The New York herald., 1877-10-13
A PERSONAL GOD.

The Liberal Club OF this city enjoyed last evening
what might be called religious and scsptnc free and
easy The Rev G r. Mccarthy, pastor OF the Amer.
can Free Church. opened the meeting by delivering
lecture on The belief IN nnnite Intelligent and per
sonai God II was announced that At the close OF the
lecture debate would be order, and all who wished
TO dispute the lecturers opinions we're liberty do
80. Mr. Mccarthy was a bold man thus 10 beard ths
lion In MS den for Science Hail. where the lecture took
place, Is the stronghold Of froe thought All the free
thinkers were out IN force last night. They we're
urmisiakabc.
Mr.. Mccarthy spoke at greater iongtn than any OF
his opponents. HIS argument showed the strong.
est orthodoxy, and al! tho powers OF his mind anI
tongue wero brought out support OF the popular be.
lief in living God HIS chief point a. that intsIi-
gcncs could spring from nothing but Intelligence
the infinite, intelligent God-and that Gods ntslli.
sence could not be caused by anything but intssn-
gencs--that Ia. by Hlmseli. Some hold, be said.
'that science Is opposed to religion, and plays
into the hands OF those who deny the
existence OF absolute. intelligent being But how
tuis be when all nature is but revelation OF q
personal being and integenc The objects Of science
must nave been embodied though< before they could
have beon comprebendsd by tho thoughts scientwtA
The scribbings OF child on slate are ncomprehen
sibie because they cmbody no thought; but the ex-
preston Of thouIhtiu book or Ia picture 10 always
intelligible TO thinking The same relation
lungs to tho atmosphere is borne by the soul
To God, 10 whom u turns ~ naturally ~
the beorope to the sun. IL Is reasonable 10 believe
IN personal Infinite Being and irrasions 10 doubt i,s
existence. Let atheism prevail and civilization viii
progress arr Will lose ils ipspiration scsncs
will have no end, religion no Foundation and the
brotherhood Of man NO lasting bend Tue times In
forms that philosophy Is but long way OF spelling
fool ana with that agree. ask n this Driei address
can be overturned argumentstivey, and II any one
VINO wishes 70 oppose II viii provo that he u mol
Ounce he viii do II oy treating the subject In rational
way.
rno next speaker Viewed the matter from differ.
ent sandpoint holding that the bolief In innnite
iotciligcnt ana personal God Is unreasonable and
that there IS mo more necessity Of God out OF ma
lure 10 produce what than thore ID vi \ dfth
wheel 10 coacn. Such God, he said, is irrecon.
cilaoe with the facts Of history and experience. II
there be Goa with the power and tho Will why has
lie not made THIS world OF plenty and peace instead
VI allowing 10 be marked with tho black spots which
tho history of the race display No solution
man Of free thought mounted the stand 10
state that III God started this machine
lthe unvcrsc) perfectly, don't want Him TO run &C.
ana II He didn't He botehed the work. and II no God u
world he added, "He must have lived without eat
Ing, Tor there nothing ~ eat; without smelling
for therc was nothing 10 SMELL and without thinkipg
for there was nothing 10 think about-tiil, Dy
dent lie happened 10 ihlnk OF making .
world.n The speaker then road . letter. ac-
cusing Mr. Mccarthy Of attempting 10 enforce
as S 10 and
peutedly demanded who the letter signed by.
but was ~ laat sencsd by learning that II anony
nous
declared that 'ior TO afhrm the existence OF
personal God and another to deny II IL dogmalisfn,
pure ana simple, tor absolutely know nothing
about II But there 10 nothing IN tho universe which
reveals character such The Jupiter Of the Romans
or the Jehovah Of the Hebrews, there anything
10 nature which reveals ths Character Of their hell"