, 1873-02-17

mon FABRIC Of cn,lAo and offcct, that human
ratiocinntion nhall not DO able to teA whas u
rises IN bcioro u,a religious heart in ita prayer
tihat ohcoks tho footatop Of tho scientific M ex-
ploror il ho tries to pass from mattor to spirit.
Tho most dovout Hugh Miller anu ms sehool eTo
p domntlds lb BY tho material forms. Going back
millions Of years, tho fold aoomod stu ocou-
pied by heat and vapors aud infueortai me- and
nowhere was viaible ANYTHING Issuing from
nothing, there wns a1wayB so1nethlng yet be.
yontl, tGe basis Of new transfornattonH: !hnt
worlipR Of Inv TINT leads us all baok hundred
yoara, loads hack q million yeara "a Well, anu
60 ullero the mind may. goa la no more .1e aeen
10 hs aeon in the wintor ct Ct to-day OF IN inc
Bpring-timo Of tomorrow; q, therefore, IN No.
turcf xo cannot separate botwenn natural cauBea
and what wo onA the imtesrefsnGn ;a a. o. nm Gi
VIII WITH or p Without tho supploation q tho soul
Equally It g Tor or eaonSo TO apsove
stantiy @ Of Heaven. Tho yoa Of tho Christian is
no moro conjecture than the no OF tho tnhdal.
No scioncc can never prove to mo mo that a prayer
moves In no way tho Invisible Ono. Booanso
Bon OF God on tho part Of tho learned solontists.
\ It would Indicate nporfeot acquaintance with
| his methods,-nono OF them being ape 10 70
demonstrate how creator @ m sesaseG d y ho;uo tuo
equally unable to demonatrato that there Is no
I Ornntor thpv arc bound to confoas 'thntt por-
haps, prayer may DO answerod,-a confession
descending from the1r 1gnoranoe and sue1
| honor.
In this long argument that hns spread itaelf
4 over the history of civilization, there is this
consolation, that tho most honorable Or dinhon. n.
PRAYER, Viii nevor bo abfo to bring any irresiatt-
Bic proof. Tint cloud Of mystery which onye!"
opes the Uhristian, envelopes; also, tho infdo1,
and hence nothing but q ."porhaps" can oyer
to-day. II tho world Of religion lies apart from
the world Of science, go that 1t csnnot rope , IGr
! assistance from tho dernonstrativo mothou, nol
ther can 1t foar oyorthroW from tnat 1orln oa
! Thought. The poeitiviHm that demands "toat"
thnt prayers arc answered will seek In vain for y
test fhat they are NOT, ,,
FOR al science will ever know, tho tH, ssfth II II
1rbt, IL e011% na5 'oia0s So tho 20 % eeaut
outcome OF come angols prayer,-prayer that
1nntowoud osoate uss o9S what mofs nds Ell
would call science passing through The wards q q
| hospital and curing tho eiok without help OF
tho pfeaaings Of christian souls may ftaelf 10 .
to q s11pplication offered by higher race. dwell
i3aeionnlism tho aoverost,. 10 bound to look up;
ward into tho infinite ether and eontehs lido
not know"
|
ing. ct 9 giyeu moment, may not receive anHwer
| in the demanded form 1t ia possible for Rolence
to determine. II saint praye that ram may
fall at London on June just at noon, 1T la pos. 70
that petition was not in form answered, but this
is to mako littl6 progresa In tho general inquiry.
The nature Of God and the relation existing 30"
tween His aotion and the Mishea OF mon remains
| an iuexplicable enigma. There can be no scton-
tifo toBt brought to bear upon such quehtionss
aa tho existence OF soul upon tho freedom OF
tho will, upon tho notion Of future ufo, or
upon tho thsory Of personal aod' ana henco
Material scionco can investigate the facts OF
light, air, water, gassos, heat, but can no moro
through theao reach any comprehenston OF tho
nature Of God than By tho study Of medicine
nSnt I'm assanpsion 81 5f sesnee that s mehoa
Of proof ara such that nothing can chide them,
and that; beyond what their eyes soc, there can.
not bo anything except little dust too fine for
their microscopes, or somo other too delieate
tor their instrumental, is an assumption that
comes from long partia]ity to agtvan pursuit :,
partiality wonderful In its ueefn1 and beautiful
J reaults When tho sciontist has dissolved tue
light from the SUNS Of our syatem and other sya.
tams, aud haa aeau of wnat componenta tho star
: and has seon that all life is swimming
in an eleotio wave his poor finite hoart Is fu]l.
This is world enough for. lin. ,lmmediatel,
> there Ia no world remaining but his and no owl
ing the greatness, tho beauty, and tho succea!
Of tho aoientifc value, there remains still lane
,, whore its footsteps cannot talL : : 3: !,
do1dwin Smith said we ean all 500 at eunsa
the beautiful colors streaming oil over the West
ern sky, but no eye can behold the final .hant
,, that oyerturns the urns whence these atreamt
! aro poured.
Apart from tho world Of Science lios the work
I OF Spirit. II reposea not upon irresistible owl
= tlepce but upon form OF human instinct or in
/ IN nY{rf n9 n
y approximattva and moral. What Is taking place
J within those' spiritual boundaries modes d
+ human reasoniugs can tell our Loart5. Wha
prayers OF Intelligent beings may be poured ou
to earth, but rising from 81 the planets and al
! the stars what petitions there may bo, vihrat
Ing always in the MIR of eternity like the 1nustea
= tones that tromblo in tho atmosphere Of earth
and what influence thoae Joyful or melanohol.
, broathinga OF angels or mon may POSSESS Ii
/ presence Of the great source Of all lifo, ant
thought, and Joy are questions toward .whicl VI
ton for or againat faila,. Separating our mint
: from tho scientific method wo Gust ourselve
upon tho influence Of the highest ideal, tn
: highest happincss, and tho highest utility.
!. lerioB Of the Louvre, silent in the admiration
i world Of masterpieces, and tho inquiry raiBet
by some one whethor any; ono present conl
. found in those long corridors, not : soul coul
como to tho reBoue Of tho arts. All would gh2
on and be happy leaving tho iuqnisltor alone II
= lemonatration of the beautiful, Tho heart com
pares 1t with ITSELF with it's inner ideal, and find
!. argument enough.
t In presence Of religion Ia 81 ita magntacon
q idoaH from it's God, iEg immortal lto, it's blossod
q ness, to the influence OF Its prayer OF yos
o terday and tomorrow we would at il
d silence whom naked to demonstrate the reality o
3 tho pageantry before ua. Too we'll we knew tn
: geniua Of earth thus to DO enHnarod first an
o then robbed. Living few years on o Horl
. where demonstration is confined to figures Il
!, addition and to the weighing and uleasuring Q
/, divino stands before ns without that kind Q
. Witness, but leaning, like Beauty, upon n loft
% continent, wo would cast ourasH upon the aid
Soe thss maao Up cur M
: blessing, whatoyer they may want in ob]eotiv
a demonstrable reality. Nothing is domonstrabl
~ hrf f1rpt Thu arancn that II ar c1nnnrnpp IN