The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-22

the reason assigned in the form of
a symposium by several ministers Of
the city: There is a wide difference Of
opinion on the subject on the part Of
those interviewed, even between minis
tiers of the same denomination. While
this is not surprising in view Of the
yet unsettled state Of theological
thought, it nevertheless emphasizes ii
very unfortunate fact-that the doc
tors (Of divinity in this case) are in
serious disagreement as to a very fun
damentaI matter Of vital interest to the
human family. viz: as to whether Diety
deals with mankind through special o.
general Providence; and to his actual
relation to the universe in the matter
of its government"
QUESTION PUT TO MINISTRY.
When l read the editorial l Was
somewhat surprised. AS l was one of
the ministers interviewed, / had exact
knowledge Of the reason Of tbs syrnpo-
SUM and the limitations placed upon
tdt1 NLIItl. III Iu6 III D. Place Nc NcIS
compelled 70 confine our remarks to if
~ words in answer 20 the following
questions: First. Was the earthquake
disaster sent by God? Second. If God
sent it, why did He send it? Third
If it was not GOd-send, what reasons
90 YOU assign? IN Other words we were
asked three questions that required al
most fifty words TO frame them; Ques-
lions of such nature that the COM
bined intellect OF humanity has stag
gered blindly before them for four
thousand years, and today science is
only beginning to lift the veil Of nlys-
terry that envelopes them; questions
that have engaged the attention of the
master minds Of humanity from Moses
to Aristotle, from Plato to Spinoza
from Kant to Spencer; questions that
have furnished the motive thought 10
the great dramas of history, from Pro-
metheus Bound and the Book Of Job
to Shakespeare's Hamlet, GOethe's
Fauste, Hugo's Les Miserable, n
H~avthOrne's Scarlet Letter; questions
so profound that the whole. edifice of
philosophy mas crumbled before them; :.
religions nave warTed the one with the
other and man has submitted to mar
tyrdOn because they believed that they
we're justifying the ways Of God 10
mar and teStifying to the truth OF their
particular interpretations of the my5-
terieS of life; questions 50 ~pretentlOus
that the whole fabric Of religion is We
ven about them; yet we were asked
to give a logical, satisfactory reason in
fifty words.
What surprised me the most was this,
in face of these facts, despite the
writer's assertion TO the contrary,
there was a remarkable agreement run
ming through the symposium, the Meth
Odist minister, the Baptist minister and
myself were agreed as to the cause.
While of the other ministers two q
occasion to deliver SermOnetteS upon
the disaster, one spoke OF the OSlca
necessity of Special Providence it we
admit that there is ProVi-
dence;" while one conforming to MS
creed denied that God was in b earth
quake. With regard to those VINO NOR
allied ii is hardly necessary to say
that an infinite number OF sermons
could be preached upon such a dlsas-
ter from the most spiritual to the mos
practical, tina would not be out o.
place in the pulpit, Jewish or Christian
While IN the case of the writer Wht
asserted that God was not in the earth'
quake he certainly must admit ina
a divine law or a special edlct DIVINE
in nature was the origin or the earth'
quake. In this sense O. was III tn
earthquake. In short, where rneTe wa:
a real attempt to answer without reSor,
to homiiy there appeared a marked
agreement of opinion in spite or tn'
diversity of theological bia OF tn
writer's. Which proves most oonciu
sively tina when it comes to the rea
intimate facts Immediately aHec|lils
humanity, Doctors of Divinity com
very near standing on the same pat
form: and tina far from confronting
an unsettled state and an unfortunat'
fact the veil is lifting and we begin
to see dimly the coming of that da.
when all men shall acknowledge tn
Fatherhood of Coo and the Brother
hood Of man. It it's just such terr1Dl
calamities as these that compel IN
sinners and the thoughtful to conclud
that if God is a God Of love, JuStlc
and wisdom, He will not arbitrarily IN
fict ruin and death upon some TO az
monish or warn others, nor Will ri
afaicr re innocent with the guilty
CRITICISM.
But | have not vet finished the eol
torial in question. We were llmlteo I
fifty words; the editorial writer TOO
one thousand words to sho Wnat
sad state of affairs existed among Ill
ministers and to give his own We"
Upon the points presented to us. Al1e
reading his opinions n ~conclusloh'
in the language of Shakespeare | mus
exclaim "A second Daniel has come I
nudge us," we are told that the thee
logical mind, j, e., the popular pal
of i'll can't quite discover who G
which that is-has made a mistake j