The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-26

measure the quality of thanksgiving is in exact
relation to the conception have of God as
nearer to us than our own hearts, everywhere
and ever-present guarding the fall of sparrow,
marking the baby's teardrop, dwelling with the
rising sun, or on some distant throne; dwelling
from the world apart, simply as some great
unknown
In discussing the two conditions of God il
every age-the philosophical or the abstract
conception and practical-Mr. McNatt said:
when we examine the conception of God
which is held to-day, we find that we have the
abstract conception complete enough What we
lack Is the practical, religious. poetical inter-
probation of the works and providences of God
The reason for this is found in the skeptical
trend of the last two centuries. Beginning with
the eighteenth century, with the renewed actlv-
ity of the human mind. the effort has been per-
sistent. if possible to exclude God from the
universe. No efforts have been spared, and men
have followed on with zeal and inspiration an
equaled by religious bigotry. in their determine
ton and expectation that they should find the
mechanism for this universe perfect that men
would accept the theory of perpetual
motion, and believe in machine
without machinist The rocks
have been quarried from their ancient
homes in the hills. The depths of the sea have
been ransacked. The very stones themselves
have been cornered and ross-questioned by the
microscope IN search of the last link OF evidence
that would exclude God from the world Along
with this skeptical tendency of science there has
been such wonderful growth of inventions, ex
tensions of commercial activity, the mind has
been turned away from distinctly religious con-
ceptions until the age has become thoroughly
materialistic and largely atheistic. Even pro-
fessed followers of Jehovah, as revealed in
Christ are occupied in their thoughts of bust
ness that Jehovah is only Sunday God Poll
tics business education. all absorb the interests
of the mind until God is left out. But If
the heavens do show the glory of God. and the
armament doth show His handiwork, and yet the
he avens are studied and the armament also,
without reference to, or thought of Coo, then
these very things which are the voices of I ID
being shut out. the result is practical atheism.
ut is not sufficient to say that the Bible is SIM
ply excluded from schools; this is almost a mi
nor matter as compared with the fact that the
schools at work with those branches of rat
ure which are the very present revelation of
God. If the heavens declare the glory of God
and you teach astronomy as simply so many
planets and stars, and distances and orbts-sim-
ply that and nothing more-the ultimate effect
upon the mind of that pupil is to exclude utterly
the thought of God from those things. For
what are discovered? The word itself is sug
eestive. The discovery is simply the uncover
ing of what already exists. Columbus did not
invent America. Kepler did not invent his three
great laws. Euclid did not invent the properties
of lines surfaces and solids. Newton did not
invent gravitation. Agassiz, Tyndall Huxley,
Spencer have never invented any laws or prop
critics of nature. They have discovered many
things They have uncovered, now in the rocks
now in atoms, now in every realm of natural
science the footsteps of God, and have said these
footsteps made themselves. Here, il we turn
from the world of nature to the moral govern
ment Of the universe, we will find as vast differ
enee. The President may take the oath of Office
on the Bible, and Congress may be formally
opened by the prayer of a chaplain, but prac
tcally there is very little of God in the popular
conception of politics
Suppose we take this morning the Hebrews
conception of God and call David with his Tyre
to come to-day and look upon life we may
it, Let US go with him to some great observa-
tory. He puts his eye to the telescope, and as it
sweeps the heavens, bringing into view million
worlds his eye had never seen the harp begins
to rnurmur: The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the armament showeth His handi-
work Then we go with him to the signal serv
ice, where the message of the storm came in
the storms own langnage-rain-hail-sl
cold-ice to morrow. We can hear him murrlur
again: Yea, the snow and ice have father
When some mighty storm sweeps over the land
leveling the forest and scattering the cities be.
fore them, we can hear him say: He bound the
heavens and came down and did ride upon the
wings of the wind And as we look back
over the history of our own Nation, and
tell him the story of Washington and
his little band; the story of the Pill
grim Fathers; the story of the early
beasts and savages: as we read over again the
pages of the story of the great war and show
him four million shackles broken and thrown
away another Israel lead out of Egypt, can
hear him say: Give ear, o God of Jacob, thou
that leadest Joseph like a flock. thou that
dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth
And then we travel with him from the shores of
Lake Michigan. along the great waters of the
Ohio, up and down the valleys of the Wabash,
whore the golden harvests are waving, and see
two million people sow the seed and gather
the harvests, show him the countless f1ocks and
herds. Again he takes up his harp and sweeps
the chords. The pastures clothed with
fiocks; the valleys also are covered over with
corn; they shout for joy; they also sing Then,
as the day set apart by the Nation breaks, you
can see him in the early morn more taking
up the harp as he says: was glad when they
said unto me. let us 60 into the house of the
Lord. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving
and into His courts with praise. For the Lord
is good, and His mercy is everlasting"