The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-03-19
IN. 7. Herald, l1th inst.
SACRED LESSONS.
Truly Religious Men Are Truly
Wise Men,
CHURCH OF THE DISCIPLE!
Belief in God--Sermon by Rey. DIR,
& HepwOl tn.

Belief in God--SermOn by Rey. DIR.
HepwOl tn.
DR.. Hepworth preached yesterday
morning in the Church of the Disciples,
Madison avenue, to very large con
gregation on belief in God. He select
ed for his text the first verse Of the first
chapter of the book of Genesis :: "In
the beginning God" When the great
philosopher Epicurus was boy he stay
ed at little village near Athens. One
day he heard his teacher reading pas.
sage to this effect, "All things are from
chaos" The boy looked into the face
of his teacher and puzzled him by say
ing, "Whence cometh chaos ?" The
same question is asked in every genera
ton. We have all struggled with that
difficult problem, said the preacher. 1t
| is seldom more than half solved by US
because we are soon distracted by the
magnetic destinations Of practical life,
and then we let it slip from our intel
lectual hold. There are supreme mo-
ments, however, in every mans life when
he looks at the earth beneath his feet In
mystiied wonder, and then gazes into
infinite space to catch sight OF the
golden dust that God has sprinkled In
the sphere Of the heavens, and is then
startled with these three terrible ques.
tions-Whencep Whys and How2
WHENCE CAME THE woRLDp
Physical science has attempted to ans
wer the first observation-disclosures came
the worldp But its results up to the
present moment are not wholly satisfac.
tory. If the scientist has the question
he answers at once that it came from
God. II, on the other hand, the mate.
rialist is asked the question, he points
to the changes that have occurred in
matter through all the geological ages,
and then he gazes at the fiery nebul@ in
the sky, bounded with an infnitude ol
creation that tits impossible for him to
understand, and he stops there. The
second question-Why does the earth
exist ?-is not problem of science, bpi
of philosophy. That is question it is
utterly impossible to settle on the ground
of materialism. Why this earth, with
Its clouds above our head, was brought
into existence neither you nor can ev-
er tell. The third question-How the
world came into existence 2-is still
more subtle, and towers away beyond
our reach. 1t is one Of those locked
mysteries, the golden key of which has
mot yet been discovered.
| CAN WE KNOW ANYTHING OF GOD?
There Is certain class sof men wht
would persuade you that we can know
nothing of God. They are not origina
in this remark. If you have read you
Old Testament with care you will recol
lect the fact that Zophar said to Job =
"Cans't thou by searching find ou
Godp" 1t is utterly impossible, o
course, for the finite to fill the circum
ference of the infinite. Yet we shoult
be very careful not to exaggerate ou
Inability in this direction. When Her
bert Spencer said that we cannot ever
know God is, and that at the best WI
cannot know anything about God ex
lcept in far off way, then mans hear
rebels against the statement, and tn,
testimony of the ages bears evidence
that it is not truth. There have heel
moments in your life and mine whel
through the mists We have seen the fin
ger tips of the hand far reached out tt
help us; in our better moments hay
seen the arm and behind the arm tn
person, and within that person the hear
of love. 1t is that glimpse that has en-
abled US to bear our burdens more pa
tiently. l want to say to you that tn
easiest way and the way most in accor
with the scientific method is to accoun
for the existence of the universe by wa
of design, for that always proves a d.
signer. That is the only thing ask 20
to concede, and if you concede me tina
, then we may kneel before the same alte
and offer our incense to the same Fathe
( You remember some years ago that ther
was great contention is to the antiquit
Of man; this was greatly encouraged b
the discovery Of stones with arro'
heads, and it was argued that man ws
here because of the arrow heads.
you say that IL is proof that man ez
g lists because of these arrow heads I as
0 you to concede to me the proof th'
: God exists because creation unfolds
v plan.
9 DR.. Hepworth elaborated this thougl
by number of illustrations drawn fro
T nature and history, and closed with
< very eloquent description of the joy af
blessedness of the hope Of immort
life.