, 1891-11-17
P. D Moore's Reply to Rev.
Mr.. Diven's Discourse
.swhat Shall we do to be saved''-
sEA Genuine and Living Fa1th''
Commended by the

Commended by the
Speaker.
At Liberal hall last Sunday afternoon, P.
D. Moore discoursed on What shall we
do to be saved?" and reviewed Rev. Mr..
DiVen's sermon on Claw" as it appeared
in these columns. He said that it was not
from the wrath of God, or eternal punish,
ment, that man needs to be saved The
God we worship-the God of nature and
Father Of all mankind-is a God of love
and not of wrath, and is too WISE too good
and too powerful to suffer his children to
be lost or to eternalIy suffer- neither is
there any power-call it devil or what you
will-can defeat his purposes conceived in
infinite wisdom; or cause him to repent
that He made man. Omnipotent wisdom,
love and power rules, and always will rule,
the Universe, not by arbitrary and caprici-
GUS power, but by system of natural laws
that are at once wise and divine.
The desperate fallaoy which has occupied
and beWlldered the Christian mind, CON
sists in thinking that it is our business, or
anybody's business, to convert or ''re-
deem" the world. In our Judgment, what
the world needs is not conversion" but
culture, not redemption" but knowledge
OF It's own needs and capacities. If we be-
lieved-' 'man to be the father Of God I" we
should address ourselves to the task of
bringing our disobedient son back to his
allegiance, but believing "God is our
Father we think it more rational to re-
turn to our allegiance, and ask what he
would have us to do. Is it rash to imagine
him as saying to us in reply to such ques-
ton: My children, give up your conceit;
fret yourselves no more about
the world which l have made; fear not
that it Will go to ruin unless l make it con
form to your views; vex not your souls
with efforts to rectify the conditions have
established. Rather study those condi-
tions with a purpose to conform to their
requirements; learn what the laws of sal
walton or health are, and try to get them
obeyed." In word, our business is to
HELP AND NOT HINDER,-
to help by considering ourselves as mem
bers of the worlds organism and not re-
palrers OF it; to become students of the
will of God, as expressed in the laws of
Nature-physical, mental and moraI-with
an earnest purpose to conform thereto.
After showing the necessity of salvation
from ignorance, superstition, idolatry in
Justice, selfshness, immortality and dis
cord; in other words, from sin and misery
III its manifold forms, by an acquaintance
and compliance with the laws of Nature
he referred to the published sermon of
Rev. Mr.. Diven on Law, and after COM
phmenting the reverend gentleman on his
intelligence and gentle human nature
said: Our good brother Diven took for
his text, "Whosoever shall keep the whole
law and yet stumble IN one point, he is be-
come guilty of all, " Jas 2:10 and it seems
to me he places himself and his subject in
an awkward plight by trying to affirm and
maintain two dramatically opposite and
inconsistent positions. Moreover the text
does not commend itself to the reason and
EXPERIENCE OF MANKIND.
He quoted St. John approvingly that all
transgresslon of law is sin, and vet he
holds that certain class ofpersons (Which
he describes as born of God, or as being
Chrlstlans) do not sin. He certainly can
not reasonably or truthfully assume that
there are any that do not in some way
physically, mentally or morally-trans-
gress law, but he maintains that those who
are born of God, or Christians, neverthe-
less do not sin. This is a most palpable
contradiction, viewed in any light you
please. The fact is, no person can wholly
avoid transgressing law-I mean the law of
nature--ln some department, and as con-
sequence, no person can wholly avoid sin
ming, however many times he has been
born, unless he has reached perfection
and that no man has done. Brother Diyen
has good deal to say regarding human
rules and nactments-dignifying the same
by the term "laW'--fearfully mixing and
Confounding the same with the physical
The state makes great provision to pre-
vent and punish transgression of its law
But man is soon taught that laws are CON
ceiVed in wisdom; that they proceed from
benevolent being (Query: Does mean to
include the fugitive slave law and the laws
enacted by our legislature p and are the
way to perfection of character and blessed
ness" But after he has said all this he in
slsts that the people cannot make laws;
that all real laws come from God,
and adds that ''God wrote his laws on hu-
man minds and hearts and built them into
human nature" This last is true and
noble sentiment, eyincing the man rather
than the theOlOglan, and proves him vastly
better than his creed. Ills true he has
something to say of faith as being able
TO MARE SIN COUNT
for righteousness to those who are Chris
items, and his whole sermon is an exhibl-
ton of ''rowing with one hand and back
ing with the other" or of 'being all things
to all men," But commend to youa gen
uine and living faith,-not belief in or ac-
ceptance of dogmatism, or unreasonable
and unnatural authority, although such
authority claim to be supernatural and di-
vine revelation, attested by miracle and
promulgated by the church; but faith in
human nature, with its capacities and pos
slbilities by virtue Of the laws of education
and development; such faith constituting
the natural religion of a good heart and
clear, wise head; a religion unecclesiast-
zeal, undOgmatlc, unsectarian, but spirit
ual, sympathetic, just and reasonable, as
we'll us scientific and progressive.
"Let man serve law for man;
LivefOr friendship live for love-
For Truths and Harmony's behoof;
The church NAV follow how it, can