The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-03

nave been accustomed to associate man
with nature. In very important sense
man, even in his spiritual constitution,
Is as natural as any form of life, or any
physical event. A well ordered method
prepares the way for all his activity
Many, even those most thoughtful do
not accept the fundamental character
of the distinction between causes ana
reasons, events and convictions. Inc
new conception of the relation between
the natural and supernatural must de-
pend on the validity of this difference.
1t was just this diversity between mind
and matter between nature and God,
that the heart of man was after in the
earlier doctrine of divine intervention.
1t was this superficial mark which, be-
ing traced, has run into a profound,
structural division. We have found the
plane Of cleavage, not as a flaw between
the world and God, but as one of wide
separation, yet complete conjunction,
between things and thoughts.
This bitter apprehension restores har-
mony between the natural and the SUI
pernatural. The supernatural is strict
ly supernatural, a higher nature united
with and resting upon a lower one. AS
the body of man tempers the mind TO
Itself in it's development, as the nina
finds and predetermines for itself In It's
varying experiences the uses or tne
body, so the world, as a fixed method,
and the divine spirit, as a creative pres
ence, move with each other and give
product. at once firm and flexible, in
which both human life and the divine
fa Wi, a1 nd
ried forward as creative powers. The
world, itself divine event, furnishes
conditions to the events which follow;
and these follow because they lie most
immediate to the divine thought Con-
flict Is displaced by a wonderful concur
renee, progressive creation, which
realizes in all it's amplitude the place of
God. Science has nothing to offer
against this recast of faith, for it's en-
tire contention is contained in 1t. Our
faith accepts physical dependencies ex-
actly as they are offered to u.s.. Philos-
ophy rests content because the two sides
of being are both embraced, the things
to be explained and the reasons which
explain them. The satisfaction of
thought Is sought where alone it can be
found-in relations, not in ultimates.
Two bodies, each non-luminous, collide,
and they strike out light and heat, light
and heat that make both visible and
| serviceable
| The acceptance of these two elements,
sensuous form and spiritual idea, is the
| basis of religion, as it is of life, art,
even science. A universe of law is eth
er fiction of mind or in common with
all truth, it's own affirmation. We thus
meet God in the world in it's twofold
aspect, physical and spiritual encoun-
tering everywhere error finding every
where truth, and moving forward with
| it in that creation by which it becomes
the kingdom of heaven. In this new
rendering of faith we are planted CEN
terwise, where all the currents of crea-
ton, the streams of knowledge, the
deeper processes of thought converge.
Let us apply it to some of those CUES
tons which affect profoundly the be-
| lieving and the unbelieving mind.
| A miracle, manifest intervention in
nature, has been constant desire with
men, and has found ready acceptance.
1t has played an important part in spir-
itual evolution. Whether a fact or not
it has been an undeniable factor in that
growth by which men have mounted up
ward from one phase Of belief to anoth-
er. So much reality We cannot deny it.
That great deal of error has gathered
about this belief we must admit. A
wicked and adulterous generation has
been constantly in search of a sign. 1t
has always sought some shorter way
upward than the painful path of obedi-
ence. But this admission does not carry
with it the conclusion that these roads
have been no roads, this movement sim
ply fioundering in the mire. To as
sert this is to do in the spiritual world
what we have come to so strenuously
reject in the physical world is to admit
an incoherent, meaningless and fruit
less sequence of events. The same pro-
ductive movement that we contend for
in things we must accept also in
thoughts.
The discussion Of miracles has been
much embarrassed by the doctrine OF
inspiration in it's authoritative form
This doctrine is itself an example of the
same tendency which leads men so Gag
erly to assert the miracle. They have
l'WlSUGu " SllDSlllule LII biit iiiilClSlil
lpower of truth, its natural power, an ex-
ternal authority. This is to press the
mind from without, instead Of renewing
it from within. God breaks in on the
timid and distrustful spirit with an as
sertion, and that even in the region OF
speculative truth. The thoughts are
overborne by conditions more or less
alien to them. Inspiration has done in
the spiritual world what the miracle
has been made to do in the physical
world, break down obstacles and force
progress; to lift men off from the foot
ing of nature. IF we are willing to get
back to historic conditions to rest on
the ordinary methods by which the
spiritual processes of the world go for
ward these questions of inspiration and
of miracles are much simplified. We
feel in no way compelled to accept the
fall of the walls of Jericho under the
blast of rams horns in order that we
may walk belevingly with Christ, and
feel the sweep in power of His higher
personality. We are not forced to be
lieve that the swine were possessed by
devils and then drowned in the sea
before we can rejoice in the resurrec
ton of our Lord. No one miracle is
necessary to us. The misrendering OF
the human mind is freely conceded. The