The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-16
Ills Existence.

Ing the case, IL must Oc evident, 10 any
rejecting mind, that SO much is involved
in this question that it is by far the most
important inquiry that can be presented
to us. BY far the greater number of the
human family believe there is God,
and render 10 him some sort of alteration
and worship. This has always been the
case and, perhaps, always will be so. In
all ages there have been a few individ-
uals who have, in words, at least, denied
the existence ola God. Such persons are
called atheists. Practical atheists always
have been numerous and practical athe-
ism common. 1t has been the prevail
ing opinion that those who say they are
atheists are not, in fact, what they say
they are.
It is manifest that it is the duty of
each member of the human family to be
satisfied, upon good and reliable evidence,
whether there is God or not Of those
who profess to believe in the existence of
a God, many, no doubt, have never in
vestigated the subject. They have SIM
ply assented to what others have stated
to them. In this they have exhibited
great credulity, but not much wisdom.
The existence of a Supreme Being is a
matter of too much Importance to be
treated so lightly.
That there is a God may be inferred
from the existence of the universe.
With regard to the vast universe, part
of which constantly comes under our OBJ
servation, and part of which each one
of the human family is, it may be remark
ed that it either created itself, is self
existent or was created. 1t will hardly
be claimed that the world created itself.
Ifso, we may conclude that at some Pc
riod it did not exist-it was a nonentity;
yet when it was not, it had creative pow
era power sufficient to produce itself.
Such reasoning is too absurd to be accept
ed as correct by any sane mind. To
say that q thing could create itself, is
the same thing as to say that thing
is and is not at the same time.
1t is little, if airy, less absurd to say that
the universe always existed, and existed
in and of itself, or is self-existent. To
suppose that the universe is self.existent
is to suppose that it possesses one of the
incommunicable attributes of q Supreme
Being. If the universe is self-existent,
then it is not under the control of laws
outside of itself. Self-existence includes
absolute independence. This is contra
ry to facts. We see that every portion of
the universe which comes under our OBJ
servation is controlled by laws which nei-
ther originate in it nor reside in it. Ev-
cry one of us is conscious that we are
controlled by laws over which we have
no control. These laws do not reside in
US; they are lodged in some one out
side of US. We may safely conclude that
the universe neither made itself nor is
eternal in its being. 1t had a beginni E,
and consequently was, ut some period,
it matters not when, created. 1fcreated,
then it had creator, and that creator was
God-the Supreme Being.
Another proof of the existence ofa Su-
preme Being, is the marks of design
which are manifest in all things. No
one will deny that there are evidences of
design in the universe. We see design
in the animal kingdom. Some animals
are designed to live on the land; others in
the air; others in the water, and some
animals are fitted to live either in the
water or on the land. The same is true
concerning the vegetable kingdom.
Some vegetables are designed for trop-
ical climes, while others flourish only in
temperate ATTITUDES. In those regions
where the apple natures to perfection,
the orange will not bear. Wheat will
not reproduce itself in equatorial regions.
It is manifest that the animals and veg
etables are adapted to the places where
they are found.
Manifestations of design are seen in
the bark and leaves of trees in the stalks
of grass; in the coverings and teeth of
animals, and the very structure of the
earth itself. Ifthere is evidence of de-
sign, it is clearly evidence of designer.
Who, then, designed all these things?
The only satisfactory answer is God. 1t
is vain to say that nature designed all
things, for we may ask what is nature?
The harmony which is seen in the uni
verse is another proof of Supreme Be-
ing. This harmony is so great that
amongst all the parts which enter into
the vast whole, there is not the least con.
hict. This earth on which we live and
in whose bosom we are soon to find our
long home, has two motions. The one is
called the daily and the other the year
w. The daily is its revolution OIL its
own axis. This takes place every twenty
four hours and produces night and day.
The circumference of earth at the equa-
tor. is more than twenty-five thousand
miles; hence at the equator the earth
moves at the rate of more than one thou
sand miles each hour. Think, for one
moment, of locomotive moving at the
rate of one thousand miles an hour!
This would be more than sixteen miles
per minute. Such q train would be
heard by the inhabitants of the whole
region through which it would pass.
No human being could act as its engi-
neer. But great as is this speed of the
earth in its daily motion, what is it
when compared with that in its annual
revolution round the sun. In every
three hundred and sixty-five and one
fourth days, the earth makes circuit
round the sun. This annual revolution
causes the change of seasons. The dis
tance passed over is six hundred millions
of miles! What distance! The mind
can form no clear idea of what it means.
Six hundred millions of miles per year,
would be at the rate of eighteen miles
per second; or sixty-four thousand eight
hundred miles per hour. This is sufii-
cient to startle US but we need not fear,
for astronomers tell US that the earth has
not varied in its revolutions the one
hundredth part of a second in two thou
sand years. 1t has never come in con-
tact with any other portion of the uni
verse, nor has any other part come in
contact with it. Perfect harmony pre-
walls. We neither feel jar nor hear
any sound.
! The child's little toy-wagon, when
rolled over the nursery floor makes more
noise than the revolutions of this ponder
Gus earth.
, If there is not a Supreme Being, who