5. And lastly, scarcely any great philanthropic movement has risen during the last 200 years which has not had the support of Friends; and notable cases could be quoted to show the way in which Friends have taken the lead in such matters. Especially at times when religious revival has taken on emotional forms, and when the emphasis has been thrown almost exclusively upon the subjective side, it has been of great benefit to the Church to have the association of practical philanthropy with the very Society which has always insisted on the necessity for an inward experience.
I refer to these few historic examples in order to illustrate the way in which I am approaching the question, and to show how a particular Christian Society has, for upwards of 250 years, been steadily bringing its influence to bear upon the Christian life of two great nations. In looking back upon the past, we may truly thank God and take courage. Let there be no thought of arrogance in our minds; but rather of deep humility, as we proceed to look into the problems which confront us to-day, and consider in what direction our Society may contribute towards their solution.
In whatever direction we look to-day, we see the danger of an invading materialism. By this I do not mean any philosophic position. In fact, I do not believe that what might be called philosophic materialism is gaining ground at the present time. It does seem to me, however, that a practical agnosticism is making itself felt in very many quarters. The vague sense that God is responsible for the Universe, that at one time some great Cause operated to bring it all into being and that, in some way, we are all still depending upon the benevolent activity of that Cause, is not Christianity. The Christian Church is being invaded by this uncertainty with regard to God. There is a loosening, it seems to me, of that close grip upon the eternal verities which enables men perpetually to draw upon the resources of God, to throw themselves in the abandonment of faith upon a living Savior and to find that faith justified at every step of the way. Men do not like to set forth upon a path without knowing whither it leads. The prevailing scientific temper leads men to test everything many times, to trust nothing beyond the range of verifiable scientific facts. This breeds a spirit which only takes cognizance of the things which can be seen and felt and weighed and measured. Where is there room in this narrowed universe for the limitless activity of the God of Love?