006. CHAPTER 1 - THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.

CHAPTER 1 - THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. THE term God is Anglo-Saxon, and in that language it was used, not only to signify the Supreme Being, but also good. By this we learn that, in the apprehension of our ancestors, the Great Supreme was possessed of superlative excellency, so as to warrant the emphatic appellation of good. The Hebrew word in the first chapter of Genesis, translated God, is Elohim, a plural noun, which, according to Dr. A. Clarke, the learned have traced to the Arabic root alaha, which means to worship or adore. Hence, it denotes the Supreme Being, the only proper object of religious worship and adoration. The word in Greek is Theos, and in Latin Deus, which in those languages signify the Supreme Divinity, or Ruler of the universe. In the Scriptures, numerous expressive terms are used designating the being of God. He is called- Jehovah.-the Self-existent God;

Shaddai-the Almighty;

Adon- Supporter, Lord, Judge;

Rachum-the Merciful Being;

El-the Strong, or Mighty;

Elohim-Gods, or Adorable Persons;

Elion-the Most High;

El-Sabaoth-God of hosts;

Ehieh-I am, I will be, Independent;

Chanun- the Gracious One;

Rab-the Great or Mighty One;

Chesed-the Bountiful Being;

Erech-Apayim-the Long-suffering Being;

Emeth-the True One. As a brief explanation of our general idea of God, we quote from Bishop Pearson, as follows: “The notion of a Deity doth expressly signify a being or nature of infinite perfection; and the infinite perfection of a nature or being consisteth in this, that it be absolutely and essentially necessary, an actual being of itself; and potential or causative of all beings besides itself, independent from any other, upon which all things else depend, and by which all things else are governed.” In the language of another: “God is a being, and not any kind of being; but a substance, which is the foundation of other beings. And not only a substance, but perfect. Yet many beings are perfect in their kind, yet limited and finite. But God is absolutely, fully, and every way infinitely perfect; and therefore above spirits, above angels, who are perfect comparatively. God’s infinite perfection includes all the attributes, even the most excellent. It excludes all dependency, borrowed existence, composition, corruption, mortality, contingency, ignorance, unrighteousness, weakness, misery, and all imperfections whatever. It includes necessity of being, independency, perfect unity, simplicity, immensity, eternity, immortality; the most perfect life, knowledge, wisdom, integrity, power, glory, bliss-and all these in the highest degree. We cannot pierce into the secrets of this eternal Being. Our reason comprehends but little of him, and when it can proceed no farther, faith comes in, and we believe far more than we can understand; and this our belief is not contrary to reason; but reason itself dictates unto us, that we must believe far more of God than it can inform us of.” (Lawson’s Theo-Politica.)

It is a remarkable fact, that the Scriptures nowhere attempt to prove the existence of God; nor do they pretend to teach it as a truth before unknown, by declaring in so many words that God exists; but everywhere take it for granted, as a matter already understood and believed. From this fact we may justly infer that the being of God, in the early ages of the world, was so palpably manifest as to be denied or doubted by none. How this radical and important truth originally became so clearly and forcibly impressed upon man, we need be at no loss to determine, when we reflect on the condition of our first parents, and the intimate relation subsisting between them and their Creator in the garden of paradise. In philosophy, it is universally admitted that we derive our knowledge of the material and intellectual universe through the mediums of sensation and consciousness; and that the testimony thus presented is of the strongest possible character. That the clear and satisfactory knowledge of God, possessed by Adam in paradise, was communicated and confirmed by both these sources of testimony, is fully apparent from the Mosaic history. Man was made “in the image, and after the likeness, of God.” Consequently, he was capable of immediate intercourse and intimate communion with his Creator. Thus we learn that he “walked and talked with God.” He had familiar access to the divine presence, and, at the same time, must have felt within his pure and unfallen soul a deep consciousness of the divine existence and perfections. Thus it may be seen that his knowledge of God was so direct and forcible, that he could no more doubt upon this subject than he could question his own existence. That a matter so interesting and important as a knowledge of the existence and character of God, should be carefully communicated from father to son, through the successive generations from Adam to Noah, is reasonable to infer. But for the better security of this important object, and that the stream of religious truth, which we have thus seen breaking forth at the fountain, might neither become entirely wasted, nor too much contaminated with error, tributary accessions were, no doubt, derived from the divine communications with Enoch and Noah; so that, after the ungodly race had been swept away by the general deluge, and the ark rested upon Mount Ararat, the patriarch and his family could come forth once more to stand upon the earth, and erect an altar to the true and living God. And thus, from this family, we readily see how the light of tradition might accompany the dispersed tribes, in their devious and extensive wanderings, affording them, at least, a faint glimmering ray of truth, and redeeming them from that gross and stupid ignorance which otherwise might have shrouded in impenetrable darkness every idea of a superior and superintending Power. That “the world by wisdom knew not God,” is a Scripture truth, and whether mere human reason, independent of revelation, could ever have originated the idea, much less ascertained the character, of God, may well be doubted. The wisest of the heathen philosophers have confessed their indebtedness to tradition for their most sublime and important doctrines upon this subject. The most flattering theories of men, with regard to the boasted achievements of human reason, in reference to this matter, must be admitted to be founded upon mere hypothesis and conjecture. No philosopher, in any age, has ever pretended to have acquired his first idea of a God by a process of rational investigation; but in every instance where a course of reasoning has been instituted in favor of the being of God, it has been not to arrive at the knowledge of the fact, as an original truth, but merely to corroborate and confirm a truth previously known and acknowledged. Could we suppose man to be placed in a situation so wholly destitute of the light of revelation, either from tradition or any other source, as to have no idea of God, it is difficult to conceive how he could ever engage in a course of reasoning to demonstrate the existence of that of which, as yet, he had no idea. Indeed, the clear probability seems to us to be, that thus circumstanced, he would grope upon the earth in the thickest darkness, without advancing a single step toward gaining a knowledge of the being or character of his Creator, till he would lie down in death like “the beasts which perish.” Yet it is clear from the Scriptures that, situated as we are, encircled by the light of revelation in its full blaze, or even as the pagan nations generally are, only favored with the dim light of tradition, we may all look up “through nature’s works to nature’s God;” and by the exercise of our reasoning faculties, discover in the world around us a numerous array of weighty arguments in favor of the existence of the Deity.

Arguments in proof of the being of God may be derived from the following sources:

I.From the testimony of the nations of the earth.

II.From the testimony of the works of nature.

III.From the testimony of revelation.

I. We argue from the testimony ofthe nations of the earth.

It is a fact well known, and very generally acknowledged, that there is scarce a single nation or people known to the enlightened world, either in the present or any former age, entirely destitute of the knowledge of a great Supreme Ruler of the universe. “No age so distant, no country so remote, no people so barbarous, but gives a sufficient testimony of this truth. When the Roman eagle flew over most parts of the habitable world, they met with atheism nowhere, but rather by their miscellany deities at Rome, which grew together with their victories, they showed no nation was without its God. And since the later art of navigation, improved, hath discovered another part of the world, with which no former commerce hath been known, although the customs of the people be much different, and their manner of religion hold small correspondency with any in these parts of the world professed, yet in this all agree that some religious observances they retain, and a Divinity they acknowledge.” (Pearson on the Creed.)

How, we ask, did this knowledge originate? We see nations the most diverse from each other in their history and character, their manners and customs, separated by mountains and oceans, by burning sands or drifting snows, and holding no intercourse with each other for ages, all testifying with united voice their belief in a great superintending Power. How can this harmony of sentiment be accounted for? It is true, we see much diversity in the number and character of the divinities adored throughout the heathen world. Some may maintain but one great Supreme, while others swell the number of their gods to thousands, partitioning out the dominion of the universe among the different members of a numerous family, generally allowing to some one, whether “Jehovah, Jove, or Lord,” a superiority over all the others. Yet, in all this huge mass of inconsistency, contradiction, and absurdity, as seen in pagan mythology and idolatrous worship, there is a harmony in one point: they all agree that a divinity or divinities preside over the universe. To object to the argument from this source, on account of the errors of paganism, would be as unreasonable as to deny the existence of a true coin, from the fact that it had been extensively counterfeited. The number of counterfeits would only be a proof that a genuine coin existed; otherwise, how could it have been counterfeited? The number of the false gods in the world presents a presumptive argument in favor of the existence of a true God; otherwise, how can we account for the general prevalence of idolatry? The only rational solution upon this subject is a reference to tradition, and an admission that all nations originally had a common origin; and, previously to their dispersion, were possessed of a system of religious doctrine and worship, which, in their long-continued and extensive wanderings, they have never entirely forgotten. But then we shall still be at a loss to account for the origin of the tradition. Whence originally came this religious knowledge?-this idea of a God-of a superior and superintending Providence? Admit that God originally made a revelation of himself to man, and the problem is at once solved. But deny this, and we may wander in uncertainty and conjecture forever. Thus we may gather from the testimony furnished by the nations of the earth at large, a strong presumptive argument in proof of the existence of God.

II. The second source of argument upon this subject is,the works of God, as seen in nature around us. From this source human reason may deduce an argument which may defy the assaults of skepticism and sophistry. Infidelity, it is true, has long made her boast of reason, and scoffed at religion as a thing only suitable for the sickly enthusiast, or the narrow-minded bigot. To such vain boasters we reply, in the words of Dr. Young- “Wrong not the Christian, think not reason yours;

‘Tis reason our great Master holds so dear;

‘Tis reason’s injured rights his wrath resents; To have lost reason’s life he poured his own.

Believe, and show the reason of a man; Believe, and taste the pleasure of a God.”

Although many truths of revelation are too profound for human wisdom to fathom, yet nothing contained in that inspired volume is repugnant to the principles of sound philosophy and correct reason. In no department of theological science have the powers of human reason been more intensely engaged than in the demonstration of the existence of God. This subject has extensively employed many of the most acute divines; and so satisfactory have been their arguments, that he who can examine the one-thousandth part which has been written upon this subject by the master-spirits for a century or two past, and dare to call himself an atheist, may justly be considered as much beyond the influence of reason as a stock or a stone.

Inspiration has declared, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” And surely, to open our eyes upon the material world around us, and then to deny that it is the product of a great designing Cause, evinces the height of folly and stupidity. We cannot doubt either our own existence or that of the world around us. We may ask, Whence came we? If we trace our ancestry back for a vast number of generations, we may still inquire, Whence came the first of our species? Again, look forth upon the immense universe. Whence those mighty orbs which roll in solemn grandeur? Whence this earth; its oceans, and its continents; its teeming millions of sentient and intelligent beings? Every effect must have an adequate cause, and can so stupendous a work exist uncaused? Could worlds and systems of worlds have sprung up of themselves? The poet has said:

“Of God above, or man below, What can we reason, but from what we know?”

1. We know that we exist, and that the universe around us exists. From this we conclude that something must be eternal. “Had there e’er been nought nought still had been.” If there be nothing supposed to be eternal, then every thing in existence must once have commenced that existence. And if so, the cause of its existence must either be itself or something extrinsic to itself. If it caused itself to begin to exist, then it must have existed before it was, and been prior to itself, which is absurd. But if it was caused to exist by something extrinsic to itself, then that extrinsic something must have existed before it did exist, and in such sense as to exert a power sufficient to produce other things, which is also absurd. Hence, as something now exists, it irresistibly follows that something did eternally exist.

2. That which eternally existed must be a self-existent being-that is, no other being could have caused it to begin to exist; for, as yet, no other being could have been in existence; and to suppose that one being could cause another to begin to exist before it had any existence itself, as already shown, is absurd.

3. That eternal and self-existent being must also have existed independently; for that which existed prior to, and uncaused by, every thing else, as it was not dependent on any thing else for the commencement of its being, so neither can it be for its continuance in being.

4. That eternal, self-existent, and independent being, must also exist necessarily. For if it has eternally existed, without having been caused to begin to exist, either by itself or any thing else, then it follows that its existence depends solely on the eternal necessity of its own nature, so that it is impossible that it ever should not have been, or that it ever should cease to be.

5. That eternal, self-existent, independent, and necessary being, must also be self-active-that is, capable of acting so as to produce other things, without being acted upon by any other being. As we have already proved that there must be something eternal, in order to account for the being of those things which we know do exist, it follows, also, that that eternal being must be capable of acting, or putting forth energy, so as to produce other things; otherwise, no other thing ever could have commenced existence.

6. That eternal, self-existent, independent, necessary, and self-active being, whose existence we have already proved, must be possessed not only of power sufficient to produce all things else, but also of intelligence wisdom, and every other perfection necessary for the creation, preservation, and government of the universe.

For, to suppose something eternal, as the originating cause of the existence of all other things, yet, to admit that the eternal being supposed is not self-possessed of every attribute, quality, or perfection, requisite for the contrivance and production of all originated existences, would be as far from giving a satisfactory account for the origin of things, as if we were to deny that any thing did exist from eternity. To admit the eternal existence of a cause, and yet to deny that it is an adequate cause for the production of the effect in question, is no better than to deny the existence of any cause whatever. Hence we must admit that there exists an eternal self-existent, independent, self-active, intelligent Being, who, by his own unoriginated powers, arose in his majesty, and created all things.

We have, therefore, only to open our eyes upon the grandeur, harmony, order, beauty, and perfection of the works of God around us, and we see everywhere the demonstrations of the divine existence. This point is most beautifully illustrated by the inspired author of the nineteenth Psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,” etc. Mr. Addison’s paraphrase upon this Psalm is familiar to every one: “The spacious firmament on high,” etc. This is not only one of the most beautiful poetic effusions in the English language, but a masterly argument-presenting, in its strongest light, and in few words, the entire confirmatory testimony of nature, uttering with her ten thousand tongues, “The hand that made us is divine.” The beauty, harmony, regularity, and order, in nature’s works, attest the divinity, of their origin. Behold the beautiful adaptation of all things to each other; the harmonious revolutions of the mighty spheres; the skill and wisdom displayed in the constitutions of all organized beings; consider well the mechanism of thy own frame; see how “fearfully and wonderfully thou art made;” think of the mysterious union between this house of clay and its immortal tenant, and doubt, if thou canst, the being of a God.

“O! lives there, heaven, beneath thy dread expanse, One hopeless, dark idolater of chance?” The argument for the being of a God from the works of nature, opens to our view an extensive and interesting field. So that, whether we contemplate the land or water, the surrounding elements or revolving seasons, we behold everywhere the deep impress of the Deity; and, kindling with the flame of pure devotion, our hearts should beat in harmony with the enraptured bard-

“Motionless torrents! silent cataracts! Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven Beneath the keen full moon? Who bade the sun Clothe you with rainbows? Who with living flowers, Of lovelier hue, spread garlands at your feet?

God! let the torrents, like a shout of nations. Answer, and let the ice-plains echo. God!

God! sing, ye meadow-streams, with gladsome voice; Ye pine-groves, with your soft and soul-like sound! And they, too, have a voice, yon piles of snow, And in their perilous fall shall thunder, God!”

III. In the third and last place,revelation,with all the force of its authority, declares the being and character of God.

It is true, that the force of the evidence from this source will only be admitted by such as acknowledge the truth of revelation. But to such as are not prepared to reject, as an imposture, the record of Holy Writ, the sacred pages furnish the clearest and most impressive demonstrations on this subject. The book of Genesis opens with this sublime announcement: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” From the commencement to the conclusion of the sacred volume, through the successive dispensations, by “signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,” the clearest possible evidence has been given to exhibit the being of God, and proclaim his dominion over heaven and earth. Thus we may see that although the Bible nowhere, in express words, professes to teach that there is a God, yet its testimony in confirmation of the truth of that position is impressive and irresistible. In the sacred history we see the elements obedient to his word. “The winds and the sea obey him;” the earth trembles; and the dead come forth to life, as demonstrations of the being and power of Him who made them all.

Thus, while the Bible does not formally affirm the existence of God, yet it teaches that existence in the most forcible manner. In proclaiming that God created the shining heavens above us-the sun, moon, and stars, that mirror the wisdom, power, and glory of their Author; nature, in its illimitable range of beauty, harmony, and utility; existence, in its endless diversity, and its boundless extent-in proclaiming all these grand and mysterious entities, as the workmanship of God’s hand, has not the Bible, in the most emphatic form, demonstrated the being of the great and unoriginated First Cause of all that is?

How can “the heavens declare the glory of God,” and not at the same time demonstrate his existence? If nature, in all its works, proclaims the being of God, so does the Bible, in every page on which his stupendous doings are recorded. If, in looking forth on nature, we read on every leaf and every cloud, on every mote and every globe, “The hand that made us is divine;” so, in perusing the sacred page, we trace, in every record of creation, in every event of divine providence, in every interposition of divine power and in every dispensation of divine grace and mercy, the strongest possible demonstration of the existence of the great I Am-the God who was “before all things,” and by whom “all things consist.”