The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-20
Practical Certainty in Religion.


THERE is difference between prac-
tical certainty and positive or demon
stratlve certainty. In the latter case
all possibility of the contrary is ex-
cluded in the former, it is not. We
follow out mathematical proof, and
we are positively certain. We are in
formed of fact. and we are practically
certain of it.
Now, we know ten things practically
where we know one positively. Weknow
positively scarce anything, except some
things that we have actually seen or
have Mechanically proved. Even
what we see we may misapprehend, and
what we have seen our memory may
treacherously record. An error may
Turk even in our mathematics. II is
not every mind that can attain the GER
tainty of Professor Pierce. After Le-
verrier had computed the place in the
heavens of the missing planet, and the
telescope had found it at the very spot
predicted, Professor Pierce found that
Leverrier's calculation was an error and
that the discovery of Neptune was an
accident. A friend told the Professor
that he hoped he would not publish his
conclusion, because it was exceedingly
improbable that the coincidence could be
accidental. eft is more improbable, ;"
said Professor Pierce, "that my calcu-
lation should be wrong.n For most
things we are abundantly content with
practical certainty. Whatever we learn
because we have been told-history,
geography, science whatever we read,
whatever we hear, we believe on prob
able evidence, on evidence that satisfies
US enough to live by it, even though it
be not complete. Ii the evidence pre-
ponderates, we trust it. We do all our
business on it. We imprison men, we
hang men on nothing better than prob
able evidence.
And yet, in religion men ask sign
from Heaven. If they cannot see, like
Thomas, the print of the nails, they
will not believe. But the practical evil
dence should be enough; and the prac-
tical evidence should be the preponder-
ating evidence, even though not COM
pletely conclusive to us. You cannot
see God, to be sure; but, on the whole,
when you look at Nature about you,
when you look at the demands of your
own nature, when you think what the
great and good of all ages have be-
lieved, does it not look probable to YOU
that there is God? Then act on that
evidence. 1t is practical certainty
that there is a God. Worship Him.
Obey Him. Love Him.
You have never seen Christ. You
have never even seen and heard the
men that saw Him when He was in the
world. You may not have the certain
ty that the record of Him is all true and
that you must believe everything YOU
find written in the Bible. What of that?
Ii you have not demonstrative certainty,
have you not practical certainty? If
you cannot quite read the Bible as one
infallible record, then read it as sixty
SIX fallible books, by you don't know
how many writers-just as you would
read Tacitus, or Xenophon, or Macau-
lay, or Bancroft-and tell us what you
learn. Let it be, if you please, as falli-
BILE as the contradictory evidence which
twelve very common men take with
them into the jury-box. which they sift
just as common folks do, and on which
you hang a man or acquit him. You
read the history, and you find, by
similar evidence to that which con-
vinces a jury, that Jesus Christ
lived and taught and suffered and
died. All this is so certain that
no man living denies it. The same evil
dence exactly tells you that He wrought
miracles and that He rose from the
dead. Is not the certainty practical, if
not demonstrative? At least, is not the
evidence preponderating and the con-
clusion probable? If so, do not wait to
make it absolute. Do not complain be-
cause you may think you find errors in
the Bible. So there were errors in the
testimony on which the jury hanged
Chastine Cox. You can find out. with
all practical certainty, what Jesus
taught, what His disciples taught Go
and learn, and then let the practical
certainty control you. If the Great
Teacher commands repentance. CON
secration to God. trust in the Father
and His Son, and your own conscience
cries Amen then repent, consecrate
yourself, believe. Do not wait for UNI
necessary demonstration. Were Won to
wait for absolute certainty in this world,
you would starve. You don't know abb
solutely that the sun will rise tomorrow.
Had you absolute certainty that every
word in the Bible was infallibly true,
yet your translation is fallible, your
faculties, that must interpret it, are
fallible. All you need, all God or
Nature gives any man for ordinary or
religious guidance, is practical as
surance. That is enough. That you
have. There is God. There is a
Savior The Bible contains His rev
elation: Only through the one way
of service of God can Won be saund