, 1876-05-28
nm Hundred and Fiftieth An.
niyersary of Congre.
gational Church.
Statistics Of the Home Missionary
Work Of the Presbyte-
rian Church.
uoeos and Personals at Home ana
Abroad---church Services
To-Day.

KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
.-.Y SERMON FOR To-DAY's READING.
rhe following Is discussion by layman Of a
-.s;.ct which has generally been left to the pull
-. r. consideration. Those whom heat OF
~ sa-,e otler cause Keeps at home this morning
49, end il a substitute for the sermon they
miss:
';rnc text is question which one Of bis trouble
-lsa ~ frrnfs named Zoptar asked Of Job 1t is a
N Nlat;an which the victims of doubt are continual
9eno,;ns to themselves and their fellowncn. 1t
y H. tnnic Of a great deal Of discussion. and the
negative is uot o. 3Sn answer S this @ auea
.an .;nn. but when his irqnisitive friend had got
tsronch With that portion Of his discourse. he re-
eponded taeetio9s az ts WI oe seGn h IN % ,G next @
sS.;s9om will die with you. So the donbters Of
.h;s dsy. who assume that nothing can be known
nt I Cod and fancy that IN doubt and nn6siei there
~ Ihc world: they want proof Of everything they
~ ss1icye i And doh answered further, - But have
,ndrrstandng Us well as ypn; au not inferior tu
yoa tha M he had found out God, but he told the
danht;nr inquirer 10 ask Of the beasts and they
ssa tssch thee and the fowls Of the air and they
th. tell and 70 60 to the rd sd;tn an anu 1hs
" rhst the Lord had done and what Hc is doing.
~ xiI} ue generally admitted that the tw0 most
inportsut elements Of wisd'H, II they can be
.ssnnrbed out, arc knowledge of God aud the
Fnor;cjse Of mankind, in the words "know
tnrsc,f, The poet said '.11.c greatest study OF
rsnkind is man. but poetry is mt always logic;
and greater study than that O. man wonn u me
-n: If there be any such Being; and if man, being
n the hishcst grade of natural existence did not
make himself. Ono point Of the inquiry would l,t
Who made man and who is the create! OF all
rh;ncr. and the originator Of that principle the
aoubters call Nature.
Tbere are many ways Of obtaining KNOWLEDGE or
seeking out truth, other than ny actnal contact,
Of what il called ciEcunstlutiai evidence IN thc
lseal eeusc which is often tho most conclusive
Of all evidence. though neither sight
hearnc or touch plays amy part in the Chain of in
eyitsble conviction. Can We BY searching fnd out
cod. ret knowledge Of His being and character.
thourb no eye of man can behold Him; though
none may possibly feel Il,n or hear Him: II We
ran il viii bc the most valuable Of all knowlcsc to
Ms moEtal3, because along with that knowledge
will come the relation that human beings stand 10
The One We assume 10 be divine. With that knowl-
he lay sermon OF last week, which was stated to
be The most information man could have, namely,
the mission Of Gods Son to the world Us Its saw
We must try to 60 back to the source Of all
knowledge. We lind ourselves here in the world
with certa1n infercuccs about u.s. with certain ex-
perienee which we call knoM!cdse. 1innSlnu y
rot now here. At least In this part OF the world,
En- ienorant race. Ne seem TO have got into the
place OF the sudk. to know good and evil. In the
pursnit OF ali knowledge we have ru assume SOME
thing II VIC cannot gain something by assump--
tion and then 60 on, and conc oack u prove "hat
we assumed then We conclude VIC started wrong,
and We abandon the assumption ~ iaase' "a, Al
Vow We assume that we have intelligence 10 lcAa
III in the search, though come time, as race. VIC
mns have been very aSc,ent N many Ems ne 81 ~,
us the capacity of thought, and the quality OF The
mind called renson. We assume, Aad then we have
positive knowledge through investigation, tnat we
str not li4e the brute b.lsa: that Hnr m1nds arc
constituted differently; that we reflect and 1nscs-
tisate, which they do but feebly; and We 20 on to
improve, lay up stores OF knowledge, which We
han*mit to each other and to future generations
1he honcy-bte has probably never Improved in
eel-stsucturc, or in tho flavor OF honey s!ncc IT
Performed its labors in the garden in tle presence
pf Adam. We know TINT VT do not belong 10 inc
lover race Of euimalt: that We are above them
End it is very betting in US to inquire II We nave
rot some alliance with IN ordcr which is
above us. Assuming our plaG: IN, IN the
which have no reason ~ brutes-Te ttyle our
rclres hu,nun with ascending aspirations, md in
defnable 1onginss t. he higher aud better, anu 10
hve beyond The boundary line IN which we Know
ali animals pcrish ~ autumnal f1uit pcr'shcs.
Then LET us, reasonable creatures having reason,
assumc something pertaining to our ofis'i ana ol
the condition Of existence 1or which our Splits
long. Let ue assume the existence Of being who
created all things, and has established moral
world Of which VIC are conscious, and which theEe
no possibility Of being comprehendca os 1le
srdcE Of beings below us. This i to assume tnat
''by searching NC may lnd out God"
All knowledge il the product OF thought. Every
great discovery and invention has Al first been HAT
intangible thing called an idea: Even the Sc"
World was practically hut an idea in the MIND OF
Columbus. He thought it out, end then II ca1nt
forth reality. And it IL by Thought thAt we eli CHI
ind ont God to our own comprehension. Thc
thoughts or the reason which man has, and which
no other animal creature has. are nost properly ~
to work dfst, and by their uwn process, t. search
put the origin OF all things, which woIlh icaM .e
Ihe beginner Of what all see. ana the bcsnn1ns
u ourselves. Tie great minds of tue u'"st scleh.
ddc men cf tue age are now engaged in IN earncs
inquiry ~ to the origin OF the animal num-
shcthcr he n,ade by a 1nieter.strokc OF tl1t
Divine Being creature III liz now il. cntio~ce
With the whole faculty Of reason and susceptible T.
divine Impressions or whether lie has come mp .,
degrees from the insect through the ape anu ba
boon. There ie no real objection to this process
Investigation. We may believe that the lntcllec
md the reason OF nun will carry him safely thEougt
ae insestieation Surely we may as: In's l.ss IT,
lion to ourselves: ''Canst thou by Searching Hit
out man."
ltmay be true, it is not necessary to discuss tn
point, that in total darkness could not ~ an:
process Of his mind gel perception OF tae loea ca .
God. We cannot suppose that any other anin'a
than nan has any intuition OF instinct OF OWN
being But man, in his process Of search: u no
left totally in the dark. tic has clcw la:d lot mn
whereby he may search cut God. Assuming tna
The Divine Icing is such being Us orr reason cai
lot, one Of bsncyoSncc and love as well as lhunlu
IN knowledge and power. He will reveal hlmscit u
some form 10 the rational creatures liz mas haqe
Ne must accept that revelation Tar enough 70 ue
tefminc whether It be a revelation. ana "netnet
be consistent with itself. 1t would he possible 10
h1ationa bci:g from one Of the planets coming I
alt earth If he had such reasoning ana
t5sufties as Nc lave, to make such rc'elatioh
himself aud Of his mission here that VIC mlnt r.
fe!'e them reliable Information, as We lsceas
information which. :xe doubt NOT, is true, Dy ifas
etefs from the interior Of Africa. VIC are u ~
Ibis distinction in mind rs to fescl1
Son Of Divine Being from spirit wofia
.nat be will mike the revelation in chafnctel pet
nnE the Divine Being, and vii! adapt 10 lne conl
Plehelsion of ! finite human being, wlthonL sins
ine the dignity OF His exalted position We nav
~ from nature, snch the perfection OF the pee
sung compared with the most perfect eamotl
needle of mans make; the principle OF love as q
1-Pcfrading divine presence AZ against tue law 9
euslnets between man and nun, that annuf5 COM
oence and demands security: or the inspired Wolf1
u the Lord prayer by the side Of ercn the WIS
instruction Ut Washington to his countE$lnc1l. An
He and that Gud has revealed 1fi4ascll 10 man
atsi , In the early time by direct connnnscatio
vlaily with Him; and in slyinE mankind laws 10
thelr guidance, called the moral law and ~ reveal
mans nature to himself, as he never could have per
eelsed it; in revealing also another state Of exist
enee. which man could have no perception Of With
Ent s revelation; in sending also messenger i
ne person Of His own son, to live in the worl
Win The children OF men to personally teach them
Aiso, in confirmation Of His revelation
glF1ng conscience to every man as guid
and schoolmaster; In giving consciousness
sa nno intuition to men to confirm