The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-01
subsTITUTEs FOR OLD BELIEFS.
Rev. a. w. Martin Outlines the The.
DRY II FFee-Thinkers

You fres-shsnkers put nothing In n,ace
o, what you take away" was the pop
w. Martin In his discourse at Ranke hail
last night. Mr.. Martin began By saw
ing that IL was his cus,em to refuse this
i1ai.a a by appealing to the method OF
jesus. who did not hesitate 10 destroy
outgrown beliefs and who offered some
thing better In their stead 80 ii Is with
the fros thinker OF the true sort. He de-
stroys that he may fulfiil. and ali So
called free-thinkers are false to their
privilege who rest In mere negations. who
reyei IN destruction. doing nothing TO
huHd up A. true religion in place OK the
old that has passed out OF educated In
Coming TO the. particular beliefs dis
tearnea ny frse@thinkers. the speaker said:
Il think most Of you will agree with
me- In the substitutes I offer for what we
discard. They have the highest possible
authority behind them. namely. the sell
sntific method. To hegisl with. We have
given np the Psoiemsic. Biblical. false cos
noiogy and IN its place We put the Copper
MEAN, verified. true cosmology CO modern
, es WITH We ,rss thinkers
right hand seat ard left for the living
presence Of a universal power manifested
In manifold forms throughout the inor-
ganfc and organic world.
And would not tho Bible writer rejoice
could he have this sublime thought Of
Geds Would he not feel that here is
more cause than ever for the sentiments
Of reverence. awe and Worship Who can
feel other than deeply thankful over the
gradual disappearance OF the old god
sReeefes. yapeakirg on this substitute
fer The 6csf or the creeds. said: II the
great truth OF evolution led to unhelief.
II could not be So bad as that lmpous
and malignant representation of God and
his government which underlies all medi-
aeval and most OF modern theology
1T Is. then an incalculabie gain to have
destroyed the god-iaea OF the Christian
creeds and In It's place to have pu. the
gnd-ldea of modern thought, which con-
ceives OF God not as cruel. partial.
unjust being. not rs the creator of hell As
well as Of heaven. but as infinite wisdom
Justice and love- keeping him own laws
and accomplishing his ends by the method
OF evolution.
we have given UP belief In a disas-
tronsis ruined world. In the fall of man.
and In Its place We set mp belief In the
rot ruined but incomplete. We have
given UP belief In one Incarnation, i.No
years ago. and In its place We put the
more ennobling view OF the divtneness In
all men. We have given up belief In
miracles. special proviaenc~s and petit
tionai prayer, and IN their stead We place
belief in Jaw. IN evolution, in the orderly
progress of thu universe In accordance
with snyariahie laws, and belief in the
prayer Of aspiration. that seeks To change
not God. bat man.
I'VE have gwen W the Christian scheme
of salvation because II Is founded on the
fall 81 man. and since II has been proved
that man never fell from original pers@c-
ton the whole superstvucsure based on
that foundation tctteTS ard dassolves. Man
10 net lest and doesn't need 10 be
saved He needs development. getting
rtd of the survfvais NJ brute qualities In
herttef from his animal ancestry. Con-
seqAently. Tho whole idea az suffering
Christ arpeasfng an angry God. angry
heeauss % supposed fall ~ man -
snrsrssi1ieus ard destined 80 pass cat NJ
religious thought everywhere. Ali that is
helpful nSpittng uplifting In Iss.fs
teaching ana fn the Bible writers books
We keep: thsir errors we discard as they
wouii today were they made aware Of