The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-08-04


IlPASTOR RUSSElI)i l ascend up into
heaven, Thou art
there: if i make my bed in hell, be-
hold, Thou art there" psalm cXxxix,
Z, s.. He said:
We are living in a day when money,
pleasure and pain seem to be the as
sets of the masses. The Evolution
theory and Higher Criticism Of the
Bible have fostered unbelief to such
an extent that everything intangible
is doubted. Beginning with the col
lege professor and the majority Of the
educated ministers this skepticism has
embraced the wealthy, who are sa-
tiated with the blessings of prospect
ty. To these heaven and heavenly
things seem vagaries as compared
with present enjoyments and hopes.
Not for a long time have these be-
lieved in and feared eternal torment.
And their present attitude is one of
doubt respecting everything connected
with the Bible. They well know that
outside the Bible there is nothing but
guess work. and they prefer their own
guesses to those of other people.
Very many of them speak candidly
and tell that they are agnostics, that
they are uncertain and would like to
be informed respecting the future.
A very similar condition growingly
prevails amongst the poorer classes
and the uneducated, who say, We be-
leved the scholars when they told us
the Bible was inspired. Why should
we not believe them now when they
declare that it is a fraud? AS the
wealthy doubt that God will special
" favor them, so the poor doubt
whether God will specially disfavor
them. Both classes are reaching the
conclusion that fortune or disaster
rests, not with the Lord, but with
themselves.
The Worlds Need--a God.
The effect of all this loss of faith in
an Almighty God is seen on every
hand and is felt by many. One of the
consequences is that the religious ele-
ment of mans nature is becoming
numb and the masses, rich and poor,
are seeking q substitute in pleasure:
as the Apostles words foretod, they
are lovers Of pleasure more than low
ers of God" Additionally, many of
the wealthy carry on kind of brigand-
age along commercial lines. Desir-
Gus of initiating them, but unable so
TO do others are filing the world with
violence to an extent that is alarming
to everybody. Were it not for our
elaborate and costly police protection
life and property would be far less Sc
cure in civilized lands than amongst
the heather. With all the protection
afforded by telephone. telegraph. po-
lice. etc. etc. our rulers and officials
tell us that they are often bewildered
in their attempts to preserve law and
order
Many learned men believe that there
is no other God than Nature: and
many of the unlearned are following
their lead. They reason that Nature
served them as both father and moth
er. that Nature is pitiless. unsympa-
thetic, cruel. Indeed this is one of
sonal God, or fey say that such a
God would not permit the sufferings
we witness on every hand and the still
more terrible sufferings which the
creeds Of Christendom have taught
them are in store for all except the
sanity few.
1t is time that we return to the Bible
proposition and see the truth of the
statement, "The fool hath said in his
heart, There is no God" Surely there
is something wrong with the brain
which, after noting the wonders of ma
ture. seen in the surrounding worlds
and systems and attested in all mat
ters earthly, sees not an intelligent
Creator. The wonderful adaptability of
our own bodies tells of wise Creator.
If we compare the human eye, adapt
ed to its purposes and conditions, with
the eye of fish, adapted to its differ
ent conditions, and with the eye of
beetle, adapted to still different condi-
tions, we see the most indubita BILE
proofs of profoundest wisdom and SUI
perhuman skill. When we think of
mans wonderful powers aud of his
great achievements in the world and
then consider his inability to make
single living thing, from microbe to
an elephant, from tiny seed to tree
surely we should concede that the One
who ordered nature in the production
of these wonderful variations, and ere.
ated man himself, must be an AL
mighty, intelligent God. Surely DAY
unto day uttereth speech and night