Swing's Sermons [pp. 512-532]

SWING'S SERMONS.
it is to the Christian. Remembering, therefore, that there is no
moral idea of beauty, or love, or soul, that may not be denied,
and remembering, too, that the assurance that there is a God is
always logically equal to the opposite belief," &c. Truths of
To-Day, pp. 189-90.
"It is demonstrative evidence alone which secures uniformity
of belief, and hence any religion, any science, any theory
based not on such demonstrative evidence, must advance
through the world accompanied by the tumult of debate. Now,
among the theories whose evidence is not demonstrative, but
only cumulative and partial, Christianity, and religion at larg-,
are seen to be classed." Id. pp. 133 —4.
Here lurks one of those plausible fallacies, of which the
author is as expert a master, as he is of sentences. By "demonstrative proof" is usually meant mathematical or other forms of
apodietic proof, such as the 3 priori sciences, or sciences of
necessary truth, afford. Now, it is assumed in the above passage, that the only kind of proof besides this is "cumulative
and partial," i. e., incomplete and inconclusive. But this is not
so. There are kinds of proof that are not necessary or apodictic, which are nevertheless complete and conclusive, for every
mind that will candidly appreciate them, but capable, nevertheless, of being disregarded or undervalued by thos,e disinclined
to receive them. Of this nature are all the proofs of religious
and Christian truth. This truth is, therefore, at once sure, and
evinced by sure proofs, to all disposed candidly to weigh them,
while they may be doubted or rejected by multitudes who do
not like to retain God in their knowledge, and have this for
their condemnation, that light has come into the world, and
they have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
are evil. This is undeniable. Can we not be sure of the
being and attributes of God by proofs from nature even, which,
if not apodictic, are yet perfectly conclusive to every candid
mind, albeit such that Atheists can spurn them? And, if we
cannot be made sure, by adequate and conclusive proofs, of the
being of God, is not the only alternative uncertainty and doubt
about it. What then remains to us but to be skeptics or downright Atheists? And must not the same result follow with
reference to our certainty of knowledge, or faith, in respect to
Revelation, Redemption, the divinity of the Bible, and every
513
1874.]