The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-29
DIR. vAN DYKE ON PREDEsTINA7I0N.
No Consict Between the Liberty OF Man and
the Sovereignty OF God.


The Rev. DIR. Henry Van Dyke Of the Brick
Church made another attack yesterday morn
ing on the doctrine OF predestination as It il
taught by many ministers in tho Presbyterian
denomination. This sermon WAS the second
in a special course which he Is delivering to
his congregation, and its subject was 1.-The
Bible Against Chance: or. tho Sovereignty OF
God in His World" Dr. Van Dyke continued
the arguments which he set forth In a previous
sermon in support of the doctrine Of the liberty
OF man. and reas oncd that this doctrine WAS
not incompatible with a belief in the sover-
eighty OF God.
"A world without liberty" he said. 'is a
machine. and II every apparent wish and
choice OF the human soul is a predestined
event. then the history of man is already
written and in type down to the last letter
There is but little logical difficulty In framing
such mechanical conception OF the world.
but thcre is an immense practical difficulty in
making the facts Of our conscious life fit into
it. And there is an insuperable moral diff
Guilty in reconciling 1t with the idea of holy.
Just. and loving God
The real doctrine Of divine sovereignty. Dr.
Van Dyke declared. goes hand in hand with
this doctrine of mans liberty. The idea that
because God is sovereign man cannot be free.
DR.. Van Dyke said. was fallacious. Uninspired
men had begun with the idea OF an eternal.
all-embracing decree which unfolds itself in
every choice and act OF every living soul.
These men have shown an image OF God sit
ting upon His throne looking at tho inevitable
operations OF the great forces OF heredity and
on. environment Ire as they work out the plan in
beginning. This. Dr. Van dyke said. was con-
trary to the Bblo's own statement.
The divine doctrine Of sovereignty Is calm.
serene. eQuable, unconscious OF contradictions
because II creates none-a source OF hope and
courage and inspiration to al! who accept it.
extreme one ided. conscious Of the Difficult
ties which It has created; source Of conflict
Those who accept it have always been busy
liberty Of man With tLs sovereignty Of God:
thelpreal world Of logic. In tho real world Of
fact they are In esrGleGs
nsnHer in Which u shall Be e exereissdS COD
obedience to Him shall not DO inevitable. but
voluntary. This leaves within the universe.
R Be neson Ghef tie G aeen s
other beings. This was limitation. but a self
limitation. and therefore perfectly consistent
Dyke referred to the existence Of evil in the
world. and said that it was blasphomous to
iic had simply limited the exercise OF His
mated: ne preacher SAID. the Bible did not
But to the question in the concrete" con-
tinuel DR.. Van Dyke. 20 lar q, It concerns
the entrance OF OWL into this world and its con-
tinuance in human life. the Bible does give an
answer. 1t comes through the moral liberty
OF creatures left free to decide whether they
will obey or disobey the will OF God. There
fore the Bible always represents man not as Il
creature foreordaned TO evil or to good. but
rs a free and responsible agent acting for him
self within the sphere which God has estab-
lshed for him. This truth does away with the
dogma Of divine predestlnation. 1t exhibits
the government OF God not rs an unlimited
;. "Wn must choose" said DR., Van dyke.
between the Christian conception OF divine
sovereignty and the old stoical idea OF an
absolute and eternal predes tination. We must
choose. for the two doctrines do not agree.
They are as different as life and death.
he thought of great First Cause from
whom everything. good and bad. proceeds
by an unaIterable necessity, the thought
OF an absentee God. who has made an
eternal. all nlbracing decree. including every
character and every moral choice. and who
looks from His throne upon the working Of
the mighty mill which grinds out souls and
things according to II predestined pattern. is
dead doctrine. Il mechanical doctrine. Il doe
trine which brushes all freedom and RESPONSE
bility out Of the human soul"
The third and last sermon In the course. en-
titled 1.-The Bible Against a. Selfish Religion:
or. Election t" Service will be delivered on
March 20.