IN REVOLT

against the kind of religion which we exhibit to the world—­against the cant that is taught in the name of Christianity.  And if the men that have never seen the real thing—­if you could show them that, they would receive it as eagerly as you do.  They are merely in revolt against the imperfections and inconsistencies of those who represent Christ to the world.

Second:  Beg them to set aside, by an act of will, all unsolved problems:  such as the problem of the origin of evil, the problem of the Trinity, the problem of the relation of human will and predestination, and so on—­problems which have been investigated for thousands of years without result—­ask them to set those problems aside as insoluble.  In the meantime, just as a man who is studying mathematics may be asked to set aside the problem of squaring the circle, let him go on with what can be done, and what has been done, and leave out of sight the impossible.

You will find that will relieve the skeptic’s mind of a great deal of

          UNNECESSARY CARGO

that has been in his way.

Thirdly:  Talking about difficulties, as a rule, only aggravates them.

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.