The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-14
GIre TsEeIErdetrer.
IsIife worm Lfyiurf.

cIOss Of Rev. Dr.. Thonas' sermon IN chicso las
sunday. =
II have with any degree OF accuracy
succeeded in setting forth the facts in the
case, or have at all rightly discerned the
issues that confront our age, It needs no
argument to convince any thoughtful
mind that these issues are truly moment
Gus. And the vast interest centres in this:
That the character Of the doubt and unbe-
Lief now coming upon US Is. such that
when fully set in, and really comprehend.
ed, Il must radically affect mems views
upon the questions Of morality and the
value Of lie. This Is the burden Of Mr..
Malloek's book. Inthe presence Of these
incoming doubts, he may well ask, "Is
life worth living?p And the sub
stance Of his book-save few Of the last
pages-is TO show that the denial OF God,
Of spirit, Of immortality, takes away ali
the old foundations on which the ages
have rested, and leaves morality and life
TO seek for something new upon which to
stand. And he argues, and I think Justly,
that II the old foundations Of God and q
future life are taken away morality has
no real basis, and life has no sufficient
explanation; no point at which It can as
serti It's value or lis end. There IL nothing
particularly new in Mr.. Mallock's argu.
ments; the thinking world has been Ia
miliar with such reasonings; but there is a
special timeliness and appropriateness
in these thoughts now. And they
bear with great force upon the
materialistic tendencies OF our times; they
point out the logical result Of the material
philosophy. Il is TO take away that on
which morality and the value Of life have
all along rested. They have rested upon
belief in God, and in q future world.
And the question Mr.. Mallock presses
upon the whole school OF materialists and
positivists Is, What do they propose to
give Us in the place OF these old founda-
tons? With the thought Of living God,
morality Is made sure in It's foundations.
Il Is built upon His eternal justice and |
goodness. disappointment in His laws; and |
the whole OF history and life find their |
highest Interpretation In the fact that the |
world Is ruled for righteousness. But
take this thought away, and what Is left as
q basis for conduct or righteousness? Is
1t the useful, or the pleasing, or the true,
or the beautiful-or what? II there be
no living God, on what do those princi-
Piles rest? And TO what law shall we ap-
peal? Where Is the standard2 Shall Il
be In each ones sense Of the useful, or
the pleasing-or where? II there be no
God, no law of7righteouaness, where Is
the sense OF obligation to rest? Where
shall Fought" and fought mott get their
commanding power2 And II there be no
assurance Of life beyond, what Is to sup
port mankind under the burdens they
have to bear hereP Where is the compen-
sation for losses and sorrowsr Why should
not mankind end life whenever Il has, or
It Is thought TO have, more misery than sat
isfaction? These are the questions that
must confront our age as Ii holds up Its
hands and gladly rushes into the cold en-
braoe Of goddess and soulless material
ism. The full effect OF such q philosophy,
OF such radical moving away from the
old foundations, Is not preceiyed, even In
thought, at first, and the practical result
upon the character OF the people can not
be estimated in the beginning OF such
reign OF unbelief. Il takes time for the
the age TO driltawey from the
old ideas and principles. Those who are
crowding their ideas to the front in our
day arc themselves the children Of o Chris.
tan civilization. Harriet Martineau and
Mil, and others Of their lofty type, might
live in world Of distractions or mega.
tiyes. But what will be the influence Of
such negatives ppon the great masses Of
Europe and America-the nssses who live
largely in their appetites and passions, and
are already only TOO FESTIVE under all ideas
Of law or restraint? These are the ques.
tons that confront our age. And having
thus stated some OF tho graye aspects Of
tho religious thought OF our time, I mast
here leave the subject toranother Sabbath.