, 1876-11-18

telligcnt heart of humanity can bow
down before and worship.
God, then being this perfect Father
iu heaven, what follows 1t is this to
which ask your attention this morning
You have been accustomed. have been
accustomed, all my life, to hear sermons
preached, dwelling with all the power
that men could put into them, on the
obligations Of man to God. propose
this morning to consider the reverse OF
that proposition, and rcvercntly and 10y
ingly to speak Of Gods obligation to
man.
God being this divine, perfect Father,
what ought he to do for humanity Tn
der what kind of obligation does he
stand to us 2 How is he found ? This
thought may be new to many of you.
! Whether or not you have ever heard il
preached upon or seen it suggested any
where in your lives | cannot tell ; GER
tainly never have. 1t may, even. at first
sight, seem to have about it touch Of
irreNerance, to your thinking and you
may feel like saying, "Why, God cannot
be under any obligations to humanity ~
Whether you feel it and believe it ornot,
this idea that God is utterly free from
obligations towards his human children
has been the basis of the theology of
ChrisCndom-thc hasis of most of the
religions of the past of humanity. If /
do not misinterpret the popular thought,
the common idea is that God, being the
source OF right, makes right and wrong
by the mere act Of his will. "Whatevcr
God wills is right whatever he con.
demns is wrong" This has been the
popular thought. In a certain sense il is
true; and yet, as usually accepted and
understood, it has created very dan
5~''"' 'H'''N'h,'P'lOH' vi course Wlat-
ever God wills is right Not because he
wills it, however, but because God can
never will anything that is wrong. By
this do not mean to intimate that there
is standard of law or right outside of
God, to which he must bend; for then
lie were only a sub-deity, and this some
what that was outside and back of him
would really be the God of the universe.
| do not mean this, But I do mean that
God, being the source and the fountain
of right, of truth, of love, of all beauty
and of all good, whatever he wills must
be simply the expression of this uniyer
sal right and love and truth. God can
not, therefore, will anything that is
wrong The misconception to which
refer grew up in the times when the
world was ruled by irresponsible des-
pots. Whatever they chose to think, or
say, or do, there was no man in all the
empire who dared to say them Nay. The
kings will was divine; and the kings
will meant simply the kings caprice
Whatever he chose TO command the M.
tion must do. This was 'the divine right
of kings" to which all nations must
bow. The conception of God of which I
am speaking grew up in those times.
God was to the thought of the world
of that age simply heavenly despot,
making right and wrong by turn of his
finger; choosing to do whatever he
pleased without regard to the claims
that might be made upon him by the
creatures he had brought into existence.
But God is under the highest obliga-
tion to every being in the universe sim
ply to do, to will, to think, and to wish
that which is right. There is popular
idea-I find it everywhere, and am very
much astonished at the want of logic in
it-there is popular idea that it is not
necessary that right and wrong should
be the same thing up in heaven that they
are here on earth. was talking with q
lady, only the other day, and pointing
out to her some of the horrible things
that some parts OF the Old Testament at.
tributed to God; and she admitted at
once that if there was man on the face
OF the earth who was capable of such !
things he would backen his character
and make himself an outcast criminal.
And yet she could not possibly see the
logic that should compel her to accept
this statement that which is wrong for
man IN 1O pnnnnt nnuu;bI,, bo .;,.I. e.