The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-18
THINGS WE WANT TO KNOW.
1ne Testimony Of the senses That Re-
yen2x the PRESENCE OF GOD.

tS sae Ere8NuGe OF tod.
The evening service Of 81 Marks
church was transferred last night 20
Raukess hall. where the same service win
be held for several SUNDAY nights foisox-
Ing The object the rector ard eongrega-
ton have tn doing This 10 10 extend the
work OF tne church TO people who are not
an the habit Of attending church ans who
would De more inclined TO 20 10 q hall
fnan 10 regular place Of worship. Last
night the atten5 ance justified the effort.
Inc fun choir OF nfsy voices led Era the
SINGING Of familiar hymns and gave a fine
anthem. The rector. Rev u. &. Garrett.
preached the frat in a course OF sermons
on Things We Want 10 Know The
special subject Was '-Knowiedge of God"
ana the text was taken from l. Tim. liz:
know whom I have believed" Il will
speak on these Sunday nights." the
preacher said, ION things We want 20
know--fsndameHfals In religion. One OF
the very first things man wants TO
know La about God. There are few men
who do not at some time tn life ask about
God II Ii one OF the great questions Of
tae ages. Daniel Webster was once asked
TO name the NEST sertoat thought that
had ever occupied his mind. Without
hesitation. he replied. The thought of
my responsibility towards God DO you
believe In God7 DO you know God?
There Is quite difference between believ-
Ing there Is God and knowing God
What h |, TO believer II Is TO rely upon
some sort OF testimony. We believe many
things we don't know. Progress OF ant
kind would have been impossible without
faith In that which could not be logically
demonstrated. AL advance In science has
been By bsileving what could not be
proved. Leyerrier discovered Neptune
by faith. A number OF astronomers
worked on the problem OF the perturba-
tons OF Uranus and finally Iseverrfer
wrote 10 Gale OF Berlin to turn his teie-
scope 10 particular point In the heavens
and To- the new planet was found Column
bus. believing what-Ae did not know, Get
Out TO discover a new world. Many theo-
fies in science are taken as working hy-
potheses. Why do we believe In God?
There are four great testimonies for be-
lief In God as a working hypothesis of re-
ltgson. Two are outside of man and two
Within These were Ia order elaborated
By the preacher as follows:
Testimony of the physical universe
Science takes us hack 10 cosmic vapor.
IL either had beginning or II existed
from all eternity. If IL had beginning
some one must have made II. III II ex-
listed from all eternity. again some one
must have set IL going and guided il into
worlds with life. with man and all that
goes to make up philosopher. saint and
hero. III 10 IL said the power was latent
In the vapor. then we must call the vapor
God
Testimony Of the untyerse-~As evincing
design. Reasoning from the mind of man
with his viii and intelligence we natural
~ refer objects showing adaptation of
parts for q specific end to an infinite
mind
Mans moral natpre.--Idea OF a right
and wrong Inherent. Wherever man Is at
all able to think he thinks OF some sort OF
o moral basis. He owes nothing 10 force.
nothing to impersonai nature and turns
intuitive1y to being outside of himself.
This moral consciousness postulates an
infinite moral nature.
Testimony OF mans spiritual conscious
neSs-Wherever human nature liz some
thing more than the animal we find
traces at least of a consciousness OF d.
vine personality There are aspirations that
carry one beyond the border line of earth
There are feelings that lift one towards
unseen worlds There are perturba,ions
OF the heart that suggest an attraction
outside OF the known universe as T.evsrrier
postuiated a new planet. Even scientists
sometimes feel this. Edison la reply Ia
the question DO you believe In a personal
God9'' replied: III not only believe but 1
can almost demonstrate II chemically"
Now the conveyance OF the several lines
of testimony point to the existence of
Col They may not amount to a logical
demonstration but as far as that goes
how little real knowledge we have OF any
thing. We trust our senses for the reality
cf everything In the world about us. All
this leads Ia faith In God But how can
we know God? BY that part OF our ma
tnre that is like his. How do / know
this book IL before me7 Because I see it's
image on the retina of my eye. How do
know Godg When can see his image
on my soul. A man says he doesn't know
God. There Is something iaeying In the
man. Can a blind man undo rstand the
soft beauty or iandscapc@ Can an nn~
musical ear appreciate the harmony of
Beethnvan sonata Can soul that lis IN
like God know Gods That knowledge can
Only begin In one way. Testimonies in
Vulnerable may iead us to belief In God
bat 10 really know him we must live as
though he were really near us. The two
greatest poets OF the age. Tennyson and
Browning. show Us how the heart may
knew God.