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SEVENTH LECTURE.
GOD.
The subject of this evening's lecture is God or rather the idea of God, which has given rise to the greatest amount of misunderstanding among men. The most widely prevalent idea of Godhead is that there is one Supreme Being who is the maker and ruler of the world and the arbiter of the destinies of living beings, judging and awarding the fruits of actions of men according to their deserts.
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I now propose to examine this idea in its different bearings and aspects..
The very first question in connection with the notion of such a god is about the nature of the evidence that is adduced in proof of his existence and attributes. A thing is proved in one of the following three ways, namely, (1) by personal observation, (2) by the inferential processes of the mind, or (3) by the testimony of reliable witnesses. Let us see by what kind of evidence is the popular idea of god sought to be proved. Now, our personal observation certainly does not prove it. There is no one who has actually perceived a pure Spirit, and God is certainly said to be a pure Spirit. Besides, pure Spirit is not endowed with sensible qualities which alone are perceivable by the senses. It is idle to talk of private intuitions, since there is no kind of a god whose devotees have not claimed to know him through intuition. Be
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