, 1877-01-29
pROVIDENCES,
L I
GESEHAL AND arEcIAL-sEikMGN ny TIE nj

GENEHAL AED arEcIAL-sEtkM0H nj THE REV.
". II. RIDER, D. D.
The Rev. ". II, Ryder, pastor Of 81. paul's
Cniycrsulist Church, on Michigan avcnuc, near
Sixteenth street, yesterday Hornlng preached
The followitr. Interesting sermon on "Gcncral
anil Special rrovidcnces," taking As his text:
Fur whether wo liva, wo Hive INTO The Lus'; and
whether wa die. we ulc Ntltp the L0rd; whether
We I.se, therefore, or die, We arc the Lords
H0MuHs, rit., u.
md SPECIAL provldcnees. But what .lu | mean
by tlirse tcrma, general untl special prosl-
tlrnecsl Whit Is u pruv,lenc.i i-lnl When VIZ
say providence IL specIal, wllat DOES our Ian
gIHlgc inplyf
lined TO &c The care md snprrIntet.'lcncc whlrh
lie exercises nvCr Ills creatures II we limit thls
supcrintcndcnco to u general oversight, W. aava
tho doctrine OF general providence; II VI con.
ecJc that tIis euperlntrMlcnec entcrs ihtn lhn
particulars Of ll.r. and In ouc forn! and another
touches a!r duly experiences. tllcn NC acrept
Lie theory Of spc2'al ntosldcavcs.,
Before, Aoweyrr, We can ntcl!lgcntty answer
the question NJ to whether there arc special
haze clearly defined opinion us to .o fact ol
general prnvtlrHtcI. III oti!er words. VIC ln,lst
decide wlcthrr there Is Property auy s,lcl, rcla.
tlon ot GnI IL Ills creatures us iuelllrs the nae
OF the wnrtl Providence vt uIi. For II VT as-
ausl,c hat tie has no artiyc, personal control
ovur HIS Great urcs there Ia really no room In our
thought fur sr,rcI4i pfuvi,!cnces, sine We thus
shut out, NIL e''nerrp1Inus Of providence of all
ence ' To- 10 thu level Of ln"x"rasto inv,
What We call "natural law" is nut
psuyidcntin inl care. Providence lmnlIes oscr-
slight, artlyc anil direct .Superyts!oI,., The law
o the household Is no: the troyidtntsa tnrc Of
the noltaeho!I, bit co1lstAts In that patient
wateltfuncss and personal Interest that works
both through tile law, and independent ot It.
Doe. Guyi ,aIe any such ,aat]cnt Interest In His
n
ra,!, one ot His great .a,nyt-an't is lie, III tho
u.c Ut ycrant ra,.,es, both through tie Laws TT
| nature n'ni tnacncntlriit u thcm,, working
toward the ono luylri4hle result wlri.
1t VIC answer these H1cs tious In tho affirmative,
VII accept the doctrlEe OF genera! providence,
aud, II of a general providence, probably Ut j
particular pruflacuce, bccatise the gcueral con-
ststs I'll particulars.
n. OF, the other hand, We deny this conception,
of l!Ic in,n,Antncc Of God tn lunanty anl con.
aire ullr ru,e utterly separated rn.n any Ifrsnnal
rrl.tions with lli,. thcn VIC substantially deny
that there is any rror:dcIre oyrr us ut al any
Inure than there Ia over inanisnatc lnattcr.
There WAS time when The tl,eury Of special
froylslr1rcs was applied to almost every cvcl,,
VI life; 10 nearly ali tLc pl'enulcna Of ,laturtt
aud especially to ail thuse tscuts wl!ftal the
rrasou could not readily explain In crrry
community ln this country, particularly amonE
the roloreh pcupic ami the inwer Irish, the
same feeling IA cxtant non. We rail them su-
| pcrstitluns.
hut among the cluched there has been
4 remarkable change In belief and fcrint,
Authority has given way to Inquiry, aud cr':
dlH!sy to inycatigatlou. The word Ut the read
| in. classes to-day III, Stcnrc.
Bit Is not tbs prcseat view % innrli nn cx
| tItIDt As Ac 0thert " It NOT rebound frHli
h!tnt faith Into an assumption ot knowrag,
whi.h the fats tso l,ut ,uslElyt VI know mUr,
of nature than our fathers, this generation hit
| q nlure accurate conception I'll NATURE! rhenum
cH4 that phtailletl tclurc thc ndu tlfr phllus
| Upi.y VI Ulcun, but what thcni Have We "
thoroughly mustered tue sublr1t that We ar,
Justified IN settling .lsilc tic teaching Vt OH
moral aud religious lnai!ncts anti the vetdict o.
| human Gxrcficuut1
Yllr decision uf the reason sccnls to lie on tn
| siLc u inc1ora!tc law. Log!r. by 1t-etl, seem,
| to tor:c lis 10 tbs conclusion that nothil4 tha
tnan eun do Dr say eaN make any impression
whatever upon the mind ol Gu4; Prayer ha;
III otee. Miracles ule impossible. We con
and W. 20 without any agrlsey Of nurs, All {
law; all Is iutc. Gui'a plan ID perfest; iacr
| Is, theEci. r., M rum fur variation.
Bat this eonecptoA oi Gol and OF ~
goye1umcus.-.t government tan be .pruli
Gated Oh suth I stute Ot thn9s,-rlgfdly aIl
lercl u, transforms tnan fruln living, re,poll
s.lp trfus into i mere MACHINE, aud c,,ds al
u!svuss:Un Us tu his freedom. And II tic has ~
ftce..un,, II h!4 will IL also governed nY til.
supreme vii of God 80 that lie dots not thin
and act for liiInsclf ana OF hi. own cloicc, then
oisoarse, there Ia uo resp ;nsibi!ity.
rsason Is false il It ASSERT liz
contrary. HmnaM nature attests thr IA. tha
we arr responsible both tu GuI and to Que III,
other iur our tonlu-t. We kuow that thcre Is
1lss,nstipn Getmeen right aud wropg,-that Cet
tain ucttons have III tAcn moral Qual ties, ana
| WhifM y IN fqa