The anatomy of atheism as demonstrated in the light of the constitution and laws of nature

Dedication

Though your profession is that of music, yet such is your love and aptitude for philosophical studies, that I take pleasure in

feeling assured that you are able to master its contents and defend them.

THE AUTHOR.

Preface

The volume herewith given to the public originated in a very simple manner. In conversation with a clergyman concerning the papers which the Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Dr. Field, and Cardinal Manning, on the one side, and R. G. Ingersoll on the other, had given to the public on the subject of religion, the writer remarked :

" I have not read the papers. They must be very able."

u Yes, they are; and Dr. says he does

not think that Ingersoll is answered, and that he does not see how he can be."

This conversation started in the mind of the author a ripple of thought, which, for some months, has rolled on, gathering such force as it could by the way, and now it returns to equilibrium in these few prefatory remarks.

Infidel arguments, it matters not how old they may be, if presented in a new dress should receive such attention as the spirit of the times may demand. The task we undertook to perform was somewhat difficult. It was important

PREFACE.

that we keep in sight of the game we were pursuing, or, at least, keep on its sinuous and meandering track, and, at the same time, put in logical order a thread of argument for the defense of the faith of our fathers. Could we have found in our library even the main reasons for accepting Christ as our Messiah, here spread before the reader, this volume would not have appeared. We have kept constantly before us the average reader who would likely be interested in such subjects, and have written for the express purpose of rendering him some assistance in his troubles.

Believing that Christianity is an embodiment of truth, infidel attacks upon it give us no anxiety. It is not desirable that religion should ever settle down into the calmness of a sea of molten lead ; for then it might cease to be a matter of interest to anybody. Rather let the agitation go on, even though it rise to a storm; for all we care for is, as is possible, to be masters of the situation. This battle has already been fought a thousand times, and a thousand more fields may witness a renewal of the struggle. What matter is, as a reality, in the physical world, truth is in the intellectual, and neither

PREFACE. 7

can be annihilated. Our task would have been easier could we have presented our argument as an independent line of thought ; but we could not avoid bearding the lion in his den without awakening suspicion that we feared a close conflict. In the attention we have given to government by law, and the problem of evil, the stronghold of Atheism has received our most respectful attention. We have expressed our own views, given to nature our own interpretation, and have not always shown the highest regard for the beaten track or for great names. Some of our positions will challenge attack, and the sooner and more thoroughly that which is unsound is swept away the better. Our argument, in some of its main features, has not, as far as we know, been worked out before, and if we are not mistaken it gives a breadth and conclusiveness to the proofs for Christianity which can not be reached by any other course. Of this, however, the public must be the judge. We invite criticism ; and if truth shall be the tools used, we care not how keen their edge.

THE AUTHOR.

St. Petersburg, Pa., May, 1889.

i

Contents

INTRODUCTION, Pages 21-31

Chapter I. Incidental Causes Which Lead To Atheism

1. The Affirmative Elements of Infidelity have never been

put into Logical Form.

2. The Tendency of Humanity, in all Ages, has been to

Worship.

3. The Experiences of Dr. John Tyndall with Atheism.

4. How Baron von Humboldt may have driited into Atheism.

5. The Value of Humboldt's Experience as a Basis of Infidel-

ity for Others.

6. The Religious Faculty in Man Susceptible of either Growth

or Extinction.

7. The Absence of Affirmative Principles at the Base of Infi-

delity Fatal to its Claims.

8. Materialism necessarily leads to Atheism.

9. Origin of the Pantheism of Spinoza. 10. The Agnosticism of Herbert Spencer, n. The Helps and Hindrances to Faith.

Chapter II

R. G. INGERSOLL, THE ACCREDITED CHAMPION OF INFIDELITY.

1. His Infidelity primarily vested in Himself.

2. The Peculiar Characteristics of the Man.

3. A Series of Perversions of Scripture and Nature lead to

Atheism.

4. The Miscellaneous Character of His Acquisitions.

5. Personal Disqualifications to appreciate Religion.

IO

CONTENTS.

6. Personal Characteristics of the Skeptic.

7. The Intellectual a Secondary Power in the Man.

8. He can form no Idea of Faith as a Religious Element.

Chapter III. The Insufficiency Of The Facts Produced As A Support To Infidelity

1. Invective as a Substitute for Argument.

2. The Skeptic's Conception of the World we live in.

3. Indulgence the Skeptic's only Conception of Government.

4. The Ideal God whose Existence the Infidel could admit.

5. The Vain Struggles of the Infidel to satisfy Himself.

6. Nature and Revelation objected to on the Same Grounds.

7. The Relation God sustains to the Universe.

8. Superficial Conceptions of Nature.

Pages, 59- 7I

Chapter IV. The Value Of Infidel Arguments Considered

1. The Personal Relation of the Infidel to Religion.

2. The Value of Subjective Arguments against Religion.

3. Arguments which might be legitimately urged by Infidels

are neglected.

4. If Ingersoll is a Model Man, Christianity must be False.

5. The Mental Characteristics needed in this Discussion.

6. Bold Assertions not to be substituted for Candid Con-

victions.

7. In the Absence of Principle, the Argument varies with the

Changing Moods of the Skeptic.

Chapter V. The Identity Of The Argument Against Christianity And Paganism

1. The Position of the Atheist stated

2. In this System of Atheism Objections to the Bible occupy a

Secondary Place.

CONTENTS.

II

3. The Infidel's Conception of what the Creator and Governor

of the World would be did One exist.

4. Atheism the Outcome of Paganish Conceptions of God.

5. The Death-blow to Polytheism.

6. The Real Battle-ground of Modern Atheism.

7. In the Basis of this Infidelity there is Nothing New or

Strange.

8. The Observed Facts of Nature should be interpreted in the

Light of its Constitution.

Chapter VI. A Further Development Of Atheistic Thought

1. Nature primarily the Basis of Infidelity.

2. Atheism is a Misconception of the Facts of Nature.

3. A Misconception of Providence tends to Atheism.

4. As the Constitution of Nature is perfect, it will not admit

of Change.

Pages, gg-in

Chapter VII. The Correct Interpretation Of Nature Dissipates Atheism

1. The Constitution of Matter.

2. The Perfection of Matter demonstrated.

3. Apparent Evils may be an Absolute Good.

4. Matter per se the Source of Energy.

5. The Existence of a Universe of Things does not infringe

upon the Being of God, but serves as a Revelation of His Power and Godhead.

Chapter VIII. Nature's Interpretation Of Itself Is Not Atheistic

1. The Skeptic avoids discussing the Constitution of Nature.

2. Nature affords Proof that its Structure is Constitutional.

3. Any Collision of Parts with the Fixed Elements of the Con-

stitution of Nature causes Confusion and Trouble.

CONTENTS.

4. Atheism can exist only in the Absence of Law and Gov-

ernment.

5. In the Constitution of Nature Necessary Facts occupy a

Conspicuous Place.

6. The Excellency of the Constitution of Nature is seen in

the Fact that Obedience to her Laws secures the Highest Good.

Chapter IX. The Testimony Of Nature To The Reign Of Eaw

1. God reveals Himself through Nature to his Creatures.

2. The Substance of Nature is composed of Various Elements.

3. The Constitution of Nature is an Expression of the Divine

Will.

4. Benevolence occupies a Conspicuous Place in the Divine

Plan.

5. The Designs of Infinite Wisdom may be seen in the Reign

of Law.

6. The Operations of a Law of Nature have been modified for

the General Good.

7. The Plan devised for furnishing the Earth with a Suitable

Atmosphere indicates Design and Benevolence.

Chapter X. The Miseries Of Crime Proclaim A Moral Governor Of The World

1. It is conceded that this is a Degenerate World.

2. It is Desirable, Fit, and Becoming that Misery should be

the Attendant upon Crime.

3. As a Part of the Structure of the Universe, the Conse-

quences of Virtue and Vice are Matters of Necessity.

4. Happiness and Misery, in their Completeness, are not Sub-

ject to the Control of their Environments.

5. Virtue in this World by no Means exempts its Possessor

from its Calamities.

CONTENTS.

6. All Things considered, Creation was a Dictate of Wisdom.

7. The Ingress of Evil into the World.

8. The Problem of Moral Evil.

9. The Creator's Verdict upon His Own Work is that it is

"Good." 10. The Problem of Hell.

Chapter XI. The Problem Of The Suffering Of The Innocent

1. A Glad Recognition of a Truth expressed by the Skeptic.

2. The Problem of Animal Life.

3. The Essence of Substance is in no Case Subject to Obser-

vation.

4. The Problem of Animal Food.

5. Broad Views of the Universe dissipate Trivial Objections.

6. Virtue may be the Occasion or Cause of Suffering.

7. The Mind is disciplined and developed by Toil and Suf-

fering.

8. Apparent Evils may be Real Blessings.

Chapter XII. I,aw Commensurate With The Vastness Of The Universe

1. The Relation of the Creator to the Created surpasses Human

Comprehension.

2. In the Reign of Law we see Transcendental Intelligence,

Design, and Power; and these unerringly suggest a Divine Personality.

3. Law pertains as rigidly to the Formation of Character as to

Government of the Heavens.

4. Apparent Irregularities imply no Suspension of Law.

5. Law is an Incorporation of Infinite Intelligence and De-

sign.

6. Man, as an Intelligence, made to appreciate Intelligence in

Nature.

CONTENTS.

Chapter XIII. Infidelity Generated By A Perverse Spirit

1. The One Advantage the Skeptic possesses in this Discussion.

2. The Infidel's Low Conception of Man places him below the

Plane of Religion.

3. A True and Elevated Conception of Man Essential to a

Correct Understanding of Religion.

4. The Conscience is an Oracle in the Moral World.

5. Sacrifice is an Element of the Constitution of Nature.

6. The Infinite Creator occupies a Realm all His Own, as He

Only is Divine.

Chapter XIV. Atheism Is Intrenched In The Doctrine Of Necessity

1. Atheism denies the Doctrine of Man's Free Agency.

2. Materialistic Philosophy embraces the Idea of Necessity.

3. The Freedom of the Human Will.

4. The Doctrine of Necessity expounded.

5. The Doctrine of Necessity can be clearly seen only in its

Application.

6. The Doctrine of Necessity has as thoroughly corrupted

Theology as Philosophy.

Chapter XV. Theology Has Been Vitiated By The Doctrine Of Necessity

1. Theology has suffered from its Alliance with Philosophy.

2. Theological Necessity logically leads to Atheism.

\ 3. The Doctrine of Necessity is the Same, though it may spring from Different Roots.

4. The Wonder is that Any Man can be a Fatalist and a

Christian.

5. Fatalism is rooted in Idealistic, Materialistic, and Theolog-

ical Philosophy.

6. Idealism refuted.

CONTENTS.

Chapter XVI. The Doctrine Of Necessity Overthrown By Man's Eree Agency

1. The Different Roots of the Doctrine of Necessity.

2. The Ground of Human Responsibility.

3. There can be no Escape from the Moral Government

of God.

4. The Different Powers or Departments of the Mind.

5. The Relation of Motives to the Mind.

6. The Mind is a Source of Energy.

7. The Aspect of Government from the Stand-point of Free-will.

8. Should the Hazards of Possible Sin have been taken and

Man created?

Chapter XVII. Human Responsibility Further Considered

1. The Argument stated.

2. The Basal Elements of Man's Accountability.

3. The Nature of Virtue.

4. The Futile Discussion of the Will with a False Psychology.

5. The Calamities of a Bad Education.

Chapter XVIII. The Power Of Character In The Morae Wored

1. Man as seen* from the Stand-point of Necessity.

2. Moral Law in the Spiritual Kingdom.

3. The Mind's Capacity for Joy and Woe.

4. Truth is obscured by the Present Mixed Condition of

Things.

5. The Union of Liberty and Law in the Formation of Character

6. The Harmony of the Bible and Philosophy in Regard to

Character.

7. The Outcome of Character regarded as Consequences, not -

Rewards and Punishments.

8. One Ground of Necessity no Better than Another.

9. The Individuality and Independence of Man.

i6

CONTENTS.

Chapter XIX

INFIDELITY AS THE OUTCOME OF THE PERVERSIONS AND MIS- INTERPRETATIONS OF SCRIPTURE.

1. They best understand the Bible who live the Life it de-

scribes.

2. The Ignorance and Bad Conduct of Men, Infidels substitute

for Christianity.

3. Faith, the Root-principle of Religion, they falsely represent

as the Cause of Persecution. ^ 4. In the Absence of Argument, Religion is caricatured.

5. The Warnings given to the Jews of the Consequences of

Idolatry are represented as Causeless Curses.

6. In its Attempts to pervert Scripture, Infidelity makes It-

self Silly.

7. The Real Questions embraced in Christianity are often mis-

apprehended.

8. A False Philosophy is Sure to pervert Religious Truth.

9. Infidelity utterly fails to grasp the Higher Elements of the

Mind.

Chapter XX. The Identity Of Natural And Revealed Religion

1. Nature and the Bible as Different Witnesses.

2. The Use Christ, as a Teacher, made of Nature.

3. The Validity of this Reasoning admitted by the Skeptic.

4. Nature considered as a Revelation.

5. The Testimony of the Two Witnesses Important only where

They touch the Same Subject.

6. Nature's Testimony More than its Analogy to Religion.

Chapter XXI. The Agreement Of Nature And Revelation As Witnesses To The Same Truth

1. A Lament for the Fate of the Skeptic.

2. Religion can be understood only as we give to Nature and

the Bible the Broadest Interpretations.

CONTENTS.

3. The Harmony of Nature and Revelation in the Testimony

They give in Regard to the Nature and Destiny of Man.

4. The Constitution of Nature embodies within Itself the

Wisdom and Energy and Benevolence of God, which aiterwards, in Written Form, found Expression in the Word.

Chapter XXII. The Oi,d Testament

1. To Modern Eyes Obscurity rests upon All Antiquity.

2. Nations incorporate the Spirit of their Times in their Works.

3. The Origin of the Jewish Nation one of the best Authenti-

cated Facts of History.

4. The Condition of the Hebrew Mind at the Time of the

Exodus.

5. The Policy pursued by Moses for the Elevation of this

People.

6. The Significance of Mount Sinai.

7. The Decalogue.

8. The Abrahamic Covenant.

Chapter XXIII. The Church, Theology, Or Reugion?

„ I. The Indefinite Aim of Infidel Warfare.

2. The Proper Relation of Church, Theology, and Religion to

Each Other.

3. Theology as distinguished from the Gospel.

4. Theology, in the Form of Philosophy, loses its True Char-

acter.

5. Theology should be kept within its Own Sacred Limits.

6. The Relation of Theology to Philosophy.

7. What may be learned from the Experience of the Past.

CONCLUSION, Pages, 349-361

ANATOMY OF ATHEISM.

" Then there are such things woven into the texture of man, as the feelings of Awe, Reverence, Wonder ;■ and not alone the sexual love just referred to, but the love of the beautiful, physical, and moral in Nature, Poetry, and Art. There is also that deep-set feeling which, since the earliest dawn of history, and probably for ages prior to all history, incorporated itself in the Religions of the. world. You who have escaped from these regions into the high-and-dry light of the intellect, may deride them ; but in so doing you deride accidents of form merely, and fail to touch the immovable basis of the religious sentiment in the nature of man. To yield this sentiment reasonable satisfaction, is the problem of problems at the present hour."

JOHN TYNDALL.

Introduction

IF religion be a reality, it is an element in the constitution of the universe, and it must be of such a character in its relation to God and man, time and eternity, that the proofs of its genuineness will be abundant and ever accessible to the mind. The first question religion suggests, refers to the existence of a personal God as the Creator and Governor of the worldi Is the evidence we have of his existence of such a character as should convince and give content to every candid inquirer ? The question has its peculiarities. It differs from all others of human experience ; it must be examined solely in its own light ; and only as we keep these considerations in view will we be able to decide what is admissible and conclusive as proof that a God exists. But when we put ourselves fully where the proof is, we shall find it coming in upon us in floods of light.

The idea of God has occupied the human mind longer, more fully, and more universally than any other. This idea has taken on a great variety of forms in different ages of the world, and among different nations ; and in this fact may be seen its tenacity and persistence. How came this conception of a God to occupy so vast a space in the intellectual and moral history of mankind? A phenomenon of such wide significance demands a rational and full explanation. So vast and near and urgent is this question

INTROD UCTION.

to humanity, that all races and nations have felt compelled to think of it, and apply to it the principles of reasoning they use on other subjects.

In looking out upon the world, the savage and the philosopher are alike oppressed with the idea of the Infinite ; only the mightier the capacity of the philosopher, the more deeply he feels the weight of its significance. "I tremble," said the cold, iron-nerved Kant, "when I think of the vastness of the universe." Such is the constitution of nature that only by selfannihilation can the mind relieve itself of the consciousness of existence as a part of the universe and of its infinite environments.

The ancient Hindu deified this conception of the infinite, and called it Varuna — "the broad and bright expanse of heaven." The same idea took form as the supreme God among the Greeks and Romans, bearing the title Zeus and Zeus Pater (Jupiter) — that is, Heaven Father, This conception of the infinite kept its hold for ages upon the minds of millions and millions of the most advanced thinkers of the human family ; and, as a phenomenon of nature, does not this stupendous fact signify something ? And, further, this idea of the infinite never had so deep a hold upon the minds of men — men of all nations — as at the present time. No one who thinks can free himself from it.

Socially, man seems to be about midway between the extremes of the littleness and the greatness of all we can conceive of the infinite. The chemist tells me that a molecule of water, the smallest particle of water that can exist, is composed of two atoms of oxygen and one atom of hydrogen ; and I ask him to show me these atoms, but he replies : " I can 't do it ; they are too small. In a drop of water there are,

IN'IRODUCTION.

perhaps, millions of them; as atoms they belong to the 'unseen universe.' " I then ask him to tell me what their essence is, as distinguished from the essence of carbon and nitrogen — that by union they form water — and again he tells me that their essence belongs wholly to the realm of the infinite, and that he knows nothing about it. I then ask him .to show me the entity of some kind of matter ; and again he confesses that he can no more put on exhibition an entity of matter than he can show me a spirit, or a mind, or the life of a tree or bird.

It is thus matter teaches me by its aggregations that what we know of it is a projection, or an outcropping, of the real from a plethoric and prolific infinite ; the little we have of it constitutes our world of sense, and serves as proof positive and absolute of the existence of a real, infinite unknown. As this world is substantive in nature, the infinite is also; "the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal."

As I look out of my window I see in every spire of grass, in every opening bud, in every bird that sings, in the beasts that crop the fields, and in the passing traveler, the ingress or the breaking through into this world of a world of Life. The first step I take to ascertain what these different kinds of life are, or from whence they came, I find myself standing on the extreme edge of a brink, beyond which all is infinite and unknown ; not infinite nonentity, but an infinite rich in its fullness. The organic world is proof that the vital world has, to some extent, incorporated itself with matter, and by that means multiplied and extended its dominion. The little we know of the vital world indicates the vastness of its infinity.

I NT ROD UCTION.

The proper sphere of the mind is the realm of truth and ideas, and as such it belongs far more to the infinite world than it does to this world of sense. I step out and look upon the star Vega, an orb thousands of times larger than our sun, and 16,000,000,- 000,000 of miles distant from it. I notice a luminous spot in the far-away heavens beyond, and turning my great reflector upon it, a field of stars opens up before me ; and as I advance toward them, and look into the infinite beyond, I discover another luminous spot on the sky; I find that this also is a field of thousands of stars, and that as neighbors they are trillions of miles apart. I go no further, for I find that thought staggers beneath its burden of the infinite.

But the word infinite is an extreme abstraction, and signifies nothing unless there is some thing or being that is infinite. There can not be an infinite number of stars ; for great as the number might be, one or two more might be added. The globe is composed of a definite number of atoms, but we can conceive of an addition to that number. We can not conceive of additions to time or space ; but ontologically these are nothing, and the word infinite, as applied to them, simply means unlimited. Then, to be of practical value, our ideas of the infinite suggested by the universe must carry the mind to a Being, an Intelligence, who has revealed himself to us in and by means of infinite, or rather by divine, attributes. If this world is the workmanship of a divine hand, the stamp of the infinite must be upon every part of it, and it must serve as a revelation of the attributes of its Maker.

As we look at the world, does it not suggest to us infinite power or energy? If each atom is a center

INTRODUCTION.

and source of power, how vast must be the energy locked up in the earth.! Think of the^ energy displayed in the vital world. A large part of the surface of the globe, at one time and another, has been wrought into organic structures. Think of the energy existing in the universe, expressed by the words attraction and gravitation. Is it not infinite? or far more than we can conceive the infinite to be ?

We have now two factors before us, — the infinite, and infinite power or energy. But think of the universe, infinite in time and space, with an infinite energy, blind and reckless, turned loose in it. Would not the result be another infinite — infinite chaos and confusion ?

But power is not more conspicuous on the face of creation than intelligence, design, and purpose. Was it a happen-so that silicon possesses such a nature that it tends to reduce the matter of the globe to rock, and that nitrogen possesses such a nature that it tends to prevent the formation of any mass or solid substance, and the mixed world, as we have it, is the result of these opposing agencies ? Was it a happen-so that the vital world was correlated to the abundant elements, oxygen, carbon, silicon, etc., thus giving us an organic world of infinite variety and of vast extent? Had life been related only to a few of the scarcer kinds of matter, as phosphorus, fluorine, iodine, etc., the globe would have been nearly a desert waste.

In the human body there are millions of different organs, nerves included, and yet these are so correlated as to form an organic unit. Is not the structure and correlation of the heart, the lungs, the veins, and arteries an expression of purpose? In the diversities

IN TROD UCTION.

of their structure and functions can not we perceive the action of a will carrying into effect designs ? Was it a happen-so that the kidneys, the liver, and the heart, as organs, are so thoroughly adapted to different kinds of work, and yet mutually dependent upon each other? Wisdom may be seen on a still higher plane in the matter of instinct. Wisdom of a kind— ready made — was incorporated in the bee ; of another kind in the ant; of another kind in the spider; of another kind in the beaver; and of other kinds innumerable, in birds, insects, and beasts. Instinct forms a vast world of fixed, incorporate wisdom. From whence did it come? Is it not derived from that infinite wisdom which is one of the factors of the Infinite? Man is not thus endowed with wisdom; he has no instinct proper; but he is so constituted that he can think, perceive, frame ideas, compare one with another, reason, and acquire knowledge. To the bee, beaver, and bird is given wisdom ready made; to man was given a mind, and by thinking and putting his thoughts together he may become wise. Think of the wisdom which so framed the mind that it could acquire knowledge. We have now in hand the infinite, — infinite power, will, and infinite wisdom. Let us see if to these powers additions can be made. Think of what infinite power and infinite cunning could have done with this universe had they been conjoined with infinite malignity. In such a case this would have been constitutionally a world of positive evil, whereas, as it is, there is no evil in its constitution. Its fundamental elements are all good — so pronounced by their Creator. The evils which prevail everywhere are all negative ; each one is simply the absence of some positive and possible good. Sin

INTROD UCTION.

is the great source of trie world's evils ; and what is sin but the absence of a holiness which might have been? Here, then, we find another factor — goodness, or benevolence — which must be regarded as a constituent of the Infinite.

How is it possible that energy, wisdom, will, and beneficence can meet in the same source and act as a unit for the same end, unless that will designate a Person? Can such an Infinite be otherwise than a Being divine in essence, self-existent, independent, and eternal ? Whether a God exist or not, look which way we will, the world holds up before our face all the essential attributes of such a being. Is it conceivable that Energy, Wisdom, Will, Design, and Beneficence can be each an isolated existence, acting independently? Could beneficence be the outcome of such a chaos? "No man hath seen God at any time;" and why? Because being is a part of the infinite unknown. We are not permitted to see the entity of matter, nor a vital entity, nor a mind, nor being of any kind or order. Judging of substance from its phenomena, as we must, there is nothing nearer to us, or more manifest, than the infinite God. His attributes of power, wisdom, will, and goodness are ever present and manifest to the mind that can see. In no direction can we look without seeing evidence of their existence. The evidence of the action of these attributes can be as clearly seen in a mustardseed as in the sun — in the instinct of the bee as the song of an archangel.

L,et it be kept in mind that the words power, wisdom, will, and beneficence, signify nothing unless we postulate a Being who is energetic, wise, volitive, and beneficent; and it is not possible for these attributes

INTRODUCTION.

to exist at all unless they exist together as properties of the same fperson. Beneficence, unless associated with wisdom, will, and power, could not be beneficent. Wisdom without will and power and beneficence would be of no value to anybody. We are therefore driven to the necessity of conceiving the infinite that is manifest before our eyes in the universe as proof of the existence of a divine, self-existent, and eternal Being as the creator and the cause of all the various properties of which it is composed. This view we must take, or regard the elements of this infinite as having no relation to each other; and as mere abstractions, floating around loose, they amount to nothing.

On the basis of the above considerations, we assume that a God exists; and if so, it is self-evident that he exists as a Person, and that he is no part of the universe he made, nor of its forces. He is separate and distinguished from the infinite in the world he made, because he is divine. As the sole divinity in existence, his nature creates a realm which is all his own. He is necessarily separate and distinct from all other beings and things. He is the ever-existent / Am> and this can be said only of him. He is also independent and eternal, and in these respects he is isolated from all created things. As his plane of being is divine — a plane which nothing else can occupy — his existence does not interfere with other forms of existence, as they occupy different and lower planes. Matter, life, and mind, each having a realm of its own, do not interfere with each other. A world of extended matter can not come into collision with unextended mind, and Divinity alone can occupy the throne of the eternal.