The herald., 1895-09-15
WHAT IS GOD?
endent Question Answered by Los Angelo.
Theologians and Dvines

OF being, the omnipotent omnlpreseh'
substance that pervades all the universe.
The images of lirahma. silva and Vishnu
are but figures before which we WORSHIP
the God that is everywhere. We 40 not
pray nor bow down to them. but only use
them to keep God moro before our
eyes and in our thoughts.
''In the Catholic Churches you Will
find the same method--in the pictures
and images of their God they but adopt
a plan that serves to strengthen their
faith by keeping the pictured OBJECT OF 1t
before their eyes.
MY God is everywhere. When 1 die l
hope to become part of him. With us the
character of the life we have iived here
on this earth decides the life that we
pass into. II it has been an unworthy
one. the all wise Brahma sends that one
back to earth to be purified by earnest
endeavor before being awarded Nirvana.
Purity is the guiding star of the Brah-
min, and if the word God means any
thing to him it is just that-purity of
person and purity of mind.
REV. HENRY w. CRABBE
OF the Second United Presbyterian: "In
reply to the question, What is God? / GER
tainly could not do better than refer you
to God S own word for en- answer. In the
first episte of John, first chapter, fifth
verse. we read: This then is the mes
sage which we have heard of Him, and
declare unto you. that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at ALL Again. in
the first epistlea of John, fourth chapter,
sixteenth verse, we are told that Goo is
love- Also, Christ in his conversation
with the woman OF Samaria Gospel by
John, fourth chapter and twenty-fourth
verse) said. God is the spirit. The fol-
lowing incident has come down to US, L
may not be able to give 1t in all its de-
tails, but will give it in substance: When
the Westminster divines, in the seven
teenth century. met to formulate what is
now known as the Shorter Catechism u
book accepted by all branches of the Pres
byterIan family and other mem bers OF the
household of faith, the question What is
God? confronted them. Being unable to
frame an answer, one OF their mum ber
was asked to lead in prayer for wisdom.
The one selected began his prayer by
saying: 'Oh, God, Thou art spirit, in
finite, eternal and unchangea bic. in be.
ing, wisdom, power. holiness. justice,
goodness and truth, and these words
were afterwards taken as an answer to
| the question What is God? l do not feel
competent to improve on what has al
ready been so wisely said. I only know
| that being light He is able to guide m e..
being love He will do that which is best
for me, and Deing spirit He fills the
universe with his presence"
REV. j. B. GREEN
Pastor of the Vincent Methodist Episco-
pal church,: "What is God?" You want
solution of tho problem" If 1 could
meet those demands 1 would do mors. 1
would answer like questions as to man.
| beast, matter and mind; and would solve
F., some of the small problems as to life,
death, society, etc., for these and all
other questions and problems depend for
final solution on the one you PROFOUND.
| 1 may satisfy myself on all the above
every other questioner. A definition is
4, wanted. ANY definition is defective
which does not fully set forth all the
| properties. e. eements, nature and powers
! Of the thing defined. This Is mainfestly
| Impossible when the object defined i,
if1niteGoo. 5nt IT ,s as9 or rlmPoSsio99ss mo9s
An artist will define mountain in Ger.
tain terms. geologist, mineralogist,
meteorologIst. will use other terms. Eact
definition will be correct as far as il goes
] each defective as far as it omits tn {
others, all com bined will not be perfect
| unless they express in compie ehensive
language the nature. laws, properties and
destiny OF eacn atom in the mountain.
! This is practically impossible. This lin
itation Is true of all ehnition, if the OBJ
! ject pe God, man or molecule. But any
! class above mentioned has def milton of
mountain, true as far as it goes and of
real value to himself and others. So any
| intelligent man may have definition OF
| 'Gud,' ~ cOnfessedly partial and fragmen-
tary, but. as far as it goes, true to the
| facts of the divine being and nature, and
of immense value to its poSsessor. More
than this cannot be justly demanded.
If space permitted, | would gladly try
to show that the truths of the divine
| nature which we must perceive in order
to formulate any definition of Cod are
| in their own way as susceptible OF inves-
| tigation, verificatiun and illustration as
are the truths which ust be held by the
mind which formulates a definition of
more familiar things. as mountain or
atom. A right study of God yields
knowledge richer than study Of objects
lying more clearly within the material
! realms.
Remembering that all definitions must
be partial, that many different (if not
contradictory definitions may be true
as far as they go, we might tell in score
orldged says, The Supreme Being; the
eternal and Infinite spirit; the creator
and sovereign OF the universe" Every
good dictionary, catecnism, theology
tells what He is-none tells fully; all
true r1;has as Tar as they GO. he MAY, be de,
attribute, as the being eternal, omni-
present, omnipotent. immutable, wise,
| holy, Just. etc. He may be described by
his activities as creator, ruler. judge. saw
| lor. He may be described in terms
! scientific and metaphysical as source of
lie, giving potency to natural laws, the
! first cause, necessary postulate OF reason,
| etc. He may be described in terms OF
| sentiment as father. love. etc. The Bible
says he is d spirit, fire, love, judge, re-
| deemer, enlighten lawgiver. ruler. etc.
Each OF these and many more answers
| may be true in tragmentary way. All
OF them do not exhibit all the truth. No
man can clearly perceive, or, perceivirg,
can give 1erbal expression to all the
truth. So can no man see all the suh 8
light-but ne cin have his eyes full ard
can walk in the few rays he does receive.
REV. A. 6. BANE
1t is truism that ''every effect must
have a cause We see in existence,
effects. the fruits of creative energy there
must have been something that caused
their existence. If we go back to tho first
thins OF which we have knowledge, we
find that it was an effect, net cause,
but 1t must have been caused. That great
first cause we call God. Something now
exists, therefore something must have
existed forever, Tor nothing could not
cause something to exist that great first
existence which caused all things, we call
God.
That which exists in the material world
EXHIBITS order and design, hence it must
have had designer. and that designer
must have had intelligence. hence m ust
have had personality; that great personal