Wichita eagle., 1888-01-05

of nature" But. according to his own
/ statement Revelation has no place with
in the sciences, (p 33). Hence his argu-
ment that religious doctrines must be
'.stated in terms of the rest of our knowi-
edge The scientist claims that these
terms are the results of and eInbody
natural conceptions. Now. just how all
this is to be reconciled with | Cor 2, 4-9;
is past my ingenuity:
But as it is written, eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard neither have entered into
the heart OF man, the things when Ood
hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto US
by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God
1lfFor what man knoweth the things OF
a man, save the spirit of man which Is IN
him? even so the things OF God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God.
II Now we have received. not the spirit
of the world but the spirit which is o.
God; that we might know the things that
are freely given to Us OF God.
Is Which things also we speak. not IN
the words which mans wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;. com
pairing spiritual things with spiritual.
True. Mr.. ID. saws: '.The appli-
cation of natural law to the spiritual
world has decided and necessary limits.
One would suppose that he was about TO
find plan for revelation beyond these
limits. but to our disappointment. he
again asserts, that beyond these limits
all is mystery and must forever remain
so. and that the revelation of the region
beyond would not be intelligible to us be-
cause we have no terms or language suit
able for expressing the mystery; or. in
other words we can only understand the
spiritual by comparison with the natural
Yet. scripture requires lis to compare
spiritual things with spiritual things in
order to gain spiritual knowledge.
If, then, there is no place for revelation
beyond the limits of our knowledge
of natural law projected. mentally, into
the spiritual world. and on this side nat
ural law is the basis and illumination of
the spiritual world, pray, where IS the
place for revelation?
Now, we are forced to the conclusion
that the authors scheme makes religious
faith also impossible. True, he says:
However far the scientific method may
penetrate the spiritual world, there will
always remain a region to be explored
by scientific faith" Certainly it can
not be explored by an evangelic faith,
for reasons already seen. And what he
means by a scientific faith is not clear
This side that region there is no room
for faith. for all becomes knowledge in
the domain of science. at least. so the
scientists claim whom he would con-
ciliate to Christianity.
The author pleads that religion is no
worse off than her sister sciences be
lo1 iNv- a h0rlay taTld of
mystery. ana ought not for that reason
to be rejected. for they are all so sur
rounded. And on this border ne seems
to place scientific faith peering out
into the mystery. but without practical
results Still, it would De difficult to
convince a scientist that a scientific faith
sustains the same relations 10 character
and conduct as an evangelic faith.
The outcome OF the scheme Is that the
scientist must first push back the limits
OF mystery around natural science by new
discoveries. then the natural laws newly
found may be taken up by the theoio-
gian and mentally projected into the
spiritual world fOr eniarging the domain
of his science Revelation cannot, for
this purpose, take the place of discovery.
Science. therefore. Is the only safe har
binger of religion Or true religion
must wait upon the tardy steps OF true
science
Another objection to the scheme is
that it allows every man 10 tax ms IN
genuity to find in nature analogues sug-
gestive Of and sanctioning religious doe
trines. Whatever fanciIul doctrine or
theory one may be possessed OF would
find q certain scientific warrant. if he
could only find for it an analogue
in nature. The allegorism of the
Rabbins was not 2 wilder or more vicious
than this. The canOnization
OF errors in tine form of religious
theories would go on at a rapid rate,
only in more Objectionable way than
when formulated by synOdical authority. |
The fundamental principles in Mr.. DIS |
scheme are these: All natural laws are |
continuous throughout the spiritual |
world: that natural law at one end keeps /
in order natural phenomena at the other I
spiritual; that analogous. natural and |
spiritual phenomena are the parent of |
Identical laws. He rides these assump-
tons, booted and spurred, till he reaches /
the goal Of a splendid enthusiasm. and /
then proclaims that all natural laws are /
spiritual because the spiritual was first /
in order of time. and that all natural /
laws are simply the spiritual laws pro- !
jected downward into nature.
For proof of any one of these state /
ments | have searched in vain. The F.
course of argument Is unsteady because
proofs are sOreIy needed. hence, there Is
4 frequent shutting of terms. He seems
10 scout definitions and often 10 ignore
well settled meanings of terms. For
example. The phrase natural law
involves three conceptions, /. matter;
,, force; 3, uniformity in activity of
,orce. Now. to say that all natural laws
we're first spiritual, then became natural
" projection downward into nature. is
% play fast and loose with
words as theoretical exigency
nay require. To say that natural law Is
continuous through the spiritual world is
To say that a natural law
belongs to a spiritual realm, where force |
AN have no action on matter, is to dark
n counsel with words. To say that
spiritual phenomena are as natural a.
material phenomena Is To play fast and
oose with the term nature. and this he
loes. Sometimes it means with hin Tie
material world only then again 1t IN
.ludes God and man. or one only.
The whole scheme seems to me merely
revamped naturalisn. He boldly as
umes that 1.-THE natural world Is an IN
a visible representation.
working model Of the spiritual and
hat ''it will be the splendid task of the
heology of the future to take off the
mask and disclose 10 a waning skepticisIn
he naturalness OF the supernatural
That there are wonderful analogies be-
ween material and spiritual phenomena