The New York herald., 1874-11-08
YORK HERALD SUNDAY s. 1s74-QUADRuPLE

IN the Bedford avenue Reformed church. Brooklyn
when Drs. Porter, Ganse Ten Eyck and Ialmage
Will address the audiences.
Drs. Adams and Hall viii address the public this
evening in Madison square Presbyterian church
on ''City Missions.n
The kev. w. II. Pendleton will preach to-day In
the Fifty third street Baptist churcn.
The Rev. DR.. T. d. Anderson viii preach IN the
First Baptist church this morning and evening.
The Rev. Robert sloss win occupy the pulpit OF
the Second avenue Presbyterian church this morn
ing and evening.
The Rev. L. II. King will preach IN the Free Tab
ernacle Methodist Episcopal church to-day at the
usual hours.
the Rev. DR.. Armitage will preach In the Fifth
avenue Baptist church this morning and evening.
In view OF the secession OF certain members OF
the Gethsemane Baptist church, BROOKLYN Tor the
purpose OF founding new society. the Rev. A. 5.
Walsh will preach this evening on splitting as a
Means OF Grace"
.Prudentius'" Pagan Philosophy
Answered.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALp:-
While the various dissertations OF your corre-
spondent "Prudentiusu cannot have failed to at
tract uUlVtIedl w IC1sOu VI iHcI CUbcuI
augmentation and admirable spirit serious OBJ
jections may be urged against hts metaphysical
Essay on the Creation" 1t bristles with Platon-
isms throughout sucn as ''the type OF the divine
nature 'the divine mind,r reproduction OF the
essences OF tnin2s,n correspondence" !" 'rnfnite
realty copied and reflected" "beings whose vital
acts copy the DIVINE" &C., and indeed, reads as
If wholly borrowed from that venerable philosophy
which John Locke boldly controverted and David
Hume successfully assalled. Plato, however never
ventured TO deduce matter from essences, types
or arcnetypes, whereas Prudentius does, in these
words:-"When Goo wills to exercise His creative
power 1t is absolutely true to say that the sum OF
being and reality Is not increased by the produc-
tion OF any number OF ccsmic systems, =
and what Is said Of one creature may be said Of
worlds. They only reproduce, In limited degrees,
the reality, the beauty, life which the one
infinite, living reality OF the most perfect God"
Not only is sucn proposition subversive or the
cardinal dogmas OF Christianity but 1t is Panthe-
ism in It's nudest, rankest form.
pursuing the theory OF essences types and
archetypes to It's legitimate conclusion, 'Pruden-
tus" continues:- :-"But all these tthe forms and
forces, &c, OF the unversel correspond to and
the reproduction OF the essences OF things In the
Creators own mind. Making OF our Imagination
proper and scientific use, We can intellectually
behold behind every existing world and every one
being within Its compass the infinite reality which
II copies and reflects. In every form and force, in
behold the pervading presence of the uncreated
substance sustaining every being &C., with
God as the central principle OF body and spirit, OF
minutest atom and yastest sphere" Wnat is this.
ask but second edition OF the theory of ''ema-
nation,h which the Pagan philosophers symbOllzed
by the spider and Its web9
Nor is "Prudentiusn more original or more or
thodox when he holds that .'beiore creation ex-
listed there was the bOundess ocean OF the divine
substance TO which the philosophic intellect can
conceive no centre or circumference; no height,
no breadth or DEPTH" We have here but the
fQLLndl of ancients. the WOrl0-SOul OF
the moderns, the creed or every materlalist and
atheist
leads him into Is the suppOstlon tnat Tyndal's at
tacks are specially directed against Christianity,
and hence 1t Is that "Prudentiusn makes continual
references and appeals to the patristic writings
and the wrangles OF the churchmen. Tyndall, |
pes 10 hp aanst to
and to call up the ghosts OF the fathers OF the
Church to do battle In the name OF science Is like
opposing blUnderbuSs TO a mltrailleuse.
E. L. L.