, 1875-07-26

easo7 Ask the men who ha.s spiritual convic
tione born at .theIr own moral cousciouhrm
"hethor they arc morn footing, shadovy. am
uncertain than other con.irttons. -vhotller the
s,s sss III som ''oc, Uaiv N.Y.. you need nj
iivoa i 49,, ,h..stentng y. joyfuHy to u1aEtsrdon
vine rrosenoa and religious t,7,th which tho;
never can put into . formula. neysr can tratl,-
Az me ao argument, but which ia Thu, Joy 1t
their living and their nnshaken hope in Doaih.
Irot. Isnda'f las given lin magnificent testi-
aoY to tho rational character OF this mora. COLI
ac'olsnesa. There arc his worda a. havo nt.-
Nco'l' dnfog vears OF eclf-obrcrvation, that it IL
not III hours OF cearnosa aud vgor that this doc
tl'ns {ot material Athosm( ct,tntnenls itaolf 10
nv mind, that in the prrsonco Of stronger and
heal'llter Thought It evor diaeolren and dlsA1 :
pears, N offering no solniion Of tho mystery In
apart" That Ia 10 asy, vllc,. s1r. TyndsIl's
mind has boen cleatedt And strongest, HIS tnore
nature las dissolvcd matolial Athoism "A IN.
worthy and nnsattsf.ing. lin religious vieus
the1l. when ho Ina them. hrs hot hupcrHtttiout,
but tho result Of his c!earett aud stronrett
mind.
And 90 It Ia ever. Tho morha nrsutnent. 1,ke
kind Of alembfc, uDftes all tIlr eyilnsces al rr-
liEion in ono deop and bsrred conviction which,
though nhyor ntateI 10 another. haA fot,nt4.-
eton iirtu enough to hoid lilo structure Of in-
mortal hopop.
10 the iepsh OF this moral conaciousness ia Il,
bo added tho dact Of ita universally. Ihis hum
gor of ths heart amounts to deaonstratinu OF
tho dread Of 1.ifo gi7en to appcnac ssa. hunger.
And II still It bo asked wltothcr tLls kind Of
subjective proof taking hold OF hopca aud fears,
can bo called evidence or proof, roply: II i:
makes It certain 70 my conscIournoss 1t In proof
TO mo II 1t makcs II certain to general con-
sciousi1csa. It is proof to tho wofli And g.,
coarv docs 1t rtso iuto tic realm Of rcason and
rational persuasion that evon coi atirnt!st
a6 Iyndall could aav, tho strength of Ills onr-
s7ctlou TAs measured BY tha cleasncas AMI
atrength OF bis mind. We submit therefore,
that religion hns In tho structure OF tho mind
that demands cause uAere tlero is An eIuct,
and designer wbetc there IL evidence OF p,ir-
fs0ae, AMI In tho structure of tho moral tnt;,ra
tho existence Of whose lonEingB are rational
only on tho sHpnostttnn that Tor these Inngtnv,:
thero IL An oujoct. leelgiou laa rational sup-
port.
have not affirmed that religion takes It's place
among tile rcienees, anl that you eonstrtlce {
tho orbit OF p'nuct NO you can moasulo ttls
sweep MT! diagram tho Eciatio:l. Of God al,s! mai
and tho future conreo of Christianity. II thi i
world werc. % Mr. Mill a,pposas under the reign
ofnccesnitY, each event taking t,iaco by . f:xeI
Iav-as link after link OF All ntlamapsino chain.
tton ypu c>rld calculate religion, md society,"
nnd government ttc momen: yoa unrlrrstDoi
their laws} Just ss you ca1cslate tiles u t21ses
No! becaase tho froo stl OF God and man onte..
a. nobto factors In tho great psoa.ens OF life an
tth6loAs VA GtAHApk 4tAutU kltul -
fixed and inyatiablc sorms. Your rcienco
Of thon,, therefore, will not be mathematical, hu.
for mora glorious. mo1al, aud spisitr:sl, and
therefore elastic So life and FREQ nEeary aro
ciaatic; l. will point TO beginnings in tho iniuu
Of Nod. that arc dntclers rs oter,sty. and to ra-
Hulta Of faith and hupc. and love, t!,at m nr,t-
n,etIc can compaas. And tho prou! nj all tat rt.-
lision colnprc!,vnds will be 1atonai. jn4t social
or political scicnce or any other der nrtihnt Of
knowledge in which tl.cre in tue play u froc,
mental. aud moral forccs, ia rational.
And nov, 10 conclusion, let til for n,nmont
compare tho rational foundation u! nhml. VIC
hayo *pnkon with tho h"po WcI. We are
told should teke tho place Of argument, IL
It "a good. however. to hopo. hut Hope
IL bird that springs jo.fullY iulo tho nir-onIy
nlieu Il springs from rock. When you tako
away the hasib OF intellectual conviction you
bcst, can oaly tlutter, it tiuttosoa in tho con-
fessfons Of Stuart MIL lie recognizes tho nccd
we la7e Of "a wider rtnge hndEroater height Of
aspiration" than this world E,scs. in theAo
groundsi it sppeArs to him that the Indulgence OF
hope In regard to deetiuy after DEATH though there
is no ground for more than hope, IL .oKltlspa,o
and phiIosopl,cnlly detens,b!e, hut what a
mockery Of the very ilea OF hope, to deny to ua
all know ledge of tho tuturc-to wrto fasity OIL
hope, for what Il Al bost t. but I
a dim and doubtful poss,hiljty
In trntl, there is no place for more hope. Tho
alht mAtlouH OF tho moral sense, mud tho vol.
nigh self-evdout tal.hs Of rcasou regarding
arc either trne or false. II they arc
true then "o have conrictiun to fest on II
they arc false. then thay swaen awaT the af
ycRtlEo OF horo. aud 1emand uA either to iuu.f-
foteuca on the one baud Or despair On tho
other.
Aud tho great phi'osophcr. =. il con-c1ous of
tho vanity Of . hnpe that in grounded only On
possibility, aud AA II rrepar,lR for its tEisa;,-
point!nens suEgustA tliAt bclinf in future tl.s-
Tiny 10 one Of the ideas We may yet gron
tue tue uplifsod S eSca or Of III III .ses, ss ''se se
urgcs that tho desire for Immortality
IS mt rational tesirs. and that na We aIyn1ca
to batter c,udlt.ous Of human life. 'snt nu.li-
hllation, busisnmotsality, tosJ be tic burdcuaome
idea"
THUS, after wo a,e told that Reason cannot
sasusc us Of things apititusl, and that va must
put IN the place Ut cunvirtion trembling Hone,
Ws arc carried step further. 4 c!larnu} hoaHo
OF death is opon.d, In which this lamp Of Hope
goes out. a bottomlcEs gulf Of anniliat!on is
opened, rhere oven nops drops stone sie.d mi
there In t1ne n'ocse5y, ~ ar" charged to roJoi"e
!n having outlsyod tic vulgar doa,re for life aad
immortality beyond tht graro, ,Verily. as in
Dante'a Hell, 10 IN tht Positive Philosophy
" Below tha lowest dopth a lower doep it'll
opened viae."
Let us turn from this graat darkness in which
Is tho eclipao Aliks Of reNon, fealing. nnt hope,
TO the words Of ono who. with dying visinl,,
92HLldQ III Cl0Af IQ6 tol1 AthkA4 OF HlAraQ, kCJ
whoso revelation Of immortality stands like =
Gibraltar In that aea u godiee- philosophy that
cannot rest.
"Henceforth there IL laid MP for me \ crown
which tho Loru, tho righteous Judge, shall give
n that day.
WAS JESUS DlvtNE7
BEHxoN W Tux HEy. X r. PoWEtH~
Tho nev. E. r. Powell, Of tho Third Unitarian
Church, preached yestarday morning the con~
cludlng portion Of = sermon begun Oh tho pre-
vious Sunday, On the divinity of Jesus, Hia te1t
MAS:
belloys that Ieaus Chr!M u the Son Of Qod-dety,