The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-14
A TACOMA DIvINE's WORDS.
Rev. John Bows Hills on "RevelatioI
and Modern Thought"

The Rev. John Bows Hills. rector of st.
Luke's church, Tacoma. ofiiciated at st.
Marks church yesterday, in the presence
of the usual large congregation. Mr.. Hills
speaks extemporaneously, and is fluent
and forcible. In the morning he chose
for his subject, Revelation and Modern
Thought" He took for his text:
Acts xvii PAS passed and beheld your de.
votions found an altar with this inscription:
To the unknown God Whom therefore We ig-
norantly worship, Him declare ! unto you.
He said:
81 Paul stood on Mars hill. Around him
were temples. shrines and statues in marbles of
rare beauty and sculpture. examples Of art never
surpassed His hearers were the most clever
ana most critical men of the day, the readiest
as religious people thought, 10 doubt and disbe-
leye. His message was the eternal truth of
tod And his method OF presenting it
Unprecedented as il was godlike. First. there
is the resignation that all honest search fer
truth is OF God. Men of Athens" he begins,
perceive that We are scrupulously careful in
All things pertaining to the Deity" Then fol-
lows The statement that the issue of all true re-
seafeh Is, As far as il goes at one with reyela-
Hoh' "As ! beheld the shrines AT which We
worship learned your abandonment of unsat-
H'Actory religious theories and speculatious
ana your reaching ont toward truth. [ read the
inscription which one altar bore: To Unknown
"od here We meet on common ground. This
Is toe God l preach. You predicate that lie is
iargely unknowable. You are right as far as
specu atoms are concerned. Yet add that this
same God has disclosed certain further facts re-
garding himself by revelation. These facts do
rot contradict but compliment natural rel
eou. Human wisdom and divine revelation
emanatiug from the same God. are in hsrrno-
ny Whom, therefore, We worship partially.
Him declare unto you more fullv"
Before the intelligence of the nineteenth 60,
tury stands the preacher Of revelation today
Though not yet excelliug ancient Athens in tho
embodiment of the beautiful, yet in intellectual
development we have Tar outsttipped that age
Today every man is an independent thinker in
things pertaining to God. To-day every man
follows the research 10 which scholars have
f'shtly subjected the Scripture. Today the
hearers of sermons are thoughtful and critical.
,Ailed by some rcligionists skeptical ami uuhc-
.sVlng, Today the sermonizer's theme Is stu
'Hs Interchangeable truth of God. But today the
method OF It's presentation is as unprecedented
n tae recent centuries as il is essentially divine.
.sauon, being truth. cannot be at olsCord
80 the honest results OF modern thought,
~ such results are facts and not mere spec
ren. Seeming conflict Is not with reveal
.hseli, but with humanity devised theories
ire~.1efelatlou. Seeming conflict often arises
,ntsne a. yet imperfect results attained by
lead, - research. Honest seeking for truth
rn.ns sSassrd The chaos Of any individual
foadl, 40 has been compelled 10 abandon
natarsI - opinions IN things religious. is
porsr - OF trssitlon. 10 is only tenn
In Itself proof of ad-