in whatever direction we look to-day, we see the danger of an invading materialism. by this i do not mean any philosophic position. in fact, i do not believe that what might be called philosophic materialism is gaining ground at the present time. it does seem to me, however, that a practical agnosticism is making itself felt in very many quarters. the vague sense that god is responsible for the universe, that at one time some great cause operated to bring it all into being and that, in some way, we are all still depending upon the benevolent activity of that cause, is not 70christianity. the christian church is being invaded by this uncertainty with regard to god. there is a loosening, it seems to me, of that close grip upon the eternal verities which enables men perpetually to draw upon the resources of god, to throw themselves in the abandonment of faith upon a living savior and to find that faith justified at every step of the way. men do not like to set forth upon a path without knowing whither it leads. the prevailing scientific temper leads men to test everything many times, to trust nothing beyond the range of verifiable scientific facts. this breeds a spirit which only takes cognizance of the things which can be seen and felt and weighed and measured. where is there room in this narrowed universe for the limitless activity of the god of love?
when we turn our eyes to the non-christian world, the danger becomes more startlingly apparent. here are the “child races” filled with that sense of the mystery and awe which the little child, even in our materialistic modern world, still has. the savage thinks of god as infinitely near, 71or at least he thinks that the spirits of the departed are. it needs no carefully stated argument to demonstrate the existence of an unknown world. it lies all about and around. he is reminded of it by the thunder and the lightning. and to him there comes our modern education explaining away all the beautiful or the dreadful mystery of life, and, before he knows what has happened, he is losing his sense of god. the old sanctions are loosened as the old fear is removed, and he has got helplessly adrift into the mid-stream of a barren rationalism.
what are we to do for him and what are we to do for the modern man in our midst? we shall not have to go very far to search for those who still find the remedy in an elaborate and beautiful religious ceremonial; who will tell us that it is foolish to build our religious conviction upon mere personal experience: that we are rather to turn back to the experience of the christian church. we are to observe its ordinances perfectly. there are to be stated seasons of prayer: there are to be stated means of grace: 72and through these, whether you feel any better for it or not, you will be brought into line with the experience of the catholic church and become partakers of heavenly grace. i am far from denying that beautiful forms of worship, that stated seasons of prayer, or that time-honored ritual may have a real place in the spiritual experience of very many. doubtless, these things have been of value in bringing numbers of souls into the kingdom of god, and will still be so. to me it seems, however, that they are fraught with great danger. especially at the present time, when men intensely desire reality, they are apt to become impatient with the forms of a bygone age, however zealously they may be followed by some of their contemporaries. and, on the other hand, there are those who are too readily content with the outward and allow the mere forms of religion to salve the uneasy conscience. was there, i wonder, ever a time when men needed more than they do to-day a clear summons into a life of spiritual reality and of personal intimate knowledge of god? 73can we summon them back as did our forefathers? have we the message that they had? can we say, as did francis howgill, “the lord appeared daily to us to our astonishment, amazement and great admiration, insomuch that we often said one to another with great joy of heart, ‘what! is the kingdom of god come to be with men?’” the message sent forth by the edinburgh conference to the whole church of christ called her to realize that “god is demanding of us all a new order of life ... that he is greater, more loving, nearer and more available for our help and comfort than any man has dreamed.” if there was one thing which the society of friends was called into existence to proclaim, it was this very truth. are we proclaiming it to-day? and, for the non-christian world, how great is the danger of substituting one set of ceremonies for another. to those who have been in the habit of trusting to such barren rites as the burning of paper money, the washing in the ganges and the sacred but often most unholy feasts, how easy it is to allow the 74burning of incense or the rites of baptism or the holy communion to take the same place in their thoughts and to be trusted for salvation or merit in the same way. in fact, one of our own missionaries in ceylon was a man who had, for some years, worked in connection with another society, and who had found that he was in constant difficulty because he was building up with one hand what he had to remove with the other. he came to the conclusion that, if he was to help men into a personal experience of christ, he must take away entirely all possibility of trusting to outward rites, and preach to them the simple quaker message. when the friend missionaries in china met after the west china conference to consider the way in which we might express in a few words the contribution of friends towards the doctrine and practice of a union church, they drew up a brief statement which contains the following words under the heading of “sacraments.” these words are intended to convey the essence of the quaker position on this point.
75 1. “the pre-eminence of the spiritual experience.
2. “the spiritual experience may be realized independently of any special occasion, rite, or mediating person, except our lord.
3. “membership of the church of christ is of such a character that any outward recognition fails adequately to determine it.”
if the complete christian message is to be given, if the christian church is to enter fully into an understanding of the mind of the master, this aspect of truth needs to be emphasized, not only by words but by lives, and not only by the lives of individuals but by that added emphasis which comes through the existence of a corporate body, whose very existence depends upon the validity of this tremendous fact. our position as a society does depend upon this truth, and out of it grow many other of our special contributions, if not all. we are set in the world of to-day to testify to a truth the enunciation of which has never been more urgently or 76more widely needed. the whole church of christ should be sounding forth this message. she needs, therefore, a body of persons who stand for the principle that god deals directly with every soul of man, ever challenging the spirit of man to rest in nothing short of direct personal intercourse with god.
