place1  
the supposed origin of sin in heaven    
seems to me so absurd as to be utterly  
unthinkable4 ,this idea of war in       
heaven1 rebellion against ,god1 smacks  
too much of the ,old ,world traditions1 
of the mythologies of ,greece and ,rome 
and of other peoples4 ,jupiter could    
dethrone his father1 the god ,saturn1   
because ,saturn was not almighty and    
all-wise4 ,these gods of the ancient    
time were merely exaggerated types of   
human heroes and despots4 ,there could  
be war among them1 and one of them      
overthrown2 and ,jupiter could divide   
the universe1 after he had conquered and
 dethroned his father1 with his two     
brothers4  ,all this is reasonable1 when
 you are talking about finite creatures2
 but try to think for one moment of an  
archangel1 a pure and clear-eyed        
intelligence1 deliberately choosing to  
rebel against ,omnipotence6 ,he must    

have known it would be utterly1         
absolutely1 forever hopeless6           
,intelligent creatures do not rebel     
under conditions like that1 particularly
 when you combine with the absolute     
hopelessness of the case the fact that  
he knew he was choosing misery1         
suffering1 forever4  ,as ,i said1 the   
whole conception of the origin of evil  
that implies the rebellion of a         
spiritual being who knew what he was    
doing is inexpressibly absurd1 so absurd
 that we may dismiss it as impossible4  
,if there were any such rebellion1 if   
you waive the absurdity for the moment  
and consider the possibility1 ,god would
 be responsible2 for he made him4 ,the  
whole theory is not only absurd3 it is  
unjust in its implications towards both 
,god and man4 ,and then1 and perhaps we 
need not say any more about it1 we know 
that it is not true4 ,it did not even   
originate in the ,bible1 it did not even
 originate among the ,jews3 it is       
nothing in the world but a pagan myth   

imported into ,jewish tradition just a  
few hundred years before the birth of   
,jesus4 ,it is of no more authority in  
rational human thought than the story of
 ,jason or ,hercules1 not one particle4 
,let us now turn1 then1 to what we know1
 from the history of man and the        
scientific study of the universe1 to be 
something approaching the reality of    
things4 ,people have always been talking
 about the origin of evil4 ,it is not   
the origin of evil that we have to face 
or deal with or explain at all4 ,let me 
ask you to consider for a moment the    
condition of the world when man first   
appeared on this planet4 ,here among the
 lower animals were what8 ,all the vices
 and all the crimes that we can conceive
 of1 only they were not vices nor crimes
 at all4 ,there were all the external   
actions and all the internal feelings   
and passions2 but they were not vices1  
and they were not crimes4 ,why8 ,because
 there was no moral sense which         
recognized anything better1 no moral    

standard in the light of which they     
might be judged4  ,here1 for example1 in
 this lower world1 were all hatreds1    
jealousies1 envies1 cruelties1 thefts1  
greeds1 murders1 every kind of action   
that we speak of as evil in man4 ,and   
yet ,i said there was no evil there1 no 
moral evil there1 because there was no  
consciousness1 no recognition1 of the   
distinction between the lower and the   
higher4 ,this was a part of the natural 
and intended order of the development of
 life1 not an accident1 not an invasion 
from the outside1 not a thwarting of the
 will of ,god1 not an interference with 
his purpose1 all of this a part of the  
working out of his purpose4  ,now1 when 
man appeared1 what happened8 ,the       
origin1 not of evil1 but the origin of  
goodness4 ,a conscience was born4 ,man  
came into possession of a moral ideal1  
in the light of which he recognized     
something higher than this animalism    
that was all around him1 and became     
conscious of the fact that he must      

battle against that1 and put it under   
his feet4 ,so that the life of the      
world1 from that day to this1 has been  
the growth1 the gradual increase1 and   
the gradual conquest of good over that  
which was in existence before4  ,there  
is no fall of man1 then1 there is no    
conscious and purposeful rebellion      
against ,god to be accounted for1 there 
is no need of any devil to explain the  
facts4 ,he is only an encumbrance1 only 
in the way1 only makes it difficult and 
practically impossible to solve our     
problem4  ,the old story was that1 after
 the rebellion1 pain and death and all  
evil came into the human world2 and the 
natural world was blighted4 ,thorns and 
briers and thistles sprang up on every  
hand2 and animals which before had been 
peaceful began to fight and destroy each
 other4 ,we all know this to be a       
childish myth1 and pagan4 ,the actual   
history of the world has been something 
entirely other than that4  ,now ,i do   
not wish that you should suppose that ,i

 minimize evil1 that ,i make light of   
sin1 that ,i do not properly estimate   
the cruelties and the wrongs that have  
devastated the world4 ,i need only      
suggest to you that you look in this    
direction and that to see how hideous   
all these evils may be2 how bitter1 how 
cruel1 is the fruit of wrong thoughts   
and of wrong actions4 ,look at a man1   
for example1 divine in the possibilities
 of his being1 but through vice1 through
 drink1 through habits of one kind and  
another1 corrupted until it is an insult
 to a brute to call him brutal4 ,we do  
not deny all this4 ,notice the cruelties
 of men towards each other1 the         
jealousies1 the envies1 the strifes1 the
 warfares4 ,how one class looks down    
upon and treats with contempt another   
that is a little lower6 ,how masters    
have used their slaves2 how tyrants like
 ,nero and ,caligula have made          
themselves hideous spectacles of what is
 possible to humanity1 on a stage that  
is world-wide and illuminated by the    

flash-lights of history6  ,i do not wish
 you to suppose for a moment that ,i    
belittle1 that ,i underestimate these   
evils1 only we do not need anything     
other than the scientific and historic  
facts of the world in order to account  
for them4 ,what is sin1 as science looks
 at it and treats it8 ,not something    
consciously and purposely developed1 not
 something originating in a rebellion in
 some other world than this4 ,it seems  
to me that we can very easily account   
for it when we recognize that man has   
been gradually coming up from the lower 
orders of life1 and that he still has in
 him the snake and the hyena1 the wolf1 
the tiger1 the bear1 all the wild1      
fierce passions of the animal world only
 partly sloughed off1 not yet outgrown2 
when you remember how ignorant he is1   
how he does not understand yet the      
meaning of these divine laws and the    
divine life1 glimpses of which now and  
then attract his attention and lure him 
on2 when you remember that selfishness1 

misguided by ignorance1 can believe that
 one man can get something for his      
behoof and happiness and good at the    
expense of the welfare of somebody else1
 and harm come only to the person that  
is defrauded4 ,right in here1 if ,i had 
time to treat it in still further       
detail1 it seems to me we have a simple 
and adequate explanation of all the evil
 that has ever blasted1 blighted1 and   
darkened the history of man4  ,now1 man 
being this kind of a creature1 having an
 animal origin as well as a divine one1 
gradually climbing up out of this lower 
life and looking towards ,god as his    
ideal1 what is it that he needs8 ,is    
there any need of atonement8 ,all need  
of atonement6 ,what does atonement mean8
 ,the word itself carries its clearest  
explanation4 ,in its root it means      
atonement1 healing the division1        
whatever its nature or kind1 bringing   
man into one-ness with ,god and men into
 one-ness with each other4  ,now let me 
suggest to you a little as to the things

 that keep man and ,god apart1 keep men 
away from each other2 and they will     
suggest the atonement that is needed to 
heal all these divisions1 and bring     
about that ideal condition of things    
that we dream of and pray for and talk  
about1 when men shall perfectly love    
,god1 and when they shall love each     
other as themselves4  ,what is it that  
keeps man from ,god8 ,first1 it seems to
 me1 it is ignorance4 ,what man needs in
 order to bring him into oneness with   
,god is first to have some clear        
conceptions of the divine1 some high1   
sweet1 noble thoughts of ,god1 some     
knowledge of the laws of ,god as        
embodied in himself and in the universe 
around him4 ,man needs intelligence1    
then1 to help him1 needs education4  ,in
 the next place1 he needs such a picture
 of ,god as shall2 make him seem        
lovable4 ,you cannot make the human     
heart love that which seems hateful4    
,the picture of ,god1 as he has been    
outlined to the world in the past1 has  

repelled the human heart2 and ,i do not 
wonder4 ,i do not think it strange that 
humanity should be at enmity with that  
conception of the divine4 ,make ,god the
 ideal of all that is noble and sweet   
and lovely1 and the heart will be as    
naturally attracted and drawn to him as 
a flower is toward the sun4  ,then man  
needs to have his spiritual side        
developed1 that in him which is akin to 
,god1 so that he shall naturally live   
out the divine love4 ,education1 then1  
is all on man's side1 you will see4 ,god
 does not need to be changed3 we need to
 know him1 to love him1 to come into    
conscious relationship with him4 ,this  
is what we need1 so far as our relation 
to ,god is concerned4  ,now for the more
 important side2 for it is infinitely   
the more important practically4 ,let me 
speak a little while of the work of     
atonement between man and man4 ,if we   
trace the history of humanity1 we find  
that men were scattered in groups all   
over the world1 isolated1 separated from

 each other1 ignorant of each other1    
misunderstanding each other1 hating each
 other1 fighting each other2 and the    
work of some other world than this4 ,it 
seems to me that we can very easily     
account for it when we recognize that   
man has been gradually coming up from   
the lower orders of life1 and that he   
still has in him the snake and the      
hyena1 the wolf1 the tiger1 the bear1   
all the wild1 fierce passions of the    
animal world only partly sloughed off1  
not yet outgrown2 when you remember how 
ignorant he is1 how he does not         
understand yet the meaning of these     
divine laws and the divine life1        
glimpses of which now and then attract  
his attention and lure him on2 when you 
remember that selfishness1 misguided by 
ignorance1 can believe that one man can 
get something for his behoof and        
happiness and good at the expense of the
 welfare of somebody else1 and harm come
 only to the person that is defrauded4  
,right in here1 if ,i had time to treat 

it in still further detail1 it seems to 
me we have a simple and adequate        
explanation of all the evil that has    
ever blasted1 blighted1 and darkened the
 history of man4  ,now1 man being this  
kind of a creature1 having an animal    
origin as well as a divine one1         
gradually climbing up out of this lower 
life and looking towards ,god as his    
ideal1 what is it that he needs8 ,is    
there any need of atonement8 ,all need  
of atonement6 ,what does atonement mean8
 ,the word itself carries its clearest  
explanation4 ,in its root it means      
atonement1 healing the division1        
whatever its nature or kind1 bringing   
man into one-ness with ,god and men into
 one- ness with each other4  ,now let me
 suggest to you a little as to the      
things that keep man and ,god apart1    
keep men away from each other2 and they 
will suggest the atonement that is      
needed to heal all these divisions1 and 
bring about that ideal condition of     
things that we dream of and pray for and

 talk about1 when men shall perfectly   
love ,god1 and when they shall love each
 other as themselves4  ,what is it that 
keeps man from ,god8 ,first1 it seems to
 me1 it is ignorance4 ,what man needs in
 order to bring him into oneness with   
,god is first to have some clear        
conceptions of the divine1 some high1   
sweet1 noble thoughts of ,god1 some     
knowledge of the laws of ,god as        
embodied in himself and in the universe 
around him4 ,man needs intelligence1    
then1 to help him1 needs education4  ,in
 the next place1 he needs such a picture
 of ,god as shall3 make him seem        
lovable4 ,you cannot make the human     
heart3 love that which seems hateful4   
,the picture of ,god1 as he has been    
outlined to the world in the past1 has  
repelled the human heart2 and ,i do not 
wonder4 ,i do not think it strange that 
humanity should be at enmity with that  
conception of the divine4 ,make ,god the
 ideal of all that is noble and sweet   
and lovely1 and the heart will be as    

naturally attracted and drawn to him as 
a flower is toward the sun4  ,then man  
needs to have his spiritual side        
developed1 that in him which is akin to 
,god1 so that he shall naturally live   
out the divine love4 ,education1 then1  
is all on man's side1 you will see4 ,god
 does not need to be changed3 we need to
 know him1 to love him1 to come into    
conscious relationship with him4 ,this  
is what we need1 so far as our relation 
to ,god is concerned4  ,now for the more
 important side2 for it is infinitely   
the more important practically4 ,let me 
speak a little while of the work of     
atonement between man and man4 ,if we   
trace the history of humanity1 we find  
that men were scattered in groups all   
over the world1 isolated1 separated from
 each other1 ignorant of each other1    
misunderstanding each other1 hating each
 other1 fighting each other2 and the    
work of civilization means to bring men 
together1 to work out an atonement      
between nation and nation1 religion and 

religion1 family and family1 man and    
man4  ,here1 again1 as in the case of   
,god1 the first thing that needs to be  
overcome is ignorance4 ,look back no    
further than our late war4 ,i think     
every careful student of that tremendous
 conflict is ready to say to-day that1  
if the ,north and ,south had been       
acquainted with each other1 known each  
other as they know each other now1 the  
war would have been impossible4 ,we need
 to know other men4 ,as you go back1 you
 find curious traditions illustrating   
this ignorance of different nations and 
different peoples of each other4 ,plato1
 for example1 taught it as a virtue that
 the ,athenians should hate all other   
peoples except the ,greeks and all other
 ,greek cities except ,athens2 and they 
spoke of the outside nations that did   
not speak ,greek as barbarians1 people  
who could not talk1 people who1 when    
they essayed to speak1 said1 ,ba1 ba1   
misusing words and expressions4 ,they   
had traditions of men who carried their 

heads under their arms1 who had only one
 eye1 which was in the middle of their  
forehead1 all sorts of monstrosities in 
human shape1 antagonistic to the rest of
 mankind4  ,even in modern times those  
ignorances1 misconceptions1 and         
prejudices are far from being outgrown4 
,lord ,nelson counted it as a virtue in 
an ,englishman that he should hate a    
,frenchman as he did the devil4 ,how    
many people are there to- day who look  
with an unprejudiced eye upon a         
foreigner8  ,the things1 then1 that keep
 nations apart are ignorance4 ,then     
there is the lack of sympathy4 ,you will
 find people walking side by side here  
in our streets1 people in the same      
family1 who find it impossible to       
understand each other4  ,they cannot put
 themselves in the place of another2    
they cannot comprehend something which  
is a little different from what they are
 accustomed to hear2 not only cannot    
they understand it1 they cannot lovingly
 or patiently look at it4 ,think of the 

things that have kept people apart in   
physical and mental and spiritual       
realms1 the rivers1 the mountain chains1
 the oceans2 differences of religion1   
differences of language1 differences of 
civilization2 different ethical ideas1  
until people of the world have sat      
looking at each other with faces of fear
 and antagonism instead of with the     
dawning in their eyes of love and       
brotherhood4  ,now what the world needs 
is something to atone1 to bridge over   
these differences1 to bring men into    
sympathetic and loving acquaintance with
 each other4 ,i wish to note two or     
three things that have wrought very     
largely and effectively in this         
direction4 ,does it ever occur to you   
that commerce is something besides a    
means for the accumulation of wealth8   
,commerce has played one of the largest 
parts in the history of this world in   
atoning the differences1 the            
antagonisms1 between nation and nation  
and man and man4 ,it has taught the     

world that there is a community of      
interests1 and that1 instead of fighting
 each other1 they are mutually blessed  
and helped by coworking1 co-operating1  
exchanging with each other4  ,so the    
inventors1 the discoverers1 have helped 
to bring about this sense of human      
brotherhood1 this community of human    
interests4 ,how much1 for example1 was  
wrought when the electric wire was      
placed under the seas1 and1 instead of  
allowing weeks and weeks for a          
misunderstanding to grow and for        
ill-feeling to ferment between ,england 
and this country1 puts us in such quick 
relations that a misapprehension could  
be corrected in an hour4 ,all these     
things have helped bring the world      
together1 are engaged in this           
magnificent religious service of        
atonement1 of making nations one1 making
 humanity one1 a family4  ,i do not wish
 you to suppose that ,i misunderstand or
 underestimate the work of the ,christ  
in this direction4 ,he has done a       

grander work of atonement than any other
 figure in the history of the world4 ,he
 revealed to us the glory1 the          
tenderness1 the love1 of ,god1 and so   
lifted the heart of the world towards   
the ,father as no other one man has done
 who has ever lived4 ,and1 then1 he     
lived out and manifested the glory1 the 
tenderness1 the wonder1 of human        
character and human life as hardly any  
other man who has ever lived2 and on so 
world- wide a stage did he do this that 
the influence of his work has overrun   
all national barriers1 and is rapidly   
coming to be world-wide1 and in         
admiration of1 and love for him1 ,jew   
and ,greek1 and barbarian1 ,scythian1   
,arabian1 ,european1 and ,asiatic1 all  
the nations of the world are becoming   
one4 ,for no matter what their theory   
may be about him1 whether they hold him 
to be ,god or man1 they hold the ideal  
that he set forth and lived to be       
spiritually human and nobly divine4 ,so 
,jesus is more and more1 as the ages go 

by1 helping us to one-ness with ,god1   
helping us into sympathetic one-ness    
with each other4  ,but ,i would not have
 you think that ,jesus is the only one  
who has wrought atonement for the sin of
 the world4 ,every man in his degree1 in
 so far as he has been divine and human1
 patient1 faithful1 has rendered service
 to the world1 has done his part in     
bringing about this magnificent         
consummation4  ,look for a moment at    
,abraham ,lincoln4 ,think what he did by
 the atoning sacrifice of his life for  
liberty1 for humanity1 for truth4 ,on   
the one hand1 his murderer showed what  
sin may come to in its ignorance1 its   
misconception1 its antagonism to        
whatever is right and good and true4    
,and1 on the other hand1 he1 with words 
of forgiveness on his lips1 words of    
human love1 with all tenderness and     
charity in his heart1 illustrated again 
and lived out the sweetness of divinity 
and the tenderness of humanity4  ,as    
another illustration1 human1 simple1    

natural1 just let me say a word         
concerning the act1 the attitude1 of    
,general ,grant at ,appomattox4 ,he did 
more at the surrender of ,lee to send a 
thrill of brotherly sympathy through    
,north and ,south and help wield this   
nation into one than he could have      
possibly done by the most magnificent   
achievement of arms1 when he refused to 
take his opponent's sword2 when he let  
the officers go away with their         
side-arms2 when he told each man that   
his horse or his mule was still of right
 his because he would need it to begin  
the new life again that was before him4 
,facts like these suggest the           
naturalness1 the humanness1 as well as  
the ,god-likeness of the work of        
atonement that is going on all over the 
world1 as it climbs and swings slowly up
 out of the darkness and into the light 
of life4 ,jesus the great atoning       
sacrifice8 ,yes1 but thousands on       
thousands of others atoning in just the 
same divine way1 just the same human    

way1 just as naturally1 just as         
necessarily4 ,every man who does an     
honest day's work1 every man who is kind
 and loving in his family1 every man who
 is helpful as a neighbor1 every man who
 stands faithfully by his convictions of
 truth1 every man who shows that he     
cares more for the truth than he does   
for worldly success1 that he knows that 
in that truth only is immortality1 and  
that it is greater and better and       
sweeter than even life1 every man who   
consecrates himself in this way is doing
 his part towards working out the       
atonement of human sin1 the             
reconciliation of man with ,god1 the    
reconciliation of men with each other4  
,let us1 then1 while loving ,jesus1     
while reverencing him for the grandeur  
of his work and the beauty of his life1 
let us rise and claim kinship with him1 
rise to the dignity and glory of the    
thought that we are sons of ,god as he  
was1 and that we may share with him the 
grandest service that one man can render

 to his time1 the helping of people to  
find and love and serve ,god1 the       
helping of people to discover and love  
and serve each other4 ,the outcome of   
this atoning work is simply the coming  
of that time which we speak of          
familiarly without half comprehending   
it1 when the world shall recognize the  
universal ,fatherhood of ,god and the   
universal brotherhood of man4  ,,prayer1
 ,,and ,,communion ,,with ,,god  ,,some 
years ago ,i heard a minister1 then     
widely known throughout the country1 say
 in a public address1 ,prayer is the    
power that moves the arm that moves the 
world4 ,can we accept that to-day as a  
definition of a rational view of the    
relation in which we stand to ,god8     
,many of you will remember that not long
 ago the churches and the scientific men
 of ,england and ,america were much     
stirred and roused over a discussion    
concerning the practical efficacy of    
prayer4 ,there was much talk of what was
 called the prayer-gauge4 ,i think it   

was ,professor ,tyndall who proposed to 
test the question as to whether prayer  
was a real power in the physical world2 
and his test1 if ,i remember rightly1   
was something like this4 ,he said3 ,you 
churchmen claim that prayer is able to  
heal the sick4 ,now1 he said1 let us    
take a certain hospital4 ,we will divide
 it1 a certain number of wards on one   
side1 and a certain number of wards on  
the other1 equalizing so far as we can  
the nature of the illnesses which       
afflict the patients4 ,you now          
concentrate as much as you please1 and  
as many as you please1 the prayers on   
certain wards in the hospital1 and we   
will commit the rest to the ordinary    
treatment of the physicians2 and we will
 see if you are able to produce any     
results4  ,against a certain type and   
theory of prayer ,i suppose a test like 
that is legitimate enough2 and this     
type1 this theory1 is the one that has  
prevailed throughout ,christendom       
largely for a good many hundreds of     

years4 ,i suppose you can remember in   
your boyhood some of you are as old as  
,i that it was not an uncommon thing for
 the minister to pray earnestly for     
certain things that intelligent men     
would hardly think of praying for in the
 same fashion to-day4 ,it was not an    
uncommon thing1 a few years ago1 to have
 a special prayer- meeting during a     
drought in the endeavor to prevail upon 
,god to send the rain2 and there was    
certainly a ,scriptural warrant for it2 
for ,elijah is represented in the ,old  
,testament as having1 by the power of   
prayer1 shut up the heavens for three   
years and a half1 and then as bringing  
rain again as the result of his         
petition4 ,if you study the ,book of    
,james1 and remember1 when you do study 
it1 that it was not written by the      
apostle1 but by some unknown author     
towards the middle of the second        
century1 you will see that he teaches   
that1 if any one is sick1 you are not to
 send for a physician4 ,the brethren are

 to assemble1 the invalid is to be      
anointed with oil1 they are to pray over
 him1 and the explicit and unqualified  
promise is given that the prayer of     
faith shall save the sick4 ,and yet we  
have been confronted for ages with the  
spectacle of people breaking their      
hearts in pleading prayer for those that
 were sick1 and seeing them fade and    
vanish from their sight in spite of     
their petitions4  ,i have heard it said 
a good many times that the fame of the  
,cunard line of steamships touching the 
matter of the safety of its passengers  
was to be explained by the piety of the 
founders of the line1 and the fact that 
they prayed every time a ship sailed    
that it might safely cross the seas and 
land its passengers without accident in 
the wished-for haven4 ,are there no     
prayers for other lines8 ,has no one    
ever prayed on behalf of a ship that did
 meet with an accident8 ,but this would 
be explained on this theory by saying   
that the prayer was not the prayer of   

faith or that there was some defect in  
it somewhere4  ,i refer to these things 
simply by way of illustration to recall 
to your mind that prayer used to be     
supposed to be a power touching the     
winds1 the waves1 the prosperity of the 
crops1 insuring safety during a         
dangerous journey2 that it was a power  
that was able to heal disease1 that     
could accomplish all sorts of strange   
and startling effects in the physical   
realm4  ,and now ,i simply wish to call 
your attention to the naturalness of    
that kind of prayer in the olden time4  
,to some of us this thought may seem    
strange1 it may seem almost absurd1     
to-day2 but remember it was not strange1
 it was not absurd1 in the times when   
the old theory of the universe was      
thoroughly believed in1 not only by     
church members1 but by scientific men as
 well4  ,what was that old conception8  
,i have had occasion to refer to it in  
one connection or another a good many   
times2 and now ,i shall have to refer to

 it again1 so that you may clearly see  
what is involved in this question of the
 efficacy of prayer4 ,god was supposed  
to be up in heaven1 away from nature4   
,nature was a sort of mechanism1 a      
machine that ordinarily ran on after its
 own fashion4 ,god had made it1 indeed1 
in some sense1 ,god supported it        
continually2 but it went on apart from  
him1 and he was away from it4 ,he was1  
as ,carlyle used to say1 looked upon as 
an absentee ,god4 ,he was up in heaven4 
,he ruled this world as the ,kaiser     
rules ,germany1 arbitrarily4 ,he was not
 even always supposed to know everything
 that was going on1 at least1 if you are
 to judge by the tone of the prayers of 
a good many people such as ,i have      
heard4 ,he needed information concerning
 matters4 ,he needed to be pleaded with1
 that he might interfere and accomplish 
some results that would not otherwise   
take place4 ,he ruled the world         
arbitrarily and from a distance4  ,now1 
if any ,german wishes a certain thing   

accomplished that would not happen in   
the ordinary course of nature and human 
life1 he knows that the ,kaiser has     
almost unlimited power2 and1 if he can  
persuade him to undertake it1 it may be 
accomplished4 ,so he will send a        
petition to the ,kaiser2 and he will    
back that petition with all the         
influence that he is able to bring to   
bear upon it4 ,if there is a prime      
minister who stands specially high in   
favor with the ,kaiser1 do you not see  
how much might be accomplished by       
winning his ear1 and getting him to     
intercede on behalf of the petitioner8  
,do you not see right in there the      
parallel to the old idea that used to   
dominate us in regard to the government 
of the universe8 ,if only we could get  
,god interested in the matter1 if we    
could bring to bear upon him an adequate
 amount of influence1 if we could get   
,jesus to intercede with him1 then      
something might be accomplished4  ,are  
these antiquated ideas8 ,i received a   

letter only a little while ago4 ,it told
 me nothing new2 but it came to me with 
a shock1 roused me to a recognition of  
ideas still dominant and popular in the 
common mind4 ,it was from a ,catholic4  
,he said3 ,we do not worship ,mary2 but 
she is in the spirit world1 and she is  
in sympathetic relation with this       
world's sorrow and trouble4 ,we pray to 
her1 asking her to intercede with her   
son1 because a mother's influence is    
efficacious4 ,think for a moment of the 
implications of this theory of governing
 the universe4 ,god is away off1 has    
forgotten us1 or does not care1 at any  
rate1 is not doing for us the things we 
need4 ,if we can get ,jesus to          
intercede6 ,but1 according to this      
,catholic theory1 ,jesus had perhaps    
forgotten or was not attentive4 ,so he  
pleads with his mother1 and gets the    
mother to exert her influence on ,jesus 
so he may exert his influence on ,god1  
and at last something may be done4 ,i   
confess to you1 friends1 that this      

theory of things does not seem piety to 
me1 but the precise opposite4  ,i ask   
you now to follow me while ,i attempt to
 point out some of the difficulties that
 confront us in this old-time theory of 
prayer4 ,why is it that we cannot pray  
to ,god to change the order of the      
natural world8 ,why cannot we believe   
that prayer is the power that moves the 
arm that moves the world888 ,why cannot 
,i consistently pray to ,god to heal my 
disease or the disease of a friend1 or  
to save the soul of some friend who     
would otherwise be neglected by the     
divine care8 ,why cannot ,i any longer  
pray to ,god to send his light and truth
 to the heathen world8 ,why cannot ,i   
pray to him to insure my safety in      
mid-,atlantic1 to do something to       
prevent my colliding with a derelict1 as
 the ,van-dam has done during the last  
few days8 ,do you think there was no one
 on that ship that prayed8 ,what is the 
difficulty in the mind of the           
intelligent1 modern thinker when he     

faces this conception of prayer8  ,let  
us think a little clearly just a moment2
 and ,i imagine ,i can make it plain4   
,we no longer think of ,god we cannot   
think of him as outside the system of   
nature1 and as possibly interfering with
 it to produce a result that would not  
otherwise take place4 ,why8 ,because    
,god is the soul1 the mind1 the heart of
 nature4 ,the forces of the universe1   
acting according to their changeless and
 eternal laws1 are simply ,god at work4 
,and1 when ,i pray to ,god to interfere1
 ,i am praying him to interfere with    
himself1 ,i am praying him to contradict
 his own wisely and eternally and       
changelessly established methods of     
controlling the world4  ,the question is
 sometimes asked1 but a man can         
interfere with the course of nature1 and
 produce a result that would not be     
naturally produced without it8          
,certainly1 because man does not stand  
in this relation to natural forces4 ,but
 man1 however1 does not change any law1 

he does not interfere with any law4 ,he 
simply discovers some law and obeys it1 
and in that way produces a result that  
would not otherwise be produced4 ,but   
man does not stand1 ,i say1 in this     
vital relation to the forces of the     
universe and their laws4 ,when you      
remember that these forces working1 as  
,i said1 changelessly1 eternally1 after 
their methods1 when you remember that   
these are ,god in his ceaseless and wise
 and loving activity1 then do you not   
see that he cannot contradict or        
interfere with himself8 ,here is the    
great difficulty in regard to this old  
method1 this old conception of prayer   
which confronts the intelligent1 the    
educated1 the thoughtfully devout man4  
,when ,i was first struggling out into  
the light8 as it seems to me now from my
 old theological training1 ,i met       
another difficulty that ,i think will   
appeal to you4 ,it seemed to me an      
impertinence for me to be telling ,god1 
as ,i heard so many people on every     

hand1 all sorts of things that he knew  
before4 ,i reconsidered the words of    
,jesus1 ,you are not to give yourself to
 much speaking in your prayers1 for your
 ,father knoweth what you have need of  
before you ask him4 ,and then there was 
another difficulty which troubled me    
more than any of the others1 a          
delightful1 splendid difficulty it has  
seemed to me since those days4 ,it was  
connected with the thought of ,god's    
goodness and love4 ,there are heathen1  
they tell us1 who have got a glimpse1   
from their point of view1 of this fact  
about ,god4 ,it is said they do not     
bring any offerings1 except some        
flowers1 to the deities they regard as  
good1 because1 they say1 they do not    
need to be persuaded4 ,they bring all   
their costly offerings to the bad gods1 
the ones they are afraid of2 and they   
attempt to buy their favor or buy off   
their anger4  ,when ,i waked up to the  
free and grand conception of the eternal
 love and the boundless goodness of the 

,father1 then it seemed to me that many 
of my prayers in the past had been so   
far from reasonable that they were      
absurd1 and so far from piety that they 
were wrong4 ,to illustrate what ,i mean4
 ,when ,i was minister of an orthodox   
church in the ,west1 a lovely1 faithful 
lady came to me to raise some question  
touching this matter of prayer4 ,it had 
been suggested1 ,i suppose1 by something
 ,i had said2 and ,i asked her this     
question3 ,what would you think of me if
 ,i should come to you1 and with pathos 
in my voice1 and perhaps with tears in  
my eyes1 plead with you to be kind to   
your own children1 beg you to give them 
something to eat1 beseech you to furnish
 them with clothes1 entreat you to      
educate them1 to do the best for them   
that you knew how8 ,what would you think
 of it8 ,i asked4 ,she said1 ,i should  
feel insulted4 ,and ,i replied1 ,do you 
not think that ,god is almost as good as
 you are8  ,if you are anxious and      
ready1 do you think that ,god needs to  

be pleaded with and entreated and       
besought in order to make him willing1  
in order to make him kind1 in order to  
bring some sort of pressure to bear upon
 him so that he will do the things for  
his children of which they most stand in
 need8 ,no scientific difficulty1 no    
question of theories of the universe1   
has ever affected my practice in the    
matter of prayer so much as this        
overwhelming1 blessed thought of the    
loving-kindness and care of the infinite
 ,father4 ,he does not need to be       
informed1 he does not need to be        
persuaded4 ,has not ,jesus told us that 
your heavenly ,father is more ready to  
give the things which you need than you 
are to give good gifts to your children8
  ,and so ,i came to have a difficulty  
with the kind of prayer- meetings in    
which ,i was brought up as a boy1 and   
which ,i used to lead as a young and    
earnest minister4 ,i have heard kinds of
 prayers which have seemed to me        
reflections on the goodness and the     

kindness of our ,father in heaven4 ,i   
remember one man ,i used to hear him    
over and over again1 week by week who   
would pray1 ,it is time for thee1 ,o    
,god1 to work6 ,and1 as ,i came to think
 of it1 it hurt my sense of reverence4  
,i shrank from it4 ,and ,i could not    
believe that ,god was going to let      
thousands of souls in ,china or ,africa 
perish merely because ,christians in    
,america did not pray hard enough and   
long enough for their salvation4 ,why   
should they meet with eternal doom on   
account of the lack of enthusiasm or    
devotion of people of whom they have    
never heard8  ,so ,i used to find myself
 troubled about this question of praying
 so hard for the salvation of other     
people's souls4 ,if1 as the old creeds  
tell us1 it is settled from all eternity
 as to just who is to be saved and who  
is to be lost1 there would hardly seem  
place for a vital prayer2 and if1 as a  
friend of mine1 a minister1 and a very  
liberal and broad one1 though in one of 

the older churches1 said to me1 ,i      
believe that ,god will save every single
 soul that he can save1 then do you not 
see again that it touches this kind of  
prayer8 ,if he cannot save them1 then   
why should ,i beg him to do it8 ,if he  
can1 and loves them better than ,i do1  
again1 why should ,i plead with him     
after that fashion to do it8  ,these1   
frankly and freely spoken1 are some of  
the difficulties connected with a       
certain theory of prayer4  ,i gladly put
 all that now behind my back1 and come  
to the grand and positive side of my    
theme4 ,i wish to tell you what ,i      
myself believe in regard to this matter 
of prayer4 ,and1 in the first place1 let
 me suggest to you that prayers1 even   
the prayers of the past1 any of them1   
the most objectionable types1 are not   
made up only of petition2 they are not  
all begging1 teasing for things4 ,there 
enter into their composition gratitude1 
adoration1 reverence1 aspiration1 a     
sense of communion with the spiritual   

,being1 a longing for higher and finer  
things2 a sense of refuge in time of    
trouble1 a sense of strength in time of 
need1 a sense of hope1 uplift1 and      
outlook as we glance towards the future4
 ,a prayer1 then1 you see1 is a very    
composite thing1 not a simple thing1 not
 merely made up of the element of       
pleading with ,god to give us certain   
things that we cannot come into         
possession of by ordinary means4  ,right
 here let me stop long enough to ask you
 to attend a little carefully to the    
teaching of ,jesus on the subject of    
prayer4 ,you will see he chimes in      
almost perfectly with the things ,i have
 been saying4 ,if we followed his       
directions literally1 we should never   
pray in public at all4 ,he says1 ,enter 
into your chamber1 and shut to the door1
 and commune with the ,father in secret4
 ,he does not advocate long prayers1 nor
 this kind of pleading1 begging prayers 
that ,i have referred to4 ,do you       
remember the story of the unjust judge8 

,jesus tells this parable on purpose to 
enforce the point ,i have been speaking 
of4 ,he says3 ,here is an unjust judge3 
a widow brings her case before him4 ,she
 pleads with him until she tires him    
out2 and at last he says1 although ,i am
 an unjust judge1 and fear neither ,god 
nor men1 because with her continual     
praying she wearies me1 ,i will grant   
her petition4 ,jesus does not say you   
are to weary ,god out in order to get   
your petitions granted1 but just the    
opposite4 ,how much more shall ,god give
 good gifts unto those that ask him     
,read once more that other story of the 
man who rises at night and goes to a    
neighbor for assistance4 ,the neighbor1 
for the sake of being gracious and kind1
 will rise1 although it gives him       
trouble and he does not wish to1 and    
grant his request4 ,but ,god is not like
 that neighbor3 he does not need to be  
wearied or roused to make him care for  
our interests4 ,this is the teaching1   
you will notice1 of ,jesus4 ,if there is

 anything that appears like contrary    
teaching1 you will find it in the       
supposed ,gospel of ,john1 written by an
 anonymous author1 in which quite       
different doctrines are taught in regard
 to a good many things from those that  
are reported of ,jesus in the other     
gospels4  ,now ,i wish to come to my own
 personal position concerning the       
subject of prayer4 ,it is fitting is it 
not that we should open our hearts with 
gratitude to ,god1 no matter what has   
come to us of good or bright1 of        
beautiful1 sweet and true things1 no    
matter through what channel1 by the     
ministry of what friend1 as the result  
of the working of no matter how many    
natural forces4 ,trace it to its source1
 and that source is always of necessity 
the one fountain1 the one eternal       
,giver4 ,and1 if there be no more than  
courtesy in our hearts1 ought it not to 
be easy and fitting for us to think1 at 
least1 if we do not say1 ,thank you1    
,father8 ,not only thanksgiving1 but    

adoration4  ,any uplook to something    
beautiful and high and fine above you   
partakes of the nature of worship4 ,so  
that prayer which is worship1 is it not 
altogether fitting and sweet and true8  
,only as we look up do we ever rise up1 
do we ever attain to anything finer and 
better4  ,and then there is communion4  
,is it true that ,god is ,spirit1 and   
that he is ,father of his children1 also
 spirit8 ,are we made in his likeness8  
,is there community of nature between   
him and us8 ,i believe that he is human 
in all essential qualities1 and that we 
are divine in all essential qualities4  
,i believe the only difference between  
,god and man is a difference not of     
kind1 but of degree1 and that there is1 
possibility of constant interchange of  
thought1 of feeling1 communion1 between 
,god and his children4 ,profound1       
wonderful truth it seems to me is       
expressed in those beautiful words of   
,tennyson's3  ,speak to him thou1 for he
 hears1 ,and spirit with spirit may     

meet4 ,closer is he than breathing1 ,and
 nearer than hands and feet4  ,communion
 then possible1 the very life of that   
which is divine within us6  ,then ,i do 
not believe for one moment that prayer  
is only a sort of spiritual gymnastics1 
that it produces results in us merely by
 the exercise of spiritual feelings and 
emotions4 ,i believe that in the moral  
and spiritual realms prayer does produce
 actual results that would not be       
produced in any other way4 ,this1       
however1 mark you carefully1 not by     
producing any change in ,god1 only      
changing our relations towards ,god4    
,can ,i illustrate it8 ,i have a flower1
 for example1 a plant in a flower-pot in
 my room4 ,it seems to be perishing for 
the lack of something4 ,it may be that  
the elements in the air do not properly 
feed it3 it may be that it is hungry for
 light4 ,at any rate1 ,i try it3 ,i take
 it out into the sunshine1 ,i let the   
air breathe upon it1 the dews fall upon 
it1 the rains touch it and revive it and

 the plant brightens up1 grows1         
blossoms1 becomes beautiful and         
fragrant4 ,have ,i changed natural laws 
any8 ,not to one parunticle4 ,i have    
changed the relation of my plant and the
 air2 and ,i have produced a result of  
life and beauty where would have been   
ugliness and death4  ,so ,i believe in  
prayer in that sense1 that it may and   
does change the spiritual attitude of   
the soul towards ,god so that we come   
into entirely new relations with him1   
and the spiritual life in us grows1     
unfolds1 becomes beautiful and sweet1   
not because we have changed ,god1 but   
because we have got into a new set of   
relations with him4  ,if ,i thought that
 ,i could change ,god by a prayer1 that 
,i could interfere in the slightest     
degree with the working of any of the   
natural forces1 ,i would never dare to  
open my lips in prayer again so long as 
,i live4 ,we do not need to change ,god3
 we need simply to change our attitude  
towards him1 change our relations to    

him4 ,is not this true in every         
department of human life8 ,how is it    
that you produce results anywhere8 ,you 
wish a mountain stream to work for you4 
,do you change the laws of motion8 ,you 
adapt your machinery to those laws of   
motion1 and all the power of ,god       
becomes yours4 ,you do not change him1  
you change yourself1 your attitude      
towards him4 ,and so in every one of the
 discoveries1 in every one of the       
revolutions1 that have come to the      
world1 simply by discovering ,god's     
methods1 and humbly adapting our ways to
 those methods ,thus the forces of ,god1
 which are changeless and eternal1      
produce for us results which they would 
not have produced but for adapting our  
lives to the working of their ways4  ,a 
great many people do not think they ever
 pray4 ,i have never seen a man yet who 
did not pray4 ,you cannot live1 and not 
pray3 you cannot escape it if you try4  
,take ,montgomery's famous old          
definition1 ,prayer is the soul's       

sincere desire1 ,uttered or unexpressed1
 ,the motion of a hidden fir ,that      
trembles in the breast4  ,soul's sincere
 desire4 ,yes1 the body's desire1 the   
mind's desire1 the heart's desire1 any  
desire1 any outreach of life1 is a      
prayer1 an appeal for something that    
only the universe1 that only ,god1 can  
bestow4 ,so1 no matter whether you think
 you are religious or not1 you are a    
praying man so long as you are a living 
man2 and you cannot escape the fact if  
you try4 ,it is merely a question       
whether you are a loving praying man or 
some other kind4  ,there is another     
aspect of prayer to which ,i wish to    
call your attention4 ,prayer is the     
refuge of a soul in trouble4 ,it does   
not mean here1 again1 that you change   
,god any4 ,can you not understand what  
it means to go to ,god1 as it were1 and 
fling yourself1 like a child1 against   
his breast and feel yourself folded in  
the everlasting arms8 ,your sorrow may  
not be removed1 the burden may not be   

taken away1 the life of your friend may 
not be saved1 the sickness may not be   
healed2 but there is comfort1 there is  
strength1 there is peace1 there is help4
 ,why1 even in our human life do you not
 know how it is8 ,you go to some friend 
you trust and love with your trouble4   
,perhaps he cannot lift it with one of  
his fingers2 but he can tell you that he
 loves you1 he cares1 he would help you 
if only he were able4 ,he can put his   
arm around you1 he can say1 ,god bless  
you2 and you are stronger4 ,you go away 
with lifted shoulder and with head that 
fronts the heavens2 and you are able to 
bear the burden4 ,is there nothing akin 
to this in the sense of coming into     
intimate relations with the eternal     
,father1 when troubled1 pressed1 when   
the outside world is dark1 and feeling  
that here is refuge in a love deeper1   
higher1 unspeakably more tender than    
that of the dearest friend that ever    
lived8  ,and this suggests another      
point4 ,i have no doubt that sometimes1 

in my attempts to lead the devotions of 
this congregation1 ,i use words which1  
if ,i were to sit down and critically   
analyze1 ,i could not logically justify4
 ,i do not mean to2 but1 perhaps1       
sometimes ,i do4 ,what of it8 ,when my  
children were small1 and my little boy  
came and climbed up in my lap and       
expressed himself in all sorts of       
illogical and foolish ways1 telling me  
every sort of thing he wanted1          
impossible things1 unwise things1 things
 ,i could not get for him1 things ,i    
would not get if ,i could1 because ,i   
thought myself wiser than he1 did these 
things trouble me8 ,i loved to have him 
pour out his whole little soul into     
mine1 because he was my child and       
because ,i did not expect him to be     
over-wise4 ,it was this simple touch of 
kinship1 this simple communion of father
 and child1 which was sweet and tender  
and true4  ,so ,i believe with my whole 
soul that ,god loves us1 his little     
children1 with an unspeakable           

tenderness1 a tenderness infinitely     
beyond that with which any earthly      
father ever loved a child1 and that we  
can go to him freely and pour out our   
hearts1 whether it is wise in expression
 or unwise2 only let us do it with the  
feeling1 ,not my will1 ,father1 but     
,thine1 be done1 not as though we were  
trying to persuade him to do things for 
us that he would not otherwise do1 but  
merely as the pouring out of our        
gratitude1 our tenderness1 our love4    
,there is another thing that needs just 
a word of suggestion4 ,i believe that we
 ought to pray to ,god1 not in the sense
 of begging for things1 but             
sympathetically bringing in the arms of 
our sympathy all those we love and all  
those we hate1 if there are any1 and all
 things that live on the face of the    
earth4 ,there is a hint of what ,i mean 
in those beautiful words of ,tennyson's3
  ,for what are men better than sheep or
 goats ,that nourish a blind life within
 the brain1 ,if1 knowing ,god1 they lift

 not hands in prayer ,both for          
themselves and those who call them      
friend8 ,for so the whole round earth is
 every way ,bound by gold chains about  
the feet of ,god4  ,let us reach out our
 arms of sympathy to all the world and  
bring the world sympathetically into the
 presence of our ,father4 ,so our own   
hearts and loves will broaden1 until    
they1 too1 are divine4  ,and1 then1     
there is one other thing4 ,what a       
strength prayer has been to the grandest
 souls of the ages6 ,never was truer1   
finer truth written than those          
magnificent words of ,isaiah3 ,even the 
youths shall faint and be weary1 and the
 young men shall utterly fall3 but they 
that wait upon the ,lord shall renew    
their strength2 they shall mount up with
 wings as eagles2 they shall run1 and   
not be weary2 they shall walk1 and not  
faint6  ,take ,jesus in his hour of     
agony1 take ,savonarola with his        
struggle1 take ,huss1 ,wyclif1 ,luther1 
take all the grand souls of the ages    

when they have simply stood with the    
feeling1 ,one with ,god is a majority1  
and ready to face the world1 if need be1
 in the conviction that they spoke for  
and represented the truth4 ,the times of
 which ,lowell speaks3  ,truth forever  
on the scaffold1 ,wrong forever on the  
throne1 ,yet that scaffold sways the    
future1 and1 behind the dim unknown1    
,standeth ,god within the shadow1       
keeping watch above his own4  ,this     
sense that ,god is for the truth and    
right1 and1 if you are standing for the 
truth and right1 the ,almighty ,power is
 backing you up1 the ground you stand on
 impregnable1 because of that position4 
,you do not expect ,god to work         
miracles1 you do not expect him to do   
anything2 but simply the sense that you 
are in his presence1 that you are on his
 side1 re- enforces you more than a     
thousand men could re-enforce an army in
 the time of its need4 ,this is the     
great sense of surety that the poet     
,clough had in mind1 when he wrote those

 wonderfully fine words3  ,it fortifies 
my soul to know ,that1 though ,i perish1
 ,truth is so2 ,that howsoe'er ,i stray 
or range1 ,whate'er ,i do1 thou dost not
 change4 ,i steadier step when ,i recall
 ,that1 if ,i slip1 thou dost not fall4 
,here is the confidence1 the strength1  
that comes from prayer1 from communion  
with ,god1 from the sense of being in   
his presence1 from a feeling of         
fellowship with the ,divine4  ,the      
truest and finest1 the sweetest prayer  
must come oft of the loving1 the        
sympathetic1 the tender soul4 ,no       
selfish prayer can expect to enter into 
the heart of ,god4 ,you will note in the
 words that ,jesus teaches his          
disciples1 it is not ,my ,father1 it is 
,our ,father4 ,and1 if we wish to pray  
in the divine spirit1 we shall broaden  
that ,our until it includes not only our
 family1 our church1 our city1 our      
,state1 our nation1 our humanity1 but   
until it includes all life that swims or
 walks or flies1 feeling that it is the 

one life of the ,father that is in us   
all4 ,for1 as ,coleridge has finely put 
it1 ,he prayeth best who loveth best    
,all things1 both great and small2 ,for 
the dear ,god who loveth us1 ,he made   
and loveth all4  ,,the ,,worship ,,of   
,,god  ,,there are those who in         
religious matters1 as well as in all    
other departments of life1 are content  
to walk unquestioningly the path which  
the footsteps of previous generations   
have made easy and familiar4 ,but there 
are others and these among the more     
thoughtful and earnest minds to whom it 
is not enough to utter earnest words    
concerning enthusiasm and devotion1     
consecration and worship4 ,these        
spiritual attitudes and exercises must  
first be made to appear reasonable to   
them1 fitting1 fitting to their         
conception of ,god1 fitting to their    
ideas of that which is highest and      
finest in man4  ,so there are many      
things that pass to-day as forms of     
worship1 many ideas connected with      

worship1 which this class of minds      
cannot heartily and fully accept4 ,some 
of them do not seem to them fitting1 as 
they look upward towards ,god4 ,they    
cannot1 for example1 believe that ,god  
cares for flattery1 cares to sit on his 
throne1 and be told by his creatures how
 great and how wonderful he is4 ,they   
cannot think that he cares to have      
presents brought to him1 gifts offered  
on his altar1 as men say4 ,they cannot  
believe that he really is anxious for   
many of these external forms and        
ceremonies1 which seem to the onlooker  
to constitute the essential element of  
much that passes as popular worship4    
,and then1 on the other hand1 man has   
grown into a sense of dignity4 ,he has a
 higher and loftier idea of his own     
nature and of what is fitting to a man2 
and he cannot any longer heartily enter 
into the meaning of words which speak of
 him as a worm of the dust1 which seem  
to him to intimate that ,god cares to   
have him prostrate himself in utter     

humiliation1 to speak of himself always 
as a miserable sinner1 as one without   
any good in him4  ,many of these things 
from the point of view of the man       
himself no longer constitute the real   
conviction1 the real feeling of the     
noblest hearts2 and so there are many   
who are troubled over this question of  
worship1 who are not quite sure as to   
how much spiritual significance it may  
any longer retain1 not quite sure as to 
how vital a part it may play in the     
development of the religious life of    
man4  ,we find an adequate and perfectly
 natural explanation of some of these   
phases of worship that trouble us       
to-day1 as we look back and note some of
 the steps in the religious development 
of the race4 ,i shall not raise the     
question as to how or where or in what  
way the act of human worship began4 ,i  
will simply say that one of the first   
manifestations of that which came to be 
religious worship which we are able to  
trace at the present time is to be found

 in the burial-mounds of the dead4 ,men 
reverenced the memory of the chief of   
the tribe who had passed into the       
invisible4 ,they did not believe that he
 had ceased to exist3 they rather looked
 upon him as having become1 because     
invisible1 a higher ruler4 ,they thought
 of him as still interested in the      
welfare of the tribe1 still its         
guardian1 still its avenger1 still      
demanding of the tribe the same         
reverence that it paid to him while he  
was yet alive2 and his followers clothed
 him with all the human attributes with 
which they were familiar during the time
 he was among them4 ,he was still       
hungry1 he was still thirsty1 he still  
wanted his old-time weapons1 all those  
things he was familiar with during his  
earthly career4 ,and so they brought    
food1 and laid it on the burial-mound   
above his body2 and they poured out     
their libations of drink to quench his  
spiritual thirst4  ,these were very real
 beliefs on the part of man universally 

during a certain stage of his mental1   
his moral1 his spiritual growth4 ,it was
 a very natural step beyond this to the 
origin of sacrifices4 ,all sacrifice    
began right here4 ,it was a religious   
meal1 in which ,god and his worshippers 
equally shared4 ,some animal1 supposed  
to partake of a life similar to that    
which distinguished the god and the     
worshipper1 too1 is sacrificed4 ,it is  
cooked1 and the worshippers partake of  
the meal2 and they fully believe that   
the god joins in it also4 ,and then the 
drink they partake of1 and pour out     
their libation for the invisible spirit4
  ,so the first sacrifice was a meal    
eaten together2 and just as1 for        
example1 to-day you see a remnant of    
this idea when a man eats with an ,arab1
 although the ,arab may discover five   
minutes after that it was his bitterest 
foe1 he finds himself at least during a 
little time bound to amity and peace by 
the fact that they have shared this     
sacred meal together1 so in the act of  

sacrifice it was believed that the      
worshipper consecrated himself in       
loyalty to his ,god1 and that the ,god  
consecrated himself in faithfulness to  
his worshippers as their guardian and   
protector4 ,here is given the central   
significance of sacrifices that have    
made so large a part of the religious   
ceremonial of the world4  ,these are not
 peculiar to what we call pagan people4 
,do you remember the story of how1 after
 the flood1 ,noah offers a sacrifice1   
and ,god up in heaven is represented as 
smelling the flavor of the burning meat 
and as rejoicing in it1 accepting the   
offering1 and pledging himself to guard 
and care for his worshippers8 ,do you   
remember1 also1 that story of ,jacob1   
how1 when he is on his journey1 he falls
 asleep1 and has his wonderful dream1   
and sees the ladder starting at his feet
 and ending at the throne of ,god1 up   
and down which the angels are passing8  
,when he wakes in the morning1 he says1 
,surely1 this is holy ground2 and he    

takes the stone on which he slept1 and  
sets it up as an altar1 and pours out   
the sacred oil as an offering to his    
,god4  ,all the way through the ,old    
,testament1 in the history of the       
,hebrew people1 you trace these same    
ideas that you find in the life of      
almost all the other nations of the     
world4 ,it was only a step beyond this  
to the idea of presenting gifts to ,god1
 no matter what the nature of that gift 
might be4 ,and1 as men came to make him 
these sacred offerings1 they came also  
to believe and in the most natural way  
in the world that1 the more costly the  
gift1 the more likely it was to be      
accepted on the part of its sublime     
recipient4  ,so human sacrifices arose2 
for there could be no more sacred gift  
than for a man to offer his own child or
 his own wife to ,god4 ,the gods were   
looked upon as sometimes demanding these
 tremendous sacrifices as the conditions
 of their mercy or their care4 ,i refer 
you for illustration to one of the most 

striking and touching of ,tennyson's    
poems4 ,i think it is entitled ,the     
,victim4 ,there had been famine in the  
land1 and the priests have announced    
that they have learned that the gods    
demand as an offering that which is most
 sacred and most dear to the heart of   
the king2 and the question is as to     
whether it is his son1 his boy1 or his  
wife4 ,they think it must be the boy1   
because he was the one that would       
continue the kingly line2 but the wife  
detects the gladness of her husband when
 he sees that the boy is to be selected1
 and knows by that sense of relief that 
passes over his face that the priests   
have made a mistake1 and that she       
herself is to be the victim4 ,and so1 in
 her love for him and for the people1   
she rushes upon the sacrificial knife4  
,all these ideas1 you see1 are perfectly
 natural in certain stages of human     
development1 logically reasoned out in  
view of their thought of the gods and of
 their relations to them and of what    

these gods must desire at their hands4  
,it is not only among the very early    
beliefs that you find these ideas       
controlling the thought and action of   
men4 ,study the ancient classical times 
as they are reflected in the ,iliad1 in 
the ,odyssey1 or in ,virgil's ,aeneid1  
and you will find that the gods were    
very human in all their feelings1 their 
thoughts1 their passions4 ,as1 in the   
,old ,testament1 ,yahweh is reported to 
have been a jealous ,god1 not willing   
that respect should be paid to anybody  
but himself1 so you find the old ,greek 
and ,roman deities very jealous as to   
what were regarded as their rights1 as  
to what the people must pay to them2    
and1 if they are angry1 they can be     
appeased if an offering rare and costly 
enough be brought by the worshipper4    
,you can buy their favor2 you can ward  
off their anger1 if only you can offer  
them something which is precious enough 
so that they are ready to accept it at  
the worshipper's hands4  ,these are not 

merely ,old ,testament ideas1 nor only  
pagan ideas4 ,some years ago1 when ,i   
was in ,rome1 ,i visited among others   
one of the many churches dedicated to   
,mary under one name or another2 and    
there was a statue of the ,virgin by the
 altar1 and it impressed me very much to
 see that it was loaded down with gifts4
 ,every place on the statue itself to   
which anything could be attached1       
anything on the altar around it1 was    
weighted down with gold chains1 with    
jewels1 with precious gifts of every    
kind4 ,these had been brought as        
thank-offerings1 expressions of worship1
 or pledges connected with a petition1  
because ,i have brought thee this gift1 
have mercy1 do this for me which ,i     
need4  ,so these old ideas are vital    
still1 and live on in the modern world4 
,and yet modern and magnificent are     
those utterances of the old ,hebrew     
prophet1 who had so completely outgrown 
the common customs even of his time1    
when he represents ,god as saying that  

he is weary of all these external       
offerings4 ,he says3 ,i do not want the 
cattle brought to my temples4 ,those    
that wander on a thousand hills are     
already mine4 ,if ,i were hungry1 ,i    
would not ask thee4 ,he does not want   
the rivers of oil poured out4 ,what does
 he want8 ,the old prophet says1 ,what  
doth the ,lord require of thee but to do
 justly1 to love mercy1 and to walk     
humbly with ,god8 ,and some of the later
 writers caught a glimpse of the same   
spiritual truth when they said1 ,not    
burnt- offerings1 not calves of a year  
old2 when they cry out1 ,shall ,i bring 
the fruit of my body for the sin of my  
soul8 ,no1 it is a broken and contrite  
heart1 a heart sorry for its sin1 a     
heart consecrating itself to            
righteousness and truth1 this inner1    
spiritual worship4  ,the prophets1 you  
see1 were climbing up to that           
magnificent ideal so finely set up by   
,jesus as reported in the ,gospel from  
which ,i read our lesson this morning4  

,they had not only believed that ,god   
was to be worshipped after these        
external fashions1 but that there was   
some special place1 not only where it   
was easier to think of him1 but where he
 demanded the offering should be        
brought4 ,he said to the woman at the   
well3 ,you think it is ,mount ,gerizim  
where the people ought to worship1 and  
the ,jews think it is ,mount ,moriah2   
but ,i say unto you that neither in this
 mountain nor yet at ,jerusalem shall   
men worship the ,father4 ,god is spirit1
 the universal spirit1 every place a    
temple1 every spot hallowed1 if only    
those that worship him do so in spirit  
and in truth4  ,you see1 then1 how up   
these stairways of gradual approach the 
human race1 in the person of its highest
 and finest representatives1 has        
climbed1 how near it has come to the    
spiritual ideal of ,god and the         
spiritual thought of that which he      
requires at our hands4  ,is worship1    
then1 so far as external form is        

concerned1 to pass away8 ,by no manner  
of means1 as ,i think4 ,as you analyze  
any one of these old primitive acts of  
worship1 no matter how crude1 no matter 
how cruel1 how bloody1 how repulsive it 
may be to-day from the outlook of our   
higher civilization1 you will note that 
it has in it an element which1 ,i       
believe1 is permanent1 and can never be 
outgrown4 ,whatever else there is1 there
 is always the sense of a ,presence1    
,invisible1 mighty1 high1 and1 from the 
point of view of the worshipper1 holy   
and set apart4 ,there is always the     
feeling of being in the shadow of the   
high and lofty ,one who inhabiteth      
eternity4 ,there is always the sense of 
uplooking1 of worship1 in the higher    
sense of that term4 ,always1 at any     
rate1 the germ of these2 and this1 it   
seems to me1 we may be sure and certain1
 however it may clothe itself in the    
future1 shall never pass away4  ,i wish 
now1 if there are any who think it is   
not befitting the greatness1 the        

nobleness of man that he should bow     
himself in the presence of the highest1 
humiliate himself1 if you choose to use 
that term1 in acts of worship1 ,i wish  
now1 ,i say1 to consider worship under  
two or three aspects1 and see what it   
means4 ,and1 in the first place1 ,i ask 
you to note that the ability to worship 
is always the measure of the rank of a  
being1 it is the test and the standard  
of greatness4  ,as you look over the    
animal world1 which one of them are we  
accustomed to think of as coming the    
nearest to man8 ,what one do we love to 
have most with us1 to associate most    
with our joys1 with the peace of our    
homes8 ,is it not the dog8 ,and as you  
examine the dog1 study carefully his    
nature and characteristics1 do you not  
note that there is in his nature a hint1
 a suggestion1 of that which is the root
 of all worship8 ,the dog is the one    
animal with which man is accustomed     
familiarly to associate himself1 who    
looks up with an incipient reverence1   

love1 almost worship1 to his master4    
,and it is this quality in the dog that 
enables him to look up1 and1 however    
dimly1 feel the life of some one that is
 above him1 that lifts him into our     
society1 and makes us feel this         
tenderness of heart-kinship with that   
which is finest in his nature4  ,and man
 is man simply because he is able to    
look above himself4 ,the old ,greeks had
 an anticipation of that idea when they 
called man anthropos2 for the meaning of
 the word is the upward-looker4 ,as in  
imagination you go back and down to the 
time when man first appeared1 developed 
from the lower life which preceded him1 
the first thing you can think about him 
as human is the opening of his eyes in  
wonder1 the lifting of his face in      
curiosity and question1 and the birth of
 adoration in his soul4 ,this is that   
which made him man4  ,you go and study  
the lowest type of barbaric life to-day2
 and you will find that the barbarian   
has very little curiosity as compared   

with the civilized man4 ,you will find  
that it is very difficult to astonish   
him with anything4 ,he does not wonder4 
,he takes everything for granted4 ,he   
does not see clearly and deeply enough  
to appreciate the marvel4 ,let me       
illustrate from a specimen of barbaric  
life itself4 ,a few years ago the chief 
of an ,indian tribe was brought from the
 plains of the ,west to visit           
,washington4 ,the idea was to impress   
him as much as possible with the idea of
 our civilization1 so that he might     
report it to his people when he went    
home4 ,after they had crossed the       
,mississippi on their way to the ,west1 
the gentleman in whose care he was      
travelling asked the chief what the one 
thing which he had seen during his trip 
was which had impressed him the most2   
and he said at once the ,st4 ,louis     
bridge4 ,but his companion said1 ,are   
you not astonished at the ,capitol of   
,washington8 ,yes1 he said1 but my      
people can pile stones on top of each   

other2 but they cannot make a cobweb of 
steel hang in the air4  ,you see how    
that perception lifted him above the    
average level of his people8 ,he was    
showing his capacity for higher and     
nobler civilization4 ,it is just this   
ability in the man to wonder1 to see    
something to wonder at1 to worship1 to  
admire1 which lifts him one grade higher
 than that of the average level of his  
tribe4 ,so that which makes man a man is
 the capacity in him to admire4 ,all    
admiration is the essence1 the root1 of 
worship4 ,and1 the more things a man    
admires1 the greater and nobler type of 
man he is seen to be4 ,if he can admire 
music1 if he can admire painting1 if he 
can admire sculpture1 if he can admire  
poetry1 if he can admire literature of  
every kind1 if he can admire grand      
architecture1 the beautiful monuments of
 the world1 we say1 ,here is a large1   
all-round type of man4 ,we estimate his 
dignity1 his greatness1 by the capacity 
that he shows for worship in its lower  

type2 for worship is simply looking up  
with admiration4  ,there is another     
quality about this worship that ,i wish 
to speak of4 ,it is the power that is   
capable of transforming a man1 making   
him over into the likeness of that which
 he admires4 ,you find the man without  
this capacity1 and you know it is       
hopeless to appeal to him1 hopeless to  
set up ideals1 hopeless to place before 
him enticing examples4 ,there is nothing
 in him to which these things appeal4   
,take ,alexander the ,great4 ,it is said
 he carried around with him a copy of   
the ,iliad1 and that ,achilles was his  
ideal of a hero4 ,do you not see how    
this admiration transformed the life of 
the young king1 and made him after the  
type of that which he admired8 ,it does 
not make any difference what this       
special admiration may be4 ,let a man   
admire ,beethoven1 and he will cultivate
 instinctively the qualities that make  
the beauty and greatness of ,beethoven's
 character and the wonders of his       

career4  ,this ideal may be in a book1  
it may be embodied in fiction4 ,i have  
liked always1 either on the walls of my 
room or on the walls of my heart1 to    
have certain portraits of persons whom  
,i have loved1 who are no longer living2
 and they are to me constant stimulus4  
,they speak to me by day1 and in my     
dreams at night their eyes follow me1   
and seem to look into my soul2 and in   
their presence ,i could not do a mean1  
an unmanly thing4 ,i love1 ,i reverence1
 ,i worship these lofty ideals4 ,and the
 quality of these characters filters    
down through and permeates the thought  
and the life4  ,you remember how the    
other aspect of this thought is         
illustrated by ,shakspere4 ,he says1 ,my
 nature is subdued ,to what it works in1
 like the dyer's hand4 ,if that with    
which you keep company1 that you admire1
 is below you1 it degrades2 if it is    
above you1 it lifts4 ,in any case you   
are transformed1 shaped into the        
likeness of that which you admire4      

,there is another aspect of this close  
akin to that which ,i have just been    
dealing with4 ,it is only the worshipper
 who has in him any promise1 any        
possibility1 of growth4 ,whether it is  
the individual or the nation1 it makes  
no difference4 ,if you find no capacity 
to admire that which is above and beyond
 you1 then there is no hope of progress4
 ,take the young man who thinks he has  
exhausted the possibilities of the      
world1 who has reached the stage1 who   
prides himself on not being surprised1  
not being over whelmed1 not admiring    
anything4 ,the careful outside observer 
knows that1 instead of having exhausted 
the possibilities and greatness and     
wonders of the universe1 he has simply  
exhausted himself4  ,the man who knows  
how full the world is of that which is  
beautiful and great and true and noble  
walks through the universe with his head
 bared and bowed1 and feels1 as did     
,moses when standing in the presence of 
the burning bush1 that he ought to take 

off his shoes from his feet1 for the    
place where he is standing is holy      
ground4 ,wherever you are standing in   
this universe1 which is full of ,god    
from star to dust particle1 is holy     
ground2 and1 if you do not feel it1 if  
you are not touched1 if you are not     
bowed1 if you are not thrilled with     
wonder1 it is defect in you1 and not    
lack of ,god4  ,if the musician admires 
his great predecessors and strives to   
emulate them2 if the painter in the     
presence of the ,sistine ,madonna feels 
lifted and touched1 so that he never can
 be content with poor work again2 if the
 sculptor is ready to bend his knees in 
the presence of the ,venus of ,melos1 as
 he sees her standing at the end of the 
long gallery in the ,louvre2 if the     
lover of his kind admires ,john ,howard1
 and can never be content unless he is  
doing something for his fellow- men     
again2 if we can be touched by lives    
like ,clara ,barton's1 like ,florence   
,nightingale's1 like ,dorothea ,dix's1  

like the great and consecrated ones of  
the earth2 if in any department of life 
we can be lifted1 humbled1 thrilled1 at 
the same time with the thought of the   
greatness and glory and beauty that are 
above and beyond us1 then there is hope 
of growth1 then there is life that can  
come to something fine and noble in the 
future4  ,i wish1 in the light of these 
illustrations of what worship means1 to 
note the thought that a great many men  
conscientious1 earnest1 simple who have 
never been accustomed to think of       
themselves as religious1 and perhaps    
would deny it if a friend suggested to  
them that they had in them the          
possibilities of worship1 that perhaps  
they are worshippers1 even if they know 
it not4 ,a great many persons have      
thrown away the common ideals of        
worship1 and perhaps have settled down  
to the idea that they are not           
worshippers at all1 while all the time  
the substance and the beauty and the    
glory of worship are in their daily     

lives and always in their hearts4 ,i    
want to suggest two or three grades of  
worship1 to show that this worship      
climbs2 and ,i want to call attention to
 the fact that on the lowest grade it is
 worship of ,god just the same as on the
 highest1 that all worship or admiration
 for truth1 for beauty1 for good1       
wherever1 however1 manifested1 is really
 worship of ,god1 whether we think of it
 or call it by that name or not1 because
 they all are manifestations of ,god4   
,take the man who is touched and lifted 
by natural beauty1 the sense of natural 
power2 the man who loves the woods1 who 
turns and stands to see the glory of a  
sunset1 who is lifted by tides of       
emotion as he hears the surf beat on the
 shore1 who feels bowed in the presence 
of the wide night sky of stars1 who is  
humbled at the same time that he is     
uplifted in the presence of the         
mountains1 who is touched by all natural
 scenes of beauty and peace and glory4  
,are not these men in their degree      

worshippers8  ,take the feeling that is 
expressed in those beautiful lines of   
,byron4 ,we do not think of ,byron as a 
religious nature1 but certainly he had  
in him the heart of worship when he     
could write such thoughts as these3     
',tis midnight4 ,on the mountains brown 
,the cold1 round moon shines deeply     
down2 ,blue roll the waters2 blue the   
sky ,seems like an ocean hung on high1  
,bespangled with those isles of light1  
,so wildly1 spiritually bright4         
,whoever looked upon them shining ,and  
turned to earth without repining1 ,nor  
wished for wings to flee away ,and mix  
with their eternal ray8  ,and           
,wordsworth says he feels a ,presence   
that ,disturbs him with the joy of      
elevated thought1 ,a sense sublime of   
something far more deeply interfused4   
,and so you may run all through the     
poets1 these simply as hints1 specimens1
 every one of them worshippers1 touched 
by the beauty1 glory1 uplift of the     
natural world4  ,and then pass to the   

next stage1 and come to the worship of  
the human1 to the admiration of the     
highest and finest qualities that are   
manifested in the lives of men and      
women4 ,who is there that is not touched
 and thrilled by some story of heroic   
action1 of heroic self- sacrifice1 of   
consecration to duty in the face of     
danger and death8 ,and no matter what   
this manifestation of human goodness may
 be1 if you can be thrilled by it and   
lifted by it1 then you have taken       
another step up this ladder of worship  
which leads you into the very presence  
chamber of the ,divine4  ,let a boy read
 the life of ,lincoln1 see his earnest  
thirst for knowledge1 the sacrifice he  
was willing to pay for it1 his          
consecration to his ideals of truth1 the
 transparent honesty of the man1 the    
supreme contempt with which he could    
look down upon anything poor or mean or 
low1 the firmness and simplicity with   
which he assumes high office1 the       
faithfulness1 the unassuming devotion1  

that he carries into the fulfilment of  
the trust4 ,take him all the way        
through1 study his character and admire1
 and you are a worshipper of that which 
is divine4  ,so in the case of ,jesus1  
the supreme soul of history in its      
consecration to the ,father1 its simple 
trust in the divine love1 its           
superiority to fear1 to question1 to    
death4 ,when we bow ourselves in the    
presence of the ,nazarene1 we are not   
worshipping another ,god4 ,we are       
worshipping his ,father and our ,father 
as lie shines in the face of ,jesus1 as 
he illumines and beautifies his life1 as
 he makes glorious the humble pathways  
of ,galilee1 and so casts a reflected   
glory over the humblest pathways any of 
us may be called upon to tread4  ,the   
next step in our ascent brings us to the
 conscious worship of ,god himself4 ,we 
cannot grasp the divine idea4 ,the      
finite cannot measure or outline the    
infinite2 and so1 when we say ,god1 we  
mean only the grandest ideal that we can

 frame1 that reaches on towards1 but can
 never adequately express the ,deity4   
,and so we worship this thought1 this   
ideal1 growing as our capacity develops1
 advancing as the race advances1 and    
ever leading us ,godward1 as when we    
follow a ray of light we are travelling 
towards its source4 ,and the attitude of
 our souls in the presence of this which
 is divine is truest worship4 ,the      
humility of it1 the exaltation of it1 is
 beautifully phrased in two or three    
lines which ,i wish to repeat to you    
from ,browning's ,saul3 ,i but open my  
eyes1 and perfection1 no more and no    
less1 ,in the kind ,i imagined1         
full-fronts me1 and ,god is seen ,god   
,in the star1 in the stone1 in the      
flesh1 in the soul and the clod4 ,and1  
thus looking within and around me1 ,i   
ever renew 7,with that stoop of the soul
 which in bending upraises it1 too71 ,as
 by each new obeisance in spirit ,i     
climb to his feet6  ,here is the        
significance of the thought ,i had in   

mind at the opening4 ,we talk about     
humbling ourselves4 ,when we can bend   
with reverence in the presence of that  
which is above us1 the very bending is  
exaltation2 for it indicates the        
capacity to appreciate1 to admire1 to   
adore4 ,thus we climb up into the       
ability to worship ,god1 the infinite   
,spirit1 our ,father1 in spirit and in  
truth4  ,now to raise one moment the    
question suggested near the opening1    
,are forms of worship to pass away8 ,the
 reply to this seems to me perfectly    
clear4 ,those forms which sprang out of 
and are fitted to only lower ideals of  
worship1 ideals which humanity outgrows1
 these must be left behind1 or else they
 must be transformed1 and filled with a 
new and higher meaning4 ,but forms will 
always remain4 ,but note one thing3 they
 sometimes say that we ,unitarians are  
too cold1 and do not have form enough4  
,you will see that1 the higher men rise 
intellectually1 the less there is always
 of outward expression4  ,for example1  

before men were able to speak with any  
large vocabulary1 they eked out their   
meaning by all kinds of motions and     
gestures4 ,but the most highly          
cultivated men to- day1 in their        
conversation1 are the ones who get the  
least excited and have the least        
recourse to gestures1 because they are  
capable of expressing the highest1      
finest1 and most varied thoughts by the 
elaborate power of speech which they    
have developed4 ,and perhaps the highest
 and finest worship of the world will   
not be that which has the most elaborate
 ceremonial and ritual2 but it will have
 adequate and fitting ceremonial and    
ritual1 because it will naturally seek  
to express in some external way that    
which it feels4  ,i sometimes wish and  
perhaps you will pardon me for saying it
 here and now that we ,unitarians were a
 little less afraid of adequate posture 
and gesture in our acts of public       
worship4 ,god is1 indeed1 everywhere as 
much as he is here2 but this is the     

place we have specially consecrated to  
thinking about him and to going through 
our stated forms of worship4 ,and if1   
when you enter the house of a friend1   
you take off your hat1 you bow the head1
 it seems to me it would be especially  
fitting to do it1 when one enters a     
,christian church4 ,and1 in the attitude
 of prayer1 ,i wish that all might find 
it in their hearts to sit with bended   
brow and closed eyes as in the presence 
of the ,supreme1 shutting out the       
common1 the outside world1 and trying to
 realize what it means to come          
consciously to the feet of the eternal  
,one4  ,i love these simple1 fitting1   
external manifestations of the          
worshipful spirit2 and1 if we do not    
substitute them for the worship1 and    
think we worship when we bend the knee1 
this appropriate expression of the      
spirit1 or feeling1 it seems to ought to
 help cultivate the feeling and the     
spirit1 and make it easier for us to be 
conscious of the presence of the        

,divine4  ,we are men1 then1 in the     
highest sense of the term1 only as we   
are worshippers4 ,and the more          
worshipful we are1 in high and true     
sense of that word1 the nobler and      
higher manhood1 and the grander the     
possibilities in us of de intellectual1 
moral1 spiritual growth4  ,let us1 then1
 cultivate the admiring1 the wondering1 
the worshipful attitude of heart and    
mind1 and recognize on lowest steps of  
this ladder that lifts to ,god1 the     
presence of the same divine power and   
beauty and glory as that which we see   
clearly on the highest1 and know that   
always1 when we are worshipping any     
manifestation of ,god1 we are shipping  
,him who is spirit1 in spirit and in    
truth4  ,when on some strain of music   
,our thoughts are wafted high2 ,when1   
touched with tender pity1 ,kind         
teardrops dim the eye2 ,when thrilled   
with scenes of grandeur1 ,or moved to   
deeds of love1 ,do we not give thee     
worship1 ,o ,god in heaven above8 ,for  

,thou art all life's beauty1 ,and ,thou 
art all its good3 ,by ,thy tides are we 
lifted ,to every lofty mood4 ,whatever  
good is in us1 ,whatever good we see1   
,and every high endeavor1 ,are they not 
all from ,thee8  ,,morality ,,natural1  
,,not ,,statutory4  ,,it is very common 
for people to identify their special    
type of religion or their theological   
opinions with religion itself1 and feel 
that those who do not agree with them   
are in the rue sense not religious4 ,not
 only this4 ,it is perhaps quite less   
common for them to identify their       
particular type of religion with the    
fundamental ideas of morality1 and think
 that the people who do not agree with  
them are undermining the moral stability
 of the world4 ,for example1 those who  
question the absolute authority of the  
,catholic ,church are looked upon the   
authorities of that ,church as the      
enemies1 not only of religion1 but as   
the enemies of society1 the enemies of  
humanity1 as doing what they can to     

shake the very foundations of he social 
order4 ,you will find a great many      
,protestant theologians who seem to hold
 the opinion that1 if you dare to       
question the authenticity or authority  
of some particular nook in the ,bible1  
you are not only an enemy of religion1  
but you are an enemy of morality4 ,you  
are doing what you can to disturb the   
stability of the world4  ,but1 if we    
look at the matter with a little care1  
we shall see that we ought to turn it   
quite around1 look at it from another   
point of view4 ,though every ,bible1    
every particle of religious literature1 
every hymn1 every prayer on the face of 
the earth1 were blotted out of existence
 to-day1 religion would not be touched4 
,religious books did not create         
religion1 did not make man a religious  
being4 ,it is the religious nature of   
man that made the ,bibles1 that uttered 
itself in prayers1 that created the     
rituals1 that sung the hymns and chanted
 the anthems4 ,it is man1 a religious   

being1 who makes religious institutions1
 who creates all the external aspects   
and appearances of the religious life4  
,and the same is true precisely in      
regard to moral precepts4 ,if the ,ten  
,commandments were blotted out of the   
memory of man1 if every single ethical  
teaching of ,jesus should perish1 if the
 high and fine moral precepts of        
,epictetus and ,marcus ,aurelius and all
 the great teachers of the pagan world  
should cease to exist1 if there were not
 a printed moral precept on earth1      
morality would not be touched4 ,it is   
not these that have created morality4   
,it is the natural moral nature of man  
that has written all the commandments1  
whether they have come to us by the hand
 of ,moses or of ,gautama or ,mohammed  
or ,confucius or ,seneca1 or no matter  
who the medium may have been4  ,man is a
 moral being1 naturally1 essentially1   
eternally1 and this is a moral universe1
 inherently1 necessarily1 eternally2    
and1 though all the external expression 

of moral thought and feeling should be  
lost1 the human race would simply       
reproduce them again4  ,it is sometimes 
well for us to get down to the bed-rock 
in our thinking1 and find how natural   
and necessary the great foundations are4
 ,the ,hindu priests used to tell their 
followers that the earth1 which was     
flat1 rested on certain pillars1 which  
rested again on some other foundation   
beneath them1 and so on until thought   
was weary in trying to trace that upon  
which the earth was supposed to find its
 stability4 ,and they also told their   
followers that1 if they did not bring   
offerings1 if they did not pay the      
special respect which was due to the    
gods1 if they were not obedient to heir 
teachings1 these pillars would give way1
 and the earth would be precipitated    
into the abyss4  ,but we have found1 as 
a result of our modern study of he      
universe1 that the earth needs no       
pillars on which to rest2 but it swings 
freely in its orbit1 as the old verse   

that used to read in my schoolboy days  
says1 ,hangs on nothing in the air1 part
 of the universal system of things1     
stable in its eternal sound and motion1 
kept and cared for by the power that    
lever sleeps and never is weary4 ,so1 by
 studying into the foundations of the   
moral nature of man1 we have discovered 
a last that it needs no artificial props
 or supports1 but that morality is      
inherent1 natural and eternal4  ,i shall
 not raise the question1 which is rather
 curious than practical1 as to whether  
there are any beginnings of moral       
feeling in the animal world below man4  
,for our purpose this morning it is     
enough to note that the minute that man 
appears conscience appears1 and that    
conscience is an act which springs out  
of social relations4 ,in other words1   
when the first man rose to the ability  
to look into the face of his fellow and 
think of the other man as another self1 
like himself in feelings1 in            
possibilities of pleasure or pain1 when 

this first man was able imaginatively to
 put himself in3 he place of this other1
 then morality as a practical fact was  
,dorn4  ,we may imagine1 for the purpose
 of illustration1 this man saying3 ,here
 is another being who appears to be like
 myself4 ,he is capable of suffering    
pain1 as ,i am4 ,he does not like pain  
any better than ,i do4 ,therefore1 ,i   
have no right to make him suffer that   
which ,i do not wish to suffer myself4  
,this other man is capable of pleasure4 
,he desires certain things1 similar     
things to those which ,i desire4 ,if ,i 
do not wish him to take these things    
away from me1 ,i have no right to take  
them away from him4  ,i do not mean that
 this was thought out in this clear way1
 but that1 when there was the first dim 
perception of this other self1 with     
similar feelings1 similar possibilities1
 similar pleasures1 similar pains1 then 
there became a conscience1 because there
 was a consciousness of this similarity 
of nature4 ,morality1 then1 is born as a

 social fact4  ,to go a little deeper1  
and in order to trace the natural and   
historical growth of the moral ideal1   
let me say that morality in its deepest 
and truest sense is born of the fact of 
sex1 because it is right in there that  
we find the root and the germ of        
permanent social relations4 ,and ,i wish
 you to note another very significant   
fact4 ,you hear people talking about    
selfishness and unselfishness1 as though
 they were direct contraries1 mutually  
exclusive of each other1 as though1 in  
order to make a selfish man unselfish1  
you must completely reverse his nature1 
so to speak4 ,i do not think this is    
true at all4 ,unselfishness naturally   
and necessarily springs out of          
selfishness1 and1 in the deepest sense  
of the word1 is not at all contradictory
 to that4  ,for example3 ,a man falls in
 love with a woman4 ,this1 on one side  
of it1 is as selfish as anything you can
 possibly conceive4 ,but do you not see 
by what subtle and divine chemistry the 

selfishness is straightway transformed1 
lifted up1 glorified1 and becomes       
unselfishness8 ,the very love that he   
professes for her makes it necessary for
 his own happiness that she should be   
happy1 so that1 in seeking for his own  
selfish gratification1 he is devoting   
himself unselfishly to the happiness of 
somebody else4  ,and1 when a child is   
born1 do you not see1 again1 how the two
 selfishnesses1 the father's and the    
mother's1 selfishly1 if you please1     
brooding over and loving the child1 at  
once go out of themselves1 consecrating 
time and care and thought and love1 and 
even health or life itself1 if need be1 
for the welfare of the child8  ,right in
 there1 then1 out of this fact of sex   
and in the becoming of the family1 are  
born love and sympathy1 and tenderness  
and mutual care1 all those things which 
are the highest and finest constituent  
elements of the noblest developments of 
the moral nature of men4  ,imagination  
plays a large part in the development of

 morality2 for you must be able to put  
yourself imaginatively in the place of  
another before you can feel for that    
other1 and in that way recognize the    
rights of that other and be ready to    
grant these rights to that other4 ,so we
 find that morality at first is a narrow
 thing3 it is confined perhaps to the   
little family1 the father1 the mother1  
the child1 bound together by these ties 
of kinship1 of love1 of sympathy1       
devoting themselves to each other2 but  
they may look upon some other family as 
their natural enemies1 and feel no      
necessity whatever to apply these same  
principles of love and tenderness and   
care beyond the limits of their own     
little circle4  ,so you find1 as you    
study the growth of the moral nature of 
man1 that it is confined at first to the
 family1 then to the patriarchal family1
 then the tribe2 but the fiction of     
kinship is still kept up1 and1 while the
 member of the primeval tribe feels he  
has no right to rob or murder within the

 limits of his tribe1 he has no         
compunction whatever about robbing or   
murdering or injuring the members of    
some other tribe4 ,so the moral         
principle in its practical working is   
limited to the range of the sympathy of 
the tribe1 which does not go beyond the 
tribal limits4 ,we see how that         
principle works still in the world1 from
 the beginning clear up to the highest  
reaches which we have as yet attained4  
,take the next step1 and find a city    
like ancient ,athens4 ,still1 perhaps1  
the fiction of kinship is maintained4   
,all the citizens of ,athens are        
regarded as members of the same great   
tribe or family4 ,but even in the time  
of ,plato1 whom we are accustomed to    
look upon as one of the great teachers  
of the world1 there was no thought of   
any moral obligation to anybody who     
lived in ,sparta1 lived in any other    
city of ,greece1 and less was there any 
thought of moral obligation as touching 
or taking in the outside barbarian4 ,so 

when the city grew into a nation1 and we
 came to a point where the world        
substantially stands to-day1 do you not 
see that practically the same principle 
holds1 that1 while we recognize in some 
abstract sort of fashion that we ought  
to do justice and be kind to people     
beyond our own limits1 yet all our      
political economy1 all our national     
ideas1 are accustomed to emphasize the  
fact that we must be just and righteous 
to our own people1 but that aggression1 
injustice of almost any kind1 is venial 
in our treatment of the inhabitants of  
another country8 ,and it may even flame 
up into the fire of a wordy patriotism  
in certain conditions2 and love of      
country may mean hatred and injustice   
towards the inhabitants of another      
country1 or particularly towards the    
people of another race4  ,let me give   
you a practical illustration of it4     
,what are the relations in which we     
stand to-day towards ,spain8 ,i have    
unbounded admiration for the patience1  

on the whole1 for the justice1 the sense
 of right1 which characterize the       
,american people4 ,i doubt if there is  
another nation on the face of the earth 
to-day that would have gone through the 
last two or three years of our          
experience1 and maintained such an      
attitude of impartiality1 of            
faithfulness1 of justice1 of right4 ,and
 yet1 if we examine ourselves1 we shall 
find that it is immensely difficult for 
us to put ourselves in the place of a   
,spaniard1 to look at the ,cuban        
question from his point of view1 to try 
to be fair1 to be just to him4 ,it is   
immensely difficult1 ,i say1 for us to  
look at one of these international      
questions from the point of view of     
another race1 cherishing other religious
 and social ideas1 having another style 
of government4  ,and there is another   
illustration of it that has recently    
occurred here in our country1 which is  
sadder still to me4 ,only a little while
 ago a postmaster in the ,south was shot

 by a mob4 ,the mob surrounds his house1
 murders him and his child1 wounds other
 members of the family1 burns down his  
home2 and why8 ,under no impulse        
whatever except that of pure and simple 
race prejudice1 the utter inability of a
 white man to put himself in the        
position of a black to such an extent as
 to recognize1 plead for1 or defend his 
inherent rights as a man4  ,i am not    
casting any aspersion on the ,south in  
what ,i am saying1 none whatever4 ,were 
the conditions reversed1 perhaps we     
should be no better4 ,it is not a       
practical problem with us4 ,if there    
were two or three times as many colored 
men in the ,state of ,new ,york as there
 are white men1 then we might understand
 the question4 ,let us not mentally cast
 any stones at the people across the    
line4 ,i point it out simply as         
illustrating the difficulty that we have
 in recognizing the rights1 the moral   
rights1 of people beyond the limits of  
that sympathy to which we have been     

accustomed and for a long period        
trained4  ,i believe the day will come  
when we shall be as jealous of the right
 of a man as we are now of the right of 
an ,american4 ,we are not yet4 ,there   
have been foregleams and prophecies of  
it in the past4 ,long ago a ,latin      
writer said1 ,i am a man1 and whatever  
is human is not foreign to me4 ,but     
think what a lone and isolated utterance
 that has been for hundreds of years4   
,jesus taught us to pray1 not my        
,father1 but our ,father1 and we do pray
 it every day in the-year2 but how many 
are the people in any of the churches   
that dream of living it8 ,a hundred     
years ago that heretic1 who is still    
looked upon as the bugaboo of all that  
is fine and good1 ,thomas ,paine1 wrote1
 ,the world is my country1 and to do    
good is my religion1 a sentence so fine 
that it has been carved on the base of  
the statue of ,william ,lloyd ,garrison 
on ,commonwealth ,avenue in ,boston1 as 
being a fitting symbol of his own       

philanthropic life4  ,how many of us    
have risen to the idea of making these  
grand sentiments the ruling principles  
of our lives8 ,but along the lines of   
moral growth it is to come4 ,the day    
will be when1 as ,i said1 we shall feel 
as keenly whatever touches the right of 
any man as to-day we feel that which    
touches the right of one of our own     
people2 and the moral growth of the     
world will reach beyond that4 ,i love to
 dream of a day when men will no longer 
forget the inherent rights of any       
inhabitant of the air or of the waters  
or of the woods or any of the           
domesticated animals that we have come  
to associate with our lives4  ,we feel  
towards them to-day as in the old days a
 man felt towards another man who was   
his slave1 that he had a right to abuse1
 to maltreat1 even to kill1 if he       
pleased4 ,we have not yet become        
civilized enough1 so that we feel it    
incumbent upon us to recognize the fact 
that animals can suffer pain1 that      

animals can enjoy the air or the        
sunshine1 and that they have a right to 
each when they do not trespass upon the 
larger rights of humanity4 ,i was       
something of a boy when it first came   
over me that it was not as amusing to   
animals to be shot and killed as it was 
to me to shoot and kill them4 ,from the 
time ,i was able to lift a gun ,i had   
always carried one2 but ,i soon learned 
that for me there was no pleasure in    
taking needlessly the life of anything  
that lived4 ,we are only partially      
civilized as yet in the treatment of our
 domesticated animals4 ,how many people 
think of the torture of the curb bit1 of
 the check1 of neglect in the case of   
cold1 of thirst1 of hunger8 ,how many   
people1 ,i say1 civilized and in our    
best society1 are careful yet as to the 
comfort1 the rights1 of those that serve
 them in these humble capacities8  ,the 
time will come when our moral           
sympathetic sense shall widen its       
boundaries even farther yet1 and shall  

take in the trees and the shrubs1 the   
waters1 the hills1 all the natural and  
beautiful features of the world4 ,i     
believe that by and by it will be       
regarded as immoral1 as unmanly1 to     
deface1 to mar1 that which ,god has made
 so glorious and so beautiful4 ,as soon 
as man develops1 then1 his power of     
sympathy1 so that it can take the world 
in its arms1 so soon he will have grown 
to the stature of the ,divine in the    
unfolding of his moral nature4  ,i wish 
now to raise the question1 for a moment1
 as to what is to be our guide in regard
 to moral facts and moral actions4 ,i   
was trained1 and perhaps most of you    
were1 to believe that ,i was            
unquestioningly to follow my conscience1
 that whatever conscience told me to do 
was necessarily right4 ,the conscience  
has been spoken of as though it were a  
sort of little deity set to rule man's  
nature1 this little kingdom of thought  
and feeling and action4 ,but conscience 
is nothing of the kind4 ,half of the    

consciences of the world to-day are all 
wrong4  ,let me hint by way of          
illustration what ,i mean3 ,calvin was  
just as conscientious in burning        
,servetus as ,servetus was in pursuing  
that course of action which led him to  
the stake4 ,one of them was wrong in    
following his conscience1 then4 ,you    
take it to-day3 some people will tell   
you there is a certain day in the week  
that you must observe as sacred4 ,your  
conscience tells you there is another   
day in the week that you must observe as
 sacred4 ,can both be right8 ,many of   
the greatest tragedies of the world have
 come about through these controversies 
and confusions of conscience4 ,the      
,quaker in old ,boston went at the      
cart's tail1 in disgrace1 because he    
followed his conscience2 and the        
,puritan put him there because he       
followed his conscience4 ,were both of  
them right8 ,the inquisitor in ,spain   
put to death hundreds and thousands of  
people conscientiously2 and the hundreds

 and thousands of people conscientiously
 went to their deaths4  ,what is        
conscience1 then8 ,conscience is not a  
moral guide4 ,it is simply that monitor 
within that reiterates to us forever and
 forever and forever1 ,do right4 ,but   
conscience does not tell us what is     
right4 ,we must decide those questions  
as a matter of calm study and judgment  
in the light of human experience4 ,it is
 the judgment that should tell us       
whether a thing is right or wrong4 ,and 
how shall we know whether it is right or
 wrong8 ,simply by the consequences4    
,that which helps1 that which lifts man 
up1 that which adds to the happiness and
 the well-being of the world1 as the    
result of human experience1 is right4   
,that which hurts1 that which injures   
men and women1 that which takes away    
from their welfare and happiness1 that  
is wrong4 ,all these things1 as we shall
 see before ,i get through1 are inherent
 in the nature of things1 not created by
 statute1 not the result of the moral   

teaching of anybody4  ,this leads me to 
extend this idea a little farther1 and  
to raise the question as to what is the 
standard by which you are to judge moral
 action4 ,if you will think it out with 
a little care1 you will find that the   
standard of all moral action may be     
summed up in the one word life4 ,life1  
first1 as continuance2 second1 to use a 
philosophical term1 content1 that which 
it includes4 ,life1 this is the standard
 of right and wrong4  ,to illustrate1   
take me physically1 leave out of account
 all the rest of my nature now for a    
moment1 and consider me as an animal4   
,from the point of view of my body1 that
 which conduces to length of life1 to   
fullness1 to completion1 to enjoyment of
 life1 is right1 the only right1 from   
this physical point of view4 ,that which
 threatens my life1 that which takes    
away my sum of strength1 injures my     
health1 takes away from my possibility  
of enjoyment1 that1 from a physical     
point of view1 is wrong2 and there can  

be no other right or wrong from the     
point of view of the body4  ,but ,i am  
not simply body4 ,so this principle must
 be modified4 ,come up to the fact that 
,i am an intellectual being4 ,in order  
to develop myself intellectually1 ,i may
 have to forego things that would be    
pleasant on the bodily plane4 ,i        
sacrifice the lower for the higher2 and 
that which would be right on the        
physical plane becomes relatively wrong 
now1 because it interferes with         
something that is higher and more       
important4  ,rise one step to man as an 
affectional being4 ,if you wish to      
develop him to the finest and highest   
here1 you may not only be obliged under 
certain conditions to sacrifice the     
body1 but you may be obliged to         
sacrifice his intellectual development4 
,in order that he may be the best up    
here1 he must put the others sometimes1 
relatively1 under his feet4 ,so1 again1 
that which would be right on the        
physical plane or the intellectual plane

 becomes relatively wrong1 if it        
interferes with that which is higher    
still4  ,and so1 if you recognize man as
 a spiritual being1 a child of ,god1    
then you say it is right1 if need be1 to
 put all these other things under his   
feet1 in order that he may attain the   
highest and best that he is capable of  
here4 ,but you see it is life all the   
way1 it is the physical life or it is   
the mental life or it is the affectional
 life or it is the spiritual life2 and  
that which is necessary for the         
cultivation and development of these    
different grades of life becomes on     
those grades right1 and that which      
threatens or injures one or either of   
these grades becomes1 so far as that    
grade is concerned1 wrong4  ,life1 then1
 continuance1 fullness1 joy1 use1 this  
is the standard of right and wrong2 a   
standard which no book ever set up1     
which no book can ever overthrow2 a     
standard which is inherent1 natural1    
necessary1 a part of the very nature of 

things4  ,i wish now for a moment ,i    
must of course do it briefly to consider
 the relation of religion to this       
natural morality4 ,and perhaps you will 
hardly be ready some of you1 at any rate
 for the statement which ,i propose to  
make1 that sometimes1 in order to be    
grandly moral1 a man must be            
irreligious4 ,i mean1 of course1 from   
the point of view of the conventional   
religion of his time1 he must be ready  
to be regarded as irreligious4 ,in the  
earliest development of the religious   
and moral life of a tribe1 very likely1 
the two went hand in hand1 side by side2
 for the dead chief now worshipped as   
god would be looked upon as in favor of 
those customs or practices which the    
tribe had come to regard as right4 ,but 
religion perhaps you will know by this  
time1 if you have thought of it         
carefully is the most conservative thing
 in the world4 ,naturally1 it is the    
last thing that people are willing to   
change4 ,this reluctance grows out of   

their reverence1 grows out of their     
worshipful nature1 grows out of their   
fear that they may be wrong4  ,but now  
let me illustrate what ,i mean4         
,religion1 standing still in this way1  
has become an institution1 a set of     
beliefs1 of rites and ceremonies1 which 
do not change4 ,the moral experience of 
the people goes right on2 and so it     
sometimes comes to pass that the moral  
ideal has outgrown the religious ideal  
of the community4 ,and now1 as a        
practical illustration to illume the    
whole point1 let us go back to ancient  
,athens for a moment at the time of     
,socrates4 ,here we are confronted with 
the curious fact that ,socrates1 who has
 been regarded from that day to this as 
the most grandly moral man of his time1 
the one man who taught the highest and  
noblest human ideals1 is put to death as
 an irreligious man4 ,the popular       
religion of the time cast him out1 and  
put the hemlock to his lips2 and at the 
same time his teaching in regard to     

righteousness and truth was unspeakably 
ahead of the popular religion of his    
day4  ,let us come to the modern ,athens
 for a moment1 to the time of ,theodore 
,parker in ,boston4 ,we are confronted  
here1 again1 with this strange fact4    
,there was not a church in ,boston that 
could abide him1 not even the ,unitarian
 churches2 and in the prayer-meetings of
 the day they were beseeching ,god to   
take him out of the world1 because they 
thought he was such a force for evil4   
,and at the same time ,theodore ,parker 
stood for the very highest1 tenderest1  
truest moral ideal of his age4  ,there  
was no man walking the earth at that    
time who so grandly voiced the real law 
of ,god as did ,theodore ,parker4 ,and  
yet he was outcast by the popular       
religious sentiment of his time4  ,this1
 then1 is what ,i mean when ,i say that 
we ought to be careful1 and study and   
think in forming our religious ideals1  
and see that we do not identify our own 
unwillingness to think with the eternal 

and changeless law of ,god4 ,this is    
what ,i have meant in some of the       
strictures which ,i have uttered during 
the last year upon some of the          
theological creeds of the time4 ,the    
people have grown to be better than     
their creeds1 but they have not yet     
developed the courage to make those     
creeds utter the highest and finest     
things which they think and feel4 ,this 
is what ,i have meant when ,i have said 
that the character of ,god as outlined  
in many of these creeds is away behind  
and below the noblest and finest and    
sweetest ideals of what we regard as    
fitting even to humanity to-day4        
,religion1 then1 may be ahead of the    
moral ideal or it may be behind it4 ,the
 particular type of religion ,i mean1 of
 course1 which is being held at any     
particular time in the history of the   
world4 ,but the moral ideal of necessity
 goes on1 keeping step with the social  
experience of the race4  ,i must touch  
briefly now just one other point of     

practical importance that we need to    
guard1 in order to be tender and true in
 our dealings with our fellow-men4 ,you 
will find1 if you look over the face of 
society1 that there are two kinds of    
morality1 frequently quite inconsistent 
with each other2 and sometimes the      
poorer of the two kinds is held in      
higher esteem than the better4 ,i mean  
there is conventional morality1 and     
there is real morality4  ,as a hint of  
illustration3 ,an ,american woman goes  
to ,turkey to-day2 and she is shocked by
 the customs of the women and their     
style of dress4 ,it seems to her that no
 woman can possibly be moral who1       
although she covers her head1 can appear
 on the street with feet and ankles     
bare4 ,but this same ,turkish woman is  
shocked beyond the possibility of       
utterance to know that in ,europe and   
,america women carefully cover their    
feet1 but expose their faces and their  
shoulders4 ,it seems terrible to her1   
and she cannot understand how a         

,european or ,american woman can have   
any regard for the principles of        
delicacy and morality4  ,do you not see 
how1 in both cases here1 it is purely a 
matter of convention8 ,no real question 
of morality is touched in either case4  
,i speak of this to prepare you to note 
how conscience can be as troubled over  
things which are purely conventional as 
it can over things which are downright  
and real4 ,let me use another           
illustration1 going a little deeper in  
the matter4 ,here is a man1 for example1
 who is terribly shocked because his    
neighbor takes a drive with his family  
on ,sunday afternoon4 ,it seems to him  
an outrage on all the principles of     
public and social morality2 and he is   
eager to get up a society to abolish    
such customs1 that seem to him to       
threaten the prosperity of all that is  
good in the world4 ,but this same man1  
perhaps1 has been trained in a way of   
conducting his business that1 while     
legal1 is not strictly fair4 ,this man  

may be hard and cruel towards his       
employees4 ,he may cherish bitter       
hatreds towards his rivals4 ,in his     
heart he may be transgressing the law of
 vital ethics1 while fighting with all  
the power of his nature for that which  
does not touch any real question of     
right or wrong at all4  ,or take a woman
 who1 while shocked at the transgression
 of some social custom in which she has 
been trained from her childhood1 or1 for
 example1 has come to think that a      
certain way of observing ,lent1 on which
 we have just entered1 is absolutely    
necessary to the safety of religion and 
morals both1 is yet quite willing1 and  
without a qualm of conscience1 on the   
slightest hint of a suspicion1 to tear  
into tatters the character of one of her
 neighbors or friends1 does not hesitate
 to slander1 perhaps is unjust or cruel 
to the servants that make the house     
comfortable and beautiful for her2 in   
other words1 transgressing the real laws
 of right and wrong1 she is shocked and 

troubled over the transgression on the  
part of others of some purely           
conventional statute1 the keeping or    
breach of which has no real bearing on  
the welfare of the world4  ,a good many 
of our social judgments are like the    
case of the old lady pardon me1 if it   
should make you smile1 but it           
illustrates the case who criticised with
 a great deal of severity a neighbor and
 friend who wore feathers on her bonnet4
 ,somebody said to her1 ,but the ribbons
 on your bonnet are quite as expensive  
as the feathers that you criticise4     
,yes1 she said1 ,i know they are2 but   
you have got to draw the line somewhere1
 and ,i choose to draw it at feathers4  
,so you find a great many people on     
every hand in society who are choosing  
to draw these lines purely artificial1  
purely conventional in regard to matters
 of supposed right or wrong1 while they 
are not as careful to look down deeply  
into the essential principles of that   
which is inherently right or wrong4     

,and now at the end ,i wish to suggest  
what is a theme large enough for a      
sermon by itself1 and say that these    
laws of righteousness are so inherent   
that they are self-executed2 and by no  
possibility did any soul from the       
beginning of the world ever escape the  
adequate result of his wrong-doing4 ,the
 old ,hebrews1 as manifested in the     
,book of ,job1 the ,psalms1 and all     
through the ,old ,testament1 taught the 
idea1 which was common at that time in  
the world1 that the favor of ,god was to
 be judged by the external prosperity of
 men and women4 ,the ,old ,testament    
promises long life and wealth and all   
sorts of good things to the people who  
do right2 and ,i find on every hand in  
the modern world people who have        
inherited this way of looking at things4
 ,i have heard people say3 ,i have tried
 to do right1 and ,i am not prosperous4 
,i wonder why ,i am treated so8 ,i have 
heard women say1 ,i have tried to be a  
good mother3 why is my child taken away 

from me8 ,as though there was any sort  
of relation between the two facts4 ,i   
hear people say1 ,don't talk to me about
 the justice of ,god1 when here is a    
man1 who has been dishonest all his life
 long1 who has prospered1 and become    
rich and lives in a fine house1 drives  
his horses1 and owns a yacht4 ,as if    
there was any sort of connection between
 the two1 as though a man  merely       
because he had a fine house and owned a 
yacht was escaping the punishment of his
 unjust and selfish life4  ,remember1   
friends1 look a little below the        
surface4 ,there is no possibility of    
escape4 ,i break some law of my body2 do
 ,i escape the result8 ,i break some law
 of my mind2 do ,i escape the result8 ,i
 break some law of my affectional       
nature2 is nothing to happen8 ,i break a
 law of my spiritual nature2 does       
nothing take place as the result of it8 
,you might as well say that the law of  
gravity can be suspended1 that a man can
 fling himself over the edge of a       

precipice1 and come to no harm4 ,the    
precipice over the edge of which you    
fling yourself may be a physical one1   
may be a mental one1 an affectional one1
 a spiritual one2 but the moral gravity 
of the universe is never mocked1 and the
 man who breaks any of ,god's laws never
 goes free4 ,he may discover that he has
 broken it1 be sorry for it1 begin to   
keep it again1 and recover himself2 but 
the consequences are sure1 inevitable1  
eternal4  ,you look at a man who is     
externally prospering1 and because of   
this you say he is not suffering the    
result of the evil he has done4 ,go back
 with me to ,homer's ,odyssey at the    
time when ,ulysses and his companions   
fell into the hands of the sorceress1   
and his companions were turned into     
swine4 ,would you go and look at these  
swine1 and say they are not suffering   
anything8 ,see how comfortable they are4
 ,see with what gusto they eat the food 
that is cast into their troughs4 ,see   
how happy they are as swine4 ,they are  

not suffering anything ,is it nothing to
 become swinish1 merely because you have
 your beautiful pen to live in8 ,is a   
not suffering the result of his moral   
wrong when he debases and degrades and  
deteriorates his own nature1 and becomes
 less a man1 because he is surrounded   
with all that is glorious and beautiful 
that art can supply8 ,look within       
whatever department of nature where the 
law has been disobeyed1 and there       
forever and forever read the result1 the
 inevitable law1 that the soul that     
sinneth1 in so far as it sinneth1 it    
shall die4  ,,reward ,,and ,,punishment4
  ,two ,,weeks ago ,i preached a sermon1
 the subject of which was ,morality     
,natural1 not ,statutory4 ,judging by   
the conversations which ,i have had and 
letters which ,i have received1 it has  
aroused a good deal of question and     
criticism in certain quarters4 ,this    
must be for one of three reasons4 ,in   
the first place1 the position which ,i  
took may not be a tenable one4 ,in the  

second place1 it is possible that the   
views expressed1 being somewhat new and 
unfamiliar1 were not found easy of      
apprehension and acceptance4 ,in the    
third place1 it is possible that1 in    
endeavoring to treat so large a subject1
 ,i did not analyze and illustrate      
enough to make myself perfectly clear4  
,at any rate1 the matter seems to me of 
such supreme importance as to make it   
worth my while this morning to continue 
the general subject by a careful and    
earnest treatment of the great question 
of reward and punishment as applied to  
feeling1 to thought1 to conduct1 the    
whole of human life4  ,let me say here  
at the outset1 as indicating the point  
towards which ,i shall aim as my goal1  
that in the ordinary use of language1 in
 the popular use of language1 ,i do not 
believe in either reward or punishment3 
,i believe only in causes and results4  
,this1 as ,i said1 is the point that ,i 
shall aim at4 ,where shall ,i begin8  ,i
 need to ask you to consider for a      

moment the state of mind of man1 so far 
as we can conceive it1 when he first    
wakes up as a conscious being1 and      
begins to look out over the scene of    
nature and human life with the endeavor 
to interpret facts as they appear to    
him4 ,of course1 he knows nothing       
whatever of what we mean by natural law3
 he knows nothing of natural cause and  
of necessary result4 ,so far as we can  
discover by our researches1 all the     
tribes of men about whom we have been   
able to gather any information have had 
a belief1 if not in ,god1 at least in   
gods1 or in spiritual existences and    
powers that controlled within certain   
limits the course of human events4 ,it  
may have been the worship of ancestors1 
it may have been the worship of some    
great chief of the tribe2 but these     
invisible beings have been able to help 
or hurt their followers1 their          
worshippers2 and of course they have    
been thought of as governing human life 
after substantially the same methods    

that they used when they were living    
here in the body4  ,that is1 it has been
 a magical or arbitrary government of   
the world that has been for ages the    
dominant one in the human mind4 ,people 
have supposed that these invisible      
beings desired them to do certain       
things1 to refrain from doing certain   
other things1 and they have expected    
them to reward or punish them how8 ,by  
giving them that which they desired1 on 
the one hand1 or sending them something 
which they did not desire1 on the other4
 ,they have brought the gods their      
offerings1 their sacrifices1 their words
 of praise1 and have asked that they    
might be successful in war1 that they   
might bring home the game which they    
sought when they went on a hunting      
expedition4 ,when there have been       
disease1 pestilence1 famine1 drought1 no
 matter what the nature of the evil1    
they have been regarded as allotments of
 these divine powers sent on account of 
something they have done or omitted to  

do4 ,it never occurred to them to       
interpret these as part of a natural    
order1 because they knew nothing about  
any natural order4 ,they reasoned as    
well as they were able to reason at that
 stage of culture in any particular age 
of the world's history which they had   
reached4 ,but this has been the thought 
of men time out of mind concerning the  
method of the divine or spiritual or    
unseen government of the world4  ,is    
this way of looking at it confined to   
primitive man1 confined to pagan        
nations8 ,do we find something else1    
some other condition of mind1 when we   
come to study carefully the ,old        
,testament8 ,let us see4 ,take the first
 verse which ,i read as a part of my    
text4 ,the author of this ,psalm we do  
not know who he may have been says1 ,i  
have been young1 and now am old2 yet    
have ,i not seen the righteous forsaken1
 nor his seed begging their bread4 ,as  
,i have read this a great many times in 
the past1 ,i have wondered as to the    

strange experience that this man must   
have had in human life1 if this is a    
correct interpretation of that          
experience4 ,i have been young3 ,i do   
not like to admit that as yet ,i am old2
 but1 whether ,i am or not1 ,i have a   
good many times seen the righteous      
forsaken1 and his seed begging their    
bread4  ,it seems to me that the writer 
of this verse was trained in a theory of
 the government of human affairs that   
does not at all match the facts4 ,he has
 this magical1 this arbitrary theory in 
his mind4 ,it was the general conception
 ,i think1 as any one will find by a    
careful reading of the ,old ,testament  
or study of ,jewish history1 the        
ordinary conception among the ,hebrews1 
that ,god was to reward people for being
 good by prosperity1 long life1 many    
children1 herds of cattle1 distinction  
among his fellow-men1 positions of      
political honor and power2 and the      
threat of the taking away of these is   
frequently uttered against those that   

presume to do wrong4 ,in other words1 it
 seems to me that the ordinary theory of
 the government of human affairs as set 
forth in the ,old ,testament is         
precisely this same one that ,i have    
been considering as the natural and     
necessary outcome of the ignorance and  
inexperience of early man4  ,as time    
went on1 now and then some deeper1 more 
spiritual thinker begins to question    
this method of reasoning1 begins to     
wonder whether it is quite adequate2 and
 we have a magnificent poetical         
expression of this kind of critical     
thought in the ,book of ,job4 ,this     
,book of ,job is any way and every way  
worthy of your careful attention4 ,it is
 the nearest to a dramatic production of
 anything in the ,bible4 ,james ,anthony
 ,froude said once in regard to it that1
 if it were translated merely as a poem 
and published by itself1 it would take  
rank as a literary work among the few   
great masterpieces of the world4  ,but  
the thing that engages our attention    

this morning is not its power as a      
dramatic production1 but its criticism  
of ,god's government of the world4 ,it  
has been assumed1 as ,i have said1 and  
we are not through with that assumption1
 that1 if a man suffered1 if he was ill1
 if his wife or children were taken away
 from him1 if his property was          
destroyed1 somehow he had offended ,god1
 and that this was a punishment for the 
course of wrong-doing in which he had   
been engaged4 ,but the author of the    
,book of ,job conceives that this does  
not quite match the facts2 so he gives  
us this magnificent character that he   
declares upright1 spotless1 free from   
wrong of any kind1 who yet is suffering4
 ,he has lost his property1 it has been 
swept away1 his children have been put  
to death1 almost everything that he     
cared for he has lost1 and he from head 
to feet is sick of a loathsome disease2 
and he sits in the midst of his         
deprivation and sorrow4 ,his friends    
gather around him2 and with this old    

assumption in their minds some of them  
begin to taunt him4 ,they say1 ,now1    
,job1 why not confess1 why not own up as
 to what you have been doing8 ,of       
course1 you have been doing something   
wrong1 or all this would not have       
happened4 ,this is the tone that one of 
his critics takes4 ,this is the kind of 
comfort that he receives in the midst of
 his sorrow4 ,but ,job protests         
earnestly and indignantly that it is not
 true4 ,he says he is innocent1 there   
are no secret wrongs in his life2 and he
 wishes that he might find some way by  
which he could come into the presence of
 the great ,ruler of the universe1 and  
openly plead his cause4 ,but his friends
 do not believe him4  ,now the writer of
 the book lets us into the explanation  
he has thought out for this3 ,god for a 
special reason is testing ,job1 to see  
whether he will be true to him in spite 
of the fact that he does not get the    
ordinary blessings that the people were 
accustomed to look for as the rewards of

 their conduct4 ,but the writer is not  
consistent with the wonderful position  
that he makes ,job assume2 for1 after   
the trial is all over1 he falls in with 
the popular theory1 and shows us ,job1  
not with the old children who could not 
be brought back1 but with a lot of new  
ones1 with herds and cattle again in    
plenty1 with honor among his            
fellow-citizens1 with all that heart    
could wish in the way of worldly        
prosperity and peace4  ,so ,i say the   
writer is not quite consistent1 for he  
falls back at the end on the old theory1
 and he lets us gain a glimpse behind   
the scenes1 just enough to see that     
there are cases1 special cases1 where   
the popular theory does not hold2 but he
 still seems to assume that1 in a       
general way1 we are to accept it as     
correct1 and as explaining the facts of 
human life4  ,the ,jews acted on this   
theory in their political history4      
,their prophets1 their great teachers1  
asserted over and over again that1 if   

they were true to their ,god1 if they   
were faithful in their obedience to the 
law1 if they lived out all these highest
 and finest ideals of ceremonial as well
 as heart righteousness1 that they would
 be mighty as a nation1 that their      
enemies would be put under their feet1  
that they would have political success  
and power2 and yet their increasing     
insistence on this ceremonial and       
interior righteousness of thought and   
life was found to be no adequate defence
 against the ,roman legions4 ,political 
success did not come to them4 ,in spite 
of all their obedience1 they were swept 
out of existence as a nation4  ,now do  
we find any difference in teaching in   
the ,new ,testament8 ,we do2 and we do  
not4 ,the teaching of the ,new          
,testament is not consistent in this    
matter4 ,if ,jesus be correctly         
reported1 his own teaching is not quite 
consistent on this subject4 ,let me give
 you one or two illustrations1 that you 
may see what ,i mean4 ,john tells us    

that a certain man1 who had been born   
blind1 was brought to ,jesus to be      
cured2 and the people stood about1 and  
said to ,jesus1 ,who is it1 this man    
himself or his parents1 that sinned1 so 
that he was born blind8 ,you see it does
 not occur to them that there is any    
natural cause for a man's being blind1  
apart from some sin on the part of      
somebody4 ,who is it1 then1 his father  
or mother1 or he himself1 that has      
sinned1 that is the cause of it8 ,jesus 
says1 ,neither this man nor his parents 
have sinned1 and you think at first that
 you are going to get an adequate       
explanation2 but he straightway adds    
that the man was blind in order that the
 works of ,god might be manifest in him2
 which we cannot accept to-day as quite 
an adequate explanation4  ,then take the
 case of the man who was lying at the   
pool of ,bethesda1 and was reported as  
cured4 ,jesus meets him1 after a good   
deal of question and criticism on the   
part of the ,jews1 and says1 ,now you   

have been healed1 see to it that you sin
 no more1 lest a worse thing come to    
you1 seeming to imply again that sin    
might be punished by lameness1 by       
affliction of this kind or that4  ,so it
 seems to me that we do not get1 even in
 the ,new ,testament1 entirely free from
 this old conception4 ,indeed1 there are
 the verses which ,i read as a part of  
our lesson from the fifth chapter of    
,matthew1 one of which for a clear or   
more spiritual insight ,i have quoted as
 a part of my text1 ,blessed are they   
that do hunger and thirst after         
righteousness1 for they shall be filled 
with what8 ,filled with righteousness2  
not filled with health1 external        
prosperity1 many children1 friends1     
political position1 honor4 ,blessed are 
the pure in heart1 for they shall what8 
,see ,god4 ,blessed are the merciful1   
for they shall obtain mercy4 ,blessed   
are they that are persecuted for        
righteousness' sake1 for theirs is the  
kingdom of heaven4  ,you see these      

beatitudes strike down to the eternal   
principle of natural1 necessary         
causation and result1 just as does the  
last verse which ,i have quoted from    
,galatians1 ,be not deceived2 ,god is   
not mocked2 for whatsoever a man soweth1
 that shall he also reap1 not something 
else1 that4 ,here is a clear and        
explicit annunciation of the eternal1   
universal law of cause and effect1 of   
the idea that those things which happen 
are not arbitrary infliction1 but       
natural and necessary result4  ,let us1 
then1 consider this matter for a little 
as we look over the face of human life  
as it is manifested to us at the present
 time4 ,i suppose hardly a week passes  
that1 either by letter or in            
conversation1 ,i do not come face to    
face with this same old problem1 showing
 that only partially and here and there 
have men and women even to-day come to  
comprehend the real method after which  
this universe of ours is governed4 ,for 
example1 let me give you a few          

illustrations4  ,i have a friend in     
,boston1 one of the noblest men ,i ever 
knew1 sweet1 gentle1 true3 he came to me
 one day1 and said3 ,mr4 ,savage1 ,i    
have tried all my life to be an honest  
man4 ,i do not own an ill-gotten dollar4
 ,i have tried to be kind and helpful to
 people in need1 in trouble2 and yet1   
and then it began to dawn on him that he
 was not on a very logical track1 for he
 smiled1 and yet ,i have not got on very
 well in the world2 ,i have not made a  
great deal of money2 ,i have not been   
specially prosperous in business4 ,and  
the implication was that here1 next door
 or in another street1 was a man who had
 a good many ill-gotten dollars1 and who
 had not been generous or kindly or     
humane or tender1 but who had prospered 
and become rich1 as he had not4 ,and he 
raised this as a serious objection      
against the justice of the government of
 the world4  ,i have had mothers2 ,i    
presume a thousand times1 say to me3 ,i 
have tried to take the best possible    

care of my child4 ,i loved my child1 ,i 
watched over it night and day1 ,i have  
money enough to give it a good          
education1 ,i could train it into       
fitness for life2 and yet my child is   
taken away4 ,here is somebody else who  
has not the means to educate her child1 
perhaps whose character and intelligence
 are a good deal below the average      
level4 ,her child is spared1 spared for 
what8 ,spared for a career for which it 
will be entirely unfitted2 and the      
question is1 ,why does ,god do such     
things1 why is the universe governed in 
this fashion8  ,and ,i have had persons 
say to me3 ,i have been ill all my life1
 ,i have suffered no end of pain and    
trouble3 ,i wonder why8 ,what have ,i   
done that ,i must be burdened and       
afflicted after this fashion8 ,so these 
questions are coming up perpetually1    
showing that underlying the ordinary    
surface of our common daily life is     
still this theory that ,god arbitrarily 
governs the world1 and rewards people   

for being good with health and with     
money and with children and with all    
sorts of prosperity4 ,there is no end of
 talk in regard to judgments1 as they   
are called4 ,i remember when ,i was     
living in the ,west ,i take this as an  
illustration as good as any a           
neighboring small city was badly        
devastated by fire4 ,all the ministers  
around me in my city began to preach    
about it as a judgment of ,god for the  
supposed wickedness of this city4 ,one  
peculiar thing about this particular    
judgment1 which ,i noticed as reported  
in the papers1 was that the last thing  
which the fire burned was a church2 and 
it left standing next door1 and         
untouched1 a liquor saloon4 ,it seemed  
to me a very peculiar kind of divine    
judgment1 if that is what it really was4
  ,and so1 as you look into these cases 
of supposed divine judgments1 which     
people are so ready to see in regard to 
their neighbors1 you will find that it  
has some serious defect of this sort    

almost always that makes you question   
whether a wise man would be guilty of   
that method of conducting his affairs4  
,this1 perhaps1 is enough by way of     
setting forth the popular method of     
looking at these problems4 ,i want to   
ask you now to go with me for a little  
while1 as ,i attempt to analyze some of 
these cases1 and get at the real        
principle involved as to what it is that
 is really going on4  ,now take this    
case of the mother whose child is taken 
away from her1 as she says4 ,let us see 
if we can find out what is really being 
done4 ,it is possible1 of course1 that  
the child has inherited1 it may be from 
a grandfather or great-grandfather1 from
 somewhere along the line1 a tendency to
 a particular kind of disease4 ,it may  
be that1 without anybody's being to     
blame for it or anybody's knowing it1   
the child was exposed to some contagious
 disease on the street or at school4 ,it
 may be that the mother1 through a      
little otherwise pardonable vanity1     

wishing to display the beauty of the    
child rather than to dress it in the    
healthiest manner1 has been the means of
 exposing it to cold4 ,it may be any one
 of a dozen things has caused the death 
of this child4 ,and do you not see that 
in every case it has nothing whatever to
 do with the mother's moral goodness or 
spiritual cultivation8 ,it is absurd to 
think that the mother1 in this case1 is 
being punished for something that she is
 entirely unconscious of having been    
guilty of4 ,do you not see that there is
 no logical connection between an       
inherited disease1 between exposure1    
between taking cold1 between any of     
these natural causes and the goodness of
 the mother8 ,is it not absurd to talk  
about their having anything whatever to 
do with each other8  ,i remember hearing
 a famous revivalist preach some years  
ago2 and in this particular sermon he   
represented ,god as using all means to  
try to turn such a man from his path of 
evil1 as he regarded it1 into the way of

 right and truth and salvation2 and he  
said3 ,first1 perhaps1 ,god takes his   
property away from him2 and that does   
not change him4 ,and by and by he takes 
his wife2 and that does not change him4 
,and then he takes one of his children2 
and1 as he expressed it1 he lays these  
coffins across his pathway in order to  
warn him of his sinful condition1 and   
turn him into the right way4  ,think of 
a ,god who kills other people on account
 of my wrong6  ,i had a friend in       
,boston once1 a lady1 a school-teacher1 
who in all seriousness told me1 when her
 sister died1 that she was afraid ,god  
had taken her sister away because she   
had not been sufficiently faithful in   
attending church services during ,lent4 
,think of it6 ,not only the lack of     
logic in linking things like these      
together1 but the practical impiety of  
attributing to ,god such feelings and   
action in regard to his dealings with   
his children6  ,let us take the case of 
a man who1 not being highly elevated in 

character1 becomes rich4 ,let us see if 
we can get at the principles involved   
here4 ,perhaps you can call to mind one 
or another case that you may be thinking
 of while ,i speak4 ,of course ,i shall 
mention no names4 ,here is a man who    
possesses remarkable natural business   
ability1 power to read the commerce1 the
 business of his times4 ,he deals with  
these in a practical way4 ,he complies  
with the conditions of accumulating     
wealth4 ,no matter for the present      
whether he does wrong in doing it or    
not1 that is1 whether he is unjust or   
hard or cruel2 but he complies with the 
conditions for the obtaining of money in
 this particular department of life4    
,now do you not see that1 no matter what
 his moral character may be in other    
directions1 whether he is kind to his   
wife1 whether he is loving towards his  
children1 whether he is generous in a   
charitable way1 whether he is           
politically stanch or corrupt1 do you   
not see that these questions are        

entirely irrelevant1 have nothing       
whatever to do with the question of     
success in the money field8 ,he sows    
according to the laws of the product    
which he wishes to raise1 and the       
product appears4  ,or take the case of a
 farmer3 ,here is a certain tract of    
land adapted to a particular crop4 ,he  
sows wisely in this field4 ,he          
cultivates it3 the rain and the sun do  
their part2 and in the fall he has a    
magnificent result4 ,now has that       
anything whatever to do with the        
question whether the man was a good man 
or not1 as to whether he went to        
prayer-meeting or not1 as to whether he 
read his ,bible or not1 as to whether he
 was profane or not1 as to whether he   
was a good neighbor or not8 ,whatsoever 
a man soweth1 that shall he reap1 and   
reap it where he sows it4 ,is it not    
perfectly plain8 ,so in any department  
of human life1 ,i care not what1 trace  
it out1 and you will find that precisely
 the same principle is involved1 and    

that you get results1 not arbitrary     
bestowal's of reward or punishment4     
,now ,i must come having1 ,i hope1 made 
this sufficiently clear1 though after   
this fragmentary fashion to deal a      
little more with some of the ethical    
sides of this question4 ,i have had no  
end of persons tell me1 first and last1 
that it seemed to them that the universe
 could not be a moral universe1 that it 
was not governed fairly1 that reward and
 punishment were not meted out evenly to
 people2 and they based their criticism 
on statements of fact similar to those  
with which ,i have been dealing4  ,now  
let us look into the matter a little    
deeply2 and let us see if we can find   
any hint of light and guidance4 ,i have 
had a person within a week say to me1 ,i
 do not feel at all sure that it means  
much that people get the moral results  
of their moral action in a particular   
department of life4 ,if a person becomes
 a little bit callous and hard1 wisely  
selfish and prudent1 and so prospers in 

the affairs of this life1 ,i am not sure
 that he is not as well off as anybody1 
perhaps a little better off1 perhaps a  
little better off than a person who is  
sensitive1 and worries because he does  
not reach his ideals2 and it is possible
 that he serves the world after all     
quite as well4 ,this is a kind of       
criticism1 ,i say1 that has been made to
 me in the last week4  ,let us look at  
it for just a minute4 ,people do not    
seem able as yet to understand that a   
man is really punished1 in the popular  
sense of that word1 unless they can see 
him publicly whipped4 ,it does not seem 
to them to mean anything because a man  
deteriorates1 because the highest and   
finest qualities in him atrophy and     
threaten to die out4 ,i used an         
illustration in my sermon two weeks ago 
to which ,i shall have to recur again1  
to see if ,i can make it mean more than 
it did then4 ,it is the story of        
,ulysses who fell into the hands of the 
famous sorceress1 and whose companions  

were turned into swine4 ,now would you  
be willing to be turned into a pig1     
merely because1 being a pig1 you would  
not know anything about it1 and would   
not suffer8 ,would you be willing to be 
reduced to the life of an oyster1 merely
 because1 being an oyster1 you would be 
haunted by no restless ideals1 and1 so  
far as you had any sense at all1 would  
probably be very comfortable indeed8 ,is
 there no punishment in this deprivation
 of the highest and finest things that  
we can conceive of8  ,it seems to me    
that a person who has deteriorated1 who 
has become selfish1 who has become mean1
 who has lost all taste for high and    
fine and sweet things1 and is           
unconscious of them1 is having meted out
 to him the worst conceivable           
retribution4 ,if a man is mean and knows
 it1 if a man is selfish and is         
conscious of it1 if a man is unjust and 
is stung by the reflection1 there is a  
little hope for him1 there is life      
there1 there is moral vitality1 there is

 a chance for him to recuperate1 to     
climb up into something higher and      
finer2 but1 if he has not only become   
degraded and mean1 but has become       
contented in that condition1 it seems to
 me that he is worse off than almost    
anybody else of whom we can dream4  ,let
 us see for a moment on what conditions 
a man who has deteriorated is well off4 
,there are three big ifs in the way1 in 
my thought of it4 ,if a man really is a 
spiritual being1 if he is a child of    
,god1 if there are in him possibilities 
of unfolding of all that is sweet and   
divine1 then he is not well off when he 
is not developing these1 and is content 
not to develop them4 ,browning says1 in 
his introduction to ,sordello1 ,the     
culture of a soul1 little else is of any
 value4  ,if we are souls1 and if the   
culture of a soul is of chiefest        
importance1 then cursed beyond all words
 is the man who has deteriorated and    
become degraded and is content to have  
it so4 ,blessed beyond all words is the 

soul that is haunted by discontent1     
haunted by unattained and unattainable  
ideals1 who is restless because of that 
which he feels he might be and yet is   
not1 he who is touched by the far-off   
issues of divinity1 and cannot rest     
until he has grown into the stature of  
the ,divine6  ,and then1 once more1 if  
it be true that it is worth our while to
 help our fellow-men in the higher side 
of their nature1 to help them be men and
 women1 to help them realize that they  
are children of ,god1 and to grow into  
the realization of it1 if1 ,i say1 this 
be worth while1 then lamentable beyond  
all power of expression is the condition
 of that man who does not feel it and   
does not care for it1 and does not      
consecrate himself to its attainment4   
,look over the long line of those who   
have served mankind4 ,who are they8     
,from ,abraham down1 the prophets of    
,israel2 ,jesus1 ,paul1 ,savonarola1    
,huss1 ,wyclif1 ,luther1 ,channing1     
,parker1 who have these men been but the

 ones who were ready at any price to do 
something to lift up and lead on the    
progress of mankind8 ,these are the ones
 who have felt the meaning of those     
sublime words of ,jesus3 ,he that loseth
 his life shall save it4 ,if there is   
any meaning in that splendid passage    
from ,george ,eliot1 that is so trite   
because it is so fine1  ,oh may ,i join 
the choir invisible ,of those immortal  
dead who live again ,in minds made      
better by their presence3 live ,in      
pulses stirred to generosity1 ,in deeds 
of daring rectitude1 in score ,for      
miserable aims that end with self1 ,in  
thoughts sublime that pierce the night  
like stars1 ,and with their mild        
persistence urge man's search ,to vaster
 issues4 ,so to live is heaven3 ,to make
 undying music in the world1 ,breathing 
as beauteous order that control ,with   
growing sway the growing life of man4   
,this is life to come1 ,which martyred  
men have made more glorious ,for us who 
strive to follow4 ,may ,i reach ,that   

purest heaven1 be to other souls ,the   
cup of strength in some great agony1    
,enkindle generous ardor1 feed pure     
love1 ,beget the smiles that have no    
cruelty1 ,be the sweet presence of a    
good diffused1 ,and in diffusion ever   
more intense4 ,so shall ,i join the     
choir invisible ,whose music is the     
gladness of the world4  ,if1 ,i say1    
there is any meaning in that magnificent
 song1 then indeed it is worth while to 
be miserable1 if need be1 worth while to
 suffer1 worth while to sacrifice for   
the sake of planting seed in the        
spiritual fields1 and looking for its   
spiritual results1 and not finding fault
 with the universe because we do not get
 results of spiritual goodness in       
material realms4  ,there is one other   
if4 ,if it be true1 as ,i believe it is1
 that this life goes right on1 and that 
we carry into the to-morrow of another  
life the precise and accurate results   
that we have wrought out in the to-day  
of this2 if it be true that1 when we get

 over there1 it will be spiritual facts 
and spiritual things with which we shall
 deal1 then the man who has cultivated  
his spiritual nature and has reaped     
spiritual results has no right to find  
fault with the universe because it has  
not paid him with material good4  ,let  
us remember1 then1 that we get what we  
sow4 ,god has not promised to pay you in
 greenbacks for being good2 ,god has not
 promised to give you physical health   
because you are gentle and tender2 ,god 
has not promised to give you long life  
because you are generous2 ,god has not  
promised to give you positions of social
 or political honor because you are kind
 to your neighbors1 faithful to your    
wife1 true to your children4 ,can you   
not see that whatsoever a man sowest1   
that shall he reap2 and that he will    
reap in the field where he sows1 and not
 in some other2 and that ,god is dealing
 fairly1 justly1 tenderly1 truly1 with  
you in giving you the results at which  
you aim1 and not the results at which   

you do not aim8  ,so1 if you really care
 to be a man1 if you care to be a woman1
 honest1 noble1 tender1 true1 then be   
these1 and be grateful that you reap the
 reward where you sowed1 and do not find
 fault with ,god or the universe because
 he does not pay you for things that you
 have not done1 because he does not make
 a crop grow in some field that you have
 not cultivated1 because it is eternally
 true that ,god is not mocked1 and that 
whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he  
also reap4  ,,things ,,which ,,doubt    
,,cannot ,,destroy4  ,,the critical and 
investigating work of the modern world  
threatens to shake not the earth only1  
but also heaven4 ,and there are large   
numbers of people who are disturbed and 
afraid3 they are troubled lest certain  
things that are precious1 that are dear 
to them1 may be taken away4 ,not only   
this1 they are troubled lest things of  
vital importance to the highest life of 
the world be taken away4 ,i propose1    
then1 this morning to run in rapid      

review over a few of the changes that   
are caused by the investigating spirit  
of the time1 and then to point out some 
things that are not touched1 that cannot
 be shaken1 and that therefore must     
remain4 ,and ,i ask you to have in mind1
 as ,i pursue this line of thought1 the 
question whether doubt has taken away   
anything really valuable from mankind4  
,the negative part of my theme ,i shall 
touch on very lightly1 and dispose of as
 briefly as ,i may4  ,what has doubt1   
what has investigation1 done concerning 
the universe of which we are a part8 ,in
 the old days1 before doubt began its   
work1 before men asked questions and    
demanded proof1 we lived in a little1   
petty1 tiny world1 which the imagination
 of the superstitious and the fear of   
ignorant men had created4 ,but the      
cycles and epicycles which ,ptolemy     
devised1 and by means of which he       
explained1 as well as he knew how1 the  
movements of the heavenly bodies around 
us1 these have passed away4 ,the breath 

of doubt has blown upon them2 and they  
have gone1 like mists driven by the     
wind4  ,but has doubt quenched the light
 of any star8 ,has doubt taken away from
 the glory of the universe8 ,rather1 as 
the result of the work of these myriad  
investigators1 whose one aim and end was
 truth1 at last we have a universe      
worthy to be the home of an infinite    
,god1 a universe that matches our       
thought of the ,divine1 a universe that 
thrills and lifts us1 fills us with     
reverence1 and bends us to our knees in 
the attitude of worship4  ,the same     
spirit has raised no end of questions   
concerning ,god4 ,what has been the     
result8 ,we have lost the old thought of
 ,god in the shape of a man sitting on a
 throne located in the heavens just     
above the blue or on some distant star4 
,we have lost the thought of a ,god as a
 tyrant1 as a jealous being1 as angry   
every day with his children1 as ready to
 punish these children forever for their
 ignorance1 for their intellectual      

mistakes1 for their sins of whatever    
kind4 ,we have changed our conception of
 him2 but have we lost ,god8 ,i will not
 answer that question at this stage of  
the discourse1 because ,i wish merely to
 suggest it now1 and dwell on it a      
little more when ,i come to the positive
 treatment of our morning's theme4  ,let
 us glance at the ,bible a moment4      
,doubt and investigation have been at   
work there4 ,what has been the result8  
,have we lost the ,bible8 ,no4 ,we have 
gained it4 ,we have lost those things   
about it which were intellectual burdens
 because we could not believe them1     
which were a moral burden because they  
conflicted with our highest and noblest 
sense of right4 ,we no longer feel under
 the necessity of reconciling human     
mistakes with divine infallibility4     
,professor ,goldwin ,smith has told us  
recently that these old theories of the 
,bible were a millstone about the neck  
of ,christendom1 and that they must be  
gotten rid of if ,christianity was to   

live4 ,this is all that doubt and       
investigation have done to the ,bible4  
,they have cleared away the things that 
no sane and earnest and devout mind     
wishes to keep2 and they have restored  
to us in all their dignity and beauty   
and sweetness and power the real human  
,bible1 the ,bible which poured out of  
the heart of the olden time1 and which  
is in all its truth and sweetness1 so   
far as they go1 a revelation of the     
divinest things in human thought and    
human dream4  ,preachers tell us every  
little while that those who ask         
questions have taken away our ,lord1 and
 they know not where he has been laid4  
,what has this spirit done concerning   
,jesus8 ,has it taken him away from us8 
,rather1 as the result of all this      
question and criticism1 at last we have 
found him1 found him who has been hidden
 away for ages1 found the man1 divine   
son of ,god1 son of man1 brother1       
friend1 inspirer1 companion1 helper4 ,it
 has done for ,jesus the grandest       

service of which we can conceive4  ,and 
now one more point4 ,people used to     
suppose they knew all about the next    
world4 ,they knew where heaven was and  
where hell was1 and who were to be the  
inhabitants of either place1 and why4   
,doubt and question have been at work   
here1 and now we do not know where      
heaven is2 and we do not know where hell
 is1 except that it is within the heart 
of those that are not in accord with the
 divine life4 ,where the places are1 we 
know not2 but blessed beyond all words  
be ignorance like this6 ,we know because
 we believe in righteousness and truth  
that there is no hell except that which 
we create for ourselves2 and that is in 
this world1 in any world where there is 
a breach of a divine law4 ,but has the  
great hope gone8 ,has doubt touched     
that1 so that it has shrivelled and     
become as nothing8 ,that ,i shall have  
occasion to touch on a little more at   
length in a moment2 and so ,i leave it  
here with this suggestion4  ,i wish you 

now to note1 and to note with a great   
deal of care1 that doubt1 criticism1    
question1 investigation1 have no power  
to destroy anything4 ,people talk as    
though1 if you doubted a thing1 it      
disappeared1 as though doubt had magical
 power to annihilate in some way a      
truth4 ,if you really do doubt an       
important divine truth1 it may disturb  
and trouble you for a while2 but the    
truth remains just the same4 ,i remember
 some years ago a parishioner came to   
me1 an intelligent lady1 and said1 ,mr4 
,savage1 ,i have about lost my belief in
 any future life4 ,i smiled1 and said3  
,i am sorry for you1 if it interferes   
with your comfort and peace2 but        
remember one thing1 neither your doubt  
nor my belief touches or changes the    
fact4 ,the eternal life is not something
 to be puffed away with a breath1 if it 
be real4 ,so rest right there in the    
firm assurance that whatever is true is 
true1 and rests on the eternal          
foundation of the permanence of ,god2   

and asking questions about it1 digging  
away at its foundations1 testing it in  
any and all sorts of ways1 cannot by any
 possibility injure it4 ,enforce thus   
this idea1 simple as it seems1 because  
thousands of men and women at the       
present time are made to tremble by     
utterances from the pulpit1 as though   
doubt were really a destroyer4 ,of      
course1 it seems commonplace the moment 
you think of it2 and1 still for your    
peace and for the restfulness of your   
mind as you look on the things that are 
taking place about us1 hold fast to this
 simple idea4  ,there is one other point
 which ,i wish to raise4 ,what is the   
use of criticism8 ,what is the use of   
all this investigating8 ,why indulge in 
all this doubt8 ,and now let me give you
 an illustration which will lead me to  
answering this question and enforcing   
the point ,i have in mind4 ,a farmer1 if
 he selects a favorable piece of ground1
 plants good seed1 cultivates it        
properly1 if the rain falls and the sun 

shines1 and the weather is propitious1  
will have a successful crop4 ,does it   
make any difference now whether the     
farmer has correct ideas about soil and 
seed and cultivation8 ,does it make any 
difference whether he has any true      
conception of the nature and work of the
 sunshine in producing this crop8 ,in   
one sense1 ,no4 ,in another1 a very     
important sense1 ,yes4 ,suppose the     
farmer1 having gotten into his mind the 
idea that the sun is the source of all  
the life and growth of the things that  
he plants and the crops he cultivates1  
should say1 ,well1 now1 it does not make
 any difference whether ,i have correct 
scientific theories about the sun or    
not3 the sun carries on his work just   
the same4 ,i have heard people say1 over
 and over again1 using an illustration  
like this3 ,what difference does it make
 what your theories are about the       
spiritual life1 about the origin and    
nature of religion1 about morality8 ,if 
you live a good life1 the results are   

just the same1 whatever your thinking   
may be4 ,and ,i grant it4 ,but now      
suppose the farmer should say to        
himself3 ,the sun is the source of all  
the life that ,i am able to produce1    
that ,i see growing around me2 and now  
,i will worship him as a god4 ,i will   
pray to him1 ,i will sing songs of      
praise to him1 ,i will bring birds and  
animals and burn sacrifices to him2 and 
so ,i will win his favor1 and get him to
 produce these wonderful results for me4
 ,suppose he should so seek his results1
 and pay no attention to the character  
of the soil1 to the kind of seed he     
planted1 or to proper cultivation3 would
 that make no difference8  ,do you not  
see that theory may be of immense       
practical importance in certain         
contingencies8 ,whether he has any      
knowledge of the sun or not1 if he      
complies with the laws1 the conditions1 
if he is fortunately obedient1 then his 
results will be produced4 ,but1 if his  
ignorance1 his superstition1 lead him to

 neglect the natural forces with which  
he deals1 then it may make all the      
difference in the world4 ,so1 as ,i     
study the history and development of    
religious thought1 ,i see everywhere    
that men and women1 through their       
ignorance in regard to the real nature  
of the universe and of ,god and of their
 own souls1 are going astray1 wasting   
time1 wasting thought1 wasting effort1  
misdirecting all these instead of       
complying with the real natural         
universal conditions on which these     
noblest and highest results which they  
desire depend4  ,if a man1 for example1 
believes that he is to please ,god by a 
sacrifice1 by an offering1 by swinging  
incense1 by going through a certain     
ceremony1 instead of being righteous and
 true1 does it make no difference8      
,carry out the idea as far as you       
please1 ,i think ,i have made plain the 
thought ,i had in mind4  ,so it does    
make a difference what our thoughts1 our
 theories1 may be2 and1 therefore1 there

 is good in this work of investigation  
which proposes to sift and test and try 
things1 and find out the real nature of 
the forces which confront us and with   
which we have to deal4  ,now1 then1 ,i  
come to the positive answering of our   
question4 ,are there some things that   
doubt cannot touch8 ,and are these      
things the most important ones1 the ones
 that we need to feel solid under our   
feet8 ,what do we need8 ,we do not need 
to be able to unravel all the mysteries 
of the universe4 ,any quantity of the   
questions we ask are not practical ones4
 ,we do not need to wait for an answer  
to them4 ,any number of the things that 
are in doubt are of no practical        
consequence2 and we need not wait for   
their settlement before we begin to live
 and to help our fellowmen and to do    
what we can to bring in the coming      
kingdom of our ,father4  ,i wish to note
 now a few of the things that seem to me
 very stable things1 that doubt cannot  
disturb4 ,and first ,i will say that    

which ,i mean when ,i use the word ,god4
 ,i wish you to learn to separate       
between the word and the reality4       
,sometimes people are quarrelling over a
 label instead of the reality that is   
back of all4 ,i care very little for a  
name4 ,i care for things1 for the       
eternal truths of the universe4 ,may we 
then feel that modern doubt does not    
touch our belief in ,god8 ,i ask you to 
consider a moment1 and see4 ,as we wake 
up1 assuming nothing1 and look abroad1  
what do we find8 ,we find ourselves in  
the presence of a ,power that is not    
ourselves1 another ,power1 a ,power that
 was here before we were born1 a ,power 
that will be here after we have died1 a 
,power that has produced us1 and so is  
our father and mother on any theory you 
choose to hold of it1 a ,power out of   
which we have come4 ,now suppose we look
 abroad1 and try to find something in   
regard to the nature of this ,power4 ,we
 can conceive no beginning3 we can      
conceive no end4 ,and let me say right  

here that1 as the result of all his     
lifelong study and thinking as an       
evolutionist1 ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer has
 said that the existence of this        
infinite and eternal ,power1 of which   
all the phenomenal universe is only a   
partial and passing manifestation1 is   
the one item of human knowledge of which
 we are most certain of all4  ,an       
,infinite ,power1 then1 an eternal      
,power1 shall ,i say an intelligent     
,power8 ,at any rate1 just as far as our
 intelligence can reach1 we find that   
the universe matches that intelligence1 
responds to it1 so that we must think of
 it1 it seems to me1 as intelligent4    
,out of that ,power1 as ,i have said1 we
 have come2 and who are we8 ,persons1   
persons that think1 persons that feel1  
persons that love1 persons that hope2   
and we are the children of this ,power1 
and1 according to one of the fundamental
 principles of science1 nothing can be  
evolved which was not first involved1   
the stream cannot rise higher than its  

source1 that which is produced must be  
equal to that which produces it4  ,this 
,power1 then1 eternal1 infinite1        
intelligent1 must be as much as what we 
mean by person1 by thought1 by love1 by 
hope1 by all that makes us what we are4 
,shall we call a ,power like this ,god8 
,shall we call it ,nature8 ,shall we    
call it ,law8 ,shall we call it ,force8 
,it seems to me that1 if we take any    
name less and lower than ,god1 we are   
indulging in a huge assumption1 and a   
negative assumption at that4 ,suppose   
that1 looking at one of you1 ,i should  
call you body instead of calling you    
man4 ,i should be assuming that you are 
only body1 which ,i have no right to do4
 ,if ,i call this ,infinite ,power1     
then1 ,nature1 ,force1 ,law1 ,matter1 ,i
 am indulging in a negative assumption  
which is scientifically unwarranted4 ,as
 a reasonable being1 then1 ,i think ,i  
am scientifically warranted in saying   
that belief in ,god is something that   
all investigation only affirms1 and     

affirms over and over again1 and with   
still greater and greater force4  ,i    
have not time to go into this at any    
further length this morning2 but ,i     
believe that we are scientifically right
 in saying that all the doubt1 all the  
investigation1 all the questioning of   
the world1 have only given us a stronger
 and more solid assurance that we have a
 divine ,power around us1 and that we   
are the children of that ,power4  ,in   
the next place1 to carry the idea a     
little farther1 we want1 if we may1 to  
believe that this ,infinite and eternal 
,power manifested in the universe is a  
good ,power4 ,if it be not1 we are      
hopeless4 ,i hear reformers sometimes in
 their zeal picturing the dreadful      
condition of affairs socially or        
industrially or politically1 and saying 
that the world is getting worse and     
worse1 that the rich are getting richer1
 and the poor are getting poorer1 and   
the republic is becoming more corrupt   
week by week and year by year1 giving   

the impression that the world in general
 is on the down grade4 ,if ,i believed  
that1 ,i should give it up1 ,i should   
see no reason for struggle and effort4  
,if an ,infinite ,power is against me in
 my efforts to do good1 what is the use 
of my making the effort8  ,we want to   
know1 then1 as to whether a belief in   
the goodness of this ,infinite ,power is
 a thing that doubt and investigation   
have not touched and cannot disturb4    
,let us consider just a moment one or   
two thoughts bearing upon it4  ,the     
pessimist tells us that the universe is 
bad all the way through1 that this is   
the worst possible kind of world4 ,when 
a man makes a statement like that1 ,i   
always wish to ask him a question which 
it seems to me absolutely overturns his 
position1 how did he happen to find it  
out8 ,if the universe is bad all        
through1 essentially bad1 where did he  
get his moral ideal in the light of     
which to judge and condemn it8 ,how does
 this bad universe produce an amount of 

justice and truth and love to be used as
 a measuring-rod in order to find out   
whether it will correspond with these   
ideals or not8 ,that one question seems 
to me enough to turn pessimism into     
nonsense4  ,let us look at it in another
 way4 ,as we look back1 as far as we can
 towards the beginning of things1 we    
find this fact3 when man appeared on the
 earth1 conscience was born1 as ,i told 
you the other day1 a sense of right came
 with him1 and since that day he has    
been struggling to attain and realize an
 ever and ever enlarging and heightening
 ideal4 ,this1 then1 the conscience1 the
 sense of right1 the ideal1 must be a   
part of the nature of the universe that 
has produced them4 ,and we notice that  
these have been growing with the advance
 of the ages4 ,before dwelling on that a
 little farther1 let me touch another   
consideration which is germane to it4   
,if you look over the face of human     
society1 you get proof positive1        
scientific demonstration unquestionable1

 that good is in the majority1 love is  
the majority power of the world4 ,how do
 ,i know8 ,you draw up a list of all    
those things that you call evil1 and you
 will note1 as you analyze them1 that   
they are the things that tend to        
disintegrate1 to separate1 to tear down2
 and you draw up a list of those things 
that you call good1 and you will find   
that they are the things that tend to   
build up1 that bind human society       
together1 and help on life and growth   
and happiness4  ,now the simple fact    
that human society exists proves that   
the things that tend to bind together   
are more powerful than the things that  
tend to disintegrate and tear down4     
,just as1 for instance1 if you see a    
planet swinging in the blue to-night1   
you will know that the centripetal power
 is stronger than the centrifugal1 or   
there would be no planet there4 ,that   
which tends to hold it together is      
mightier than that which tends to       
disintegrate and fling its particles    

away from each other4 ,so the simple    
fact that human society exists proves   
that good is in the majority4  ,and     
then1 as we trace the development of    
human society from the far-off          
beginning1 we find that justice1 truth1 
tenderness1 pity1 love1 helpfulness1 all
 these qualities have been on the       
increase1 and are growing2 and1 since   
the ,power that has wrought in lifting  
up and leading on mankind is unspent1 we
 believe that that ,infinite ,power of  
which we have been speaking is          
underneath this lifting1 is behind this 
progress1 and that the end may          
reasonably be expected to issue in that 
perfection of which we dream and whose  
outlines we dimly see afar off4  ,an    
infinite power1 then1 a power that is   
good1 a power that we may study1        
partially understand1 at any rate1 and  
co-operate with4 ,we can help on this   
progress instead of hindering it4 ,we   
can do something to make the world      
better4 ,here are two things then1 ,god 

and goodness1 that no doubt1 no         
investigation1 have ever been able to   
touch or destroy4  ,a third thing4 ,we  
want to believe that there is a meaning 
in these little individual lives of     
ours4 ,sometimes1 when we read of       
pestilences or the great wars of the    
world1 when we think of children born   
and dying so soon almost as they are    
born1 when we note the brevity of even  
the longest life and take into account  
the sweep of the ages1 we sometimes find
 ourselves depressed with the thought   
that these human lives of ours mean so  
little4 ,it sometimes seems as though   
nature cared nothing for us1 and swept  
us away as the first cold and the frost 
sweep away the millions of flies that   
had been buzzing their little hour of   
sunshine4  ,we need to feel1 then1 if we
 are to live manly1 womanly lives1 that 
there is some plan1 or may be some      
purpose in our being born1 in our little
 struggle of a few years1 in our being  
thwarted1 in our succeeding1 in our     

being sick or well1 in our being rich or
 poor1 in our being learned or ignorant4
 ,does it make any difference how we    
live these lives of ours8 ,is there     
significance in them1 any purpose1 any  
plan1 any outcome1 to make it worth     
while for us to struggle and strive8 ,we
 need to know this2 and what do the     
investigation and the doubt and the     
struggle of the world say to us         
concerning these8 ,if there is anything 
which science teaches us1 it is that the
 infinite ,god1 the ,power1 whatever we 
name it1 that is the thought and life of
 this universe1 is expressed just as    
perfectly in the tiniest atom as in the 
most magnificent galaxy4 ,there is no   
such thing as an imperfect atom in this 
universe4 ,the infinitesimal atoms below
 us1 and the tiny orbits through which  
these atoms and molecules sweep1 are as 
much in the grasp of the ,eternal ,law  
as the movements of the stars over our  
heads4  ,things are not lost in this    
universe out of the eternal purpose     

because they are little4 ,so our        
apparent littleness1 the weakness1      
feebleness of our lives1 need not       
disturb the grandeur of our trust in    
this direction4  ,then as we study      
ourselves1 as we see the good that has  
been growing through the ages1 and as we
 note the fact that ,i hinted at a      
moment ago1 that we can plant ourselves 
in the way1 and hinder the working of   
the ,divine1 so far as our tiny strength
 goes1 or that we can study the         
conditions of this growth and co-operate
 and help it on1 and so be just as truly
 a builder of the highest and finest    
humanity of the future as ,god is       
himself1 as we note this1 are not our   
little lives raised into dignity and    
touched with glory8 ,and why should ,i  
cringe and humiliate myself in the      
presence of a planet a thousand times   
larger than our earth1 or a sun a       
million and a half times larger than the
 planet that shakes to its centre as ,i 
stamp my tiny foot8 ,i1 or one like me1 

has measured the sun1 weighed it as an  
apothecary can weigh a gram in his      
scales4 ,i have untangled the rays of   
his light1 and am able to tell the      
substances that are burning those ninety
 millions of miles away1 in order to    
send down that ray of light to our      
earth4 ,i have untangled the mysteries  
of the heavens1 and find these only     
aggregations of matter like those of    
which my body is composed2 but ,i deal  
with all these and overtop them1        
speeding with my thought with the       
rapidity that leaves the lightning      
behind4 ,and ,i know that1 because ,i   
can think ,god and can trace his        
thoughts after him as he goes through   
his creative processes1 so ,i am more   
than these1-- a child of the ,creator4  
,i may feel as a little boy feels who   
stands beside his father who is the     
captain of some mighty ship4 ,the ship  
may be a million times greater than he2 
but the captain's intelligence and hand 
made it1 shaped it1 rules it1 turns it  

whithersoever he will4 ,and ,i am the   
captain's child1 like him1 and capable  
of matching his masterly achievement4   
,and so ,i may believe that ,i1 as a    
child of the infinite ,father1 am of    
infinite importance to him in this      
universe of his2 and ,i can live a grand
 and noble life4 ,nobody can harm me but
 myself4 ,place an obstacle in my path1 
and1 whether it be insurmountable or    
not1 ,i may show myself a coward or a   
hero as ,i face it4 ,tell me ,i have    
made a mistake1 ,i can repair it4 ,tell 
me ,i have committed some moral error1  
am guilty of sin1 ,i confess it4 ,but ,i
 can make all these mistakes and sins   
stairways up which ,i can climb nearer  
and nearer to ,god4 ,you may test me    
with sorrows1 affliction1 take away my  
property1 take away my health1 take away
 my friends2 and the way in which ,i    
receive these may either make me nobler 
or poorer and meaner1 as ,i will4 ,the  
sun shines upon the earth4 ,it turns one
 clod hard1 makes it incapable of       

producing anything4 ,it softens and     
sweetens another1 the same sun3 the     
difference is in the way in which it is 
received4 ,so these influences may touch
 me1 may make me hard and bitter and    
mean and rebellious1 or ,i may stand    
all1 and say1 as the old ,stoics used   
to1 ,even if the gods are not just1 ,i w
 ill be just1 and shame the gods4  ,so  
man may say1 ,whatever comes upon me1 ,i
 will meet it like a man1 and like a    
child of the ,highest1 and so make my   
life significant1 a part of the divine  
plan1 something glorious and real4  ,one
 thought more4 ,when we have got through
 with this life1 and stand on the shore 
of a sea whose wavelets lap the sands at
 our feet1 and the ships of those that  
depart go out into the mist1 and we     
wonder whither1 what has doubt done1    
what has investigation done1 touching   
this great hope of ours1 as we face that
 which we speak of as the ,unknown8 ,so 
far as the old-time and traditional     
belief is concerned1 ,i hold that doubt 

has been of infinite and unspeakable    
service4 ,certainly1 ,i could rather    
have no belief at all than the old      
belief4 ,certainly1 ,i would rather sink
 into unconsciousness and eternal sleep 
than wake to watch over the battlements 
of heaven the ascent of the smoke of the
 torment that goeth up forever and ever4
 ,but is there any rational ground for  
hope still8 ,i cannot stop this morning 
even to suggest to you the grounds for  
the assertion that ,i am about to make4 
,i believe that1 if we have not already 
demonstrated eternal life1 we are on the
 eve of such demonstration4 ,i believe  
that another continent is to be         
discovered as veritably as ,columbus    
discovered this ,new ,world4 ,as he1 as 
he neared the shore1 saw floating tokens
 upon the waters that indicated to him  
that land was not far away1 so ,i       
believe that tokens are all about us of 
this other country1 which is not a      
future1 but only a present1 unseen and  
unknown to the most of us4  ,but grant1 

if you will1 that that is not to be     
attained1 modern investigation and doubt
 have done nothing to touch the grounds 
of the great human hope that springs    
forever in the breast1 that hope which  
is born of love1 born of trust1 born of 
our dreams1 born of our yearning towards
 the land whither our dear ones have    
departed4  ,let me read you just a few  
lines of challenge to those that would  
raise a question as to the reality of   
this belief3  ,what is this mystic1     
wondrous hope in me1 ,that1 when no star
 from out the darkness bore ,gives      
promise of the coming of the morn1 ,when
 all life seems a pathless mystery      
,through which tear-blinded eyes no way 
can see2 ,when illness comes1 and life  
grows most forlorn1 ,still dares to     
laugh the last dread threat to scorn1   
,and proudly cries1 ,death is not1 shall
 not be8 ,i wonder at myself6 ,tell me1 
,o ,death1 ,if that thou rul'st the     
earth1 if dust to dust ,shall be the end
 of love and hope and strife1 ,from what

 rare land is blown this living breath  
,that shapes itself to whispers of      
strong trust1 ,and tells the lie1 if    
'tis a lie1 of life8 ,where did this    
wondrous dream come from8 ,how does it  
grow as the world grows8  ,it must be a 
whisper of this eternal ,being to our   
hearts2 and so1 in spite of all the     
advance of knowledge1 all the criticism1
 it remains untouched1 brightening and  
growing4 ,and so there is reason1 as we 
gaze out on the future1 why we should   
look with contempt1 if you will1 upon   
the conditions that trouble us in this  
life1 the burdens1 the sorrows1 the     
illnesses1 when all that life means at  
its highest is that out of the          
conditions1 whatever they are1 ,i should
 shape a manhood1 cultivate a soul1 make
 myself worth living1 fitting myself for
 that which gleams through the mist a   
promise1 if you will1 of something there
 beyond4  ,now ,i wish simply to call   
your attention to the fact that doubt   
does not touch this eternal ,power1 does

 not touch the fact that this is a good 
,power1 and that it is on the side of   
goodness1 does not touch the fact that  
we are the children of that ,power and  
may co-operate with it for good and     
share its ultimate triumph1 does not    
touch the great hope that makes it worth
 while for us to suffer1 to bear1 to    
dare all things4 ,and these great       
trusts1 are they not all we need to be  
men1 to be women1 to conquer the        
conditions of life and prove ourselves  
children of the ,highest8  ,,evolution  
,,loses ,,nothing ,,of ,,value ,,to     
,,man4  ,i ,,take two texts1 one of them
 from the ,new ,testament4 ,it may be   
found in the fifth chapter of the       
,gospel according to ,matthew1 the      
seventeenth verse1 ,think not that ,i   
came to destroy the law or the prophets3
 ,i came not to destroy1 but to fulfil4 
,the other text is from ,emerson3 ,one  
accent of the ,holy ,ghost ,the heedless
 world hath never lost4  ,the theory of 
evolution to-day1 in the minds of all   

competent students1 is quite as firmly  
established as is the law of gravity or 
the ,copernican theory in astronomy4    
,but1 when it was first propounded in   
its modern form by ,herbert ,spencer1   
when he issued his first book1 and when 
,darwin's ,origin of ,species was       
published1 there was an outcry1         
especially throughout the religious     
world4 ,there was a great fear shuddered
 through the hearts of men4 ,they felt  
as though the dearest things on earth   
were threatened and were likely to be   
destroyed4 ,essayists declared that this
 theory undermined the foundations of   
morals4 ,they said that it took away1   
not only the ,bible1 but ,god and all   
rational religion4 ,they told us that1  
in tracing the ancestry of man back and 
down to the animals1 humanity was being 
desecrated1 and that the essential      
feature of man as a child of ,god was   
being taken away4  ,if ,i believed that 
any of these things were true1 ,i might 
not be an enemy of evolution1 if indeed 

it be established2 for there is very    
little reason in a man's setting himself
 against an established truth4 ,but ,i  
should certainly be very sad1 and should
 wish that we might hold some other     
theory of things4 ,but ,i believe that  
it will appear1 as we study the matter a
 little while carefully1 that not only  
are these charges that have been brought
 against the theory baseless1 but that  
right here is to be found not only the  
real progress of the world1 but the true
 conservatism4 ,evolution is the most   
conservative theory that has ever been  
held4 ,it keeps everything that has been
 found serviceable to man4 ,it may      
transform it4 ,it may lift it to some   
higher level1 on to some loftier range  
of life2 but it keeps and carries       
forward everything that helps4 ,this    
inevitably and in the nature of things4 
,there are two great tendencies which   
are characteristic of that method of    
progress or growth which we call by the 
name of evolution4 ,one is the          

hereditary tendency1 and the other is   
the tendency to variation4 ,one1 if it  
were in full force1 would merely1       
forever and forever1 repeat the past3   
the other1 if it were in full force1    
would blot out all the past1 and forever
 be creating something new4 ,it is in   
the balance of these two tendencies that
 we discover the orderly growth of the  
world2 and this orderly growth it is    
which constitutes evolution4 ,let me    
illustrate3 ,here is a tree1 for        
example4 ,the tendency that we call     
heredity would simply constantly repeat 
the past3 the tendency to vary would    
vary the tree out of existence4 ,the    
ideal is that it shall keep its form1   
for example1 as an oak1 but that1 in the
 process of growth1 the bark shall      
expand freely and sufficiently to make  
room for the manifestation of the new   
life4 ,now1 if the bark had power to    
refuse expansion1 of course1 you know1  
the tree would die4 ,if there were not  
power enough to maintain the form1 then1

 again1 the tree would cease to exist4  
,this you may take as a type and        
illustration of the method of all life  
and all progress everywhere4  ,those    
people who naturally represent the      
heredity tendency  what we call the     
conservative people of the world are the
 ones who are always afraid of any      
change4 ,they deprecate the utterance of
 new ideas4 ,they hesitate to accept any
 new-fangled notions1 as perhaps they   
call them4 ,they are afraid that        
something precious1 something sweet1    
something dear1 that belonged to the    
past1 may be lost4  ,this manifests     
itself in all departments of life4 ,i   
suppose that there never was an         
improvement proposed in the world that  
somebody did not object to it in the    
interests of the established order4 ,and
 yet1 if these people that do not want  
any changes made had had control of the 
world ten thousand years ago1 where     
should we be to-day8 ,we should still be
 barbarians in the jungles4 ,for it is  

because these people have not been able 
to keep the world still that we have    
advanced here and there in the direction
 of what we are pleased to call         
civilization4 ,you remember1 for        
example1 as illustrating this           
opposition1 how the workingmen1 the     
laborers of the time1 a few years ago1  
in ,england1 fought against the         
introduction of machinery4 ,they said   
machinery was going to take their work  
away1 it was going to break down the old
 industrial order of the world1 it was  
going to make it impossible for the     
laborer to get his living4 ,a few       
machines were to do the world's work2   
and the great multitude were to be idle1
 and1 not having anything to do1 were to
 receive no pay for labor1 and          
consequently were to starve4 ,this was  
the cry4 ,the outcome has been that     
there has been infinitely more done1 a  
much larger number of laborers employed1
 employed less hours in the day1 paid   
higher wages2 and in every direction the

 condition of the industrial world has  
been improved4 ,i speak of this simply  
as an illustration of this tendency4    
,when we come to religion1 it is        
perfectly natural that the opposition   
here should be bitterer than anywhere   
else in the world2 and it always has    
been4 ,if you think of it just a little1
 if you read the history of the world a 
little1 you will find that the last     
thing on earth that people have been    
willing to improve has been their       
religion4 ,and this1 ,i say1 is         
perfectly natural4 ,why8 ,because men   
have instinctively felt and rightly     
felt1 as ,i believe that religion was   
the most important thing in human life4 
,they felt that it was the most sacred  
thing1 that on it depended higher and   
more permanent interests than on        
anything else2 and they have naturally  
been timid1 naturally shrunk from       
change1 with the fear that changing the 
theories and the practices and the      
thoughts was going to endanger the thing

 itself4 ,they have said1 ,we will hold 
on1 at any rate1 to these reverences1   
these worships1 these precious trusts1  
these hopes2 and we will hold on to the 
vessels in which we have carried them1  
because how do we know1 if the vessels  
are changed or taken away1 that we may  
not lose the precious contents          
themselves8 ,this1 ,i say1 has been the 
feeling2 and it has been a perfectly    
natural feeling4  ,i wish then1 this    
morning1 for a little while to review   
with you some of the steps in evolution 
that the world has taken1 and let you   
see how it has worked in different      
departments of human thought and human  
life1 so that you may become convinced  
if possible1 as ,i am that evolution has
 never thrown away1 has never lost1     
anything precious in any department of  
the world since human life began4 ,if ,i
 believed it did1 ,i would fight against
 it4 ,for instance1 here is a devout    
,catholic servant-girl4 ,she believes in
 her saints4 ,she counts her beads and  

recites her ,ave ,marias4 ,she goes to  
the cathedral on ,sunday morning4 ,and  
this is her world of poetry and romance4
 ,here is a source of comfort4 ,this    
throws a halo around the drudgery of the
 kitchen1 the service of the house in   
which she is an employee4 ,would ,i take
 away this trust1 this poetry1 this     
romance1 untrue as ,i believe it to be  
in form1 inadequate as ,i believe it to 
be8 ,would ,i take it away1 and leave   
her mind bare1 her heart empty1 leave   
her without the comfort1 without the    
inspiration8 ,not for one moment4 ,i    
would take it away only if1 in the      
process1 ,i could supply her with       
something just a little better1 a little
 more nearly true1 something that would 
give her comfort1 something that would  
be an inspiration to her1 something that
 would buoy her up as a hope1 something 
that would help her to be faithful and  
true in the work of her daily life4     
,this is what evolution means4 ,it means
 taking away the old1 and1 in the       

process1 substituting therefore         
something a little bit better4 ,i would 
not take away the idol of the lowest    
barbarian unless ,i could help him to   
take a step a little higher1 so that he 
should see the intellectual and         
spiritual thing that the idol stood for1
 and so enable him to walk his pathway  
of life as firmly1 as faithfully1 as    
hopefully1 as he did before4  ,i have   
been watching the work that has been    
going on in our streets during the last 
months4 ,you1 too1 have seen how they   
will replace the track on an entire line
 of railway without stopping the running
 of the cars4 ,they take away the old   
and worn and poorer1 but constantly     
substitute something better for it2 and 
human life moves right on4 ,everything  
is better2 the change has come2 but that
 change is2 an improvement4 ,this is    
what evolution does2 for evolution is   
nothing new in the world4 ,it is only   
the name for the method of ,god1 which  
is as old as the universe itself1 new to

 us because we have just discovered it2 
but as old as the light of a star that  
has been travelling for twenty-five     
thousand years1 and has just come into  
the field of the astronomer's telescope1
 so that he announces it as a new       
discovery44 ,this is what it means4     
,now let me call your attention to the  
fact that in the world below us the     
world of the trees and the shrubs and   
the flowers and the plants this         
evolutionary force is working after     
precisely the same method that ,i have  
just been indicating4 ,all the fair1 the
 beautiful things have been developed   
under this process1 in accordance with  
this method1 out of the first bare and  
rough and crude manifestations of       
vegetable life4 ,nothing has been thrown
 away that was of any value4 ,take it1  
for example1 in regard to the wild weeds
 which have become the oats and the     
wheat and the barley and the rye of the 
world4 ,all the old that was of value   
has been kept and has been developed    

into something higher and finer and     
sweeter4 ,the aboriginal crab-apple has 
become a thousand luscious kinds of     
fruits2 and the flowers all their       
beauty1 all their fragrance1 all their  
color and form8 are the result of the   
working of this method of ,god's power  
that we have called evolution4 ,nothing 
of any value is left behind in the      
uncounted ages of the past4 ,all that is
 of worth to-day has been transformed   
and lifted to some higher level and made
 a part of the wondrous life that is all
 around us4  ,so1 when you come to the  
animal life1 you find the same thing4   
,the swift foot1 the flashing wing1 the 
beauty of color1 all the wonders of     
animal life have simply been developed  
in accordance with this method and under
 this impelling force which we call     
evolution1 which is only a name for the 
working of ,god4  ,when we come up to   
the level of man1 what do we find8 ,man 
as an animal is not the equal of a good 
many of the other animals in the world4 

,he is not as swift as the deer1 he is  
not as strong as the lion1 he cannot fly
 in the air like a bird1 he cannot live 
in the sea like the fishes4 ,he is      
restricted to the comparatively         
contracted area of the surface of the   
land4 ,he is not as perfect as an       
animal2 but what has evolution done8 ,it
 has given him power of conquest over   
all these1 because the evolutionary     
force has left the bodily structure1 we 
need expect no more marked changes      
there1 and has gone to brain4 ,so this  
feeblest of all the animals physically  
speaking he would be no match for a     
hundred different kinds of animals that 
are about us is able to outwit them all1
 that is1 to outknow1 he has become the 
ruler of the earth4 ,and not only has   
this evolutionary force gone to brain1  
it has gone to heart2 and man has become
 a being whose primest characteristic is
 love4 ,the one thing that we think of  
as most perfect1 that we dream of as    
characterizing his future development1  

is summed up in his affectional nature4 
,then1 too1 he has become a moral being4
  ,there are times1 like the present1   
when it seems as though the animal were 
at the top1 and the affectional nature  
suppressed1 and the conscience were     
ruled out of court2 and yet you study   
the methods of modern warfare as        
compared with those of the past1 you see
 how pity and tenderness and care walk  
by the side of every gun1 hide in the   
rear of every battlefield to attend to  
the wounded and suffering4 ,and you know
 what talk there has been of pity for   
the hungry1 the desire of the world to  
feed those that need2 and the one       
dominant note in the discussion of the  
war all over the world has been the     
question as to its being right4 ,no     
matter how we may have decided1 whether 
the decision be correct or not1 the     
civilized world bows itself in the      
presence of its ideal of right1 and     
demands that no war shall be fought the 
issue of which is not to be a better    

condition of mankind4  ,evolution1 then1
 tends to the development of brain1     
heart1 conscience1 and the spiritual    
nature of man4 ,it has left nothing     
behind that is of any value to us4 ,it  
has transformed or sublimed or lifted   
all up into the higher range of the life
 that we are living to-day1 and contains
 within itself a promise of the higher  
and the grander life that we reach      
forward to to-morrow4  ,i wish now1 for 
a moment1 to illustrate the working of  
this in regard to some of the           
institutions of the world4 ,if ,i had   
time1 ,i could show you that the same   
law is apparent in the development of   
the arts1 sculpture1 painting1 poetry4  
,i must pass them by1 however4 ,as      
illustrating what ,i mean1 let me take  
the one art of music4 ,from the very    
beginning man has been interested in    
making some sort of sounds which1 ,i    
suppose1 have been regarded as music by 
him4 ,most of those that are associated 
with the barbaric man would be anything 

but music to us4 ,the music1 for        
example1 that they give in connection   
with a play in a ,chinese theatre would 
not be acceptable to the cultivated ear 
of ,americans4 ,we have left behind much
 that the world called music4 ,we have  
left behind any number of musical       
instruments4 ,we do not now have those  
that the ,psalmist makes so much of1 the
 old-time harp1 the sackbut1 the        
psaltery4 ,i do not know1 though you    
may1 what kind of instruments they were4
 ,the world has completely forgotten    
them1 and left them out of sight4 ,and  
yet no musical note1 no musical chord1  
no musical thought1 no musical feeling1 
has been forgotten or dropped along the 
advancing pathway of the world's        
progress2 and in our organs all the     
attempts at instruments of that kind    
from the beginning of the world are     
preserved1 transformed and glorified4   
,in our magnificent orchestras all the  
first feeble beginnings are developed   
until we have a conception of music     

to-day such as would have been utterly  
incomprehensible to the primeval man4   
,what ,i wish you to note is and this is
 the use of my illustration that the    
advancing growth of the music of the    
world has forgotten nothing that it was 
worth while to keep4  ,let me give you  
one more illustration4 ,take it in the  
line of government4 ,the first tribes   
were governed by two forces1 brute force
 and superstitious fear4 ,these were the
 two things that kept the primal tribes 
of the world in order1 such order as was
 maintained in those far-off times4 ,the
 world has gone on developing different 
types of government1 different types of 
social order4 ,i need not stop to       
outline them for you this morning3 you  
know what they are2 and ,i only wish you
 to catch the thought ,i have in mind4  
,i suppose that every time one of the   
old types was about to pass away the    
adherents of that type have been in a   
panic lest anarchy was threatening the  
world4 ,believers in these types have   

said that it was absolutely necessary to
 keep them1 in order to preserve social 
order4 ,take the attitude of the        
monarchy to-day1 for example1 as towards
 the republic4 ,when we attempted to    
establish our republic here in this     
western world1 it was freely said by the
 adherents of the old political idea in 
,europe that it would of necessity be a 
failure1 that there was no possibility  
of a stable human order without a       
hierarchy of nobles with a king at the  
top2 and ,i suppose they believed it4   
,but we have proved beyond question that
 we can have a strong government1 an    
orderly government1 without either      
nobility or king4 ,there is less        
government in the ,united ,states here  
to-day than in almost any other country 
of the world1 a nearer approach to what 
the philosopher would call anarchy4     
,anarchy does not mean disorder1 when a 
philosopher is talking3 it means merely 
the absence of external government4 ,and
 that is the ideal that we are          

approaching4  ,paul says1 you know1 that
 the law was made for wicked people1 for
 the disobedient and the disorderly1 not
 for good people4 ,how many people are  
there in ,new ,york to-day1 for example1
 who are honest1 who pay their debts1   
who did not commit a burglary last      
night1 who do not propose to be false to
 wife and home1 on account of the law1  
the existence of courts and police8 ,the
 great majority of the citizens of      
,america to-day would go right on being 
honest and kind and loving and helpful1 
whether there were any laws or not4     
,they are not kept to these courses of  
conduct by the law4 ,they have learned  
that these are the fitting ways of life 
that these are the things for a man to  
do2 and they despise themselves if they 
are less than man4 ,in other words1 this
 governmental order1 which exists as an 
outside force1 at last gets written in  
the heart and becomes a law of life4    
,now precisely the same process is going
 on in other departments of the world3  

it is going on in religion4 ,and now let
 me come to religion1 and illustrate the
 working of the law here4 ,the old types
 of religious thought and life and      
practice1 the first ones that the world 
knew1 are long since outgrown4 ,we      
regard them as barbaric1 as cruel4  ,we 
have learned that there are not a       
million gods of whom we need stand in   
awe4 ,we have learned that ,god is no   
partial ,god4 ,we have learned that ,god
 does not want us1 as universal man once
 believed1 to sacrifice the dearest     
object of our love4 ,we have learned    
that he does not want us to sacrifice   
our first-born child1 as the old        
,hebrews used to1 and the remains of    
which custom are plainly visible        
throughout the ,old ,testament          
everywhere4 ,we have left behind these  
old types of religious thought and life2
 but the world has lost nothing in the  
process4 ,the world has not left        
religion behind4 ,the whole process of  
growth and development in the sphere of 

the religious life and the development  
of man has been one of outgrowing crude 
and partial and inadequate thoughts and 
feelings about the universe and ,god and
 man and duty and destiny4  ,we do not  
care so much about ceremony as the world
 did once4 ,the most civilized people in
 the world are not so given to these    
things in their religious development4  
,we do not care so much about creed as  
they did a thousand or five hundred     
years ago4 ,we do not believe that ,god 
is going to judge us by our intellectual
 conceptions of him and of our fellow-  
men4 ,and ,i suppose it is true1 always 
has been true as it is to-day1 that the 
adherent of any particular form or      
theory of the religious life has the    
feeling that1 when that is threatened1  
religion is threatened2 and he defends  
it passionately1 fights for it1 perhaps 
bitterly1 feels justified in opposing1  
perhaps hating1 those he regards as the 
enemies of ,god and his great and sacred
 and religious hopes4 ,and yet we know1 

as we study the past1 whether we can    
quite appreciate it as true in regard to
 the theories which ,i am voicing       
to-day1 that the truth has never been in
 any danger1 and the highest and finest 
and sweetest things in the religious    
life have never been in any danger1 are 
not in any danger to-day4  ,let me      
indicate in two or three directions4    
,there has been a class of thinkers1    
which has done a good deal of talking   
and writing in this direction1 who are  
telling us that the poetry1 the romance1
 the wonder1 the mystery1 of the world  
those things that tend to bring a man to
 his knees and to lift his eyes in awe  
and reverence are passing away2 that    
science is going to explore everything2 
that there is going to be no more       
unknown2 and that1 when we have         
completed this process1 one of the great
 essentials of religious thought and    
feeling and life will have perished from
 among men4 ,i venture to say to you    
that there has never been a time in the 

history of the world when there was so  
much of mystery1 so much of wonder1 so  
much of reverence1 so much of awe1 as   
there is to-day4 ,we are apt to fool    
ourselves in our thinking1 and1 when we 
have observed a fact1 and labelled it1  
to think we know it4  ,for example1 here
 is this mysterious force that we call  
electricity1 which is flashing such     
light in our homes and through our      
streets as the world has never known    
before4 ,the cars1 loaded1 are speeding 
along our highways with no visible means
 of propulsion4 ,we step up to a little 
box1 and put a shell to our ear1 and    
speak and listen1 and converse with a   
friend in ,boston or ,chicago1          
recognizing the voice perfectly1 as     
though this friend were by our side4 ,we
 send a message over a wire1 under the  
deep1 and talk to ,london and all round 
the globe2 and we have labelled this    
force electricity4 ,and1 instead of     
getting down on our knees in reverence1 
we get impatient if our communication is

 delayed two minutes or three4 ,we fool 
ourselves with the thought that1 because
 we have called it electricity1 we know 
it1 we have taken the mystery out of the
 fact4 ,why1 friends1 do you know       
anything about electricity8 ,do you know
 what it is8 ,do you know why it works  
as it does8 ,i do not2 and ,i do not    
know of anybody on the face of the earth
 who does4 ,the wonder of the ,arabian  
,nights is cheap and tame and theatrical
 compared to the wonder of this everyday
 workaday world of ours1 in the midst of
 which and by means of which we are     
carrying on our business and our daily  
avocations4 ,the wonder of the carpet   
that would carry the person through the 
air who sat upon it and wished is       
nothing compared with the power of      
electricity1 steam1 any one of these    
invisible1 intangible powers that are   
thrilling through the world to-day4     
,there never was so much room for       
mystery1 for awe1 for poetry1 for       
romance1 as there is in the midst of our

 commercial life in this nineteenth     
century4  ,this element of religion1    
then1 is in no danger4 ,we know nothing 
ultimately4 ,who can tell me what a     
particle of matter is8 ,who can tell me 
what a ray of light is1 as it comes from
 a star8 ,who can tell me how the       
movements in the particles of air       
striking my eye run up into nerve and   
brain1 and become translated into       
thought1 into light1 into form1 into    
motion1 into all this wondrous universe 
that surrounds us on every hand8  ,then 
take the element of trust4 ,people used 
to think they could trust in their gods4
 ,rebecca1 for example1 stole her       
father's gods1 and hid them in the      
trappings of her camel1 and sat on them4
 ,she thought1 then1 that she had a god 
near her who would care for her4 ,the   
old ,hebrew1 with an ox-team1 carried   
his ,god1 in a box that he called the   
ark1 into battle1 and supposed that he  
had a very present help in time of need4
 ,but we have the eternal stability and 

order of the universe1 a ,god that never
 forgets1 a ,god on whom we can lean1 in
 whom we can trust1 who is not away off 
in heaven1 but here1 closer to us than  
the air we breathe1 a ,god in whom we   
live and move and have our being4  ,and 
has this evolution of the religious life
 of the world threatened the stability  
of truth8 ,there never was a time on    
earth when there was such a passion for 
truth as there is today4 ,what means all
 this intense activity of the scientific
 world8 these men that devote their     
lives to some little fraction of the    
universe which they study through their 
microscope1 not for pay1 to find one    
little fragment of the truth of ,god2   
these critics that are rummaging the    
dust-heaps of the ages in the hope that 
they may find one little1               
bright-glittering particle of truth in  
the midst of the rubbish8 ,there never  
was such a passion for truth as there is
 here and now4  ,are we going to lose   
the sense of righteousness which is the 

very heart of religion8 ,there never was
 a time since the world began when the  
average man cared so much for           
righteousness1 when he laid so much     
emphasis on human conduct1 on kindness1 
on help1 on all those things that make  
this life of ours desirable and sweet4  
,the ideal of character and behavior has
 risen step by step from the beginning1 
and is higher to-day than it ever was   
before4 ,not because men fear a         
whipping1 not because they are          
threatened with hell in another world1  
not because a ,god of vengeance is      
preached to them1 because they have     
grown to see the beauty of              
righteousness1 because they know that   
obedience to the laws of ,god means     
health1 means sanity1 means peace1 means
 prosperity1 means well-being1 means all
 high and good and noble things4 ,this  
righteousness is not driven into one by 
blows from outside3 it blossoms out from
 the intellect and the conscience and   
the heart1 as the recognized law of all 

fine and desirable and human living4    
,what are we losing1 then1 as the result
 of this growth of the world in         
accordance with the law of evolution8   
,are we losing our hope of the future8  
,the form of that hope is passing away4 
,we no longer believe in an underground 
world of the dead1 as the ,hebrews did4 
,we no longer believe in a heaven just  
above the blue1 as ,christendom has     
believed for so long4 ,we no longer     
believe in a heaven where all struggle  
and thought and study and growth are    
left out1 where there is to be only a   
monotonous enjoyment that would pall    
upon any living rational soul4 ,the form
 of it is passing away2 but there never 
was a time when there was such a great  
and inspiring hope1 not simply for      
myself and my friends1 not simply for my
 neighbors1 not simply for my particular
 church4 ,there never was a time when   
there was such a great hope1 including  
humanity for this world and for the     
next1 as that which inspires us now4    

,nothing1 then1 in religion that is of  
any worth has the world forgotten or is 
it likely to forget4 ,all the old       
reverences and loves and trusts and     
inspirations and hopes and tendernesses 
are here intermingled4 ,they are in the 
highest and noblest people2 and they are
 being carried on and refined and       
purified and glorified as the world goes
 on4  ,and now let me suggest one       
thought more that may be of comfort to  
some4 ,a great many people have been    
accustomed to associate so much of their
 religion with the forms of their       
religious expression that they fancy    
that the world's outgrowing these means 
that religion is being outgrown4 ,i     
said1 you remember1 when touching upon  
government as an illustration of the    
working of the law of evolution1 that   
governmental forms were being outgrown  
just as fast as the world was becoming  
civilized4 ,if this world ever becomes  
perfect1 government will cease to be1 in
 the sense of these external forms1     

simply because there will be no need of 
it2 just as you take down a staging when
 you have completed a house4 ,so ,i look
 forward to less and less care for the  
external forms of the religious life4 ,i
 believe they will remain1 and they     
ought to remain1 just as long as they   
are any practical help to anybody2 but1 
because a person ceases to need them1   
you must not think that he has ceased to
 be religious4 ,when the world gets to  
be perfectly religious1 there will be no
 need of any churches1 there will be no 
need any more of preachers1 there will  
be no need of any of the external       
ceremony of religion4  ,you remember    
what the old seer says in the book of   
,revelation1 as he looks forward to the 
perfect condition of things4 ,he is     
picturing that ideal city which he saw  
in his vision coming down from ,god out 
of heaven4 ,this was his poetical way of
 setting forth his idea of the perfected
 condition of humanity2 and he said1    
speaking of that city1 ,and ,i saw no   

temple therein1 for the ,lord ,god was  
the temple of it4  ,the external forms  
pass away when the life needs them no   
more4 ,take1 for example1 the condition 
of things when ,jesus came to           
,jerusalem4 ,you know how they put him  
to death4 ,and what did they put him to 
death for8 ,they put him to death       
because he preached of a time when there
 would be no need of any temple1 no need
 of any priesthood1 no need of any of   
the external things that they regarded  
as essential to religious life4 ,they   
thought he was blaspheming1 they thought
 he was an enemy of ,god and of his     
fellowmen1 because he talked that way4  
,he said to the woman of ,samaria1 ,you 
think you must worship ,god on this     
mountain1 ,gerizim1 and the ,jews think 
they must worship him on ,mount ,moriah2
 but ,god is spirit1 and the time will  
come when you will not care whether you 
are in this place or that1 but will     
worship him in spirit and in truth4     
,you see it was just along these lines  

that ,jesus was preaching and working in
 his day4 ,so1 when humanity becomes    
perfected1 external forms1 that have    
helped mould and shape man into his     
perfection1 will be needed no more4     
,they will fall off1 pass away1 and be  
forgotten2 but that will not mean that  
humanity has forgotten or left behind   
any great essential to the religious    
life4 ,it will mean simply that he has  
taken them up into his own heart1       
absorbed them into his life4 ,he        
naturally drops them when he is no      
longer in need of external supports4    
,this law of evolution1 then1 is simply 
the method of ,god's progress from the  
beginning1 the same method which was to 
be found in the lowest1 the method which
 has lifted us to where we are1 the     
method which looks out with promise     
towards the better things which are to  
come4  ,the one life thrilled the       
star-dust through1 ,in nebulous masses  
whirled1 ,until1 globed like a drop of  
dew1 ,shone out a new-made world4 ,the  

one life on the ocean shore1 ,through   
primal ooze and slime1 ,crept slowly on 
from less to more ,along the ways of    
time4 ,the one life in the jungles old1 
,from lowly creeping things1 ,did ever  
some new form unfold1 ,swift feet or    
soaring wings4 ,the one life all the    
ages through ,pursued its wondrous plant
 ,till1 as the tree of promise grew1 ,it
 blossomed into man4 ,the one life      
reacheth onward still2 ,as yet no eye   
may see ,the far-off fact1 man's dream  
fulfill8 ,the glory yet to be4  ,,why   
,,are ,,not ,,all ,,educated ,,people   
,,unitarians8  ,,the religious opinions 
of the average person in any community  
do not count for much1 if any one is    
studying them with the endeavor to find 
out their bearing on what is true or    
what is false4 ,this is true not only of
 popular religious opinions1 but of any 
other set of opinions whatever2 and for 
the simple reason that most people do   
not hold their opinions as the result of
 any study1 of any investigation1       

because they have seriously tried to    
find out what is true1 and have become  
convinced that this1 and not that1      
represents the reality of things4  ,let 
us note for a moment and ,i do this     
rather to clear the way than because ,i 
consider it of any very great importance
  how it is that the great majority of  
people come by the religious opinions   
which they happen to hold4 ,i suppose it
 is true in thousands of cases that a   
man or a woman is in this church rather 
than that merely as the result of       
inheritance and childhood training4     
,people inherit their religious ideas4  
,they are taught certain things in their
 childhood1 they have accepted them     
perhaps without any sort of question2   
and so they are where they happen to be 
to-day4 ,if you stop and think of it for
 just a moment1 you will see that this  
may be all right as a starting-point1   
but is not quite an adequate reason why 
we should hold permanently1 and         
throughout our lives1 a particular set  

of ideas4 ,if all of us were to accept  
opinions in this sort of fashion1 and   
never put them behind us or make any    
change1 where would the growth of the   
world be8 ,how would it be possible for 
one generation to make a little advance 
on that which preceded it1 so that we   
could speak of the progress of mankind8 
,then1 when persons do make up their    
minds to change1 to leave one church and
 go to another1 it is not an uncommon   
thing for them simply to select a       
particular place of worship or a special
 organization for no better reason than 
that they happen to like it1 to be      
attracted to it for some superficial    
cause4 ,how many people who do leave one
 church for another do it as the result 
of any earnest study1 or real endeavor  
to find the truth8 ,and yet1 if you will
 give the matter a moment's serious     
consideration1 you will see that we have
 no sort of right to choose one theory  
rather than another1 one set of ideas   
rather than another1 because we happen  

to like one thing1 and not something    
else4 ,liking or disliking1 a           
superficial preference or aversion1 is  
an impertinence when dealing with these 
great1 high1 and deep questions of ,god 
and the soul1 of the true or the false4 
,then ,i have known a great many people 
in my life who went to a particular     
church for no better reason than mere   
convenience4 ,it was easily accessible1 
it was just around the corner1 they did 
not have to make any long journey1 and  
did not have to put themselves out any  
to get up a little earlier on ,sunday   
morning1 which they would otherwise need
 to do4 ,a mere matter of convenience6  
,and this is so many times allowed to   
settle some great question of right or  
wrong4 ,then you will find those who    
select a particular church or a         
particular church organization1 become  
identified with it1 merely because on a 
casual visit to the place they were     
taken with the minister1 happened to    
like his appearance1 his method of      

speaking1 the way he presented his      
ideas4 ,or perhaps they were attracted  
by the music4 ,there are persons who    
decide these great questions of ,god and
 truth and the soul for no more         
important a reason than the organization
 and the capacity of the church choir4  
,it is not an uncommon thing for people 
to attend some particular church because
 it promises to be socially advantageous
 to them4 ,it is fashionable in a       
particular town4 ,i have a friend1 ,i   
still call him friend1 a ,boston lawyer1
 who told me in conversation about this 
subject one day that he deliberately    
went to the largest church he could     
find1 and that1 if in the particular    
city in which he was residing the ,roman
 ,catholic ,church was in the majority1 
he should attend that4 ,there are       
thousands of persons who wish to be in  
the swim1 and who are diverted this way 
or that by what seems to them socially  
profitable4 ,think of it1 claiming to be
 followers of the ,nazarene1 who was    

outcast1 spit upon1 treated with        
contempt1 on whom the scribes and       
,pharisees of his day looked down with  
bitterness and scorn1 and who led the   
world for the sake of his love for ,god 
out into a larger truth1 who made       
himself of no reputation1 claim to be   
followers of him1 and let a matter of   
fashion decide whether they will go this
 way or walk in some other path ,i      
,think of the irony of a situation like 
that6  ,then1 again1 there are those who
 attach themselves to some one church   
rather than to another because1 after   
looking over the ground1 they made up   
their minds that it would be to their   
business advantage4 ,they will become   
associated with a set of people who can 
help them on in the world4 ,it is all   
very well1 if there be no higher        
consideration1 for a person to be       
governed in his action by motives like  
these2 but is it quite right to decide a
 question of truth or falsehood1 of ,god
 or duty1 of the consecration of the    

human soul1 of the service of one's     
fellow- men1 on the basis of supposed   
financial advantage8 ,there is hardly a 
year goes by that persons do not come to
 me1 considering the question as to     
whether they will attend my church4 ,i  
can see in a few minutes' conversation  
with them that they have some purpose to
 gain4 ,they wish to be helped on in the
 prosecution of some scheme for their   
own advancement4 ,if they succeed1 they 
are devout ,unitarians and loyal        
followers of mine4 ,if not1 within a few
 weeks ,i hear of them as devoted       
attendants somewhere else1 where they   
have been able to make their personal   
plans a success4  ,these are some of the
 reasons there are worthier ones than   
these which influence the crowd4 ,there 
are1 ,i say1 worthier ones4 ,let me hint
 one or two4 ,i do not think it is any  
sacrilege1 or betrayal of confidence1   
for me to speak a name4 ,the late       
,frances ,e4 ,willard1 one of the       
ablest1 truest1 most devoted women ,i   

have ever known1 frankly confessed to me
 in personal conversation that she was  
more in sympathy with my religious ideas
 than of those of the ,church with which
 she was connected1 but her love1 her   
tender love and reverence for her mother
 and the memory of her mother's religion
 were such that she could not find it in
 her heart to break away4 ,she loved the
 services her mother loved1 she loved   
the hymns her mother sung1 she loved the
 associations connected with her        
mother's life4 ,all sweet1 beautiful1   
noble2 but1 if nobody from the beginning
 of the world had ever advanced beyond  
mothers' ideas where should we be       
to-day8 ,is it not1 after all1 the      
truest reverence for mother1 in the     
spirit of consecration she showed to    
follow the truth as you see it to-day1  
as she followed it as she saw it        
yesterday8  ,so much to justify the     
statement ,i made1 that the average     
popular belief on any subject is not a  
reliable guide to a person who is       

earnestly desiring to find the simple   
truth4  ,now let us come to the answer  
of the specific question which ,i have  
propounded4 ,why are not all educated   
people ,unitarians8 ,i ask this         
question1 not because ,i originated it1 
but because it has been put to me1 ,i   
suppose1 a hundred times4 ,people say1  
,you claim to have studied these matters
 very carefully1 you have tried to find 
the truth1 you think you have found it4 
,you have followed what you regard as   
the true method of search4 ,if you have 
found the truth1 and if other people1   
using this same method and being as     
unbiased as you1 could also find it1 how
 does it happen that ,unitarians are in 
the minority8 ,why do not all persons   
who study and who are educated accept   
the ,unitarian faith8 ,this question1 ,i
 say1 has been asked me a great many    
times2 and it is a question that        
deserves a fair1 an earnest and         
sympathetic answer4 ,such an answer ,i  
am now to try to give4  ,in the first   

place1 let me make a few assertions4 ,i 
have not time to prove them this        
morning2 but they are capable of proof4 
,the advantage of a scientific statement
 is that1 though you do not stop to     
prove it1 you know it can be proved any 
time1 whenever a person chooses to take 
the time or trouble4 ,for example1 if ,i
 state the truth of the ,copernican     
system1 or that the earth revolves      
around the sun1 and you challenge me to 
prove it in two minutes1 ,i may not be  
able to2 it may take longer than that2  
but ,i know it can be demonstrated      
to-morrow or next week or any time1     
because it has been demonstrated over   
and over again4  ,i wish now to assert  
the truth of certain fundamental        
principles2 and these principles1 you   
note1 are those which constitute the    
peculiarity of the ,unitarian people as 
a body of theological believers4 ,for   
example1 that this which is all around  
us and of which we are a part is a      
universe is demonstrated beyond         

question4 ,it is one1 the unity of the  
universe4 ,the unity of force1 the unity
 of substance or matter1 the unity of   
law1 the unity of life1 the unity of    
humanity1 the unity of the fundamental  
principles of ethics1 the unity of the  
religious life and aspiration of the    
world1 these1 ,i say1 are demonstrated4 
,and do you not see that demonstrating  
these carries along with it the         
unquestioned1 the absolute demonstration
 of the unity of the power that is in   
the universe and manifests itself       
through it8 ,the unity of ,god8 ,the    
,lord our ,god is one6 ,and this is no  
question of speculation1 it is          
demonstrated truth4 ,now1 as to any     
speculative or metaphysical division of 
,god's nature into three parts or       
personalities1 there is not1 and there  
cannot be1 in the nature of things1 one 
slightest particle of proof4 ,the unity 
is demonstrated3 anything else is       
incapable of demonstration4  ,next1 the 
,unitarian contention ,i say ,unitarian1

 not because we originated it by any    
means1 but simply because we first and  
chiefly among religious bodies have     
accepted it as to the origin and nature 
of man as science has unfolded it to us1
 thus precluding the possibility of the 
truth of any doctrine of any fall4 ,this
 is not speculation1 it is not whim4 ,it
 is not something picked up by the way1 
that a man chooses because he likes it1 
and because he does not like something  
else4 ,this is demonstrated truth1 as   
clearly and fully demonstrated as is the
 law of gravity or the fact that water  
will freeze at a certain temperature4   
,then the question of the ,bible4 ,the  
,unitarian position in regard to the    
origin1 the method of composition1 the  
authenticity and the authority of       
,biblical books1 is a commonplace of    
scholarship4 ,there is no rational      
question in regard to it any more4      
,next1 the question of the origin and   
nature of ,jesus the ,christ4 ,the      
naturalness of his birth1 the           

naturalness of his death1 his pure      
humanity1 are made clearer and surer by 
every new step which investigation      
takes2 and there is nothing in the      
nature of proof that is conceivable in  
regard to any other theory4 ,if any one 
chooses to accept it1 well2 but nobody  
claims1 or can claim1 to prove it1 to   
settle it1 to demonstrate it as true4   
,it becomes an article of faith1 a      
question of voluntary belief2 but there 
is no possibility of holding it in any  
other way4 ,so as to the nature of      
salvation4 ,it is a matter of character2
 a man is saved when he is right4 ,and  
that he cannot be saved in any other way
 is demonstrable and demonstrated truth4
  ,now1 these are the main principles   
which constitute the beliefs of         
,unitarians2 and in any court of reason 
they are able to make good their claim  
against any corner4 ,and1 if there be no
 other motive at work except the one    
clear-eyed1 simple desire to find the   
truth1 there can be no two opinions     

concerning any of them4  ,why1 then1 are
 not all thoughtful1 educated people    
,unitarians8 ,well may the listener ask1
 in wonder1 if the statements ,i have   
just been making are true4 ,now ,i      
propose to offer some suggestions1      
showing what are some of the influences 
at work which determine belief1 and     
which have very little to do with the   
question as to whether the beliefs are  
capable of establishing themselves as   
true or not4  ,in the first place1 let  
us raise the question as to what is     
generally meant by education4 ,we assume
 that all educated people ought to agree
 on all great questions2 and they ought1
 note now what ,i am saying1 they ought1
 if they are really and truly educated1 
and if with a clear and single eye they 
are seeking simply the truth4 ,but1 in  
order to understand the situation1 we   
need to note a good many other things   
that enter into this matter of          
determining the religious path in which 
people will walk4 ,now what do we mean  

by education8 ,popularly1 if a man has  
been to school1 particularly if he is a 
college graduate1 if he can read a      
little ,latin and speak ,french1 and    
knows something of music1 if he has     
graduated anywhere1 he is spoken of as  
educated4 ,but is that a correct use of 
language8 ,are we sure that a man is    
educated merely because he knows a lot  
of things or has been through a         
particular course of study8 ,what does a
 human education mean8 ,does it not mean
 the unfolding1 the development of our  
faculties in such a way that in the     
intellectual sphere we can come into    
contact with and possession of the      
reality of things1 the truth8           
,intellectually1 is there any other     
object of education than to fit a man to
 find the truth8 ,and yet let me give   
you a case4 ,here is a man1 ,i take it  
as an illustration simply1 not because  
,i have anything particular against the 
,catholic ,church any more than against 
any other body of believers1 who has    

been through a ,catholic college1 has   
made himself master of ,catholic        
doctrine1 become familiar with          
theological and ecclesiastical          
literature2 suppose he knows all the    
languages1 or a dozen of them1 having   
them at his fingers' ends4 ,do you not  
see that as a truth-seeker in a free    
world he may not be educated at all8 ,he
 may be educated1 as we say1 or trained 
is the better word1 into acceptance of a
 certain system of traditional thought1 
that can give no good reason for itself2
 for his prejudices1 his loves and hates
 may be called into play4 ,he may be    
trained into the earnest conviction that
 it is his highest duty to be loyal to a
 particular set of ideas4  ,take the way
 ,i was educated4 ,i grew up reading the
 denominational reviews1 and the        
denominational newspapers4 ,i was taught
 that it was dangerous and wicked to    
doubt4 ,i must not think freely3 that   
was the one thing ,i was not permitted  
to do4 ,i went to a theological school1 

and had drilled into me year after year 
that such beliefs1 about ,god and man   
and ,jesus and the ,bible and the future
 world1 were unquestionably true1 and   
that ,i must not look at anything that  
would throw a doubt upon them4 ,and ,i  
was sent out into the world graduated1  
not as a truth-seeker1 but to fight for 
my system1 as a ,west ,point graduate is
 taught that he must fight for his      
country without asking any questions4   
,do you not see that this1 which goes   
under the name of education1 instead of 
fitting a man to find the truth1 may    
distinctly and definitely unfit him1    
make it harder for him to find any truth
 except that which is contained in the  
system which has been drilled into him  
from his childhood up and year after    
year8 ,education1 in order to fit a man 
to be a truth-seeker1 must be something 
different from this merely teaching a   
man a certain system1 a certain set of  
ideas1 and drilling him into the belief 
that he must defend these ideas against 

all corners4  ,a good many people1 then1
 who are called educated1 are not       
educated at all4 ,i have had this       
question asked me repeatedly3 ,if your  
position is true1 here is a college     
graduate1 and here is another2 and here 
is a minister of such a denomination1 or
 a priest of the ,catholic ,church2 why 
do they not accept your ideas8 ,do you  
not see1 however1 that this so-called   
education may stand squarely in the way8
  ,now1 in the second place1 ,i want to 
dwell a little on the difficulty of     
people's getting rid of a theory which  
possesses their minds1 and substituting 
for it another theory4 ,and ,i wish you 
to note that it is not a religious      
difficulty nor a theological difficulty 
nor a ,baptist difficulty nor a         
,presbyterian difficulty3 it is a human 
difficulty4 ,there is no body of people 
on the face of the earth that is large  
enough to contain all the world's       
bigotry4 ,it overflows all fences and   
gets into all enclosures4 ,discussing   

the subject a little while ago1 by      
correspondence with a prominent         
scientific man in ,new ,england1 ,i got 
from him the illustrations which ,i hold
 in my hand1 tending to set forth how   
difficult it is for scientific men      
themselves to get rid of a theory which 
they have been working for and trying to
 prove1 and substitute for it another   
theory4 ,i imagine that there may be a  
physiological basis for the difficulty4 
,i suggest it1 at any rate4 ,we say that
 the mind tends to run in grooves of    
thought4 ,that means1 ,i suppose1 that  
there is something in the molecular     
movements of the brain that comes to    
correspond to a well-trodden pathway4   
,it is easy to walk that path1 and it is
 not easy to get out of it4 ,let it rain
 on the top of a hill2 and1 if you watch
 the water1 you will see that it seeks  
little grooves that have been worn there
 by the falling of past rains1 and that 
the little streams obey the scientific  
law and follow the lines of least       

resistance4 ,there comes a big shower1 a
 heavy downfall2 and perhaps it will    
wash away the surface and change the    
beds of these old watercourses1 create  
new ones4 ,so1 then1 when there comes a 
deluge of new truth1 it washes away the 
ruts along which people have been       
accustomed to think2 and they are able  
to reconstruct their theories4 ,now let 
me give you some of these scientific    
illustrations4 ,first1 that heat is a   
mode of motion was proved by ,sir       
,humphry ,davy and ,count ,rumford      
before #ahbj4 ,in #ahdb ,joule1 of      
,manchester1 ,england1 proved the       
quantitative relation between mechanical
 energy and heat4 ,in #ahfc note the    
dates  ,tyndall gave a course of        
lectures on heat as a mode of motion1   
and was even then sneered at by some    
scientific men for his temerity4 ,tait1 
of ,glasgow1 was particularly           
obstreperous4 ,to-day nobody questions  
it2 and we go back to ,sir ,humphry     
,davy and ,count ,rumford for our       

proofs1 too4 ,it was proved             
scientifically proved then2 but it took 
the world all these years1 even the     
scientific world1 to get rid of its     
prejudices in favor of some other       
theory1 and see the force of the proof4 
,now1 in the second place1 it was held  
originally that light was a series of   
corpuscles that flew off from a heated  
surface2 but ,thomas ,young1 about the  
year #ahjd1 demonstrated the present    
accepted theory of light4 ,but it was   
fought for years4 ,only after a long    
time did the scientific world give up   
its prejudice in favor of the theory    
that was propounded by ,newton4 ,but    
to-day we go back to ,young1 and see    
that he demonstrated it beyond question4
  ,in the third place1 take another     
fact4 ,between #ahcj and #ahde ,faraday 
worked out a theory of electrical and   
magnetic phenomena4 ,it was proved to be
 correct4 ,maxwell1 a famous chemist in 
,london1 looked over the matter1 and    
persuaded himself that ,faraday was     

right2 but nobody paid much attention to
 either of them2 until after a while the
 scientific world1 through the work of  
its younger men1 those least wedded to  
the old-time beliefs1 conceded that it  
must be true4  ,the ,nebular ,theory was
 proved and worked out by ,kant more    
than a hundred and thirty years ago4 ,in
 #agii ,laplace worked it out again2 but
 it was a long time before it was       
accepted4 ,and now we go back to ,kant  
and ,laplace for our demonstration4     
,darwin's ,origin of ,species was       
published in #ahei4 ,but it was attacked
 by scientists as well as theologians on
 every hand4 ,huxley even looked at it  
with a good deal of hesitancy before he 
accepted it4 ,to-day1 however1 everybody
 goes back to the ,origin of ,species1  
and finds the whole thing there1        
demonstration and all4  ,lyell published
 a book on the antiquity of man in      
#ahfc4 ,it was twenty- five years before
 all the scientific men of the world    
were ready to give up the idea that man 

had been on the earth more than six or  
eight thousand years4  ,so we find that 
it is not theologians only2 it is       
scientists1 too1 that find it difficult 
to accept new ideas4 ,i know scientific 
men among my personal friends who are   
simply incapable of being hospitable to 
an idea that would compel them to       
reconstruct a theory that they have     
already accepted4 ,why are not all      
educated men ,unitarians8 ,why do not   
scientific men accept demonstrated truth
 when it is first demonstrated as truth8
 ,it puts them to too much trouble4 ,it 
touches their pride4 ,they do not like  
to feel that they have thrown away half 
their lives following an hypothesis that
 is not capable of being substantiated4 
,then1 in the third place1 there are    
men1 and educated men as the world goes1
 who deliberately decline to study new  
truth2 and they are men in the          
scientific field and in the religious   
field4 ,they purposely refuse to look at
 anything which would tend to disturb   

their present accepted belief4 ,in my   
boyhood ,i used to hear ,dr4 ,john ,o4  
,fiske1 a famous preacher in ,maine4 ,he
 told a friend of mine1 in his old age1 
that he simply refused to read any book 
that would tend to disturb his beliefs4 
,professor ,william ,g4 ,t4 ,shedd1 one 
of the most distinguished theologians of
 this country1 a leading ,presbyterian  
divine1 published so ,i am not          
slandering him by saying it a statement 
that he did not consider any book       
written since the seventeenth century   
worth his reading4 ,and yet we have a   
new world since the seventeenth century1
 a new revelation of ,god and of man4   
,to follow the teaching of the          
seventeenth century would be to go wrong
 in almost every conceivable direction4 
,what is the use of paying any attention
 to the theological or religious        
opinions of a man who avows an attitude 
like that8  ,faraday1 to come now to a  
scientific illustration1 so that you    
will not think ,i am too hard on        

theologians1 ,faraday belonged to one of
 the most orthodox sects in ,england2   
and he used to say deliberately that he 
kept his religion and his science apart4
 ,he says1 ,when ,i go into my closet1  
,i lock the door of my laboratory2 and1 
when ,i go into my laboratory1 ,i lock  
the door of my closet4 ,he did very     
wisely to keep them apart2 for1 if they 
had got together1 there would certainly 
have been an explosion4  ,another       
scientific illustration is ,agassiz4    
,agassiz unconsciously wrought out and  
developed some of the most wondrous and 
beautiful proofs of evolution that the  
world has ever known2 and yet he fought 
evolution to the last day of his life1  
simply because he had accepted the other
 theory4 ,and he got it into his head   
that there was something about evolution
 that tended to injure religion and     
degrade man1 not a rational objection1  
not a scientific objection1 but a       
feeling1 a prejudice4  ,there is another
 class of people that ,i must refer to4 

,institutions and organizations come    
into being1 created1 in the first place1
 as the embodiment and expression of new
 and grand truths2 and after a ,arile   
their momentum becomes such that the    
persons who are connected with them     
cannot control their movements1 and     
these persons become victims of the     
organizations and institutions to which 
they belong4 ,so1 when a new truth      
appears1 the old organization rolls on  
like a ,juggernaut car1 and crushes the 
life1 so far as it is possible1 out of  
everything in its way4 ,take1 for       
example1 and note what a power it is and
 what an unconscious bribe it is to     
those who belong to it1 the great       
,anglican ,church4 ,a man's ambitions1  
if he has learning1 power1 ability1 tell
 him that there is the ,archbishopric of
 ,canterbury ahead of him as a          
possibility4 ,his hopes1 the chances of 
promotion and power1 are with the       
institution4 ,and1 then1 it is such a   
tremendous social influence4 ,it is no  

wonder1 then1 that men who are not      
over-strong1 who have not the stuff in  
them out of which heroes are made1      
should cling to the institution and     
remain loyal to it1 even while they are 
false to the truth that used to animate 
it and for which alone any institution  
ought to exist4  ,let me give you       
another illustration4 ,edward ,temple1  
late ,bishop of ,london1 and who is now 
the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 had a   
priest of the established ,church come  
to him and make a confession of holding 
certain beliefs which he knew were      
heretical4 ,the archbishop said to him  
frankly3 ,as ,edward ,temple1 ,i believe
 them1 ,i am in sympathy with your      
views4 ,as the head of the ,english     
,church1 ,i must be opposed to them2 and
 the opinions which you hold cannot be  
tolerated4 ,that is what the influence  
of a great organization may come to4    
,let me give you another concrete       
illustration4 ,here is our ,american    
,bible ,society1 which publishes and    

circulates millions of ,bibles all over 
the world4 ,it is obliged1 as at present
 organized1 to print and distribute the 
,king ,james version of the ,bible2 but 
there is not a scholar or a minister    
connected with the organization anywhere
 who does not know at least1 since the  
revision at any rate that in many       
important respects the ,king ,james     
version is not an accurate translation  
of the original1 even if that is        
conceded to be infallible4 ,so that this
 organization stands to-day in the      
position of being obliged to circulate  
all over the world for ,god's truth any 
number of teachings that are simply     
blunders of the translator1 of the      
copyist1 or interpolated passages that  
have come down from the past4  ,so men  
in every direction become persuaded that
 they must be loyal to the organization4
 ,i know cases where a minister in      
conversation with a friend has said3 ,so
 long as ,i remain a member of this     
,church1 ,i have got a great institution

 back of me1 and ,i can accomplish so   
much socially and in every way on       
account of it4 ,i know ,i do not believe
 half of the creed1 but any number of   
other ministers are in the same box4    
,and so they stay true to the           
organization1 while truth to the truth  
is sacrificed4  ,one other influence    
that keeps so many of these old ideas   
alive or prolongs their existence beyond
 the natural term  is right in here4    
,any number of men1 educated1 strong1   
prominent men1 give their countenance   
and influence to the support of old-time
 religious organizations because they   
believe that somehow or other they are  
serviceable as a police force in the    
world1 they keep people quiet1 they help
 preserve social order4 ,i have had     
people over and over again say that they
 believed it would be a great calamity  
to disturb the ,roman ,catholic ,church1
 because it keeps so many people quiet4 
,do you know1 friends1 ,i regard this as
 the worst infidelity that ,i know of on

 the face of the earth4 ,it is doubt of 
,god1 his ability to lead and manage his
 world without cheating it4 ,it is doubt
 of truth1 as to whether it is safe for 
anybody except very wise people1 like a 
few of us6 ,it is doubt of humanity1 its
 capacity to find the truth1 and believe
 in it and live on it4 ,do you believe  
that ,god has made this universe so that
 it is healthier for the masses to live 
on a lie than it is for them to live on 
the truth8 ,is that your confidence in  
,god8 ,is that the kind of ,god you     
worship8 ,it is not the kind ,i worship4
 ,there is no danger of the ignorant    
masses of the world getting wise too    
fast1 judging by the experience of the  
past up to the present time4 ,there is  
only one thing that is safe2 and that is
 truth4 ,do you know what the trouble   
was at the time of the ,french          
,revolution8 ,it was not that the people
 began to reason and think1 and lost    
their faith1 as so frequently said by   
superficial historians3 it was that they

 waked up at last to the idea that the  
aristocracy and the priesthood had not  
only been fleecing them financially and 
keeping them down socially1 but had been
 fooling them religiously1 until at last
 they broke away1 having no confidence  
left in ,god or priest or educated      
people or nobility or anything4 ,no     
wonder they made havoc4 ,if you want to 
make a river dangerous1 dam it up1 keep 
the waters back1 until by and by the    
pressure from the hills and the         
mountains becomes so great that it can  
be restricted no longer2 and it not only
 breaks through the dam1 but bursts all 
barriers1 floods the country1 sweeps    
away homes1 farms1 cattle1 human beings1
 towns1 cities1 leaving ruin in its     
path4 ,let rivers flow as ,god meant    
them to2 and they will be safe4  ,so let
 the world learn1-- learn gradually1 and
 adapt itself to new truth as it learns1
 and there will be an even and orderly  
march of human progress4 ,the danger is 
in our setting ourselves up as being    

wiser than ,god1 wiser than the         
universe1 and doling out to the         
multitude the little fragments of truth 
that we think are fitted for their      
digestion4 ,the impertinence of it1 and 
the impiety of it6  ,i must not stop to 
deal with other reasons which lie in my 
mind this morning4 ,you can think along 
other channels for yourselves4 ,i have  
simply wished to suggest that1 in the   
kind of world we are living in1 you may 
not be sure1 at any particular age in   
history1 that a set of ideas is going to
 be accepted by the multitude merely    
because they are true2 and1 because they
 are not accepted at once1 you are not1 
therefore1 to come to the conclusion    
that they are not true4 ,there never has
 been a time in the history of the world
 when the truth was not in the minority4
 ,go back to the time of ,jesus3 do you 
not remember how the people asked       
whether any of the scribes or the       
,pharisees believed on him8 ,they were  
ready to accept him if they could go    

with the crowd2 but it never occurred to
 them to raise the question as to       
whether it was their duty to go with him
 while he was alone1 as to whether two  
or three might not represent some higher
 conception of ,god1 some forward step  
on the part of humanity4 ,consider for  
just a moment1 let it be in literature1 
in art1 in government1 in ethics1       
anywhere1 find out where the crowd is1  
and you will find where the truth is    
not4 ,disraeli made a very profound     
remark when he said that a popular      
opinion was always the opinion which was
 about to pass away4 ,by the time a     
notion gets accepted by the crowd1 the  
deeper students are seeing some higher  
and finer truth towards which they are  
reaching4  ,the pioneers are always in  
the minority4 ,the vanguard of an army  
is never so large as the main body that 
comes along behind after the way has    
been laid out for it4  ,then to side    
with ,truth is noble when we share her  
wretched crust4  ,that is ,lowell's     

suggestion1 in that famous poem of his4 
,if we care for truth1 we shall not wait
 until it becomes popular4 ,the truth in
 any direction to-day1 if we had the    
judgment of the world1 would be voted   
down4 ,christianity would be voted down 
among the religions2 ,protestantism     
would be voted down in ,christianity2   
and the highest and finest thinkers in  
the ,protestant churches would be voted 
down by the majority of the members4    
,do not be disturbed1 then1 or troubled1
 because you have not the crowd and the 
shouting accompanying you on your onward
 march2 and remember that there must be 
something of heroism in this            
consecration to truth4 ,i wish to quote 
to you1 as bearing on this truth1 a     
wonderfully fine word which ,i have just
 come across in a recent number of the  
,cosmopolitan ,magazine1 the word of the
 ,hon4 ,thomas ,b4 ,reed1 the ,speaker  
of the ,house of ,representatives4 ,he  
says1 ,one with ,god may be a majority2 
but crucifixion and the fagot may       

antedate the counting of the votes4     
,but1 if it means crucifixion and the   
fagot1 and we claim to be followers of  
the ,nazarene and worthy of him1 even   
for that we shall not shrink4 ,it is our
 business simply to raise the question1 
and try to answer it or ourselves1      
,which way must ,i go to follow the     
truth8 ,and that way ,i must tread1     
whether it means life or death1 whatever
 the consequences2 for the truth-seeker 
is the only ,god-seeker4  ,,where ,,is  
,,the ,,evangelical ,,church8  ,as you  
are aware1 there are certain churches   
that have taken the name of             
,evangelical1 thereby1 of course1       
putting forth the claim that in some    
special or peculiar way they have the   
gospel in keeping4 ,for ,evangel is the 
word translated gospel1 ,evangelist is a
 preacher of the gospel1 ,evangelical is
 the appropriate name for the church    
whose ministers preach the gospel4 ,and 
the word gospel1 as you know1           
translated1 means good news4 ,it is the 

proclamation of hope1 of something that 
the world has been groping in darkness  
for1 a message that should lift the     
burden off the human heart1 make men    
stronger to endure1 fill them with cheer
 in the midst of life's difficulties and
 dangers1 and give them a trust with    
which to walk out into the darkness that
 lies at the end4  ,a certain section1  
,i say1 of the ,christian ,church has   
appropriated this name2 and by common   
consent it has been conceded to it4 ,and
 as usage makes language1 and the       
dictionaries only record the results of 
popular usage1 why1 of course1 we must  
confess that this use of words is right4
 ,right in that sense1 ,i say4 ,but ,i  
wish to go back of this popular usage   
this morning1 and raise the question as 
to whether these churches that claim the
 title are the ones to whom it          
peculiarly or exclusively belongs4 ,i   
wish to put forward the claim that we1  
though the idea is entirely against     
popular thought1 are really the ones who

 are preaching the gospel of ,god1 and  
that the liberals of the world come     
nearer today to proclaiming the actual  
original gospel of ,jesus the ,christ   
than do any other body of ,christians in
 the world4 ,i wish to do this1 not in  
any spirit of antagonism1 but simply by 
way of clear definition1 and that we may
 understand where we are1 and may       
unfalteringly and trustingly and loyally
 and hopefully go on to do the highest  
work that was ever committed to human   
hands4  ,at the outset1 though it will  
necessitate my saying certain things    
which ,i have said to you before1 ,i    
must outline briefly that body of       
doctrine which goes by the name of      
,evangelical4 ,i will not go back two or
 three hundred years to include in it   
such dogmas as ,foreordination1         
,election1 the ,damnation of non-,elect 
or non-,baptized ,infants1 though these 
doctrines still remain in the creeds4 ,i
 will take what must be considered the  
simpler and fairer course of confining  

myself to setting forth those beliefs   
which are generally accepted1 and which 
are made a part of the creed of the     
so-called ,evangelical ,alliance that   
is1 an organization including           
representatives of all the great        
so-called ,evangelical ,churches4 ,these
 beliefs1 in brief1 are that ,god       
created the world perfect in the first  
place1 but that in a very short time it 
was invaded by the evil powers1 and     
mankind rebelled against the ,creator1  
and became the subjects of the devil as 
the god of this world4 ,then man1 by    
thus rebelling against ,god1 lost his   
intellectual power to discern truth1    
became mentally unable to discover      
spiritual truth1 to find the divine way 
in which he ought to walk2 and that he  
became morally incapable1 so that1 even 
when the truth was presented to him1 he 
felt an aversion towards it1 and was    
disinclined to accept it4 ,the next     
point is this being the condition of    
things that ,god began to reveal himself

 to the world1 first1 by angel          
messengers1 by prophets1 by inspired    
men1 and that then at last1 through     
certain chosen mediums1 he wrote a book 
telling men the truth about their       
condition1 about his feeling towards    
them1 about what they ought to do1 and  
the destiny involved in the kind of life
 they should live here4 ,after the world
 had been in existence about four       
thousand years1 according to this       
teaching1 and very little headway had   
been made even among the chosen people1 
the few that had been selected from the 
great outside and wandering nations1    
,god himself comes down to earth1 by    
means of a woman specially prepared to  
be his mother he is born without a human
 father4 ,he lives1 he suffers1 he dies4
 ,this1 after one theory or another1 ,i 
need not go into them1 to make it       
possible for ,god to forgive1 and to    
enable him to save those who should     
accept the terms which he should offer4 
,then1 after his withdrawal from the    

earth1 his ,church is organized under   
the special guidance of the ,holy       
,spirit4 ,its mission is to proclaim the
 gospel among all nations4 ,that        
proclamation has gone on2 but after two 
thousand years not a third of the world 
has heard the gospel1 not a third of the
 people who walk the planet knows       
anything about the book that has been   
written4 ,but they still stumble along  
in darkness1 worshipping anything except
 the one only and true ,god4 ,so that   
this effort up to the present time would
 strike us1 if we judged it as a human  
device1 as being a sad and lamentable   
failure4  ,the upshot of this1 according
 to the ,evangelical creed1 is that the 
great majority of the world is to be    
permanently lost4 ,only a few1 those who
 are converted or those becoming members
 of the true ,church1 connected with it 
sacramentally or in some way1 only the  
few are to be saved1 and the great      
majority outcast forever4  ,this1 in    
substance1 makes up what has been called

 the gospel2 and those who claim that   
they are preaching the gospel are       
preaching these things as true4 ,i am   
well aware  and ,i would not have       
anybody suppose that ,i overlooked it   
that this creed is undergoing very      
striking and marked changes1 and that a 
great many of those things which some of
 us look upon as more objectionable are 
being left out of sight1 and not        
preached1 as they used to be1 though    
they still remain in the creeds4  ,i am 
aware1 for example1 that what it is to  
be orthodox or evangelical has been     
reduced to very low terms as compared   
with those which ,i have just set forth2
 that is to say1 reduced to very low    
terms in certain quarters4 ,for         
instance1 ,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott1 of       
,brooklyn1 tells us that we need not    
believe in the infallibility of the     
,bible any more2 that we need not       
believe in the old-time ,trinity2 that  
we need not believe that ,jesus was     
essentially different from a man2 we    

need not believe in the virgin birth1   
unless we find it easy to accept it4    
,but the two things which he tells us we
 must believe in order to be orthodox1  
or evangelical1 are that in some way1   
though he does not define how1 the      
,bible contains a special message from  
,god to the world1 and that in some way 
,jesus particularly and specially       
represents ,god1 and that he reveals him
 to men1 so that1 when he speaks1 he    
speaks with authority1 as representing  
divine truth4 ,everlasting ,damnation   
eliminated1 ,foreordination not referred
 to1 the ,trinity transformed1          
,infallibility no longer insisted on1   
the humanity of ,jesus granted1 to be   
orthodox1 according to ,dr4 ,abbott1 has
 become a comparatively simple thing4   
,in my conversations with clergymen of  
other churches during the past winter ,i
 have discovered that there1 too1 among 
certain men1 the conditions of being    
orthodox are a great deal simpler than  
they were a hundred years ago4 ,an      

,episcopalian tells me it is only       
necessary to accept the ,nicene and the 
,apostles' ,creeds1 and that even then  
one is at liberty to interpret them as  
he pleases2 that this is what           
constitutes ,orthodoxy and makes one    
evangelical4  ,but this process of      
eliminating the hard doctrines has not  
gone on in any authoritative way on the 
part of the ,church itself4 ,there has  
been no proclamation of any such liberty
 allowed2 and ,i am not aware that the  
most of these men have made any public  
statement in their own churches of these
 positions4 ,it may be known through    
personal conversations that they hold   
these views2 and1 if they are rendering 
good service1 they may not be disturbed 
by the church authorities in their      
positions4  ,so much1 then1 for a       
statement as to what constitutes the    
,evangelical ,church1 as to what must be
 the message of the minister who is to  
preach the gospel of ,christ4  ,now ,i  
wish to call your attention for a moment

 to another way of looking at these     
doctrines4 ,i am not to question their  
truth4 ,i simply wish to ask you to note
 as to whether1 considering them true1  
we should be inclined to speak of them  
as good news4 ,are they a gospel8 ,can  
we with gladness proclaim them to men8  
,for example1 suppose ,god1 after       
creating the world1 loses control of it1
 an evil power comes in1 his enemy1     
takes possession of his fair earth1     
alienates from him the hearts of the    
only two of his children who are in     
existence here1 and who are to be the   
parents of a countless race4 ,suppose   
that is true4 ,is it something we would 
like to believe8 ,is it good news8 ,can 
we call it an integral part of a gospel8
  ,suppose1 again1 that ,god writes a   
book1 an infallible book1 and gives it  
to whom8 ,to a few people1 to the little
 company of ,jews who lived on that     
little narrow strip of land on the      
eastern shore of the ,mediterranean4 ,he
 does not give it to anybody else4 ,he  

has given1 indeed1 according to this    
theory1 the ,old ,testament and the ,new
 to ,christendom since that day4 ,but   
think a moment4  ,according to what we  
know to be true now1 man was on this    
planet for two or three hundred thousand
 years before ,god revealed himself at  
all2 and the race went stumbling on and 
falling in darkness1 no light1 no hand  
stretched out to help1 no voice speaking
 out of the silent heavens1 the world1  
apparently1 absolutely forgotten1 so far
 as ,god's truth was concerned4 ,suppose
 that1 after two or three hundred       
thousand years1 ,god did give an        
infallible book to the world4 ,as ,i had
 occasion to say a moment ago1          
comparatively a very small part of his  
children have heard anything about it4  
,and1 then1 what is very striking1 the  
proofs of its having come from him are  
so weak that most of the wisest1 the    
best1 the noblest of the world1 cannot  
accept any such claim on its behalf4 ,is
 this1 if it be true1 good news8 ,would 

we speak of it as a gospel1 something of
 which to be glad1 something to proclaim
 to mankind as a cheer1 a message from  
on high8  ,once more1 suppose1 after the
 world had been in existence for two or 
three hundred thousand years1 ,god comes
 down1 incarnates himself1 wears a human
 body1 and does what he can to save men4
 ,if it is true1 in the economy of the  
divine government1 that human souls     
could be saved in no other way1 is that 
good news8 ,would we think of it as a   
gospel to proclaim to mankind1 that ,god
 himself must suffer1 must be outcast1  
be spit upon1 be reviled1 be put to     
death1 and that only so could he forgive
 one of his wandering children1 and     
bring him back to himself8  ,then1 once 
more1 suppose all this to be true1 and  
suppose that1 as the outcome of it all1 
the countless millions of men and women 
and children that have walked the earth 
during the last three hundred thousand  
years1 until the ,jews received their   
first light from heaven1 suppose that   

they have been lost3 that is a part of  
this gospel4 ,suppose that since that   
time all the nations outside of         
,christendom have been lost3 that is a  
part of this gospel4 ,suppose that not  
only this be true1 but that all people  
in ,christendom who have not been       
members of churches have been lost4     
,suppose even1 as ,i used to hear it    
preached when ,i was a boy1 that large  
numbers of those who were church members
 were not really children of ,god1 and  
would be lost4 ,suppose this most       
horrible doctrine be true4 ,is it good  
news8 ,could we proclaim it with any    
heart of courage as a part of the gospel
 of ,god8  ,it seems to me1 then1 that  
,i am bringing no railing accusation    
when ,i say that those ,churches that   
claim to be ,evangelical are not        
proclaiming a gospel to the world4 ,but1
 though this be literally true1 they may
 claim that they are delivering the     
message of ,jesus the ,christ1 and that1
 from their point of view1 this is      

relatively a piece of good news1 good   
news1 at any rate1 to the few who are   
going to be saved4 ,so ,i ask you now to
 turn1 while ,i examine with you for a  
few moments the essence of the gospel   
which ,jesus proclaimed4 ,note its      
terms4 ,jesus came into ,galilee1       
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of  
,god1 and saying3 ,the time is          
fulfilled1 and the kingdom of ,god is at
 hand3 repent ye1 and believe the       
gospel2 that is1 this proclamation of   
good news1 the coming of ,god's kingdom4
 ,was this the essential thing in the   
gospel of ,christ8  ,let me ask you now 
to look with me for a few moments4 ,you 
are perfectly well aware of the fact    
that the ,jews cherished a belief in the
 coming of a ,messiah and the           
establishment of ,god's kingdom here on 
earth and among men4 ,you are not so    
well aware1 perhaps1 unless you have    
made a study of it1 that a belief like  
this has not been confined to the ,jews4
 ,in many other nations a similar       

expectation has been cherished4 ,we find
 it1 for example1 among some of the     
tribes of our ,north ,american ,indians4
 ,it is world-wide1 in other words1 in  
its range4 ,it is no peculiarity of the 
,jews4 ,but let us confine ourselves a  
moment to their particular hope4 ,it is 
a perfectly natural belief4 ,it required
 no revelation in order for it to grow  
up4 ,they believed that the ,god of the 
world1 of the universe1 was their ,god2 
that they were his chosen people4 ,do   
you not see what a necessary corollary  
would be a belief in their ultimate     
prosperity and triumph8 ,god would      
certainly bless and give the kingdom to 
that people which he had specially      
selected for his own4 ,and so1 as the   
coming of the kingdom was postponed1    
they believed that it was because they  
had not complied with the divine        
conditions1 they had not kept the law or
 they had not been good1 they had not   
obeyed him4 ,somehow1 they had done     
wrong2 and that was the reason the      

kingdom so long delayed4  ,remember     
another thing4 ,we have come1 in this   
modern time1 to place the kingdom away  
off in another world after the close of 
this life4 ,the ,jews had no such belief
 about it4 ,they expected it to come    
right here on this poor little planet of
 ours2 and they expected that a kingdom 
was to be set up which was not only to  
place them at the head of humanity1 but 
through them was to bless all mankind4  
,different thinkers among them held     
different views1 but this in substance  
was the belief2 and they were constantly
 looking for signs of this imminent     
revolution which was to make the        
kingdoms of this world the kingdoms of  
our ,god and of his ,christ1 that is1   
his ,anointed ,one4  ,john the ,baptist 
preached that this kingdom was coming4  
,but he was imprisoned and beheaded1    
having come into conflict with the civil
 authority4 ,jesus1 then1 having come   
from ,nazareth1 where he had studied and
 thought and brooded over the divine    

will1 takes up this broken work of      
,john1 and begins a proclamation of the 
gospel2 and the one thing which         
constituted that gospel was3 ,the       
kingdom of ,god is at hand1 repent and  
believe2 accept this statement4 ,and    
note that repent on the lips of ,jesus  
did not mean what we have been          
accustomed to associate with it4 ,the   
,new ,testament word translated repent  
means change your purpose1 change your  
method of life4 ,you have not been in   
accord with the truth1 you have not been
 obedient to ,god2 turn about1 come into
 accord with the divine law1 become     
obedient to the divine message4  ,jesus 
taught no kingdom in any other world4   
,he believed that the kingdom was to be 
here4 ,for1 even after he had           
disappeared from the sight of men1 and  
this reflects in the clearest possible  
way the burden of his message1 his      
disciples expected1 not that they were  
to be transferred to some other planet  
or into an invisible world to find the  

kingdom1 but that ,jesus was to come    
back1 to return in the clouds of heaven1
 and establish the kingdom here4  ,the  
kingdom1 then1 that ,jesus preached was 
a kingdom of righteousness here on this 
earth1 among just the kind of people    
that we are4 ,and1 note1 he said1 ,this 
kingdom of ,god does not come by        
observation4 ,you are not to say1 ,lo   
here1 ,lo there1 look for wonders4 ,he  
says1 ,the kingdom of ,god is within    
you1 or among you4 ,it is translated    
both ways2 and1 ,i suppose1 nobody knows
 which way it ought to be4 ,i believe   
both4 ,the kingdom of ,god that ,jesus  
preached is essentially in us4 ,it is   
also1 after it is in a few of us1 among 
us1 right here already1 so far as it    
extends1 and reaching out its limits and
 growing as rapidly as men discern it   
and become obedient to its laws4  ,now  
,i have been asked a great many times   
how ,i can be sure1 or practically sure1
 as to what sayings in the ,gospels are 
really those of ,jesus and what are     

traditional in their authority1 what are
 doubtfully his4 ,i cannot go into a    
long explanation this morning2 but ,i   
want to suggest one line of thought4    
,and ,i do this because ,i wish it to be
 the basis of a statement that ,jesus   
has not made any of these things that   
are to-day labelled ,evangelical any    
essential part of his gospel at all4    
,jesus1 for example1 does not preach any
 ,garden of ,eden or any ,fall of ,man4 
,jesus says nothing about any infallible
 book4 ,jesus says not a word about any 
,trinity4 ,he nowhere makes any claim to
 be ,god4 ,his doctrine concerning the  
future is doubtful4 ,but one thing which
 ,i wish to insist upon is perfectly    
clear3 the conditions of citizenship in 
the kingdom of ,god are the simplest    
conceivable4 ,he says1 ,not those that  
say1 ,lord1 ,lord1 not those that       
multiply their services and ceremonies1 
but those that do the will of my ,father
 shall enter the kingdom4 ,the only     
condition that ,jesus ever established  

for membership in the kingdom of heaven 
is simple human goodness1 never anything
 else4  ,i am perfectly well aware that 
somebody may quote to me1 ,he that      
believeth and is baptized shall be      
saved2 and he that believeth not shall  
be damned4 ,but the reply to that would 
be1 ,the acknowledged statement to-day  
on the part of all competent scholars is
 that ,jesus never uttered those words4 
,they are left out of the ,revised      
,version of the ,new ,testament3 they   
are no authentic part of the story of   
his life or his teaching4  ,how can we  
find his words8 ,in the first place     
there are the great central1 luminous   
truths which ,jesus uttered1 the        
fatherhood of ,god1 the brotherhood of  
men1 goodness as the condition of       
acceptance on the part of ,god4 ,and1 on
 the theory that he did not contradict  
himself1 we are at liberty to waive one 
side those statements which grew up     
under the influence of later tradition1 
popish or ecclesiastical1 and which     

plainly contradict these4 ,but the main 
point ,i have in mind is one which      
scholars have wrought out under the name
 of the ,triple ,tradition4 ,it takes   
for its central thought1 ,in the mouth  
of two or three witnesses every word    
shall be established4 ,we know that the 
,gospels grew up through a long process 
of accretion after a good many years4   
,they were not written or planned by any
 one person2 and1 so far as we know1    
they may not have been written by       
anybody whose name is traditionally     
connected with them to-day4 ,if1        
however1 we find that three of the four 
witnesses agree in reporting that he    
said or did a certain thing1 we feel    
surer about it than when only one       
witness reports it4 ,and if two report1 
why1 even then we feel a little more    
certain than we do when the report is   
from only one4 ,and yet1 of course1 the 
three may have omitted that which only  
one has recorded1 and which is true4    
,but scholars have wrought out along    

this line what is called the ,triple    
,tradition2 that is1 they have          
constructed a complete story of the life
 and the teaching and the death of      
,jesus out of the words which are common
 to three of the gospel writers4 ,all of
 them tell this same story2 and this    
story of the ,triple ,tradition has no  
miraculous conception1 it has no        
resurrection of the body1 no ascension  
into heaven4 ,the miracles are reduced  
to the very lowest terms1 becoming      
almost natural and easy to be accounted 
for4 ,in this story ,jesus teaches none 
of the things of which ,i have been     
speaking4  ,i say1 then1 that along the 
lines of the very best critical         
scholarship1 coming as near to the      
teaching of ,jesus as we possibly can   
to-day1 we are warranted in saying that 
this which has usurped the name of the  
gospel of ,christ is not only not good  
news1 but it is not the news which      
,jesus brought and preached4 ,as has    
been said a good many times1 it is a    

gospel about ,christ instead of being   
the gospel of ,christ4  ,i am ready now 
to make the claim that we liberals of   
the modern world are the ones who come  
nearer to preaching the gospel of       
,christ than any other part of the      
so-called ,christian ,church4 ,for what 
is it that we preach8 ,we preach that   
the kingdom of ,god is at hand4 ,we     
preach that there is not a spot on the  
face of the earth where we are not at   
the foot of a ladder like that which    
,jacob saw in his dream1 and which leads
 up to the very throne of the ,almighty4
 ,jesus taught that the kingdom of ,god 
might begin anywhere and at any time in 
any human heart4 ,note what ,matthew    
,arnold has called the secret and the   
method of ,jesus4 ,he says1 ,the secret 
of ,jesus is that he who selfishly seeks
 his life shall lose it3 he who throws  
it away for good and ,god finds it4 ,do 
we need to go very deeply into human    
life to discover the profound truth of  
that saying8 ,seek all over the world   

for good and happiness1 and forget to   
look within1 and you do not find it4    
,the kingdom of heaven is within4 ,it is
 in the spirit1 the temper of the heart1
 the disposition1 the life4 ,and the    
secret of it is in cultivating love and 
truth and tenderness and care1 those    
things which bring us into intimate     
connection with which we mean when we   
say1 ,be unselfish1 and that in doing   
this we find our own souls4 ,for the man
 who gives out of himself love and      
tenderness and care1 of necessity       
cultivates the qualities of love and    
tenderness and care2 and those are the  
ones which are the essence of all       
soul-building4 ,and he who looks outside
 for the greatest things of life misses 
them2 while he who looks within1 and    
cultivates the spirit1 finds ,god and   
happiness and truth4  ,this gospel1     
then1 that the kingdom of ,god is at    
hand1 is always ready to come1 is the   
gospel which we proclaim4 ,and now ,i   
wish to extend that idea a little4 ,the 

form in which ,jesus held his dream of  
human good has changed in the process of
 the centuries4 ,we no longer expect a  
miraculous revelation of a kingdom      
coming out of the heavens to abide on   
earth4 ,the form of it is changed2 but  
the essence of it we hold still1 the    
same perfect condition of men here on   
earth and in the future which ,jesus    
held and proclaimed4  ,now let me hint  
to you a few of the elements that make  
up this hope for man which we liberals  
proclaim everywhere as the gospel1 the  
good news of the coming kingdom of ,god4
  ,in the first place1 we proclaim the  
possibility of human conquest over this 
earth4 ,what do ,i mean by that8 ,i mean
 that man is able and he is showing that
 ability ultimately to control the      
forces of this planet1 and make them his
 servants4 ,within the last seventy-five
 years this increasing conquest has     
changed the face of the planet4 ,we now 
use water power not only1 but steam1    
electricity1 magnetism4 ,all these      

secret forces that thrill from planet to
 planet and sun to sun we use as our    
household and factory drudges1 our      
every-day servants4 ,and it needs only a
 little imagination1 looking along the  
lines of past progress1 to see the day  
when man shall stand king of the earth4 
,he shall make all these forces serve   
him4 ,i believe that we have only just  
begun this conquest4 ,already the       
wonders about us eclipse the wonders of 
novelist and dreamer2 and yet we have   
only begun to develop them4 ,what       
follows from this8 ,when we have        
completed the conquest of the earth1    
when we have discovered ,god's laws of  
matter and force and are able to keep   
them1 it means the abolition of all     
unnecessary pain1 unnecessary pain1 ,i  
say2 for all that pain which is not     
beneficent1 which is not inherent in the
 nature of things1 is remedial4 ,and we 
preach the gospel1 the coming of ,god's 
kingdom when pain shall be abolished1   
and shall pass away4  ,another step3 ,we

 preach the gospel of the abolition of  
disease4 ,we have already1 in the few   
civilized centres of the world1 made the
 old epidemics simply impossible4 ,they 
are easily controlled4 ,nearly every one
 of those that rise to threaten ,europe 
and ,america to-day come from the       
religious1 ignorant1 wild fanaticism of 
,asia1 beyond the range of our civilized
 control4 ,the conditions of disease are
 discoverable2 and the day will come    
when1 barring accidents here and there1 
well-born people may calmly expect to   
live out their natural term of years4   
,we preach this gospel1 then1 of the    
kingdom of ,god in which disease shall  
no more exist4  ,we preach a gospel that
 promises a time when war shall be no   
more4 ,at present wars are now and then 
inevitable2 but they are brutal1 they   
are unspeakably horrible4 ,and how any  
one who uses the sympathetic imagination
 can rejoice1 not over the victory1 but 
over the destruction of life and        
property which the victory entails1 ,i  

cannot understand4 ,we have reached a   
time when civilized man no longer thinks
 he must right his wrong with his fists 
or a club or a knife or a pistol4 ,on   
the part of individuals we call this a  
reversion to barbarism4 ,the time will  
come1 and we are advancing towards it1  
when it will be considered just as much 
a reversion to barbarism on the part of 
families1 states1 nations1 and when we  
shall substitute hearts and brains for  
bruises and bullets in the settlement of
 the world's misunderstandings4 ,we     
preach1 then1 a gospel of the coming of 
the kingdom in which there shall be no  
more war4 ,and then life under the fair 
heavens will be sweet4  ,there shall be 
no more hunger in that kingdom4 ,to-day 
see what confronts us1 bread riots in   
,spain and in ,italy1 thousands of      
people hungry for food4 ,and yet1 if we 
would give ourselves to the development 
of the resources of this planet instead 
of to their destruction1 this fair earth
 could support a hundred times its      

present population in plenty and in     
peace4 ,there shall be no more famine in
 that kingdom the gospel of which we    
preach4  ,then1 when men have lived out 
their lives1 learned their lessons1 and 
stand where the shadow grows thicker1 so
 that we try in vain to see beyond1 what
 then8 ,we preach a gospel of life1 of  
an eternal hope4 ,we believe that death1
 instead of being the end1 is only a    
transition1 the beginning really of the 
higher and the grander life4 ,we cannot 
look through the gateway of the shadow2 
but we catch a gleam of light beyond    
that means an eternal day1 when the sun 
shall no more go down4 ,this we believe4
  ,and we do not partition that world   
off into two parts1 the immense majority
 down where the smoke of their torment  
ascendeth forever1 and only a few in a  
city gold-paved and filled with the     
light of peace4 ,rather we believe it is
 a human life there just as here1 that  
we are under the law of cause and       
effect1 that salvation is not a magical 

thing1 that we are saved only in so far 
as we come into accord with the divine  
law and the divine life4 ,and1 if       
anybody says we preach an easy gospel   
because we eliminate an arbitrary hell1 
let him remember we preach a harder     
gospel1 a more difficult salvation1 not 
a salvation that can be purchased by a  
wave of emotion or by the touch of      
priestly fingers1 a salvation that must 
be wrought out through co-working with  
,god in the building of human character1
 a salvation that is being right4  ,this
 is our gospel2 but it is a gospel of   
eternal and universal hope1 because we  
believe that every single soul is under 
doom to be saved sometime1 somewhere4   
,we preach the inevitable results of    
law-breaking1 are they to last one year1
 five1 a hundred1 a thousand1 a million1
 ten millions8 ,there is no possibility 
of heaven except as people are in       
perfect accord with the divine law and  
the divine life2 for that is what heaven
 means4 ,you can no more get heaven out 

of a disordered character than you can  
get music out of a disordered piano4    
,this salvation which we preach is the  
constituent element of life4 ,you cannot
 have a circle if you break the         
conditions of a circle4 ,you cannot have
 a river if you break the conditions the
 very existence of which constitutes a  
river4 ,so of anything in ,god's natural
 world4 ,there are certain essential    
things that go to make these what they  
are4 ,so heaven1 righteousness1         
happiness1 the constituent elements of  
these are right thinking1 right feeling1
 right acting1 obedience to the laws of 
,god1 which make them possible4  ,we    
believe that ,god1 through pain1 through
 suffering1 down through the winding    
ways of darkness and ignorance1 one     
year1 a million years1 must pursue the  
soul of any one of his children until   
that child learns that suffering follows
 wrong1 and must follow it1 and that    
,god himself cannot help it1 and so1    
learning the lesson1 by and by turns1   

comes back1 and says3 ,father1 ,i have  
sinned against heaven and before thee1  
and am not worthy to be thy son3 make me
 at least as one of thy hired servants4 
,and then the love that has pursued all 
the way1 that has been in the light and 
that has been in the dark1 shall go out 
to meet him1 and fall on his neck in    
loving embrace1 and rejoice that he who 
was dead is alive again1 and he who was 
lost is found4  ,this is the gospel we  
preach1 a gospel of ,god's eternal1     
boundless love1 the good news that every
 human being is ,god's child2 that here 
on earth1 co-operating with ,god and    
discovering his laws1 we may begin the  
creation of his kingdom now2 that we may
 broaden and enlarge it until it        
encloses the world2 and that it reaches 
out into the limitless ages of the      
future4 ,and this1 as ,i said1 is the   
gospel of the ,christ1 changed in its   
form1 if you please1 but one in its     
essence2 for he came1 preaching the     
gospel of the kingdom of ,god1 and      

saying3 ,the time is fulfilled1 and the 
kingdom of ,god is at hand4 ,change your
 purpose1 accept the message1 and come  
into accord with the divine life4 ,this 
is the gospel that the ,christ preached3
 this is the gospel we preach to-day4   
,do ,i make1 then1 an extraordinary     
claim when ,i say that we are the       
,evangelical ,church1 that the church   
which preaches the gospel is here8