The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19
GUIz0T's CONFESSION OF FAITH.
A Remarkable Utterance In the Great
Trench Philosopher'g Will.


London Telegraph: In the last number
lowing extract from NJ. Guizot's will is
printed:
1 die in the bosom Of the Reformed
Christian Church Of France in which L
was born and in which l congratulate my
self on having been born. In remaining
attached to her I have always exercised
that liberty of conscience which she al
lows to her adhererts in their relation
with God, and which she invoked for her
own basis: have inquired, have
doubted; 1 have believed in the sufficiency
of the human mind to resolve the prob
lens presented to it by the universe and
by man, and in the power of the human
will to govern mans life in accordance
with its law and its moral purpose. After
having lived, doubted and reflected long,
L have remained, and still remain, con-
WINGED that neither the universe nor man
SufhceS either to explain or to govern
themselves naturally by the mere force of
! fixed laws to which they are subject, and
OF human wills that are brought into
play.
1t is my profound faith that God, who
created the universe and man, governs
uDholds or modifies them either by gem
eral and as we say, natural laws, or by
special and as we call them. supernatural
acts, emanating. as do also the general
laws, from his perfect and frae wisdom
and his infinite power, which it is given
to US to acknowledge in their efforts, but
forbidden to understand in. their essense
and design. Thus 1 have returned to the
convictions in which l was Graded. Still
firmly attached to reason and liberty.
which I have received from God, and
which are my honor and my right in this
world though [ have returned to feel
myself a chii6 under the hand of God sin
cerely resigned to my large share of
weakness and Ignorance, [ believe in God
and adore him without seeking to COM
prehend him. l recognize him present and
at work, not only in the fixed system of
the universe and in the inner life of the
soul, but also in the history of human
society, specia11y in the old and new tes-
divine action by the mediation and sacri-
flee of our savior. Jesus Christ, for the
salvation of the human race.
! bow myself before the mysteries Of the
Bible and the gospel, and | stand alOof
from the discussions and the scientific
inventions by which men have tried to
explain them. trust that God will allow
me to call myself a Christian and I am
convinced that in the light in which I am
about to enter we shall see clearly the
purely human origin and the vanity of the
greater part of our discussion here below
on divine things.
Guizot has left a confession of faith
which we print above, and which is pro-
foundly interesting in these days of
theological perpleNty; 1t forms the first
! to his family that the best thing which
he left to them was the heritage of his
religious belief. And the utterance has
! strangely
the din and combat of Guizots life. He
says that he dies in the bosom of the Re
! formed Church of France, in which he
was born, and in which he rejoices that
! he was born. But he has made use of the
freedom which she gives to members, He
has doubted being and in conformity with
his moral end: the human mind was strong
enough to solve the problems presented
/ by the universe and by man, and that the
| human will had sufficient power to rule
the life of man according to the law of it's
being and in conformity with his mortal
end But after a long life of action and
reflection he has put aside that belief,
and has gone back to the simpler faith
of his childhood. So he ends with the
conviction that neither the universe nor
man can be explained by the permanent
laws of nature. His profound faith is
that the ruler Of all things is God who
has created both the world and mankind,
and who governs them by general and
special laws. He believes in the maker
of the universe without seeking to COM
prehend. He believes that the action of
providence is seen in the history of hui
man societies, and especially in those
of the old and new teStamentS. He bows
before the mysteries of the gospel, and he
keeps aloof from the scientific solutions
by which men have sought to explain
them. He is confident that he has right
to call himself Christian. and he is
certain that, in the life which he is about
to enter, he will see the vanity and the
merely human origin of many discussions
about divine things.
All this comes from one who stood in the
very foremost rank as a philosopher his
the annals of research and thought, and
who, so far from being a dreamer of the
closet was for years a prominent Euro
pean statesman. Guizot's labors lay over
so vast a range that some time is needed
to measure the extent of his achieve
ments. But the more closely they are
looked at the greater will be the wonder
that one man could have done so much
] on -6n in 10 fn CT of octo
Philosophy, history, biography, literary
criticisms, religious mediation. political
discussion. all that can interest the
student, the devotee or the statesman
have passed through Guizot's brain and
taken shape which is always instructive
and has sometimes a lasting value. His