| Show WHO MADE THE WORLD II I I The Brooklyn Preacher Harmoniz iiie the Laws of Nature with His Theories on Evolution in Religion One of Rev Hen Ward Beechers late of design sermons was upon the questions desig in creation upn of general and special providence as they stand related not only to scripture testimony but to what we know of the course of natural laws in this word The view of the famous German scientist Haeckel that the world needs no God that it has i itself provision for all the phenomena seemed to Mr mena that have taken place M Beecher not to simplify the problem of creation crea-tion but to make it still more difficult to comprehend Nothing i human experience furnishes a basis for believing i the origin and progress of the world of its ownself org external influence The belief that out anyexteral iuence belef back of every effect there must be a cause has been wrought into the very common sense of mankind And HaeckeFs theory leaves the origin of matter still unaccounted for The origin of matter and the existence of tendencies or laws in matter seem inconceivable incon-ceivable The same is true of the origin of the Divine Being but confessedly this i removed from human investigation which can only take hold of that which has some relation to the organization of the mind and body and God has not But we gain nothing noth-ing by excluding divine intelligence and to include it smooths the way of investigation and is agreeable to the nature of the human ageeable mind It is easier to conceive of a personal God with intelligence will and power than to conceive of such a vast and varied substance sub-stance as this performing all the functions of intelligence will and power The doctrine of evolution at first seemed to destroy the fact of intelligent design i creation So the agnostic school which includes cludes some of the noblest spirits of our day sprang up God may exist but we do not know it they say But this is what the Bible said from beginning to end It is what philosophy is now beginning to explain We cannot understand the divine nature so exalted ex-alted above anything yet developed in us except it dawns upon u when we are ourselves selves unfolded and rise to such a higher operation as does not belong to the great mass of the human race God is to be seen only by those faculties that diverge upon the divine itself and by them moral intuition does come with a certainty as great as any that scientific investigation brings to the senses of men The question of design in creation is being restored in a grander way I adaptation to special uses was an evidence of divine design how much more is it an evidence of design when we see such adaptation adapta-tion proceed from a universal plan of development deve-lopment Paleys celebrated argument of design was illustrated by a man finding a watch and inferring from its adaptation to the purpose of keeping time that it was the work of an intelligent being But suppose the same man should be taken to a factory where thousands of watches are turned out by machinery every day without being touched by human hands except to put the parts together would he not be still more profoundly impressed by the evidence of intelligence i the designer of the machinery adapted to such wonderful work As to special providence no doctrine was more explicitly taught by Jesus Christ than that of Gods personal care and inspection of individuals and communities I science should overthrow this doctrine it would make a serious breach in our faith not only i the New Testament but in the divinity of Christ itself Men say that God would not set aside natural law for the benefit of any favored person family or community They say God works through laws of force and never otherwise This is impudent We dont know what God thinks nor what he does Some parts of his ways have been let down within the reach or ou observation but not obseraton all and while we have no right to affirm that ho does we have no right to affirm that he does not The popular idea that natural laws are unchangeable irresistible uncontrollable trollable i an illusion Nothing is gentler more pliable and usable than natural laws Obey them and they becomejyour servants Natural laws are constantly checked directed direct-ed made inoperative They are set in conflict con-flict one against the other and made to compromise We make wind and water grind for us and carry us Electricity the great buffoon of the North i winter nights or flashing about in storms the pyrotechnics of the world in its untouched state was useless use-less and barren Now it doctors the sick lights our dwellings plays postboy carries news in a twinkling round the word It has become fruitful because the will of man learned how to use it Men can by using not abusing or violating natural laws make of them providence for the advantage elevation not only of themselves but of those around them The invention of a single machine may change the industries and destines of nations Civilization i but a wise subjection of natural laws by human intelligence and will And if God cannot create a providence by using not violating natural laws then he cannot do what the meanest creatures on earth can do i some degree He can exert directly or indirectly upon the consciousness of men that which decree will make them the enactors of His ow Some hold that God takes care of the system sys-tem only and does not heed incidental results re-sults But I hold that there is another teaching in the Bible namely that all things shall be worked together for good to them that love God I other words I hold that the laws we have learned up to a certain point are doubtless surmounted by other and statelier laws which have relation not so much to flesh and blood as to the mind and spirit of man And when men love God and live in the altitude of the divine nature and will they are beaten upon there by invisible influences that are more really natural laws than any of the lower and grosser ones that pertain to the body and to external conditions condi-tions I find nothing i science that sets this doctrine aside but I find much there that corroborates i |
