The Globe-republican., 1890-10-08
Tltnnpltts by thu Pa5.


Intelligence are so abundant that, at first
thought, it is needless to present any ar
gument or reasons for belief in the ex-
istence of a God. But when we note
the fact that what is plain to one mind is
often very obscure to another, it becomes
necessary to give each one the best OPP
portunity possible to become intelligent
upon this. as well as all other subjects.
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ALSO it must be borne i'm mind that it is
not so much demonstration of the fact
that we must expect. as it is reasona-
BILE ground for belief in the fact. The
finite cannot comprehend the infinite.
The finite cannot absolutely demonstrate
the existence of the infinite. But there
are strong reasons for believing in the
existence of infinite space, as well as in
finite being; but neither can be demon
strated like a proposition in geometry.
1t is an intuition of the race that there is
an intelligence greater than mans.
IT t
The LAWS of thought are such that
the mind demands a cause for every eff
feet. Nothing cannot produce something.
If ever there was time when there was
nothing, something could never have ex-
listed, for there would have been no cause
for anything. But something is. That
which is could not produce itself. That
which is produced, that is every effect,
must have a cause sufficient to produce
it.
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WE CANNOT THINK of an effect being
produced without our reason assigning a
sufficient cause. Our reason and the
laws of thought demand that there shall
be First or that upon which all else de-
ponds. For convenience an argument is
put into the following form:
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/. Every effect must have a sufficient
cause. Man is an effect as he did not
produce himself. Therefore man must
have an adequate cause, a cause sufficient
to produce him. ?. Every effect must
have an adequate cause. Man is an eff
feet, possessing mind, free-will and con-
science. Therefore man must have had
an adequate cause possessing mind, free
will and conscience, or man could not
have been produced. 3. Every effect
must have an adequate cause. Man is
an effect possessing mind, free-will and
conscience, and personality. Therefore
man must have had cause adequate and
sufficient to produce him, that had mind,
free-will and conscience, and personality.
4. Every effect must have an adequate
cause. Man is an effect possessing the
attributes or characteristics of personal
ity and is person. Therefore man must
have had an adequate, a sufficient cause
possessing the attributes of personality,
and who is Person. This Person is
the First Great Cause. whom we call God.
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BEYOND the thought of God the hui
: man mind cannot reach. An infinite Sc
ries of ''second causes.' cannot reach
beyond the First Cause. Beyond the
First Cause there is no such thing as
thought. Hence the First Great Cause
must possess all the attributes, charac-
teristics and qualities necessary to pro-
duce man and the universe. This Being
we call God.
THE EXISTENCE of the world and our
solar system is another evidence of the
existence of an intelligent First Cause.
You look at a clock, you cannot think of
it coming into existence by chance, or by
blind unthinking law. You cannot think
of its wheels arranging themselves in Or
der, no two of them exactly alike, and
assuming the role of time-keeper, and
with such perfect adjustment that the
best clocks vary only few seconds in a
year. You say Immediately it must
have an intelligent cause, for it manifssts
intelligence. You observe the success
sion of day and night by the revolution
of the earth on its axis; and you observe
the succession of the seasons by the
earth's trip around the sun. These
changes occur regularly and to the exact
minute and second. You observe the
eclipses of the sun and moon. These
occur with SO much precision in time
that they may be calculated ahead for
many years: and an eclipse of the sun
ormoon will occur at the day, hour,
minute and second of time predicted.
Here is a clock-work on magnificent
scale. A time-keeper, vast chronome-
ter by which the clocks, watches and di-
ais of the world are regulated. Can you
think of such an example of intelligence
coming into existence by accident: Can
you think of such order. such adjustment
being made without an intelligent cause
behind it? Can you think of such a
clock without thinking that it has an in
telligent maker. That maker we call