The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1916-05-20
OUR WEEKLY SERMON

ChAs. T. Hard. Pastor q Fse Pssshytsrsan Church.

CllAs. +. Hur0, Footoe Of
The processes by which men arrive
at conclusions and therefore come into
convictions that thereafter govern and
control al OF living are varied and
various. Professor George J. Romans
was professor OF biology In the Uni
versity Of Cambridge. and was The
greatest Darwinian after Darwin. and
the editor Of the magazine entitled
Mature" In his earlier life he bad
published a little book anonymously
entitled "A Candid Examination oi
Theism by Physicus." In It hs d.
clared II to be impossible for him "a
believe In the existence Of God or the
immortality Of the soul. because be
could not demonstrate the reasonable.
ness OF these beliefs to his own intel.
lectual satisfaction. But hs was q
candid seeker after truth. and at this
time he frankly declared that he was
not happy In his position: that instead
Of the God Of the universe In whom he
had believed as = boy. there seemed
now nothing but = great big empty
hole; and therefore he was constantly
seeking light upon this problem.
One day he was studying . piece OF
life under the microscope. and sudden.
~ the conviction took hold Of him that
there was some sort Of intelligence
back Of the physical forces IN this
piece OF life and he asked himself this
question: "Since science demands OF.
perience as the basis Of all human be.
lief. is there not somewhere within the
range Of experience some evidence Of
an intelligent power directing physical
forces!" Immediately he thought Of
the human will. Il wish to lift up my
hand: my hand goes UP. I wish to
walk out Of this room and my body
walks out. What IL It? It u the di.
recting power Of self conscious In.
tellisence controlling physical forces. I"
Then he remembered the statement
made by Alfred Russell Wallace, an.
other great scientist Of his generation:
THE only knowledge that man pos.
sesses in the realm Of human exper.
ience Of any power to direct physical
forces Is the knowledge Of the human
will: and the human will u OF the M.
ture Of spirit" Facing these facts hon.
estly. Romanes was compelled by sci.
ence to recognize the fact that the d..
recting. controlling power hack OF the
physical forces In the universe must
be a self-conscious intelligence Of .
nature akin to the human will. Then
he awoke to another fact. He had
been calling himself . scientist and q
scientific student Of nature. but he
suddenly realized that he had been
neglecting the most important part Of
nature. He had been
studying nature below man. and now
be began to study man. and the flrst
TACT that arrested his attention was
the fact Of the religious instinct In
man. Science had taught this great
biologist that whenever instinct II
found In any form Of HE that instinct
always points TO something outsids Of
The creature which gave rise to the In.
stinct. Therefore science compelled
Romanes to believe that the RELIGIOUS
instinct in man. points to somsthiux
outside Of the man which satisfies that
In the man which gives rise to the 70.
ligious instinct. And science com.
PEELED him to add to his conviction
about the existence Of the great being
who controls the physical forces Of the
universe the further conviction that
hat being 10 Of = religious nature.
Science had thus compelled him to
arrive at . theistic belief.
A few months later Professor 10.
names was carrying on IN extensive
correspondence with . noted scisntist
n Japan in regard to certain feature,
u the discussion Of Darwinian prob.
ems. Professor Romanes declared
hat this man brought the most pro.
ound intellect Of the day to the dis
This man was John T. ar.
lex. a Christian missionary, and IN
me OF his letters Professor Romanss
aid In substance: NY dear friend. Il
ave long wished to ask you . auee.
Ion, have deferred to ask II Of you
or two reasons: First. because II
now that man OF your profound In.
elect would not believe aaythinsI
Without good reason; second, bs.
ause know that man Of your moral |
haracter would not profess to believe |
nythins without being sincere. Thsrs- |
ore. ] desire to ask you how you can |
elieve In Jesus Christ - the savior |
I the World?"