328 ORGANIC EVOLUTION CONSIDERED 



Agnosticism is a negation — a destroyer. It tears 

 down the house in which humanity dwells, robs man 

 of the intellectual and moral fruit of ages, and leaves 

 him in his individual helplessness to perish. It 

 sweeps away the foundation of his religion, destroys 

 his brightest hopes and most sacred beliefs. It tells 

 him not only that knowledge is impossible, but that 

 faith and hope are in vain. It breaks the backbone 

 of morality by denying the divine authority of its 

 precepts; and it abolishes religion by counting all 

 acts of worship as due to ignorance and superstition. 

 It destroys the highest incentives to virtue and truth 

 by denying the possibility of a revelation from the 

 Creator to man. 



Its mission is that of the cyclone— destruction and 

 death — while it brings naught of good in return. It 

 constructs no system of religion, no system of mor- 

 als, but denies the validity of our knowledge and 

 abolishes faith and hope. It comes like the Arctic 

 current in the ocean, leaving death in its track — freez- 

 ing the noblest sentiments and aspirations of the 

 soul. 



Over against this most destructive creed of Agnos- 

 ticism we place Christianity, which is not a negative 

 but a positive religion, adapted to man in all places 

 and in all possible conditions. It does not, like 

 Agnosticism, demand a world of philosophers before 

 it can be of use to man, but it comes to man as he is, 

 and inspires him with infinite motives. It does not 

 paralyze all effort by telling him that he cannot know, 

 but it says, "You shall know the truth and the truth 

 shall make you free." " And this is life eternal, that 

 they should know thee, the only true God, and him 

 whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ." 



If there is one thing that seems plain above all 



