The New York herald., 1875-12-13
How Talmage Calculates the Sue
cess of a Sermon.
TIE BIBLE On TRIAL BEFORE THE PEOPLE,
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

GOD NOT TO BE EXrINGUISHED BY An
AItMB1c
Never was Dudley Bucks grand anthem, 90 Come,
tus Sing Unto the Lord finely rendered than at
the opening or the services in Plymouth church yestcr
day when il was sung by Miss Clementnc Lasar, Miss
Holbrook Mr.. Camp and Mr. Hil, assisted In the
chorus by the woltraned volunteer choir Mr. Bcccher
announced before the sermon that concert for the
benefit of the body would be given week from
Tuesday next In doing he took occasion to compl
ment the volunteer choir in handsome manner He
said that ngratitudc Is Of the basest OF traits and
he thought all constantly falling into it, As in
stances referred the fact that every day read
books over which men of intellect had toilcd for our
pleasure benefit and feel the slightest sentiment
OF gratitude SO II is, too he sad with tho newspaper
we read every day, and which has taxed the brains
OF fifty men to produce; we throw it down
or crumpe il because it is not full enough
Of horror does not suit tastes, but IL never
cites feeling Of gratitude sympathy The choir ne
said is living portion OF living congregation II is
the minister OF song and IS a composite individual At
the conclusion OF this address he sasd-'rhere after
making that speech if you don't crowd the house
that concert shall think or you than did
before
The text from which Mr.. Beecher preached taken
from the fifty -hth chapter OF Isaah-.1For my
thoughts your thoughts neither your ways
my ways SAITH the Lord For the heavens are
higher than the earth, my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For,
as the rain comcth down from heaven and returneth
not thither but wate-eth the earth and maketh it
bring forth and bud that may give seed the sower
so shall my that goeth forth OF my mouth
il shall not return void but il shall accomplish
that which please, and il shall prosper the thing
whereto ] sent itp
This passage he said is striking revealing the
consciousness of the Divine Being of the difficulty
which inheres in the nature OF manor humanity
THE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING
1t is not the declaration OF the peculiar magnitude
scope being or power, but it is decluration-
springs from ont or the declaration all the Tho
preceding arc seek the Lord while he may
be found call ye upon him while he is near Let tho
wicked forsake his way and the unrirEteous man has
thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord and be
will have mercy upon him; and TO our God for
fraton OF that is the declaration that HIS thoughts arc
thoughts HIS ways and thoughts much
above the heavens higher than the earth
illimitable. unreasonable, incalcl'lable.
There Is to-day prevalent tendency toward atheism
under form another. 1t Is not to be denied that
the scientific minds OF France OF Germany OF In gland
and Of America are If not there tending toward it, and
that the negative form. a positive form,
atheism may be SAID TO be the prevalent tone OF many Of
the leaders OF scientific thought In ITS positive form
pantheism-that s a denial OF any personal God that
has answered 10 such idea OF personality derive
from ours,and KIND Of mystic iaith IN the universe,
though everything that exists is God and that God
Is the OF creation, so that wc ourselves
slant elements or molecules IN God and that He Is
everything This form Of mystic faish-pantheism
has existed from carly period and, moreover
10 IN particular constitutions. Men need TO be
born in particular way IN order 10 believe II, think
While some positively deny a formal belief in the
existence Of God, deny the fact While some
profess utterly disbeevc there others
the extension Of Maunsclis ground that God Is un-
knoyable But while the great preale in the Church
England taught the unknowableness Of God the
Christian standpoint, not perhaps IN the wiscst
way nor with the best result, the purely
fta Cahnn and ssul.s ~
by very many OF them believing that
while it may be that there a conscious existence
which there may be-that We cannot demonstrate IT,
That il may be held a sentiment but cannot Dc af-
nrmed fact, and that IN the nature OF things when
apply their minds according 10 the best methods
70 the problem Of showing the existence OF personal
God IL cannot be shown that there is one. Now a
thing that cannot be shown to exist a fact when
you come TO look al y iamiiary and say, II IS but a
possibility; II Is hypothesis and only hypothesis
how much i VIII be shorn OF power, aud Of that
power which belle N the existence Of an oycrruBg
God and Providence always exercises human at
fairs, need not attempt 20 show you. So, then |
think
TuR QUESTION or orr DAY
Intellectually VII become more and more not whether
lem not whether this order o ministers is apostolic;
not whether they ought 70 such aud such gar
nents black aud white ana what not; not whether
they ought their backs the people or stand to
the or the westal very important qucstions-but
stl MOI the questions that arc 10 bo Tho rosoundeet
think OF our day. The question will not be what is
Lutheranisn differing from Calyinlsm and what is
Calvnism distinguished from Arianism but whether
Z
church except in men imaginatons whether there is
ground FOR theology whether there Is revelation.
IL is not question Of The inspiration OF the Bible Is
question whether there y anything 70 INSPIRE any
thing with IL is the question back Of all other qnes
tons-Is there a Gods and, II there Is, do we know
anything about Him, or can we know anything about
Him. The tendency Of tho scientific school is to apply
20 all Investigations the same rules which they apply tc
the investigation or This part OF the tendency
10 negative atheism results from the reaction OF what
may call the scholastic theology, which assumed an m
mense knowledge Of God which assumed that the Bible
such revelation Of God that although there might
be good deal left IT was enough to give ample
portraiture to God. None need TO be told who are
familiar with scholastic philosophy how it arrives at
its conclusions with deductions and logical screws and
n plentiful use Of nthercforesi and s.wherefores y
running out to unspcakabc rninutcncss, that as
Matthew Arnold says in one of his trcatses, "God Is
treated unnatural man living around the corner
OF another street whose comings IN and gongs out we
know all about and could give statistics OF the whole
matter" This IS somewhat rrcverent not little
comical and altogether true Now, when you come to
such medley, such OF beliefs, tho calm, quiet
analysis synthess Of The scientific method and
another element scsttcrs, and
4 cLorn or NurfnSs AWAY.
And is il not strange that who themselves In
transition state knowing and seeing how much s suf
ierng under the processes Of Investigation should
easily slide into the impression that il Is all tho same,
and that that which Is sought so much as part oi the
science Of God in theology demonstrated alsethat
u is fiction all the way hrough-Isit not quite natural
that they should assume that instead Of knowing
all about this great Unknowable know nothing
about Il. and that il Is vanity aud folly TO pur-
sue phantom thought in that direct0ny There arc
many realms which have not been entered into which
are necessary TO true understanding OF the divine
nature that science Is showing fast Step by step
By astronomy, by geology, and stil more lately ~
other nasccnt sciences we have transformed
in us the notions Of the methods of crea
ton, SO that the intelligent, wcllread man
does not stand where all Christians stood a century
ago Now In the order Of development the higher can
understand tho lower, but the lower cannot understand
Che higher IN other words that which becomes more
IN the ascending scale cannot be understood by thai
which is less II is impossible for lower animal u
understand man II is imposs bic for eagle to un
dcrsland an emperor and that impossibility grove
more striking you ascend INTO the realm OF imagna
mon aud into the conscience and spirituality and wor