St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-17
MINNEAPOLIS PULPITS.
Rev. Fl. M. Simmons Tells What He
Knows of Atheists.
"THE TRIUMPH OF PEACE"
Rev. W. ]. Lhamon's Subiect---Rev. d.
j. Burrell on "Samson's
Riddle" p

rian church. took for his subject, "Whe
are the atheists?r He said ''atheist" is a
rather vague term, and means hardly
so much the denial of God, as of some
particular doctrine about God. A COM
munity has been taught certain ideas
about Deity-the man who abandons
them is naturally called an atheist; per-
haps calls himself so. But in most
cases he still believes in Deity as much
as ever aud as much as they, and often
has reached a so much more reverent
thought of Deity that they are at
length seen to be nearer atheism than
| he.
This has been illustrated all through
history. When the Greeks were poly
theistS, AnaXagoras came teaching that
there is one eternal God, the cause of
all things" and was sentenced to death
for such impiety. So the wise Socrates
was accused of denying the gods, and
suffered for it. So the Hebrew prophets
who proclaimed Jehovah and ever
higher ideas of him, were so commonly
punished for it that Jesus accused
Jerusalem of killing them, and Stephen
said: (Which one of the prophets did
not Your fathers persecute?" So in
| Christian history men have again and
again been prosecuted for denying
Deity; but later century has seen that
they had higher ideas of Deity than the
men who prosecuted them. Presi-
dent A. d. White has shown
| how the sciences that have
enlarged the thought of the world and
| its Maker, have all been opposed as
atheiStic; and he says the terms infidel
and atheist "have been used against
almost every one who has ever done
anything new for his fellow men,"
Most of the men called atheists have
not been at all so. How often the term
been applied to Voltaire! Yet Voltaire
taught the contrary all his life-from
that early poem on Natural Law"
which he closed with prayer to God
nOunce him." to his last words, Il die
adoring God, loving my friends, not
hating my enemies and detesting
| superstition" VOltaire did indeed rid
icule all superstitiOus ideas about God;
but he had such faith in God that he
said while the catechiSm only asserted
God to children, Newton had proved
| Him to savants. Voltaire was so far
from atheism that he said 'If God did
not exist it would be necessary to in
vent Him." But he added: "All nature
| cries to US that He does exist, Power
Unreasonable. an intelligent supreme.
l am no special admirer of Voltaire, but
l like to see the truth told about him.
And how many far nObler men than
he have been called atheist, with as
little truth? Descartes prided himself
on having demons trated the existence
of GOd-yet the JeSuitS called him an
atheist, and the Protestant divines of
Holland called him atheist and Jesuit,
too. Or take the case of SpinOZa. He
was long called an atheist by pre-emi-
nence-"the prince of atheists" ''the
wickedest atheist that ever lived"
But in after times, men saw
their mistake. Leasing came to the
defence of SpinOZa, and pronounced
himself his follower. Novalis called
him northumberland none too
full of the idea of God. Schleiermacher
said: "Spinoza not believe in God? He
did not believe in anything else" And
when few years ago, his monument
was raised at the Hague, one of the
most learned men of Europe said, sin
the present day there is no enlightened
mind that does not acknowledge Spin
oZa as the man who possessed the high
est consciousness of God of his day."
That is about what the accusation of
atheism generally means. 1t means
that those accused of it have higher
ideas of God than those who accuse
them. When men began to teach that
God was too good to burn men by the
million, they were called atheists; but
further thought showed;that the atheism
was rather in that old belief which so
disgraced God with that charge. When
men began to deny the doctrine of the
atOnement, it seemed atheism; but
further thought showed that the
atheism was rather in the
idea that God was so degraded as to de-
mand the death of His dearest son be-
fore He would forgive His own children
for sins which they did not commit.
When men began to deny the existence
of satan it seemed atheism; but further
thought showed that the atheism was
rather in the idea that God was so dis
possessed by a rival. When men began
to deny the infallibility of the Bible it
seemed atheism; but further thought
showed that the atheism was rather in
the idea that God was but dead au-
thor, who had written His last
word so long ago, and written
it so carelessly, that preachers have
to spend a large part of their time
sciences at first seemed atheistlc; but
since then Thomas Dick and others
have taken them to prove that God is
greater and truer than had been sup
posed. The atheism is not so much in
the modern idea of universal Providence
caring for all the world with law. as in
the former idea of partial Providence
caring only for chosen people and
single church. The atheism is not so
much in the modern idea of divine in
spiration in all right thought and feel
ing, as in the former idea of inspiration
confined to a score or two of men. The
-, 4 III ~
and everything in all just men, but in
the idea of God living in only one man,
and put to death in Him. In one of our
city churches picked up hymn book,
and the first line | saw told how "God,
our mighty Maker, died" The people
who sing that God has died ought to be
rather careful how they call others
atheists.
| believe in God who has never died,
and is not in the least danger from hos
tile weapons or infidel pens. When DR..
Talmage charged Col. Ingersoll with
trying to "asSassinate GOd,' the brill
liant colonel replied that probably the
Infinite would finally triumph-with
DR.. Talmage's assistance. Doubtless
the Almighty can defend Himself with
or without His doctors. Nor is there
any danger that the idea of God will be
harmed by any atheism, and consider
ing how the latter has always been en-
larging religious thought, Thoreau may
have been right i'll his famous saying
that God might Himself prefer atheism.
Atheism always ends in larger theism.
The idea of God will remain, and only
advance with increasing knowledge. 1t
will be purified of those elements that
married it. The fickleness and favor
which used to be ascribed to God would
be blemishes in the deity. Even Di-
vine love must be something larger than
any meanings which we can give the
word. The partial fondness, which we
call love, is limited in its nature, and
would be swallowed up in that larger
love which cares for the universe. The