The Greatest Thing In the World and Other AddressesDrummond, Henry
ReligionComparative
The Greatest Thing In the World and Other Addresses
Drummond, Henry
Christian life; Christianity; Love -- Religious aspects
Entire satisfaction to the intellect is unattainable about any of the
greater problems, and if you try to get to the bottom of them by
argument, there is no bottom there; and therefore you make the matter
worse. But I would say what is known, and what can be honestly and
philosophically and scientifically said about one or two of the
difficulties that the doubter raises, just to show him that you can do
it--to show him that you are not a fool--that you are not merely
groping in the dark yourself, but you have found whatever basis is
possible. But I would not go around all the doctrines. I would simply
do that with one or two; because the moment you cut off one, a hundred
other heads will grow in its place. It would be a pity if all these
problems could be solved. The joy of the intellectual life would be
largely gone. I would not rob a man of his problems, nor would I have
another man rob me of my problems. They are the delight of life, and
the whole intellectual world would be stale and unprofitable if we
knew everything.
Fourthly--and this is the great point: _Turn away from the reason and
go into the man's moral life._
I don't mean, go into his moral life and see if the man is living in
conscious sin, which is the great blinder of the eyes--I am speaking
now of honest doubt; but open a new door into
THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF MAN'S NATURE.
Entreat him not to postpone life and his life's usefulness until he
has settled the problems of the universe. Tell him those problems will
never all be settled; that his life will be done before he has begun
to settle them; and ask him what he is doing with his life meantime.
Charge him with wasting his life and his usefulness; and invite him to
deal with the moral and practical difficulties of the world, and leave
the intellectual difficulties as he goes along. To spend time upon
these is proving the less important before the more important; and, as
the French say, "The good is the enemy of the best." It is a good
thing to think; it is a better thing to work--it is a better thing to
do good. And you have him there, you see. He can't get beyond that.
You have to tell him, in fact, that there are two organs of knowledge:
the one reason, the other obedience. And now tell him, as he has tried
the first and found the little in it, just for a moment or two to join
you in trying the second. And when he asks whom he is to obey, you
tell him there is but One, and lead him to the great historical figure
who calls all men to Him: the one perfect life--the one Savior of
mankind--the one Light of the world. Ask him to begin to
OBEY CHRIST;
and, doing His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of
God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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