The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-10
ON THE. "MESSIANIC MAN.
EDWARD A. CANTRELL BEGINS A
SERIES OF TEN LECTURES.
The First, ''The Immanence of God"
Delivered to the Peoples Church
at the Propylaeum.

Edward A. Cantreil, director of the Peo-
pies Church. lectured yesterday afternoon
at the Propylaeum on 1.-The Immanence of
Cod 1t was the first of series of ten
lectures under the general title of 1.-The
Messiai Man." Mr.. Cantrell said:
THE mrussion of any vital theme is
no easy tRk- There is a personal equa-
ton in all things and one man cannot give
TO another all that he himself may see:
Our words, like the hunters gun, do not
carry the range Of vision. We must stalk
our game. We cannot approach truth di-
rectly, but through awkward devices
through the hating symbols and figures of
speech.
There are two attitudes that we assume
an our growth toward words. toward books
and toward institutions. The one is the at
titude of surrender. 1t is remarkable how
easily we capitulate to names and things;
but this equalization characterizes us only
in the earlier stages OF intellectual expert
ence Our first textbooks were infaliible.
but as experience came and our vision
broadened the textbooks were mastered
and We saw through and beyond them into
the realms untouched by any human treat
Use. Then came the attitude OF mastery,
and We left the letter that killsth for the
spirit that maketh alive. And here is the
secret OF the great silent men of the world.
Realizing the limitation OF. speech, the men
OF vision grow silent or they become ar
lists and reinforce their speech with the
beauty OF colors. or they become musicians
and express themselves In the harmonies Of
sound; they become inventors or master
craftsmen and, like God. express them
selves in the ever-prcgressive creation Of
things; or they become seers, or using an
other name. they become poets and revel in
nature which becomes for them a pentecost
OF tongues helping them to publish what
they see and feel.
CAN WE KNOW GOD?
THE question sometimes comes, can we
know God? 1 think sometimes we can. To
the chemist drop of sea water. He an
Alyzes It. He tells US that its elements are
oxygen, hydrogen, the chlorides of sodium,
potassium. ct cetera. He knows that the
sea has within it these same elements. In
other words, he knows the whole by the
part. IL is said that Cuvier could see the
whole animal in single bone of its skel-
eton, that Lyell could read the history of
the glacial period in pebble. that Agassiz
could recognize the whole fish by one OF
Its scales, and that Asa Gray could see all
botany in single plant. This is the spirit
OF modern specialism, to bring man from
the knowledge of parts, to the knowledge OF
the whole. Do you remember the lines of
Tennyson, the flower I'm the crannied wall? ?
So from man the part, from a knowledge
thing at least OF the whole we call God
Suppose / could broaden the horizon of
my own personality so as to include the
universe, would not volition be translated
into eausation?"
THREE CATEGORIES.
In the terms OF science the world falls
Into three categories-matter. motion and
relation. This may be translated into the
terms of religious faith and we have soul.
self-activity and righteousness. 1t matters
not to me what terms you use, they mean
the same. for objects gross and the unseen
Eoul are one. From this soul center, from
this monistic viewpoint we stand and look
out upon all things and see the relation OF
all things. From this center we interpret
the movement OF the worlds or we inter-
pref the movements of man. All is part OF
the infinite self-activity. From this view
point we see new meanings in history. His
tory becomes the romance OF the centuries
We see the significance of the languages;
words become histories. telling OF the Sc
cret struggles or the race. Labor has its
meaning: IL is Goo working through us
and I'm US. and we are working In and
through God for the joy OF the working.
Prom this viewpoint Jesus is no longer
sui generis, no longer disassociated from
the world processes of growth and Develop
ment We see Him as a great good brother
among His brothers and sisters not yet
grown. He Is conscious OF His strength
Tor he knows that back Of Him and within
Him are the forces % the universe He
knows that He Is divine, for He Is part
OF all that is, but this conscious strength
aud knowledge OF divinity do not separate
Him from His fellows. He knows that
some day they Will stand where He stands
and lie tells them 50. His work was .
work OF love helping them 10 that end