Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 35:140 (Oct 1878)
Article: The Concept Of God As The Ground Of Progress
Author: George T. Ladd

BSac 35:140 (Oct 1878) p. 619

The Concept Of God As The Ground Of Progress

George T. Ladd

Any wise man, when about to take a journey through remote and obscure regions, will be inclined diligently to consider his preparations, his proposed route, and his desired end in making such a journey. To inquire as to the ground of the world’s progress, is to attempt a journey through remote and obscure regions of thought. But the views and reflections already given to the readers of the Bibliotheca Sacra will help us to answer the questions, With what preparation, by what route, and with what final purpose the journey is undertaken.

The discussion in the number for January 1877 led us to this conclusion regarding the Origin of the Concept of God: It is the resultant of God’s revelation of himself along many lines of his self-revealing force, and within that organon of the self-revelation which is the entire human soul. The reception of truth in general does not depend upon the quality and activities of the intellect alone; its reception is dependent upon symmetrically cultured manhood, rightly correlated action and balanced capabilities of man’s different powers. But in the case of this peculiar and comprehensive concept that is pre-eminently true which Dr. Carpenter avers of certain departments of science: “Our conclusions rest not on any one set of experiences, but upon our unconscious coordination of the whole aggregate of our experience; not on the conclusiveness of any one train of reasoning, but on the convergence of all our lines of thought toward one centre.” In proof of this view of the origin of the concept of God, the concept and the soul regarded as its organ of reception were compared. Analysis was made to show how

BSac 35:140 (Oct 1878) p. 620

the various elements of the concept arise in various activities of our complex manhood, and, under the pressure of strong constitutional instinct, desire, and bias, coalesce in the incomparable whole. Thus the whole soul, in all its activities of thought, feeling, and volition, when these activities are rightly correlated and symmetrically cultured, stands pledged to the idea of a self-revealing God.

In a subsequent Article the attempt was made to classify, set forth, and in some slight degree soften, the stern difficulties which attach themselves, as to every concept worthy of the name idea, so also pre-eminently to this pre-eminently great idea of God. Among these were considered the onto-logical difficulties, which are such as concern the objective validity of the idea. The view was maintained that the prime and indestructible postulates of all human thought — viz. the universe is thinkable, and my thought corresponds to the reality of the thinkable universe — guarantee the objective val...