The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-01

tons of nature are regarded ~ ordered by him,
not IN accordance with immutaolc laws, but IN
obedience to the wishes of his votaries and men
pray to him r ram aud sun 4hine In full conf
deuce Of obi dining their desires. In short, he Is
conceived ~ a sort Of autocrat uDon throne,
with authority Of the same kind, though Infinite
ly great In degree, that Is possessed 10y the Rus
sian Gar aud the ohan OF Persia.
Against this idea OF God, spinoza, like other
philosophers. protests. To any rejecting mind
1t is lain that God could not exist In nature and
possess amatera form. however attonuated aud
ethereal, without being subjectsto the limita-
tions Of matter, and thus incap ,ble OF the
necessary attributes " divinity. Nor has any
research into the realm OF space, by the tce-
scope or otherwise, revealed the presence OF
such being. Furthermore, II the relation OF
God to the universe he that Il king to his
kingdom. then there Is no necessary dep ,ndence
Of nature upon him. As a king dies, but the
AFFAIRS OF his kingdom 90 on all the same, 50 the
popular God might be annihilated and yet the
universe continue to maintain itself bee ,use rs
IL constantly asserted, he has perm ,neniy en-
dowed both mind and matter with the qualities
they possess and they now exist and act with
out further asss anco from HIN. Nor does the
popul Idea provide for adequate means by
which God can Affect the universe. \ king has
he reaches his subjects aud enforcts MS com
mands, but cd has only imaginary beings
called angela. whom nobody sees aud whose
agency nobody can perceive. In short from a
philosophical point u view, Col, "a. commonly
imagine !, j. no God at all, but mere II smsnt
Of superstition.
The first step toward a higher and truer con-
ception NJ @ I'd " Is IA lde by the ancient llinloo
saees, who taught that he exists. not Out-dc Of
nature, but within II, and that the universe Is
an eman ltion from him as the bodyis an emana-
tiun from the slul. THIS oDvia'es At once the
difficulty of compromising how he cin act
upon the world nj renders creation really. and
not In words, dependent upon him for its origin
aud exis. When the soul leaves the body
tle body peri-hcs, aud 50 were G d, who Is the
soul II the world. to withdraw from IL, the
world would bc dnnihi.ted. From India tho
doctrine .s carried by pythagoras to Elrope,
where 1t was adopted 10y consider bic ninuer
OF the Greek philosophers and bee lme part OF
the systems OF Plato aud the stole school. 50
well known was IL that Nircil, IA his Enei 3.
makes the ABadc OF Anchses teach 1t to Eleas.
rrinclpio cr'um ac terra camnosaue nqucn,cs
lucentemqle cnn ~ Lnne lltNm'qle a-trt
Mems aSitat moi IN et maslO se corpJte nlstet.
\ pass - which is piraphascl in Popes
" Essay ON Man" in the lines belinunI:
Alarc nut parts q one siupcia ies whole.
Whoe bOaS Ni.urr s. AMI GoI Tie sou.
The apostle Paul, who WIS familiar wl,h the
Greek philps ply, also says In his address to
the Atheniins. delivered on M,rs's ni.l:
cod ,hat made ihc word and all things thereto see
lng that net Lriot heaven ana cafin. uwc u not 20
n' hai.a i5u:a Il. n"cded auy,di x 'el "
gIcm g, a. n sat s,,,m a4i aa t,'rJ ane nat
.il the iar' or th' rin' a ~ nam dct,rwm'l t"e