Four lectures on the Existence of God. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

Four lectures on the Existence of God. Morais, Sabato. Philadelphia, PA. Undated

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

9 pages on 4 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 13, Folder 15

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p34b2xp9x/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p34b2xp9x

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx13FF15_2.xml

content

A continuation of the subject
on the existence of God.

2d lecture

Brethren. My last lecture ended where that which I The lecture which I purpose to deliver this morning, will begin purpose to deliver this morning will being The where my last one ended. Its closing sentence was an appeal from by the grandest grandest of inspired speakers orators to the minds of his people. Isaiah knew that he could not mathematically prove the existence of a Being who designed the fabric structure of the universe and who governs it the world with wisdom, any more than the existence of our thinking faculties can be proved by the sense of touch. Yet, the prophet felt that unless man will determinedly shut his eyes against the light of reason, he must see and confess an Almighty Creator. He would there--fore lead us form nature up to nature's God.
The shepherd bard, who became Israel's king, had already described the language of the sky, which as it daily declares the glory of its Maker, and the son of Amoz, his successful disciple in the graphic delineation of truth, pointed to the same fir--mament studded with bright stars, which, like an army set in faultless array by the skillful skilful Chief, come forth in the order primordially established primordially by the Most High. That contemplation was to dethrone the imaginary deities of heathenism, to confound Atheism, and to vindicate the belief in One supremely good and watchful God.

Dear young friends. I remember to have read once--I think it was in in a work of Philo Judeo--a remark which im--pressed me forcibly. That author, who lived in Alexandria about the commencement of the vulgar era, wrote in Greek a number of books, deservedly appre--ciated by those who wish to understand the philosophy prevailing at that time. But the volume which he devoted to "the life of Moses" commends itself principally possesses the greatest interest to for us his coreligionists. In it the thoughtful scholar argues contends that the miracles which worked out effected the deli--verance of the Hebrews from Egypt are not more as prodigious than these signs of Divine [?] goodness omnipotence which mankind at large witness every day. Only because these latter signs are performed with uninterrupted great frequency, they have ceased to call forth even a passing notice. Philo instances in support of his reasoning argument the rising of the sun with its unfailing precision, and he describes pictures the thrilling sensation which its first appearance would produce in those among human beings whose horizon had never before been lighted by the mighty luminary; the joy at being rescued from darkness, the gratitude for a gift so incalculably valuable obtained at the hands of a an invisible, but most beneficent Lord.

We, of modern times, are taught that the turning of the earth upon itself is what causes the change of night and day. But the wonder of God is just as clearly perceptible by the motion of our globe, which brings us regularly every morn--ing the life-restoring and heart-cheering sun, as if the latter were the main actor. Well there is my reflecting friends, what power gives the planet which man dwells upon that motion most exact and continuous, and the suspension of which, for a second, would might be attended with a universal catastrophe? Atheists answer: Necessity gives it, for motion is a property inseparable from matter; it this moves involuntarily, mechanically. I shall not make the question more intricate, by asking, in return, what does the word Necessity mean in connection with inanimate objects--for I could never agree with Maimonides who states after Aristotle, that the planets and stars are so many living creatures endowed with understanding--, but I will simply observe that a thing ne--cessary to an object signifies a property of its nature, without deprived of which it cannot exist. Now, we all can form an idea of the earth matter in a quiescent state, or perfectly still, and as to the theory of involuntary or me--chanical action, experience assures us that nothing can move with--out the power of the will, or of an outside pressure brought to bear on it.

Thus our minds compel the belief that the earth receives its impulse from a power which is not not in itself, but which is was miraculously imparted at the beginning. But why, my dear hearers, stop to speak of the earth revolving on its axis and thus supplying us, its inhabi--tants, with light and refreshing shades, with rest warmth and renewed strength, as a if that were the greatest marvel in creation, when the earth is a mere speck in the immensity of the universe? You know it. Astronomers have dis--covered, by means of their hugely magnifying instruments, that what we see above us is a boundless space, in the center of which--to borrow a term--the sun has been stationed. Round that centre or rather in its direction move, not alone our globe, but planets, some of which are hundreds of thousands times larger than our own and round these again, secondary planets or satellites, --possibly, all inhabited by sentient beings--and all of them rolling in various ways, with a different degree of rapidity, but always keeping their paths, or orbits, with a wonderful exactness regularity, ever preserving the order, the harmony the symmetrical beauty, the majestic grandeur of the universe who can reflect ponder on that and be not struck with unspeakable unutterable awe? But whence, I in--quire again, whence did all those celestial bodies, whirling round through the measureless space, derive the impelling force which leads them towards the sun to receive from it light and heat and animation? vitality?

Even if the inexplicable imaginary law of Necessity could be account for that forward impulsion tendency of the planets, what cause could we assign set forth for the opposite motion? You, my young friends, are aware that according to astronomical discoveries researches, the heavenly spheres possess two forces, one which draws them in the direction of the sun, or the centripetal, and th another which holds them back in a curve in within their own lines, so that they mayght not fall into approach draw too closely to near the sun; or the and a force which is called cen--trifugal. Will atheists assert that both those two contrary forces are the property of matter? Fancy to yourselves a cannon ball discharged against a certain point. It keeps on a track towards that point same spot, but it somehow it is kept checked and held always at a given distance from it. Will it be insisted, with any show of reasonableness, that the nature of the projectile is to have in itself two mechanical properties of an opposite character? I may not have presented an apt very striking illus-tration to my argument, but it will give na idea however faint, of the absurdities in which the deniers of a Supreme Artificer are involved. With them lies the burden of proof that the whole planetary system is blindly following a law of necessity, that a mechanical motion, inherent in t matter had assigned to each of the stars its size, and station and power; that it has also furnished comets with a capacity to roll about the space in an eccentrical way, but still

in obedience to the two forces of attraction and gravitation, so as not to fall into the sun and that its encounter with another planet or with the sun might not overthrow the work of creation.
Until they Atheists Atheists have accomplished that stupendous undertaking; until they have convinced all by logical arguments rational persons by logical arguments that the Deity whom hundred of millions did and will ever adore is a fiction, and lifeless matter is the real divinity, until then have we will continue to believe in a Creator what the shepherd of old believed believed, who heard the melody of the firmament as it daily rehearsesing the praises of its Maker; believed and what the prophet believed believed, who saw the host of heaven marshalled out by the Omnipotent Chief. beloved. the will even believes Nor will the Bible alone strengthen our faith, for we shall be aided and confirmed therein by that which a mind--if not inspired gigantic certainly wonderful--, beheld, when surveying the illimitable space with be in its gigantic flights. Great among the greatest among the great of modern Astronomers was Sir Isaac Newton. And this Listen to is his declaration: "The planets and the comets remain in their ob orbits by the laws of gravitation, but the re-gular position they hold in those orbits could not originally have been received by those such laws....That grand system of the sun, the planets and the comets, could not have been produced except by the will of a Being most intelligent and powerful" + Not without profound wisdom investigations have the Rabbis laid down the maxim, that whosoever wishes to know the wisdom of His Creator, must make himself acquainted with astronomy.
+ Translated from Luzzatto's "Teologia Dogmatica."

And yet notwithstanding the startling discoveries of our age, how exceedingly slow is human progress in that particular science, which our Sages rightly considered a key to the understanding of the Lord's Omnipotence of the Lord! of the omnipotence of the Lord! I speak with a hesitation arising from an intense consciousness of my ignorance, but I can recall the circumstance that a Talmudist who boasted of a familiarity with the course of the stars through the sky as with the streets of his city, confessed himself at a loss to explain the erratic revolution of the comets; and now after sixteen centuries comes one to whom the world bows as to an unsurpassed master and says: to his admirers "To myself I seem I have been a child playing on the sea-shore, while the immense ocean lay unexplored before me." It is Neuton that I have again quoted, my young friends, and I cite his words because I eagerly wish to infuse into your hearts a sense of humility, which leads to Godliness. When a man so preeminent for his achievements in the realms of thought, acknowledges that his efforts--(and how prodigious they were!)--that his efforts have brought him but a grain of what is left still to be learnt; when he who has created a new era in science bends low and owns that the spring whence all knowledge flows and out of which mortals can but sip a few drops at a time intervals, is the Almighty, how extremely careful cautious ought we to be in expressing an opinion breathing a doubt as to the existence and government of the Prime Mover of heaven and earth!

The more will science will advance develop in all its branches, the more will--no doubt--the saving truth of God's essence and infinite wisdom be felt. Would it were in my power to work in the vast field of science; but may I not hope measurably to serve the cause of truth by a timely caution a friendly warning to those who are apt to become tinctured with pre-vailing ideas; liable to imbibe and practically carry out prin--ciples subversive or morality and religion, and fatally mischie-vous? It is that hope which has inspired the humble labor in which I am at present engaged. I shall proceed with it we to the utmost limits of my capacity; but I think judge I cannot close this lec--ture more appropriately than by reproducing the advice of a fa--ther more appropriately than by reproducing the advice of a fa--ther to his inquiring child, and which I read once with interest. My son "My son don't be in too great a hurry to accept "advanced opinions". It is "the thing" "to be "advanced" in this progressive day & generation, but there is a heap of shallowness in it........I don't want to suppress any inclination you may have towards genuine free thought and careful, honest investigation. I only want you to avoid the great fault of Atheism in this day and generation. I don't want to see you try to build a six story house or one story foundation. Before you criticise, condemn and finally reverse the work of creation, be pretty confident, my son, that you know something about as it is, and don't, I implore you, don't turn this world upside down, and flatten sit on it, and flatten it entirely out, until you have made, or secured, another for the rest of us to live in, while you demolish the old." An excellent advice, my young friends, take it to heart.

Identifier

p34b2xp9x

identifier

SMBx13FF15_2