Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-01-31
From the Southern Christian Herald.
ON THE BEING OF GOD.

From the Southern Christian Herald.
ON THE BEING OF GOD.
He is your God, your Creator, Prcser.
ver and constant kind beneiactor, Gin
whom YOU live and move and have your
being" Do you doubt this Perhaps you
have thought very little concerning this
great truth, which lies at the foundation Of
all true religion. You may have been
taught to believe in the existence Of God,
Just as you have been accustomed TO hear
of the existence of your grandfather, and
with no other thoughts regarding him, fhan
as preceding being in the chain efafi.'can
existence. My hearcr, this IS wrong.
You ought to know the Author of your be-
ing, and of all life, animate and inanimate,
so that YOU may render to him, the praise
due to his Most Holy name:
But "The foo! hath said in his heart,
there is no God" Ps. xiv. l.. You are
not among these, | trust, my dear hcarer-
none but fool would have said this, and
said it too, not from his mind, but his heart,
his affections, because he 1ored 1t 10 be so.
"No Cod TO see and to hear him, by day
and by night--to look in upon his wicked
heart, which man cannot see-to look in
upon his wicked life, when no one was
present-to hear, when every human car
was far away, and none could hear his
wicked words-hc did not like TO believe
that there is q hearing, seeing, Holy, just,
and avenging God. But now, is there
Being, selfexstent, undcrivcd, eternal, pos.
sessing all power, holy, just, merciful, gra-
cious, wise, creating. governing and up.
holding all things, and who will at the end
of the world, Judge the living and the dead,
and reward all, according 10 the deeds done
in the body. These great and essential
truths, essential mean, TO the good order
Of society, and our present and future indi.
vidual happiness, reason and rerelation
teach us.
l. Let US take it for granted, that VIC
ourselves erist, as sentient, intelligent beings,
possessed of peculiarly strong affections,
with bodies, minds, and affections, liable TO
be acted upon in most impressive man.
ner. Does any one doubt this? Then let
him hold his lille finger in the blaze of a
candle for few momen's-let HIM submit
his mind TO an examination, on the science
of Mathematics,by our professor in the Co.
lumSia College, and if sober father, let
him look upon his son, his first born, the
child of promise, a PROSTATE inebrate in
the public streets, or his lovely daughter,
the white rosebud of her innocence crush
ed, soilcd, dcfiled, tramplcd in the fen of
deep, degraded infamy. Away with the
false, unnatural philosophy Of the Skeptic.
The man, the husband, the father, the broth.
or, sister, and mother, feel and know, that
they erist. And how came they into be.
ing :? they had fathers before them. And
how came the first creator or cause of this
scntient and into clligent being into existence?
The first cause Of all causes or effects,
must have been an cternaHy, self eristing,
intelligent Being, whom we call God.
That this Being is underived, that He
could no, have created himself, is evident,
for it would involve the inconsistency OF
his being and not being at the same moment
of time. Of His being, in order to create,
and ofhis not being, in order 10 be created
a manifest absurdity. So that the Creator
Of all things, is himself uncreated and self
existent. But
2dly. There have been, and are now,
perhaps, those who maintain that matter is
eternal, and that the present order of crea-
ton was from mere chance, or as they
call it, happy and fortunate COM
bination Of atomica particles Of matter.
In answer to this rery lean manifestation of
human philosophy, wisdom falsely so called,
would present an are TO an uniutored AT.
rican, and ask "Cuffy, did this grow so ?"
His unhcsitaing reply would be, 4" No
massa, white man make him." And how
much more, when watch, ship, steamboat.
railroad, with its train of cars should be
presented, mind, intelligence, design, at
once strikes the bcholder, and proclaim
mental effort, as well as exerting power.
And this effort, effect of mind, is to be ira.
ced up to the first cause, and assigned to
mind itself and can never be attributed to
matter, inert and immoveablc, in ITSELF un-
less extrinsically acted upon.
3dly. "The Heavens declare the glory
Of God, and the armament showeth forth
his handy work." The beauty, order,
harmony, motion, and utility Of the system
of the Universe-its perfect adaptation 10
the comfort and happiness ofthe intelligent |
beings who inhabit the earth, proclaim the
framer Of all things to be an infinitely wise,
pow,.. Il and benevolent Being, whom we |
call God.
4thly. All nations seem to consent IN the |
general, that there Isl God. Only here and
there few special stools say in their hearts
(thcy believe not mentally, what they want
to be SOY that there is no God"
And concerning such it is powerfully and
Al AL l,>l 70 in