Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-24
AGNosTIc,sM VS.. FAITH.

XOr0 UnO ITlnGlpx0 OF TA1vn-1N0 CnTl0s
tian Doctrine.
Agnostics object to Christianity be-
cause it is a system of faith in that
which is mysterious and unkpowable.
They profess to believe only as far as
they know, and rely for knowledge on
logical demonstration and evidence that
addresses itself to the senses. They
deny the validity of faith as ground of
rational conviction, and look upon
those who walk by faith and not by
sight as deluded fanatics and enthusi-
asts whose delusion is quite harmless,
and in some respects even beneficent
and helpful. christian faith," they
say, 'is a very cheerful and comfort
ing thing to have-a pleasant dream
which helps the dreamer over many
hard places in life, and is a solace in
DEATH" They nevertheless regard it
as a delusion, and those who have fall
en- into it as the victims of a sort of
mild lunacy, to be treated with a
friendly pity and federation, such as we
extend to weak-minded lobbyists and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
1t is worth while to inquire who are
the o consistent and rational-those
who acknowledge the utility and relia-
bility OF faith, or those who profess to
accept nothing on its testimony. and
claim to be agnostics, know-nothings
concerning everything that does not
come within the range of sense-percep-
ton and logical demonstration. In the
first place, this profession, if it were
universally reduced to practice, would
result in the destruction of all faith, be-
lief and believing, and make the words
themselves useless. The man who says
he believes only what he knows and
understands is guilty of o solecism.
knowledge excludes faith; and if we
are to accept nothing but what we
know to be true, there would be no
need Of faith.
In point of fact, however. this pro-
tessed distrust of faith is v coined
into practice. The agnostic who SAYS
he does not believe anything that is
mysterious, incomprehensible, or un-
known to him, is either deceived or try
ing to deceive. He believes q multi
tude of truths which be can not prove
OF comprehend. He is as dependent
upon faith as he is upon reason. He
can not advance a single step without
faith. The primary truths and first
principles which science and philosophy
assume as the bases of their research
are matters of faith. What is the
chaotic dust with which evolution starts
bat q postulate of faith? Indeed, the
Whole system is as yet more a matter of
faith, or credulity, than of demonstra-
ton. In practical affairs, men are
forced to believe what they do lot
understand, and to act upon faith alone.
IN the most important oncerns of life.
There are mysteries in nature, in every
blade of grass, in the smallest insect, in,
the body and in the soul of man. as.
great as those in religion; and it is
neither consistent Tor rational to, be.
lieve the former and refuse TO believe
the latter: Mystery is no bar to faith:
it is in the realm of mystery that faith
is needed. Faith stops only at the
manifestly irrational and impossible. A
doctrine or fact of revelation NAV he
mysterious and incomprehensible to
human reason, and yet not be irrational
or impossible.
1t is the office of Christian faith IN
convince men OF truths that are above
human reason. The ground of this
faith is the testimony Of Gods word.
and the conviction it produces may be
just as reliable and rational as that
produced by demonstration. We NAV.
DC as firmly convinced on the TESTIMONY
or INSTRUCTORS and textbooks of y fact
OF science or mathematics before as
after we have demonstrated it. The
only question is as to the validity Of
the testimony. The Bible is se%lf-eyi-
dcnclngg and sufficient authority for all
the truths it reveals, and the conyiction
produced by faith in its testimony is a.
satisfactory as that resulting from,
logical proof or sensible evidence. IL
there be any odds, it is in favor Of
scripture testimony; for human reason
is fallihle, and the evidence Of 't tSa
senses is sometimes deceptive.
Moreover, faith in Christianity ,o,a.
TO az experience of its truth. All TVS
doctrines demonstrated by Christian ox'
peronce were at first only oh;an,s ~ a.
faith. Justification, regeneration 0 sIoo u
0 and the other benefits, of The atonp
ment offered to the faith Il h%e)iavcr rs' asS
an Notifications of that faith, Th are
"thlnES hoped fog AND no, c,or h".