, 1881-03-07


tho thoM9ht u ,hfa hour, "A AEnMtlctRsn. This
Is frun tho Greek word V,,6Isis, cr knowl-
c'ly". Mmi with tho negative particle tncAns
mt knowing, nnd hcnc1 we hnvo
t1Ic term AvnUstio N applied IN those WIN deny
tho possibility uf religious knDWicf1yn, ar who
content themselves by sny1nY Of great religious
doctrines: 3" We don't know; thcro ia no way Of
knowing: Unl mny exist, tho SOUL may bo i'm
ihnrtnl. th0rn may be n honvcn ard 4 he'll. hut
wo don't knDw II; md. not knowing tho fheis,
VIC cannot hlflr1n thoin. neither will WI drny
thom." Thoy abandon tho subject NJ not lying
within tho Deld Vi ettter the known or tho
knpWnble.
The presence md increasing 9rnwlh OF this
AEnostto school OF thinkers IN our day suygcsth
10 US tho extremes md contrasts Ut human
Thought In different ages Of tho wurld. 1icfnro
tic days Of Cbrist, ~ fAr buck eyun as tho daya
ue Alexander tho Great. when TINT conIiicror
subducd Egypt and founded the City OF
Alexandria, we And coming together th1re tho
gcrma Of rnnuy ayste,ns Of thought TAore wcro
tho m'nallnss OF jewish, Exypsian. Pcrsans
nnu Nrecian learning In tho, Alex
nndrlan achnols. And out of those
atrAn4nly mtxod prc.Chrlsttan thoor!os tilero
nros0 about tho timo or Christ, and .lnur1,tct IN
tho carly Christian celtt,trirs, the school, Or
HchOuls rnthor, ut thu tir0sticH, or tho knowing
onns. These thinkers camch superior kruw,.
"l9c, kind ri osDtrrlG eult.iro not known to
~" eo'n"o" p''p'',' VII hnn"aun "Aceut ~
those ihltiatol intu Its mysteries. Tho history
Df thoso suhno!S Is Involved IN Krt,at ol,scriiy,
hut enough Ia known II sIy TINT thoy attempted
to prAppao with tho deepest problems Of hltinii
Thought. They Acnlt with tho question: Of God.
OF ,irat cause, Of TIM origin Of evil ard Of n,ni
destiny. Thoy drew from Ali sources OF ltera.
N"le1.len1."' "te'k' h85 ptH.''' A'iu nauu"ss.'e
-ahd ont or nlt so'1Eht to cufnb1nD svstctn.of
Thought, IN which they conceived Of t'oi MS tho
Absolute. tho llnrdsstvt, and as boux known
HBiy as rrvoulctl through successive Arous aud
ancient 1nost.cs ,ca,ne1 tn kt,ow. This was
nnr Of their pccutInritles; they wcro tho know
lux ones
Tho presence OF those philosophers stimulated,
and oycsi neeesstMted, il degreu Or speculative
Thought in tho Church. Tho Enosttes wcru
ihe he.nand4Or ,hnupht anl to corrcct seeming
errurs tho Church, tO,, essnyel tho tl4k u
ex I'D w q t yrss 1a 5yE t.
The Chnrcn tllElcrDi from tho GHosttcs III this:
tie Church st'uKbt TO be seriptural, To. cxplusn
nceursi with iliGle tcachi,,y.; tho Unosties wero
III tho H,a Eimpiy philosophers; thor rulfctl nl
1nnst wnnly ,,,,'n rsa.sa,, a.,d haa itt!o regard
IN this: hath ch.I,nei I" knuw. n,ld both gnyp
forth tholr facs and rs'aaon.ngs with nil tho con-
this spirit tho Church il, lie seho!ssie axcs went
NJ 70 for,'unu ss faith With gtcnt partIcularty
~, and tho .Atoncncit aud Heaven nnI licil rs
ntlutely and specifically ~ II they hid been
surveying Il tritct Ut land lt,HIyztuE tho uFUT
critics Of Il medical compound. Aud from this
posItvencas thoru grew 1yl nm are Of caey iultn
an nEo uC ready unI large bclIc.s, nni those
came tu DO enforced by EVIL md ecclesustcai
authority.
hut nnother ngc iowned Upon this 1t was
tho nyu IT tho flRoou!a,, philosophy, III, t.gu III
which tho thinking 1T thp world wax ulrrcttd tt,
| tho observation nTll tho study of tho facts or
Nature. From this eatlle ac!ctlce, or tho know
i1H; itut II, II speculative sse hi, from c4ppr-
i,1len1 anu demonstration Hut still tho great
questions oC God md the origin OF thInes, tho
.ltlcs tlons Of the spi,l ami Of rttHl au evil cor
tlnucsl to challenge invsstgntion; but tho IT,
ycstigauon hAa Ieti TO very dltiersni results. CO.
pecny Ill the huud. Of n,Auy philosophers, 40.
custuinea u exnct methods and tho t,ipYt r!xId
| nunlysa anu pro0f III material things thoso
philosophers OF tho material rrnlM having
sought 10 look Into ttc Wi,r Uf sprIt ul,d OF ID
md tho future colE,t buck With worry different
rppust from t4At uf thg fl1tsttc1 Ylloy tlrc no
! kL,,winH oues, but are rcudy To confcs. that
they kiiow nothing ut all abont those great suit.
! jcris, And III this We sec tho atruuKo Working
III tho hunlnH mind In onp t.s il knowa every.
th4 Or th3,ks it does. III another It ytIys 1--WE
| kntiW nuttl!uv Mt ,,it al,u,lt thcsu ttluRs.'
Another f.ct OF Interest 10 thnso Who cnrc to
Kcuorult2e broadly md who nru Interested In
BltiyinV tho course DF Thought ii, the Church Il
found Ii Whit iIlny bo cpllui tho hnlf-war uosi-
lion Of nlunv 0f tbn religious thiftkcrS III nur