Germany -- Politics and government -- 1888-1918; William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941; World War, 1914-1918
Of the first, this is to be said: There is not the smallest doubt
in my mind that God constantly reveals Himself through the human
race created by Him. He has "breathed His breath into mankind," or,
in other words, given it a piece of Himself, a soul. He follows the
development of the human race with a Father's love and interest;
for the purpose of leading it forward and benefiting it, he
"reveals" Himself in some great savant or priest or king, whether
among the heathens, Jews, or Christians.
Hammurabi was one of these, likewise Moses, Abraham, Homer,
Charlemagne, Luther, Shakespeare, Goethe, Kant, Emperor William
the Great. These men were selected by Him and made worthy of His
grace; of achieving for their people, both in the spiritual and the
physical domain, splendid and imperishable things, in accordance
with His will. How often did my grandfather clearly emphasize that
he was but an instrument in the hand of the Lord.
The works of great minds are gifts of God to the peoples of the
earth, in order that they may improve themselves on these models
and grope forward, by means of them, through the confusion of that
which is still unexplored here below. God has certainly revealed
Himself in different ways to different peoples, according to their
standing and degree of culture, and He is still doing it now.
For, just as we are overcome most by the greatness and majesty of
the splendor of Creation when we contemplate it, and are amazed
at the greatness of God as revealed therein, so also may we, in
contemplating whatever is great or splendid in the works of a man
or a people, recognize therein with gratitude the splendor of the
revelation of God. He works directly upon us and among us! The
second kind of revelation, the more religious kind, is that which
leads to the coming of the Lord. It is introduced from Abraham
onward, slowly but with foresight, all-wise and all-knowing; for
without it mankind would have been doomed.
And now begins the most astounding influence, the revelation of
God. The tribe of Abraham, and the people descended from it,
consider the holiest thing of all, unescapable in its logical
consequences, the belief in one God. This belief they must have and
cultivate. Scattered by the captivity in Egypt, the separate parts
are welded together by Moses for the second time, and still they
try to maintain their "monotheism." The direct intervention of God
is what brings regeneration to this people.
KAISER'S THEOLOGY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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