Philosophy and Religion: A Series of Addresses, Essays and Sermons Designed to Set Forth Great Truths in Popular Form

Excerpt from Philosophy and Religion: A Series of Addresses, Essays and Sermons Designed to Set Forth Great Truths in Popular Form

This book is printed by way of testimony. It is a confession of faith - a long one indeed, yet none the less sincere. The author can say: "I believed, - therefore have I spoken." In this day when skepticism is so rife, and when even Christian teachers so frequently pride themselves that they believe, not so much, but so little, it seems to him that nothing is more needed than uncompromising assertion of faith in the existence of God, the world, and the soul. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?" For himself, and for more than seven thousand others who have not bowed the knee to the Baal of brute force and impersonal law, the author desires to answer in the affirmative.

The volume takes its title from the first Essay, - and the title is fairly descriptive of the book. It aims to present truth in popular form; most of the Essays contained in it have been written for public address; some of them date back to a time when the author's rhetoric was more exuberant than now, - for all this he makes no apology. He would fain hope that what Fox said of Burke's exuberance of fancy may be counted true of himself: "Reduce his language, withdraw his images, - and you will find that he is more wise than eloquent; you will have your full weight of metal, though you melt down the chasing." Yet, if any reader still demand abstract statement instead of the oratorical method, the author takes the liberty of referring him to the "Systematic Theology" of which this is the companion-volume, where he will find much of the same truth put in more philosophical form.

It needs to be stated, however, that much of the present book is new, or at least has never before appeared in print.

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