Year: 1878

Allow me to suggest that the Existence
of God is not an assumption" as usec
by the inspired writers, unless we con
slider that term in the sense of taken fo1
granted. If understood in this sense
then it is evident that the sacred writers
regard the Being of God as automatic
not as mere assumption" or "theory'
like that of the atomic or other theories
dopted or rejected at pleasure, by
writers on natural science. 1t seems tc
me it would be doing gross injustice to the
inspired writers to suppose that they
intended to rest the matter of the Divine
Existence on any such grounds. Un
the contrary, il is very evident
that they did not, but that they regarded
the existence OF God rs not only demon
strsble, but demonstrated by the works
of God. Take, for instance, the testimony
of Paul "The invisible things of Him
from the creation Of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things
that are made, even His eternal power
and Godhead' Doubtless it is for the
same reason that David says: "The fool
hath said in his heart, there is no God.
And Moses also: ain the beginning
God created the heavens and the EARTH
Why did not Moses first undertake to
prove the existence of God? Simply be-
cause he knows that no sane manor at
least no one having even superficial
Knowledge OF the works of God-could
reasonably doubt it.


I would submit that there is danger oi
conceding too much TO the scientific pre-
tenders OF the present day; and would
therefore respectfully request you to pub.
lsh the following very sensible remarks
from the pen of Rev. DR.. Crosby.


j. Ii. MCMECHES.


%The term God is used in the sense OF an
intelligent First Cause.


PREACH THE WORD.


There appears often virtual distrust
of the power of Gods word in the preach.
ing of our day. A Christian minister
thinks he must meet the enemies of the
truth on their ground and not on Gods
He must argue with the Materialist or
the Panthelst on purely scientific or
metaphysical grounds He must enter the
lists as geologlst, biologist, or lingu.
lst. He must talk l9srnedly of the
stone age, and pre- Adamite man,
of protoplssm and natural selection. In
order to do this, he must read all the
philosophers and scientists, and become u
cosmical Humboldt, while the Book OF
God must be proportionately neglected.
Well, Satan gets him down into the
worlds arena, and is satisfied. He'll not
convert souls or edify saints IN that region,
but he'll get many commendation IN
the newspapers. We desire to protest
against this perversion OF preaching.
We insist that the preacher is uttsrlng
revelation from God, and not acting
ms a philosopher of the schools. The
Bible furnishes him with quite strong
enough weapons for any form OF
infdelity. The battle can be fought out
on the ground principles enuncisted in
the Word, and need never be carried
into the detailed technics Of a speciality.
If the preacher knows his Bible well, he
is ready for any opponent, from Por-
phyry TO Strauss. Mems affections, not
their intellects, are the hindrsnces to
Gods truth, and according ly, If the con-
test can be brought into the intellectual
field, and so relieve tho heart from the
pressure of spiritual truth, men are salts
fed. The Bible is Gods attack on the
heart, and preachers lose all their van
tsge when they prefer mems attack on
the intellect.