, 1875-07-26

4 nuI, tim Divine dhapCchtn, and law springs
foi ward into sl,n vacant place. nnd 30 no Ia lsft
vohtRatton. Tie sciences Aso engaged In hunt
t1Ix nj, echn, and when they coma to tho place
wiicro seemed to be voice, there Ia only hard
and barran rock. And 40 thcS ray: Theto may
secret meaning Of thcsr language ta that jon
cannnt prove Tod az you would provo that uatas
In nado m Of oxygen mud hydrogen. Or ~
you wonld provo that three angles OF
angles. You CANNOT make demonstration.
1telEon dueH nut bclong To tin exnct Acencea.
10 duper!atlve an cats'natn hare empirical stud
len placed on exact or mathematical proof TINT
Jubt All II a blackboard afforded tho only Ho!id
rcasonngt just ns II mathematics rern tho
only field OF proof. Thorc IL a moral world
WHINE h1toms nre ~ final and M plain a. thoBo
of Enc!kl; and theroa il proof, deEiyablo from
conscience ard conbciontnors, j,lat ~ clear and
conclusive. ontl entit|ed to A. much rcApcct ~
any TINT aettlen In rotort, Or In drawn on .
tnap, or ss dieaectcd out Of rnattor. Tho whoIo
vitlatlng maxim that consciously Or uncop-
ecfously. undtrlieH tho dogma that spiritual
shings cannot oe proven. is tll,s: There is no
proof excopt Ia tangible and vnil,io fist,res.
So ono OF the groascHt Of modern ut!litariana
'seornA Plato atnl all tho Greek philosophers
neSnnso sW'1 .hoy wero not tclcnssta. and ssya
EUCLID giving instruction in geometry. Socrates
aud Iiato ~cro tn'&lnR nonkeNeo under prctcnso
of tesel'ng w1Hdotn' t1'ontLa.n). This giyos
tue keynoto TOR all that ignorant dogmatism
which oxalts all proof directed to the Ae1,seB aud
dccreB all that is directed 10 Tie soul.-a dog
matism, ~ We hnve said. that af,pcars all around
u. and which. with shameful Intolerance and
hatrowness, eScla!ms. "tiod Is unknonahle !;
hopc IN Hun il you want to. but don't 1ignlfy 1t
by tho 1hmo Of knowledge" hut this Insisting
OH experiment To dotect God Ia n tUo-odgcd
sword, fatal to tl!oao WHO ,iBo 1t. Doos tho
evolution tleory.-tlo theory Of tho
mon wllo are no loud in insisting that
W must test religious truth by acicnt!lc data.-
dues it stand upon hucl. basis7 havo upon .
previous occasion Bhnnn yon that tho great light
OF tho experimental school, Dr. Tsndatf, con-
fesseA that to account for tho gnncsia OF lifo on
hiA principles ho m,lkt stroIolI Ills yision back
aIso HaJH, I" F0rco Ii MI unknown cRuee md tho
EetHistc.,co 0f force II truth which tlauBceudn
experience
in tho rcatnl Of pbvhlcal rciencc. hy confession Of
tta advocates. They also, III accounting for tho
ttlinss around item, Greet in altar to their uu-
known God.
Now. IL their Bctcnco fails to mike mathen,e.i-
philosophy, origin Of force, ,-hy wlat con-
siatency d. thay require mathematical proof OF
spirituaItrntlL- things In renlm wholly apart
flom exact sccncos. II the7 cauunt royo TIM
beginning Of material force by tho laws OF
matter Why do tlcy require s,s to provo spiritual
tofce by the lava Of uintacr1 1t Ia AZ If 4 mnn
who had fAilcu to tlrcnyer te origin Of light by
tho tac OF nrectrohcoVo. should require It's to
provo tho distinction between right and wrong
by the RaMs instrument. No ray, then, that
the demand That we iAvoDticate moral itleaA by
laws OF exnct evidence III abAHra in 1tnelf. mad
III contralictorilv male by tllso who fall to find
in those lawH tho explanation even OF rhYeca1
idchn.
hut now, II by proof you mean that kind ard
degres Ut csidnnco that convinros tbs uliul Of Il
cat taii, srlIs. whether that evidence bo gathered
fruu the physical. lnoutal, or spiritual world then
religion and Chrietiantty arc susceptible Of over
"holmlng proof not only 70. but by proof shat
rosa2ins iErcflagl,le tnoy have boen proTon on
lnady different lines of argument.
Lot 1is Indicate a fow Of tloso directions,
Firtt-ConBidor tue argument from effect to
cnuae. The world is q sereH Of eHects. It
must havc hal cauHe. It Ii not Helf-exiCtont.
Therefore that caufc n.l1at hnre Iccn outside OF
itself. Tho materih1st nays there aro cauBeH,-
tbs forccA acting on each other. Bit beyond
theso thero puat have been : final cause.
Ani the whole structure Of things says
! and there III no difcresence between tetn).
but intclhEout and far.seeitB dcsign. This IL
an old argument. It IL sometimes eaid It no
longer holds. 1t represents Got as kind Of
divine machinist, On the contrary, 1t is tin
only theory for accounting for the unse.se which
does not make God n,scl,intAt, because II ad-
mtu intelligence, plan, mud free-will. And TO
argument OF Matorialiam iooH |. il tho Ra-
tlonalistn who represent the world ~ machine
Thi. is tie vtiatiug point in all 3lr Mills rea-
in the world. 1t0 rejects Christianity because
he SAVE q good tod hover would Aayp mado
world 10 fill Of trouble and sin. 1Io leaves ont OF
consideration wholly what surely lle kuew, that
Christianity claims tlat tlo FREQ agency
OF man {a necessary condition OF ro.ponsi-
b[lity) las brought about this delange-
mont OF tho world; that God did
not make moro machine. bnt that 10 mado a
universe Of FREQ moral ageu's, who. nntlcr Ger.
tain temptations, nweryed from thar loyalty and
brought sin Into tho world and all our WOO.
Now, this In Mr. Mills view, fatal objection to
tho argument OF chtlsattty. IL ono TINT docs not
lie At all against ths Christian idea OF creation.
but only against tho mater1alistic notion that
with no moral agency above or in tho world.
Aud the argument, from effect 10 causc, ia Al
good az ever 1t was. Nay. ! venture to cay that
It is botscr better by all the discoyer!oe OF
have disclosed how bouudleHa Ia this eNocs
wo call Nature, aud how great tAero-
forc. must DO its cause. Aud, as 1t
il Ill old maxim Of logic that tho effect cannot
= great. infinite, almighty, God. At this point,
again, the modern theory Of evolution. without
Creator, breaks down. For it assumos an effect
consisting not only Of matter. but Of nnd, Of
truth, aud conscience, and sonl,-hnd It coG-
fesses that 1t is not able 10 discover hoo this
sprAng from an atomic germ Of matter. It
would make the higher, the i,nmatetlal nnd spir-
isnal TO be derived from the lower. T1o effect
Infinitely transcondB tho cauhe.
&oond- d-Tlle. argumeut Of tlesfeu,-tho famot,a
Of Pa!ey, stands A. good to-day ~
ever. venture to say that 1t stan.ls batter, be-
cRuso sl tho reach OF modern scfeuco reveals tlla
extent to which. design rnIoa tue world. And tho
akepsics arc foremost in furnishing those esi-
dences Of dcsign. With patlent tnyoattgAtlon
Of nature, for which they arc deserving Of I'll
praise, they have shown Us countless eysdencos
lot adaptation natural Law they would call it)t
but Of do4 aud Ills Intelligent plan We call it.
When Mr. Darwin Bcos how ihaocts aud boes
arc provided With tho moAt artful and delicate
coutriyancea for carrying the pollen
OF foNeEa from one rfRco to AnothoE, snd
30 disseminating fertility, he NAV rotor
It to natural seluc,ion or ieAyo it
but tho average mind Of all tho
world will ray tllorv Was mind concerned in
adjusting and adapting tho matter. juat ~ they
make tho same o1servation about Ill intricate
piecs OF human workmanship. 10 wo H4y to
them one and all, Gentleman, ~ on ~ish your
observations. You are unie!ainK to III III 'lln
ohl1 ot b1kntR In thA ufnUA aua n1tAnna ~ iii.