Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-01-26

Of life; since our coming here not Of our Wisf
ing OF designing, and snce our mental ana pnys'
ical powers we're not submitted to our tastes OF
desires. wherein lies our responsibility 20 tne
world VIC live inf Can man be responsible for his
work, he did not choose toliVe, and ala DOT nave
any part ia selecting his equiprnenff' again ne
Gays, u am not sure that We can be blamed Tor
anything We do. We did not ask to live. We we're
not asked II we wanted 70 live. Life was thrust
upon Us. We we're brought into life without our
wish or consent. Could We have been consulted
in the matter might all Of Us have been willing
to be born but the fact Is we were not, ana NE Is
not of our choosing" | remark, first, that the
Agnostic here requires OF God an impOssibility.
Man must be consulted as TO whether he wants 20
exist or not before he Is brought into existence
but he cannot be consulted until he does exist and
then 1t il too late to ask him whether 1t Is his de-
sire, for he already exists.
1 remark second, If the Aguostic we're now con-
suited to whether he wanted to exist or 20 shrink
back into nOn-eIistence, he would say, II want to
eKist.n He has then accepted the conditions Of
his existence. He has said, Yes, create me Lord
and 1 viii be responsible for my actiOns." Let
him not then with insoence and audacity fling back
at God the taunt you made and you must
bear the responsibility for my actions
l remark third, that there IL in his remarks, q
mean and contemplate effort to shirk the respon-
sibility that goes with high and noble existence.
God created all the animal kingdom. and last OF all
he created man, and gave him dominion over all
the lower animals; He created him in His own like
ness, free moral agent; he equipped him with an
intellect, with sensibilities, with the power Of
choice attributes divine. 1t is impossible for man
to be such all exalted being, akin 10 the infinite
God, without the possibility OF sin. that Is the alb
solute condition Of the power Of choice. And yet
the Agnostic whines ike babe and does not want
to meet these high responsibilities. He wants all
the glory of being man but none of It's RESPONSE
bllitles. He says, God, make me q man, but you
be responsible for my actions.n Does he not know
that that responsibility is what makes him a man,
and that the moment God lite that responsibility
from his shoulder he sinks 10 the level Of the low
ing OK or the granting swineY God pays for His
own exalted and infinite existence by corresponding
responsibilities. and he remains the infinite and
eternal God by meeting these responsibilities. That
man Is unworthy who would ask 10 be president Of
the L. s. and then would refuse to meet the grave
responsibilities Of that high office, but would, with
| a spirit Of blasphemy thrust them back upon the
people themselves and demand Of them that they
become responsible for all his acts a. president.
What would the people Of this country do with
such president? They would depOse him from
his high position and kick him across the seas.
| remark, fourth, that God has not thrust these
responsibilities upon us suddenly; He has not
taken as by surprise with them; have grown
into them gradually from infancy to manhood, and
II Is only meet these responsibilities that we
make ourselves worthy OF the high destiny to
which God has called us, that we deyelopt the man
hood, the divinity that is within
But now word OF warning and have done.
There may be something fascinating about ARnOs-
bcism, about intidelity, about every form OF un.
belief. The danger lies here If / can discover
the spirit which animates IL, Its trend Is toward
the "unpardonabe sim the current altho' 10 has
many bends and eddies, would seem to be drifting
In that direction. SO far as It is a misunder-
sthnuluk 80 hS IL Is UguL IN the
Christian church, far IL Is protest against
ecclesiasticisn, against intolerance II Ia no sin
But when, like the Pharisees, IL becomes a fight
against goodness itself, then IL IL moving straight
toward that disposition which sets itself firmly
against God, refuses to acknowledge any authori-
ty higher than self, and will contest the suprem-
acy with God We \ disposition sometimes to
attribute all there is ia the Christian church to
ignorance and superstition; there is discrinina-
ton between good and bad and IL must be acknovl.
edged that there is a great deal Of good in It. The
PhRrisees attributed the work OF Christ In casting
out the demon, TO Satan. Their purpose was 70
get rid OF God in that work How much different
10 IL to attribute all the work of the church today
10 ignorance aud superstitiOnY Does not the pur
pose seem to be the 10 get rid of God In tina
WORK. They do not want 90 feel that there lie AM
Being superior to themselves anywhere in all thti
broad universe, no one who can say TO them Au
thoritatyely, Thou shalt not steai;'' they REFUSE
/ 20 Acknowledge or to respect Gods authority
| They want 10 sit upon the throne themselves AMI
do their own legislating prescribe their own rule
OF conduct. II they want TO digress from prin
| ctple and indulge caprice, 80 appetite pas
sion, there - one to say, thou shalt not; IL Il
| their own, and not another's, business. There,
say, is the danger in agnosttcsm; IL threatens &.
| terminate In state of inveterate aud irreconcil
able hostility to God. The will Is fred in a oondi
| ton Of determined unconquerable revolt the 81
fections estranged from God and the man, ia
his PRIDE sets himself up In his selfsuficieney
no sinks into he'll by his folly. he pe.Isnes By
his own hand, he commits an eternal suicide.