The daily union., 1854-11-23
THE DAILY UNION


tor the infinite in and h the universe the paracete
and the comforter The doctrine communicated To
man WAS neradicabe II spread widely swiftly and
silently light and the idea of God with dwe and
dwes in every system of thought that pretend vi
taliyn every oppressed nation whose struggles TO be
free have the promise of suecessn every soul that sghs
for redemption.
This brings to the last division of my subject That
God has dwelt and dwells with humanity is not only the
nobiet illustration of lis nature, but the perfect guarantee
Tor Its progress We are entering in the his
tory OF the race and though east its horoscope
at least may in measure discern the OF its
notion
Here the very threshold of our argument by
aerbrth of the mateasm Of the last century feeble
effort is making TO society the simple obser
vaton of the laws of the visible universe The system is
presented with arrogant petenson under the OF the
positive Philosophy and deduces lis lineage through the
English unitranism of Priestey and Belsham and the
French materialism which eliminated in Broussas 1t
scos at all questions OF metaphysics and religious faith
nsouble and unworthy of human attentions and sets up
the banner of affirming creed in the very moment that
II describes its main characteristic refusal TO recognise
the INFINITE How those who take their opinions from
Hobbies and Locke and their continental interpreters and
still adhere to the philosophy which Of
knowledge but the senses escape the humlang yoke
OF this system leave them discover But the
little entitled to be feared be received When has
put together all that il collect of the laws of the mate
rial universe il advance further towards the expa
nation of existence morals reason They who listen as
well to the instructions of inward experience may smile
the air of wisdom with which scheme that has basis in
the soul presented to the world universal creed
yes wonder why they remain so few But atheism never
holds sway human thought except usurper;
child of its succeeding Error is convertible term
with decay Fasehood and death synonymes. False
hood gain permanent foothod in the immortal SOUL
for there be abiding real faith except in that
which is eernaly and universally true The future Of the
world will produce oatheists and their casual
appearance but the evidence Of some truth
mistaken direction of the human mind partial
and imperfect view of creation The atheist denies the life
oife which the of liberty Proclaming himself
finite thing of to-day he rejects all connexon with
the infinite Pretending search for TRUTH he abures the
spirit of truth Were possible that the world could be
without God that greatest DEATH the death OF the
race would and when better creation should
ceed there would be known of the departed one
than is known of the mastodon the chthyosaur 1t is
because cannot separate himself from his inward eX-
perience and his yearnng after the infinite that he is
pabe of progress that he receive religion whose his
tory is the triumph of right over evil whose symbol is the
resurrection.
The reciprocal relation between God and humanity
stutes the of the The complete recogni
ton of that unity is the first great promise which we
ceve from the future Separate nations have indeed had
their separate ceeds and Institutions and homes The
commonwealth of mankind n great whole, not to
be constructed in generation But the different ma
tons to be considered its component parts prepared
like many separate springs and wheels, day to be
put together.
Everything tends to that consummaon Geographical
research has penetrated nearly every part of the world
veaed the paths of TIE and chronicd even the
ing of the winds while circles the globe
At antipodes continent lately tenanted only
the kangaroo and the quadruped with the bill of bird
rises into existence outpost of civilization day to
do service in regenerating the world
In this great WORK country holds the nobest rank
Rome subdued chiefly the region r0and the Mediterranean
and the Euxne, both inland seas the German empire
spread from the German to the Adratic Our land
extends far into the wilderness and beyond the wilderness
and while this side the great mountains 1T gives the
nations of Europe theatre for the renewal OF theil
youth the rans-montane side the hoary civilization OF
the arhest antiquity leans forward from Asia to receive
tbo pla of thp mp q
islands of the Pacific entreat protection, and at ouI
suit the empire OF Japan breaks down its wall OF exclusion
Our land is not more the recipient of the men OF al
countries than of their ideas Annhate the past OF
leading nation OF the world and destiny would
have been changed Italy and paiG IN the persons OF Co
umbus and Isabella joined together for the great discovery
that opened America to emigration and commercei France
contributed to its Independence the search for the origin
of the language speak carries to India religion
is from PALESTINE of the hymns sung in churches
first heard in Italy, in the deserts of Ara
bia on the banks of the Euphrates arts com
from Greece, Jurisprudence from Rome, martins
code from Russia England taught us the system of repre-
sentative government the noble republic of the Unitet
Provinces bequea,ed TO us in the world of thought tn
great idea OF she liberation Of all opnionsn the world
action the prolific principle of federal pnion Our countr
stands, therefore, more than other the rsaaatpn
the unity of the ' "
There institution so wide in its influence and it
connexions that it already for all nations represents tn
intelligence Of universal man. have reserved to thi
place reference to the press which has obtained its
estic development within the last fifty years. till it
forms the controlling agency IN ren0vatnR CIVILIZATION
surprising in the extent and effectiveness Of its teachings
the lessons of the academy and of the pulpit The nvsi
bic of the magnetic ether does not certainly
tend throughout the air and the earth than the press doe
by its nature give impulse to the of thought
that it vbrates through the world The diversity of
onalities and of governments connues the press illus
rates the unity of mans intellectual life, and constitutes
itself the organ of collective humanity.
BY the side of the press the system of free schools
though still very imperecuy developed has made sucl
progress the day when it existed only Geneva
in of the parishes of Scotland that authorized
to claim it of the future as universal institution.
The moment we enter upon the consideration of an
arged sphere Of rational existence may well believe
in beings that higher than ourselves in those tina
lower and il is not irrational inquire after the
tent Of Intellectual life Inquistve minds have asked
whether ihee plurality Of worlds Induction clearly
warrants the opinion that the planets and the stars
enented, or are to be tenanted by inhabitants enaowet
with reason for though man is but conner upor
earth, organic life has existed time out of mind like long
twilight before the day Some indeed TREMENDOUSLY inquire
how it may be in those distant spheres with regard
demption. But the scruple is uncalled for. Since th,
MeGnyr IL from the beginning He exists for all lntegen
life notiess than fof all time II is very and
Trajectory coine His Office 10 the penet on which W,
dwall In other worlds the facts of history may be o.
rather by ai the laws of induction will be- different bu
the essential relations Of The finite the Infinite
must be invafiabie 1t is Hofs certain that the powe
Of gravity extends through the visible universe THAI thai
throughout all time and all space there is but one Mediation
between God and created The Medator.is
sary condition OF all subordinate intellectual activity
wherever it may have been or may be called into being
But, leaving aside the question how far rational life
tends it is certain that fqE humanity the conuexion with
the Infinite constitutes its unity Here too Is soact
for the indsputahe fact that humanity IN It's upwar(
passes through the shadows of death and
relics of decay Her march 10 with the ruins
formative efforts that crowned with
How often does the just suffer and sometimes suffer
o3t for his brightest virtues How often do nobles sac