One can see what is happening every day, as these good Senators see in South Dakota; and all honour to them, for being men enough to tell their people thd truth. We read a good deal about the "decay of religion." A lot of it is exaggerated. But dare anyone say that the lessening of church attendance has ied to an uplift in the moral life of our nations? Has Sunday golf and" tennis created a greater zeal to help the cause of truth and Christianity in the world? No. Has devotion to sport ied to purer tastes in recreations, in the pictures, in dress? No. Again, remember that hitherto the world has had no experience of puree secularism in regard to the moral life. There never has been a pure-great conception of right as another suggestion, that right 1s right because it is useful, that is, utilitarionism. That is a miserable standard, When Luther faced the Imperial Diet and exclaimed, "Here 1 stand; I can do no other," it wasn't immediately useful to him. Right and wrong become a nere calculation when you cease to be~ lieve in God most holy.
And there is enocher thing vital to the case. You can have no eternal norm of right and truth unless you have a living and a personal God, who is holy. A holy principle away in the heavens, callled God, would have no power at all. Neo. Windy abs: ractions don't touch us, however finely named; a Holy Person does. Thad is where religion is so much deeper than all the ethical theorising. As Dr. Perey Gardiner says: '"Religion does not impute so much! ly irreligious state. There has; imperfection to the sinner, bud never been one which believed that! guilt. Moralists regret ill-doing righteousness had no kind of mainly because it diminishes hap-divine root and no divine sancpiness. Religion, going deeper, tions. An atheistic government sees, it vile in itself, a will out of seems to be in power in Russia, harmony with the purpose of God." and the result are not exactly en-Yes. Religion makes a sinner cry, couraging for the secularist view "T have sinned and done this evil of life. Along with God and faith' in thy sight." That cuts deep, in Him has gone righteousness and and creates repentance. A prodigal truth. We all comment on the case who has broken the abstre +t ethical of Russia; but it would be well if ideal may fee) himsd: f a col; the a good many people who do com-prodigal who) has sinned against) ment on the results of irreligion his father in heaven will ery, 'I in that land would reflect that will return to my father and wilh they themselves, by their utter say unto Hiny, I have sinned against neglect of religion, by their entire indifference to the religious life of ore worthy to be called heaven, and in thy sight, Tam no thy son." their children, are doing their best!, Finally, there is another fact. to to make their own countries like it.' lay to heart, the fact that nothing! The ideal of a country are made humeri remains at a high level up of the ideals of the masses of without constant care and renewal. the citizens, as these wise men of, House property deteriorates; South Dakota see. mmnsic any insets: practice, love grow feeble if you seldom THE. STANDARD. OF DIYR, friends. So with God and the soul.
And this must be so.
Take the matter of a standard; © "tr Dow intensely you must. fter how intensely you ae There is not a department. of lifo; in which a standard is not needed.
There are thermometers. All good English thermometers are tosied by the standard one at Kew.
Where waulld our weather statistics be if there were no standard and each maker had his own? And where should we be morally if there were no eternal right and truth in God? Where should we 7 be if the government had ud standard, yard measure? Whd would have any confidence ini trade transaction? There would! be chaos. So it is in _morall and spiritual things. Why should morals be without standard? Consider for a moment; if God, the cur life and conduct, who is ov what is? There must be sornd norm, unless it has to be for ever
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.