The New York herald., 1878-10-07
ALL SOULS CHURCH.

THE UNKNOWN IN RELIGIoN-sERMoN BY
The REV. DR. II. W. BELLOWS.
The Rev. DR.. Henry W. Bellows preached in All
souls Church, FiitL avenue, from the text, III.
Corinthians, vi, GAS unknown and yet known"
The Doctor saia tncrc Is notniug more pathetic and
sublime than the questlui ignorance In winch Lu-
maIity is compelled 10 pass IT'S whole existence.
Gifted with Intelligence and burninc with curiosity,
capable Of reasoning and Of know ledge, never sat-
isncs lis irst truth only the more
conscious Of It's ignorance the larger sstannents
ana POSSESSIONS. Tho more II knows tho more it
discovers how little is knows; tue wider II presses
out It's circle ol knowledge thu more poiuts IL
touches that border upon ne~ nysterie The nisesL
man on earth s tue ua1 Who has stiii The greatest
number oil unanswered questions. True he nas also
the greatest number Of answered oncs. He knows
most bu. more oil his ignorance than OF his
kuo~ieuge. be 10 a thousand t,mes more over
wneiuca with the mystery oi mo heavens than the
IL Is Just As oil moral and religious knowledge
OF pnysics--tne more We know the more conscious
We vt wDat .c DO nci KNOW. How pure,
good and holy Bong Of ilhnite wisdom and love
originate or allow tne very beginning OF
race that wss 10 bring suca misery on
itselt ana sdcn anguish his best beloved
Soo---nay His own veiy sel-suis was 100 remote
question to disturb the mInd OF The sounaers Vi our
religious hIVratufe hen whose tastes aud conduct
are emin.nty pure and r.verontIa who could as we'll
afford 10 De judged W God as Tho most Dcieving
SAINTS seriously doubting the CONSCIOUSNESS, tue
anu even the personality OF supreme be-
ing. They acknowledge Inc existence OF suuIne and
ship offering pirsona proectiOn tbcy tell us they
cannot proclaim with any confidence, much less with
any certtude.
VINO knows, In the lace OF modern science, whether
tho miracles atriDuted TO Jesus are literally true
not; wDetner his alleged supernatural b,rth was
TACT no; how eariy tho Gospel accounis we're writ
ana by whom; what vaiua TO attach 10 tho letter
the sorptures what Is the precise truth about IN
spraop, and wnat ~ the exact meaning aud plan vi
reveatisnf For church councils ana creed sea-
lied these tnings IN accordance with preconCeived
theories. No DOUBT, no speculation, no Tree argu-
ment was allowed. This was the cause oil countless
wars, Of Wholesale murders OF an hypocrisy that
cannot be sounded, VI a hurtiui undervaiuatioo OF
lite and civilization, Of socla progress ana the well
Deng oil The masses oi our common humanity.
CHRISTIANITY ITS MERITS.
Christianity needs no such projection. IL STANDS
merits, and II It's merits had not Deen greater
tnan It's oInciai trends have REPRESENTED tnem II
would not have century OF nie lett IN IL III were
responsible ior the character OF the God OF wrath aud
pariaiiy, OF caprice and Jealousy-a God hating and
cursiDg al those born abo lated not TO know HIN
The Goa whom they have paced at tho head OF the
cruel aud incredbis system which CALVIN formazcd,
wouid go tue way OF othcr outgfown and tentative
OF religion aud be swept out 0s human Deiei
We know that GOd love, bt cause any god less
than God oil love could have our reverence and
troe worship; because we know that the only Bang
tnat Kci,l HIS permanent hoId on the coundcncs
ana reverence oi tho world was love iDcarnatel