MEN'S SERVICE AT ST. MARKS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1717, 7 April 1913, Page 6

MEN'S SERVICE AT ST. MARKS.

d ' 1 ."IS KELIGION REASONABLE?" Timers was an excellent gathering cf men at the monthly service lor men only at St. Mark's Church yesterday. The Rev. C. F, Askew took tor his subject, "Is lieligion. Reasonable?" Ho defined tlio terms religion and reasonable as being, the one, the complete responso of man's whole bein" to the Unseen, tlio Infinite, tlio Eternal, not merely conceived of as an ideal, but trusted, recognised, and obeyed as tlio one great and abiding reality; the other, as a strong feeling of ease, peace, rest, ond lively relief from puzzle and perplexity, .lieligion, tlio speaker urged, was instructive and innate. The Saxons believed in a Supreme Being, so did the Greeks, whilst rudo tribes in all .quarters of the globe and from , the remotest antiquity have been possessed by a bali-af in a iligliM rower. The speaker then deduced three, reasons why'men havo thought belief in God is reasonable—Nature, witness, experience. The existence ol' CI xl is brought. homo irresistibly to sonni minds by the wonderful universe, and ' -he sneaker citcd as an, instance the wondwl'iil conversion of a well-known Atheist as lie was travelling in America over the ltoeky Mountains. All minds are not influenced and affected in the saino way, but the fact remains that many are, and such evidence ' cannot be. ignored. Then we havo the other side of Nature— humsui nature. Thero is conscience, tlio supreme, unarguable authority in human conduct. The great thinker Kant was unable to account for his couscicuce, but he recognised its utte'rances as the supreme authority in his life and conduct, and the Christian claims that conscience is tile voice of God speaking to the soul. Passing from Nati.vc- to witness, God is known ami religion made reasonable by tlio fact that in all ages godly people luive believed in Him, and the fact that many have not believed in Him does not, conversely, hold good. There are many pcojile.wlio are colour-blind, or cannot detect one nolo from another, but this does nut prove there is no such tiling aS colour or music. Then wo turn la witness. We find that the history of the .Tews is sufficient answer in itself, whilst tliu lives of tlio saints of old, and all Christian people hinge on the belief in the existence of a God. Finally, said the speaker, wo turn from Nature and witness to experience. A man conies and says, "My whole life is changed from evil to good by the knowledge and love of Gad. 110 is my Lope and inspiration; without Him I would not care to live, with Him I am content to die." .If such cases were isolated they might be, regarded as delusions, but' when they are typical of countless thousands we are bound to believe, whether we wish it or not, that, religion is reasonable. The Ilov. A. W. 11. Compton sang a sacred solo, and Mr. Wntkins presided at the organ.