The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-02-07
PROBLEM OF BELIEF
Rev. Charles Vail breaches
on the History Of the
God Idea.
HEBREWS WERE FIRST pOLY7HElSTS
The Preacher Shows How They
Finally Becomes MeDotheists
services in Other
Churches.
HEBREWS WERE FIRST POLYTHEISTS

AT the Church of the Good Shepherd
(Univ~ersalist). on Ivy place, YESTERDAY
morning, the Rev. Charles H.. Vail
preached upon ..The Problem of Belief III
God" So.
He first traced the history of the Goae
idea through the various religions OF the
world showing that the earliest form was
polytheistic. Continuing he said
IF we stand by the side OF the lowest
barbarian and try to see the universe
through his eyes we shall understand why
he gave the answer which we know lie
did to the first great problem of the
world. He knew nothing of any power
in the universe except such as he imagined
in the likeness of his own image. SO he
| peopled the universe with thousands OF
invisible forms, gods of the sun, moon,
stars. trees, rivers, storm and disease.
and these gods were good or evil accord
ing as they injured or helped him. me
early man could have no conception OIL
the unity of things. He could not I'M
derstand that the same power could be
the cause of both light and darkness, heat
and cold. 1t was perfectly natural that
he should think the universe made up OF
many po-wers-powers irreconcilable with
eiClt SIC Wy fNtti 49,
evitable step in the growth of the human
mind"
Mr.. VAN here took up the Hebrew relig-
ion and showed that the Jews were first
P~olytheists. He traced their history
through this stage to Henotheism, ana
on to Monotheism. He declared that not
over one-third of the race today had
| evolved into the monetheistie stage of
| thought. He then took up the problem
| as it faces us to day, saying
1.-THE question thai faces the advanced
| thinkers today is not whether there pc
| one GOO or many-for all have come TO ae-
| cept the unity of the uniyerse-pul
whether they believe in God at all or not.
The universe seems so large, that tney
| question as to whether God exists. Where
is He? May we speak to Him ana VIII
He answer? Let us examine this prop
lem and see just what we are scientihcal-
~ warranted in holding.
las we awaken to self-consciousness we
| recognize a power, which, as Matthew Ar
| mold says. is not ourselves This power
| has made us-we are its children. One
outcome of this power is life, life OF BODY
and life of mind. All the countless Won
| ders and marvels are the product of this
power.
"I.et us now see how many of the attrib
| utes we usually ascribe to God we are
| justified in ascribing to this power. Note
J first, the Power is eternal
This point was amply illustrated. show
ing that we cannot conceive of a begin
| ming orsend. Next, the power is infinite
| It is boundless in its reach. This was
| amplifed by Illustrations from astronomy.
/ After dwelling upon this, Mr.. Vail took
up the question OF its unity, and said
| that if had been scientifically demon
| strated that the power at the heart of the
universe was one-a unit. This also was
fully established. @
His next point was that the power is
intelligent. las we look out upon the uni
| verse we are impressed with the fact
that it is Ineligible he said. Mr.. Vail
here traced the formation of our polar
system, its gradual evolution to the hui
man kingdom, pointing out that the whole
process is ineligible. He insisted that
the only logical inference is that this in
telligible order is the manifestation of an
intelligent cause. IF 7 have a right to
saw that man is intelligent" he said, 81
have a greater right To say that there is
intelligence in the universe
He then took up the metaphysical uues-
ton of matter and spirit. claiming that we
know spirit directly and matter only by
inference. s.Huxley, Tyndall and all thf
great thinkers he said, tell us that
there is no passing from the mere motion
OF particles of dead matter to a sensation
or thought. Ii l begin with matter ] ear
never think spirit. But il l begin witt
spirit ! can think matter.
Next, is his power personal and con
scious? Not in the sense in which WI
are PERSONAL and conscious. When WI
use these terms in regard to ourselves
we mean by an Individual one who was
born. who is encased in a body and whc
will die. We mean a being outlined. hav
ing a definite form and shape. Surely
God is not personal in that sense. Blu
nersonalitv is one Of the manifestation
Of this power. This power, must be eaua
70 all that is. Whatever there is in tn,
universe is just SO far a manifestation
of this infinite life and Power we cal
God. This power, then, which has pro
duced personality must be as much al
personality. A stream cannot rise highe'
than its source. A cause must b.
adequate to the erect. NOW, upon an.
theory, man is the outcome of the uni
verse. That which is evolved must frs
have been involved. As we think. am
love, and feel, God must be at least, a
much as these manifestations and i
seems TO me quite rational for us to TAX
a step beyond that. 1t is little presump
.uous for us to think that we measure tn
universe.
Now, is God conscious? MOI in the sens
that d is conscious, but consciousness i
a part Of the manifestation of God, con
seauently, he must be as much as con
scious. But as Herbert Spencer says
This infinite and eternal Being may. TO
ali j can see. be as much above and be
y3fd what we mean by personality an
consciousness, as we are above
You'd Vegetable growths.'
DIR. A. N. THOMPSON AT BMoR.
Interesting Address Under IN
auspices Of theAY. NJ. q. A.
The Rev. Arthur Newton Thompson
D D.. of the Westminster Presbyteriai
=