The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-15
TO FIND OUT GOD.
EVOLUTION oFT ID EsoRIBED
BIZ THE REV. DR.. 81 VAGE.

-
In che BeRin.i,s Moro Gods tia. One Gre
ated the Heavess and the Earth, and
There Are Few Morotheists To-day
Grounds of Belief In n Personal Deity.
The Rev. Minot J. Savage. d. d.. delivered the
9th Of his series Of sermons on religion for
to-day ut the Church OF tho Messiah. Thirty
fourth street and Park avenue. yesterday. His
subject was God as inside the Universe, Not
Outside aud he spoke from tho text God IL
Spirit" He said:
"Polytheism was the original religion Of the
jews. The Bible opens with the polythoistio
statement that in the beginning tho strong
ones made heaven and EARTH Translators have
disguised this fact, but the word Is plural. and
the same one that 10 IN the Psalms translated
tho angels Henotheism was the next stop
In progress: the real existence OF many Gods
was believed. but worship and allegiance were
felt to be owed only to one. The Old Testament
Ia full of references to this beliof. Monothoism.
the belief that there is only one God, was the
next step. and there are Gully q few who are really
Monotheists to-day. The greater portion of
Christendom has vorshipped Mary and the
Saints. who correspond to the tutelsr deities in
the Greek and Roman Polytholsm.
To-day tho great question Ia: Can men be-
liove In God at all-does He exist2 How can
We seek Hmm Where is He2 Science says we
are mere creatures watching In nature the play
OF mighty. irresponsible, immoral. careless. and
at times cruel forces. l purpose to discuss those
questions on tho ground Of absolutely demon
strable facts. In self-consciou sncss. we recor-
nize the existence OF ourselves and of q power
not ourselves; n power that has produced life,
has produced us; a power that has produced not
only the foot and hand. but tho brain; the brain
Of Shakespeare that dreamed Hamlet, of Goethe
that dreamed Faust. of Jesus that dreamed
sOur Eather' tha hraina that lreamei tin
Brooklyn Bridge. q train Of cars, and q steam
shin.
in looking at what We know of this power.
whose children We arc, We find. first. that II Is
eternal; we can conceive no beginning or no
end OF its existence. 1t Is infinite, as 10 the
universe. Should n train bear Us to the sun,
travelling 80 miles m. hour, "a hours n day.
In not loss than lTO years. Light traverses the
distance In Stl minutes: yet from some of the
stars star 1t ,.ss' n IiESs %; 0oo, oog IKEA {esrs to reach u.
mighty. Asa mere hint OF the power OF CRAWL
tation, consider that TO hold the worn-out
~, 600 columns Of steel ono mile square.
Finally this power Is demonstrated to be one.
ments and laws q. nature In the. sun. tho stars,
and our own world. and philosophical chemists
the seventy known element. are various vertical
motions Of one substance the foundation OF all
matter. And we fnd an intelligi6le order in the
that tho power that produced It Ia intellteontr
Again; there Il: : continued progress a gr0%,n.
one. Intelligent power Is leading tue march OF
the world.
matter, or spiritr | don't know what matter 10,
but l do know what life Ia, for | have lived: l
, snoT .n whs Mof tssi,n ,.;s sg sor 90. , iUys; r n-pS; a, sna
know directly and At nrst hand what soul Is.
know matter. only by IL ference; the material
world begins In my own brain; and though do
not doubt the existcnco OF the external world, |
want to impress It upon you that only infer It,
while I know tho internal world. To say that
my soul and all that | know was created By
mere dead matter Is nonsense. We cannot con-
celve matter thinking mind: and II this power
why 10 one lump OF matter prompted to fall on
Its knees and worship anotherr
The next question Is: Is this power personal
and consciousI Not AS we speak OF the limited
personality and consciousness OF mortals; but
creator of persons must DO personal. and this
power must be as conscious as | AN.
Finally We come TO tho question: Where IL
Godf He has been lost in the greatness OF the
universe. and our search for him reminds m: OF
s sss %an T Oh s might Esser !.t aud slf i. ia,t'S so him INTO Sp the .s
where his eyes were within two tnchcs Of one Of
the great pillars. bid him look upon tn. beauty
OF the edihce. God Is nearer to me than the heat
of my pulse. the throb or my heart. the thought
OF my brain. tho aspiration of my soul; ! am His
child. and II Is His thrilling power In me that Is
my life. IL 10 Gods presence that pushes uu the
ho.er, toward the light. He Is hrte; all here;
"""Wnere am II You never saw me. You
have seen the body that ! have. but not the .oul
that l am. am Invisible. intangible. omni-
present in my body. | put myself into express
sion at the tip Of my tiuEers In writing. at the
tip of my tongue In speaking. and 40 o.: and as
! am the soul OF my body, 80 Coz Is the soul Of
the universe. We loo for Col rs though we
might see Him with external Dyes. and ali tho
time lie holds US IN His arms is nearer TO US
than the life NO live. the sympathies we feel. IL
IL Ia Him We live and move aud nave our being:
God can no longer be intelligent.y thought OF
ms outside His world: He must be inside or. no.
where. He Ia the heart, life, aud soul OF all
things. and the laws and forces OF the universe
are only His Manifestations lie Is all and Is
In ALL"