Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-05-22
BROTHER SWEENEY.
or the Christian Church, on "Religious
Certainties"-"Iheism, or Preef
OF God"
There Can be No Evolution Without
Intolution-Nature Never Con:
tradicts Herself.

The Rev. Geo. w. Sweeney preached on !
Religious Certainties-TheisD, or Proof OF |
. God" on Sunday night, to large audience |
1t the Christian church, who listened at |
entively to the sermon, nesrIy an hour N |
length. We give short sbstrsct. The rev.
srend gentleman said he YVES to preach come
Twelve Sunday evening sermons on themes
Of special interest to the masses OF the Peo-
pie, subjects Of such n.ture as would ever
occupy a prominent place in religious 10
quiry. Such subjects as proofs Of God"
"Who Was Jesus of Nazareth" "The BIBLE
and rs Inspiration" "The Antiquity, Unity
and Diversilies of the Holman Race, ''The
of the Human Nine" MAN
Between Death and the Resurrection, or
Where Are Our Dead?" "What and Where
il Heaven?" "What is He'll? and Is Il End
les.?o "Our Doubts" "Ingersollism,"
"The Atonement," "What is Camp
belIism?" would be the themes for
the next twelve Sunday nights. Tonight /
am 10 presch on atheism" or the doctrine
God and the proofs Of His being
and attributes.
THE GOD IDEA
is the bedrock in religion. All worship and
pr aise and prayer and the hopes and faiths
OF the world stand on this rock. We doubt
q great many things, but il is a certainty"
tn at something lie, therefore, something always
was, or else the something that is came from
nothing. But this cannot be, for 1t would
contradict an automatic certainty" that
there can be no evolution without inyolu-
ton. Something cannot be taken from
nothing. That something, which always
was, either was N after or mind. 1t ia more
reasonable to believe that it was mind than
matter. Mind, tried by the "law of the sur
vivsl of the 6ttest," wss superior 10 matter.
1t can more easily account for matter
than the latter can account Tor mind.
The God-idea came from one OF three pos
sible sources. 1t came either from external
or internal nature or revelation. Either
horn of the trilenma ,nds. The idea within
the realms of reality. Nature within or
without, external or internal, teaches no
falsehoods. And, therefore, if thus taug at,
the idea is a true one and, hence, must In.
here in reality. God is therefore grand
reality. II the Bible doctrine be accepted,
the God-idea is also proclaimed. These
three mouths proclaim the being and
NATURE OF ALMIGHTY GOD.
1t il not claimed in this sermon that the
God idea can be 'comprehended." We
comprehend nothingl We grasp nothing, in
its entirety, from the microscopic molecule
to the telescopic planet. We cannot coHpre-
bend ourselves. We only know things in
in part. We "apprehend" ideas and
never seize anything in all lis nature and
bearings And this is all we claim for the
idea and nature of God. We may apprehend
it-approximate the conception OF his ma
turs. To comprehend the Godides, omni-
science, omnipotepce and omnipre.ence would
be necessary. 1t is Dramatically certain"
there cannot be top without a bottom.
When one is proved the other is proved.
Nor can there be dependence without indie
pendence. There must be an absolute 10
dependence on which all dependencies de-
pend We are automatically certain that
man is a dependent being. We are sxio-
maticslly certain, therefore, that there is an
independent Being. And an independent
Being, you know, Isl
sELF.FXISTENT BEING.
And this is one attribute which We claim
for the God of the Bible-almig htiness L
am omatically Certain" that there is
thought in me. [ am, therefore, thinker.
A thinker is = person. l am, therefore, a
person. | am automatically certain" that
there is thought not in me. / am certain ia at
there is plan in things about me. Things
are made on plan. But plan implies an
idea, and an idea implies thought. The
whole universe was once only in thought,
and when executed material plans came into
being. A thought underlies rose, bird,
lion, man, a globe or the universe. But these
thoughts, l am certain, must have thinker,
for every change must have an adequate
cause" The universe is a thought or con-
tains thoughts.
THERE MUST, THEREFORE. BE THINKER OF
THE UNIVERSE.
And q thinker, we know, is person And
this p,rsonal omuiscience is a second funda
mental attribute claimed by the believer ir
thesm. And we are axiom atically Certain
that man has a moral sense. All meo con
cede that there is right or wrong in things
No one thing can be both right and wrong al
the same time and 10 the same scnse. And
we are equally as certain that man ia adapted
10 the right. Every man owns he ought tc
do right. That it lie right TO do right. Who
can doubt this proposition? 1t is univer
sally conceded. There is, then, a mora
sense of right and an adaptation OF every
man to thi. senee of right. And this adapta
ton constitutes
A MORAL DESIGN.
And this moral design demands a moral de
signer, on the automatic principle that every
change must have an adequate cause. Thers
il therefore q moral designer Of the universe
And He must have a mind TO conceive Hi.
designs and esdom to choose, aud the mora
quality 10 put into His moral designs. He IL
therefore, . person. And this moral qu atty
is third fund amental attributs claimed By
the theistic believers In6uitude ia also
claimed for him. Time, space, and causa-
ton are inf nite ideas. and dem and, there
fore, ininitude 10 which they may inhere.
SCIENCE
on both sides of the Atlantic proclaims sub
stantial unity in things material, menta
and moral. The microscope and speculua
show that all worlds are m ade of the same
substance. 1t is equally true that all truth
unifes, No one truth contraveues another
And this is true OF things in the moral do.
msin. Ali things of the universe co-inhere
Nature never contradic!s Herself. The uni,
verse il, therefore, one thought. And the
axiom that "eyery change must nave an sd
equ.te cause" demands one thinker for the
one thought. And this one thinker is the
mono,hei,m Of The Old and New Testsme mt
Moses and Paul, surrounded on every hand
by polytheism, stood firmly for monotheism
which is confirmed by automatic er,aiDty
and the scientific method. Scientific and
axiomstic certainiies, as well as
REVELATION,
are, then, the cups out of WHICH we may
drink with pleasure the "giad wine" Of
theise! They are the unerIing indices
that point us 20 the God in whom we live
and move and have our being. Hin, Paul
declared to the Ashenians, whom they igno.
rantly worshIpped, and OF whom David said
The heavens declare the glory of God and
the armament showeth His handiwork.
And as the spangles in the sunny rays
Shine round the silver snow, the pageantry
OF heavens bright army glitters in Thy praise
o, Thou Eternal Onci whose presence bright
All space doth occupy, all motion guide:
Unchanged thro' fines all-deyastating fight,
Thou only God There is no god besideI
Being above all beingsl Mighty 0nel
Whom none can comprehend and none explore,
Who flrst existence with Thyself alone
Embracing all, supporting, ruling DER
Being whom we call God, and know no morel
Cool thus alone my lonely thoughts can soar
Thus seek Thy presence, Being wise and good !
Midst Thy vast works. admire, obey, adore
And when the tongue is eloquent no more,
The soul shall speak i'll tears of gratitude"
After the sermon Messrs. McClinock,
Ryan, Hutton, Mrs. Mansford, Mrs. Hiner
and others of the choir sang beautiful song
appropriate TO the sermon. Mr.. Sweeney
then announced that his next Sunday even
Jog subject would be either "Darwinian