,the ,christian ,foundation1            
,or1                         ,scientific
 and ,religious ,journal                
,vol4 #a4 ,no #c4                       
,march1 #ahhj4            ,,contents    
,the ,influence ,of ,the ,bible ,upon   
,moral ,and ,social ,institutions4  ,the
 ,influence ,of ,the ,bible ,upon       
,social ,life ,and ,social              
,institutions4  ,law1 ,cause1 ,and      
,agent4  ,the ,inconsistency ,of ,modern
 ,unbelievers ,or ,materialists4        
,materialism ,in ,its ,bearings ,upon   
,person ,and ,personality4  ,was ,it    
,right8  ,it ,only ,needs ,to ,be ,seen1
 ,and ,its ,ugliness ,at ,once ,appears4
  ,did ,the ,race ,ascend ,from ,a ,low 
,state ,of ,barbarism8  ,the ,flood     
,viewed ,from ,a ,scientific ,and       
,biblical ,standpoint4  ,the ,mosaic    
,law ,in ,greece1 ,in ,rome1 ,and ,in   
,the ,common ,law ,of ,england4  ,did   
,adam ,fall ,or ,rise8  ,did ,they      
,dream ,it1 ,or ,was ,it ,so8           
,miscellaneous4              ,,the      

,,influence ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,upon   
,,moral ,,and ,,social ,,institutions4  
,it is profitable for us to occasionally
 survey the dark arena where men  have  
played their part1 in lonely gloom1     
without a ,savior and without a  ,god4  
,pagan morality1 being without the      
motives and restraints of revealed      
religion1 and guided wholly by the      
passions and the lights of reason and   
nature1 is grossly defective4 ,it has no
 settled standard of right and  wrong4  
,it is vain to look1 in all heathen     
philosophy for any settled  principles  
of duty or motives that commend         
themselves to enlightened  minds4       
,what is the basis and character of     
virtue8 ,what is the law of moral       
conduct8 ,what is the object which      
governs it8 ,in what does human         
happiness  consist8 ,these are questions
 which have never been satisfactorily   
answered  by the unaided powers of the  
human mind4 ,the annals of ,pagan       
history show  the real results of all   

their speculations upon these questions4
 ,they are  comprehensively presented in
 the following3 8,they became vain in   
their  imaginations and their foolish   
hearts were darkened4 ,they were filled 
with  all unrighteousness1 fornication1 
wickedness1 covetousness1 maliciousness1
  envy1 murder1 deceit1 malignity4 ,they
 were backbiters1 haters of ,god1       
despiteful1 proud1 inventors of evil    
things1 disobedient to parents1  without
 natural affection1 implacable and      
unmerciful40 ,their manners and  habits 
were the results of mere whim and       
caprice when they were not the  results 
of simple love of wickedness4 ,the vice 
of one community was the  virtue of     
another2 and refinement in one was      
unpardonable rudeness in  another4 ,the 
public festivals celebrated in ,egypt   
are disgraceful upon the  pages of      
history1 being accompanied with shameful
 practices4 ,egypt was  noted for       
corrupt morals as far back as the times 
of ,abraham4 ,asia ,minor  was no       

better2 unrighteousness1 sensuality and 
luxury prevailed4 ,in ,greece  there was
 brutal savageness in its most hideous  
forms2 in the age of its  greatest      
refinement sin was dressed up in the    
finest style4 ,the ,olympic1  ,pythian  
and ,isthmian games1 which were kept up 
to give strength to the  body and       
courage in the battle1 were debasing and
 corrupting to the lowest  degree of    
wretchedness4 ,the ages of ancient      
heroism were filled up with  crime and  
debauchery4 ,they were fruitful in      
incest and parricide1 and all  the dark 
and gloomy events which were necessary  
to make up the most  fearful picture of 
immorality4 ,the monarchs of ,assyria   
spent their time  mainly in debasing    
crime and voluptuousness4 ,the brightest
 and best days  of ,babylon were        
notorious for lewdness and              
accomplishment in crime and  iniquity2  
loaded with riches1 they spared no pains
 and withheld no means  in the          
production of all that gratified their  

lusts and fed their  passions4 ,in      
,babylon there was a certain well known 
temple in which  adultery was legalized 
by compulsory law for the purpose of    
increasing  the public revenue4 ,the    
ancient ,pagan religions sanctioned and 
practiced  the most detestible          
licentiousness4 ,cato commended young   
men for visiting  houses of ill-fame4   
,such was the very best phase of morals 
and public  manners in the purest state 
of ,roman society4 ,what must have been 
the  worst8 ,the worst6 ,well1 ,i will  
give you an idea of it4 ,the ,emperor   
,nero  drove through the streets of the 
capital with his mistress in a state of 
nudity2 and the ,emperor ,commodus first
 seduced and then murdered his own      
sister4 ,here reason1 blinded by lust1  
was their guide4 ,these people were  not
 troubled with that terrible book called
 the ,bible4 ,happy 787 state4  ,how    
would we like to have our homes in the  
midst of such fellows8 ,their           
conscience had no fastenings1 how could 

their doctrines excite to moral  virtue8
    ,how much better are the principles 
of modern infidels8 ,bolingbroke's      
morality is all embraced in self-love4  
,hobbes claims that the only basis  of  
right and wrong is the civil law4       
,rousseau says all the morality of      
actions is in the judgement we ourselves
 form of them4 ,shaftsbury says1  all   
the obligations to be virtuous arise    
from the advantages of virtue1  and the 
disadvantages of vice4 ,have such moral 
principles ever reformed  the world8 ,do
 they reform their advocates8 ,did you  
ever know a man to  reform after he     
became an advocate of such principles8  
,did you ever know a  man to reform     
after understanding and abandoning the  
,christian religion8  ,if any such ever 
reformed their lives after setting      
themselves on ,pagan  ground1 by        
opposing ,christianity1 ,i have yet to  
learn the fact4 ,it is the  morality of 
a wicked world that simply asks for the 
profitable1 and not  the right2 which   

inquires not for duty1 but for          
self-interest--for the  opinions of men2
 it is a body without a spirit--a       
whitewashed  sepulchre--splendid only in
 sepulchral greatness4    ,morality     
rests not upon principles that clothe   
themselves in various garbs  to please  
the different fancies of the different  
ages1 consulting simply  the spirit of  
the times4 ,such morality is one thing  
to-day and quite  another to-morrow--it 
is variable as the seasons4 ,it adapts  
itself to the  occasion--to the hour4   
,it is very pliant--it has no           
conscience1 but is  always              
popularity-seeking4 ,the morality of the
 ,christian religion is very  different4
 ,in the ,new ,testament we find a      
morality as pure1 lofty and  unchanging 
as its divine author2 it purifies and   
regulates the inner  man--8make the tree
 good and the fruit will be good40 ,the 
,bible settles  the great question of   
duty4 ,it teaches us that to do right is
 to do that  which is right in itself1  

from pure motives and with a right      
spirit4  ,these two things ,god hath    
joined together1 viz3 the right deed    
from right  motives1 and the right      
spirit4 ,a man's conscience may be      
satisfied without  the right motives and
 without the right spirit1 but that is  
not enough4    ,it is not enough for a  
man to have the right spirit and the    
right motives1  unless he does that     
which is right in itself4 ,conscience   
may be warped by  malevolence1          
selfishness1 prejudice1 or education1   
until the man is led to  do that which  
is detestable in the sight of ,god4 ,the
 time may come when  this man will      
regret his foolishness1 and see that he 
was wrong1 like ,saul  of old4    ,right
 things may be done from a wrong spirit1
 and wrong things may be done  from a   
right spirit1 but the morality of the   
,christian religion consists  in doing  
right things from right motives and in a
 right spirit4    ,the great motive that
 governs us as ,christian moralists is  

the fact made  known in these words1    
,god requires it4 ,you may talk of the  
dignity of  correct morals1 of their    
beauty and virtue1 and of the terrible  
nature of  vice1 and of the demands of a
 well-governed selfishness1 but all     
these are  weak compared with the       
authority of the ,supreme ,being whom   
,christians love  and adore4    ,if we  
would reform men successfully we must   
bring the conscience under the  strong  
bonds of obligation2 we must extend the 
authority of the great  ,lawgiver over  
the understanding1 over the conscience1 
over the memory1  over the imagination1 
over the entire inner man4 ,this alone  
will stop the  germinations of sin1 and 
check wickedness in its conception4     
,this is the  tap-root of the tree of   
virtue--the source of virtuous          
principles1  demonstrating the          
truthfulness of the axiom1 8,make the   
tree good and the  fruit will be good40 
,simple advantage is not the foundation 
of virtue2 it  has a nature aside from  

its tendencies to worldly profit4       
,otherwise virtue  would often cease to 
be virtue1 and vice would often cease to
 be vice4  ,anciently there were moral  
philosophers who plead that utility was 
the  only foundation of virtue4 ,paul   
speaks of some who supposed 8,godliness 
was  gain40 ,such a morality would be   
the most uncertain thing in the world2  
give it what name you choose1 it is mere
 selfishness4            ,,the          
,,influence ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,upon   
,,social ,,life ,,and ,,social          
,,institutions4      ,man's entire      
nature forces him directly into a social
 state4 ,he is  destitute of the        
strength possessed by many of the lower 
animals1 and  naturally unable for want 
of speed to escape their attacks1 so    
care for  life leads him into the       
closest alliances with his fellows4     
,childhood and  old age necessitate     
dependence1 and his wants1 during those 
periods1 bring  him under obligations to
 others during his strength and manhood4

 ,the  social state is also necessary to
 the development of his intellectual    
nature1 and some of his natural         
affections can be exercised only in such
 a  state4 ,benevolence1 gratitude1     
complacency and heroism are not         
exercised  in an insolated              
condition--they are called out only in  
mutual associations  with our           
fellow-men4    ,the noblest efforts of  
intellectual strength and of human      
ingenuity are  made under the most      
powerful influence of society4 ,thus    
encouraged1 men  have collected armies1 
founded kingdoms and governed them4 ,in 
such  kingdoms the arts and sciences    
have flourished in a greater or less    
degree1 and imperfect morals have       
crowned their labors and lifted their   
minds as high as their unaided powers   
have permitted4 ,such has been the  best
 condition in which the ,scriptures ever
 found the social state4 ,the  structure
 has been incomplete1 resting upon no   
solid basis1 and only  imperfectly      

cemented together4 ,such a state of     
society has always been a  proper object
 for the modifying and controlling      
influences of a purer  system of        
morality1 founded upon a pure religion4 
,what has been the state of society in  
times past without the light of         
revealed religion8 ,there are evils in  
the social state where the ,christian   
religion exists1 but they were there    
before the ,gospel of ,christ visited   
those places4 ,it is very common for    
unbelievers to charge the calamities  of
 the social state to the ,christian     
religion1 but it is a dishonorable  mode
 of argumentation4 ,the proper question 
is this3 ,has humanity ever been  well  
organized in the social state without   
the presence and influence of  the      
,bible8 ,has it ever been well governed 
under such circumstances8 ,have  men    
respected the social rights and         
obligations or properly understood  them
 in the absence of revealed religion8   
,has the religion of ,christ been  a    

disturber of the social organization    
where social rights were properly       
understood and regarded8 or has it set  
aside the rights and obligations of  men
 in social life where men were enjoying 
peaceable1 happy relations8  ,does its  
legitimate influence make men more      
wicked and miserable8 ,an  honest answer
 to these questions will commend the    
religion of ,jesus  ,christ1 and do     
honor to him as our ,lord and ,master4  
,the ,scriptures have  been the means of
 establishing institutions which have   
stood for  centuries4 ,where society has
 been disjointed and out of order1      
without  bonds or adhesiveness1 the     
,scriptures have been introduced1       
banishing  disorder and bringing peace  
and good will to man4 ,they have        
silently  operated in the social        
surroundings and gradually elevated     
,pagan lands out  of ,paganism4 ,they   
refine and cleanse the cruel1 giving    
them habits which  make them at once    
superior to all ,pagans4    ,look at    

,rome and ,persia in comparison with    
,england and ,america4 ,the  ,persian's 
religion was the best of all the        
uninspired religions4 ,they  worshiped  
their unknown god in the sun1 moon and  
stars4 ,in two reigning  principles they
 sought for an explanation of the       
present state of good and  evil mixed1  
which is the perplexing problem that has
 always confounded  unenlightened       
reason4 ,the ,persian's creed only      
exercised his intellect and  gratified  
his curiosity4 ,it brought no power to  
bear upon his social  relations4        
,persian history is a mass of crimes1   
suffering and intolerance4  ,the        
government was a despotism1 and polygamy
 gave laws to the domestic and  private 
relations of the citizens4    ,ancient  
,rome stands foremost in all that moral 
culture and philosophy  alone can do for
 social institutions4 ,its religion was 
gross in the  extreme1 exerting an      
unhappy influence upon the masses1 while
 it was  disregarded by the priests who 

taught it1 their sole object being to   
terrify the multitude and keep them in  
subjection to the authorities of  the   
state4 ,it was said by a ,roman1 8,our  
nation exists more by religion  than by 
the sword40 ,but upon an examination of 
,roman history you will find  servitude1
 despotism1 tumult1 revolt1 revolution  
and slaughter1 peace and  war4 ,the     
ambitions of rivals to the throne1 and  
new schemes of rulers1  often deluged   
the country with blood and carried the  
sword to remote and  peaceable nations1 
till the horrors of civil war were      
realized in almost  every part of the   
world4 ,every now and then the powers of
 some great mind1  irritated by his     
calamities1 having all the vices and    
none of the virtues  of his species1    
would rise up and wreak vengeance in    
deeds which can not  be thought of      
without sadness of heart4    ,how much  
better was ancient ,greece8 ,how much   
better are modern ,pagan  nations8      
,these evils have been extinguished in  

the ratio of the  circulation and       
influence of the ,bible4 ,the relation  
between the state and  its citizens the 
,bible recognizes as of divine          
appointment2 the foundation  of civil   
government is the will of ,god4         
,government is an ordinance of ,god4    
8,the powers that be are ordained of    
,god40 ,the great author of our rights1 
life1 liberty1 peace1 order1 public     
morals and religion1 has not left  these
 interests to chance1 anarchy or the    
social compact4 ,rulers were  ordained  
of ,god1 and are rulers1 not for their  
own exaltation1 but for the             
tranquility1 virtue and peace of the    
governed4 ,where are the ,pagan rulers  
who were taught this great lesson so as 
to feel its importance8 ,when have  they
 respected the rights of the people8    
,where have anti-,christian or  ,pagan  
nations1 in a single instance1 been     
actuated by any motive save the         
restless1 factious determination to sink
 one tyrant for the sake of  elevating  

another8 ,in ,christian lands a free and
 virtuous people limit the  authority of
 rulers and assert the rights of        
citizens4 ,in our country a  mass of    
public virtue and a weight of moral     
influence1 that restrains the  wrath of 
man1 keeps us from being involved in an 
ocean of blood at every  popular        
election4 ,we are not repeating the     
history of ,rome in this  respect4 ,we  
have been taught to 8,render unto ,csar 
the things which belong  to ,csar40 ,the
 apostles of ,christ have enjoined upon 
us the duty of being  subject to the    
rulers of our land1 to submit ourselves 
to every ordinance  of man for the      
,lord's sake4 ,we have been taught to   
pray for our rulers4  ,while we do this 
we can not be rebellious4 ,who is so    
blind as to not see  that the           
,scriptures will control our citizens   
with more benevolence than  any other   
book or any other maxims or set of      
opinions4 ,when the ,christian          
,scriptures are duly regarded and their 

divine authenticity respected           
designing1 ambitious1 corrupting and    
aspiring politicians will have but      
little power to plunge us into crimes   
and sufferings4    ,the most important  
of all our social institutions is the   
marriage4 ,it is  the paternal source of
 all other relations4 ,there is no      
exhibition of the  divine goodness in   
conditioning our race that is more      
significant and  lovely4 ,by it our     
world is a collection of families in    
which the tenderest  affections are     
cherished and the worst generally       
subdued4 ,here there is a  community of 
interests4 ,here we experience the      
highest motives to a  virtuous          
influence1 especially in forming the    
character of the youth of  our country4 
,the race is continually multiplying and
 enlarging4 ,what  wonderful wisdom was 
it that consulted its honor1 its virtue 
and eternal  destiny by the appointment 
of the marriage relation8 ,it was the   
best  method upon which human society   

could be organized4 ,there are          
narrow-hearted1 lustful bigots who would
 do away the social family  compact4    
,they talk about 8free thought10 8free  
love10 no restraints of  law1 no        
protection of the mother save the       
voluntary4 ,such has been the  custom in
 a few heathen lands2 such is the       
doctrine of a few modern  infidels2 such
 are the habits of a few gregarious     
communities in ,christian  countries4   
,in these communities the sexes are     
taught from the cradle to  hate the     
marriage bond4 ,such a state of society 
is poisoned and polluted2  is a fearful 
mass of corruption and rottenness4 ,all 
moral safeguards are  removed4 ,the     
offspring are thrown out upon the world 
with no restraints of  paternal love and
 wisdom2 no obligations of filial love  
and reverence2  monsters in iniquity1   
and in a short time equal in crime to   
those who were  swept from the earth by 
the waters of the deluge or the flames  
of ,sodom4  ,look then for one moment   

after the evil of polygamy4 ,it existed 
for awhile  among the ancient ,hebrews4 
,moses suffered it for the hardness of  
their  hearts4 ,from the beginning it   
was not so4 ,it was a perversion of the 
ancient institution of matrimony4 ,all  
the evils of that idolatrous age  could 
not be remedied in a moment2 nothing was
 made perfect until the  appearance of  
that wonderful counselor--,christ4 ,he  
restored the primitive  integrity of the
 marriage institution by revoking       
polygamy and divorce4  ,polygamy was    
never friendly to the physical and      
mental character of its  population4 ,it
 is demonstrated beyond the possibility 
of a doubt that it  is debasing and     
brutalizing4 ,the ,turks and ,asiatics  
are polygamists1 but  they are much     
inferior to the old ,greeks and ,romans2
 yet ancient ,rome was  a long ways from
 ,heaven's will in respect of marriage  
ties4    ,the matrimonial institution of
 ,rome was a compromise between the     
right and  the wrong4 ,the institution  

was considered in the light of a civil  
contract1 entered into for expediency1  
and protected by the magistrates        
because it was deemed a blessing to     
society2 by the law of the twelve       
tables it continued during the pleasure 
of the husband4 ,the result was  that   
frequent1 and often1 rapid succession of
 divorces and marriages took  the place 
of polygamy1 and introduced many of its 
evils4    ,the private history of ,roman
 ladies of first rank is a succession of
  marriages and divorces1 each new      
marriage giving way to one more recent4 
,octavia1 the daughter of the ,emperor  
,claudus1 married ,nero1 was repudiated 
by him for the sake of ,poppa2 this     
woman was first married to ,rufus       
,crispinus2 then to ,otho2 and at length
 to ,nero1 by whom she was killed4      
,nero murdered ,thessalina's husband1   
and married her for his third wife4     
,julia1 the daughter of ,augustus1 was  
first the wife of ,marcellus1 then the  
wife of ,agrippa1 and then the wife of  

,tiberius4 ,such examples are found     
almost without number in the annals of  
,tacitus4 ,the extent to which this     
evil was carried may be learned from the
 poet ,martial1 who informs us1  that1  
when the ,julian law against adultery   
was revived as a prevention of  the     
corruption of the times1 ,thessalina    
married her tenth husband within  thirty
 days1 thus evading all the restraints  
which the law imposed against  her      
licentiousness4 ,what is the marriage   
bond worth in such a state of  society8 
,where is the state of society          
essentially better in the absence of the
  ,christian religion8    ,the ,bible   
teaches us that the institution is of   
,divine origin1 established  by the     
,lord himself4 ,it inscribes upon every 
marriage altar1 8,what ,god  hath joined
 together let no man put asunder40 ,it  
definitely defines  marriage to be the  
act of uniting two persons in wedlock1  
and only two4  ,according to the        
,scriptures1 this union can only be     

dissolved by crime or  death4 ,with     
great tenderness the ,bible prescribes  
the duties of this  relation4 8,husbands
 love your wives as ,christ loved the   
church40 ,this love  is not the cold    
hearted affection that is after the     
fashion of free-love  philosophy1 but it
 is after a model that has touched      
heavenly hearts1 and  caused more       
admiration than all other things        
combined4    ,in the ancient            
dispensation adultery was punished with 
death4 ,in the  ,christian dispensation1
 it is said with great emphasis1        
8,whoremongers  and adulterers ,god will
 judge40 ,there is a place of which it  
is said1  8,whoso is simple let him turn
 in hither1 but he knoweth not that the 
dead  are there1 and that her guests are
 in the depths of hell40 ,there is a sin
  of which the ,bible often speaks1     
pointing the guilty perpetrators to the 
fact that they have none inheritance in 
the kingdom of ,god and of ,christ4     
,the history of ,pagan nations is little

 else than a record of crime4 ,by       
studying it we may learn something of   
our obligations to the ,christian       
religion1 and our indebtedness to its   
pure spirit1 which has brooded over  the
 darkness of the nations1 and brought   
order out of confusion4 ,it will1  also1
 learn us to value the names father1    
mother1 husband1 wife1 children  and    
parents2 these names were of little     
value among ,romans4 ,in the annals  of 
the ,roman empire may be found a record 
of all that is shocking2 a  record of   
all that man can be guilty of2 a record 
of all that an enemy  could be guilty   
of2 suspicion1 licentiousness1 murder1  
conspiracy of wives  against their      
husbands1 and husbands against their    
wives2 children  sacrificed by the      
doings of a mother2 families whose peace
 is ruined by  intrigue and violence2   
men everywhere falling upon their own   
swords2 the  wife murdering her own     
husband for the sake of marrying        
another2 woman  practiced1 skilled1 in  

the art of poisoning--such is the       
picture of ,pagan  life in the most     
enlightened age of ,rome4    ,let any   
man compare society in our country1 or  
in any protestant country1  with the    
state of society under the reign of the 
,csars1 and he will see  what the       
,christ has done for our race4 ,the     
spirit that sustains our social         
institutions does not grow cold even at 
the grave1 but is felt beyond  death4   
,how is it in heathen lands8 ,the       
sweetest loves of life give way to      
suspicion and envy2 the jealousy of     
love1 the thirst for power and          
ambition1 drives them away1 often as    
soon as the flowers and beauty of  youth
 are gone4 ,where ,christ reigns it is  
not so4 ,yet there are those who  would 
have us believe that the religion of    
,christ is an unsocial1 selfish         
religion4 ,if it is unsocial and selfish
 to have no sympathy with  wickedness1  
to promote all that is virtuous and     
kind1 pure and true1 to  take pleasure  

in all that subdues the malignant and   
beastly1 the ambitious  and cruel1 then 
it is an unsocial and selfish affair4   
,if it is unsocial  and selfish to take 
pleasure in that which elevates and     
moulds character  in the image of ,god1 
and fits it for angelic society         
hereafter1 then it is  truly unsocial   
and selfish4            ,,law1 ,,cause1 
,,and ,,agent4      ,the word law       
denotes the unceasing1 regular order in 
which an agent or  force operates4 ,it  
should1 consequently1 be distinguished  
from cause or  efficiency2 it being only
 the manner1 or mode1 according to which
 an agent  or cause manifests itself4   
,therefore law is neither cause or      
agent4 ,yet it  implies an agent1 or an 
energy2 for without these law is        
nothing--does  nothing4 ,the laws of    
nature had no existence until nature    
existed4 ,that is  to say1 the laws of  
water did not exist until water existed1
 etc4 ,so it is  easy to perceive the   
truth that the laws of nature created   

nothing4 ,nature  is said to be the     
aggregate of everything2 therefore      
nature created  nothing4 ,the laws of   
nature1 being the rules according to    
which effects  are produced1 demonstrate
 the existence of a cause or agent which
  operates4 ,as the rules of navigation 
never steered a ship1 so the law of     
gravity never moved a planet4 ,a bare   
order or law of nature was not the      
cause of nature4 ,to confound order or  
law with cause is to speak              
unadvisedly--unintelligently2 it is     
perfectly irrational4 ,would you cut off
  executive authority in a government   
and continue its existence without a    
person or society to exercise1 judge and
 execute according to law8    ,to say   
the world is governed by the laws of    
nature1 without rising up in  our       
thoughts to the efficient cause and     
superior reason1 or1 that which is      
always implied in the term law1 viz41 a 
legislator and executive putting  in    
force1 is to play the ,atheist and take 

things by halves2 is to suppose  the    
laws of nature are beings1 and imagine  
fabulous divinities in ignoring  or     
setting aside the ,christian's ,god1 who
 is the source of all the laws of       
nature1 and who governs all things      
according to them4 8,the laws of nature 
are the art of ,god40 ,without the      
presence of such an agent--one who is   
conscious of all upon which the laws of 
nature depend--producing all that  the  
laws prescribe--the laws themselves     
could have no existence4 ,the           
intelligence1 or1 if you prefer it1     
cause1 which gives the laws of nature   
their power1 and by which they are kept 
in action1 must be everywhere  present  
and always present2 otherwise the whole 
machinery of nature would  be           
deranged--inertia is a property of      
matter4 ,the universal presence of ,god 
is the one great and overwhelming       
condition of the existence of life and  
motion throughout the vast universe of  
nature4 ,the laws of matter are the     

laws which he has prescribed for his own
 action4 ,his presence is the  essential
 condition of any natural course of     
events in the history of  matter4 ,his  
universal agency is the only organ of   
power adequate to the  accomplishment of
 the wonders of nature--the only        
solution of its great  problems which   
lies within the reach of human reason4  
,some fools still say  in their hearts  
there is no ,god4    ,one of ,newton's  
great laws of motion is1 that a body    
must continue forever  in a state of    
rest1 inertia being a property of       
matter1 or being put in  motion         
continues forever in a straight line1 if
 it be not disturbed by the  action of  
an external cause4    ,now let us apply 
this law to our planet1 as a body1 and  
see the result4  ,what is the first     
necessary conclusion to which we are    
driven8 ,ans4 ,some  external agency or 
cause put our planet in motion4 ,what is
 the second  conclusion8 ,ans4 ,some    
agent or cause controls its motion      

causing it to  depart from a straight   
line4 ,do you say the cause is in the   
influence of  other planets8 ,well1     
suppose1 for the sake of the argument1  
we admit it1  are we then through with  
the problem8 ,no4 ,we have only moved   
the  difficulty one step backward4 ,we  
can see how one billiard ball may set   
another in motion1 but it is only       
thinkable upon the supposition that     
there was an agent behind the ball which
 put the second ball in motion4  ,what  
put the first ball in motion8 ,did it   
put itself in motion8 ,no4 ,the  law is 
this3 ,a body must remain forever at    
rest without some external  agency to   
put it in motion4 ,now1 you step out    
from our planet to its  nearest         
neighbor1 and from thence to the next1  
and so on till you get to  the furthest 
limits of matter--carry along with you  
the idea that one  planet has put       
another in motion until you arrive at   
the last one  thinkable1 and then ask   
yourself this question3 ,is inertia a   

property of  matter here8 ,is the law of
 motion1 already quoted1 a law of motion
 here8  ,if it is1 then1 of necessity1  
science demands an agent outside of     
planets1  or behind the whole of them1  
to put them in motion1 and to control   
them  while in motion in order to carry 
them forward in circles--do you see8    
8,but the fool says in his heart there  
is no ,god40            ,,the           
,,inconsistency ,,of ,,modern           
,,unbelievers ,,or ,,materialists4      
,the materialistic unbeliever is        
necessarily bound up in a contradiction 
from which there is no escape short of a
 denial of the eternity of matter1      
space and duration1 on the one hand1 or 
a denial of the materialistic           
philosophy1 upon the other4    ,his     
reasoning is this3 ,space exists4 ,i    
know it exists4 ,i can't set bounds  to 
space1 therefore it is infinite4        
,matter exists4 ,i know it exists4 ,i   
can't annihilate matter1 therefore      
matter is eternal4    ,duration is4 ,i  

know it is4 ,i can't set limits to it2  
therefore duration is  infinite4        
,now1 it is easy to discover that the   
conclusion in each case rests upon  two 
thoughts4 ,first1 ,conscious knowledge  
expressed in the phrase 8,i know40      
,secondly1 ,want of power to set bounds 
to space1 to limit duration and         
annihilate matter4    ,the other and    
contrary side is brought up in the      
following arrangement3  ,mind exists4 ,i
 know it exists4 ,i can't set limits to 
mind2 therefore mind  is infinite1 mind 
is eternal4    ,life exists4 ,i can't   
comprehend or set limits to life2       
therefore life is  infinite1 life is    
eternal4    ,the time was when there was
 no life or mind associated with or in  
matter1  the matter belonging to our    
planet4 ,from whence came life8 ,from   
whence  came mind8 ,do you say from the 
laws of nature8 ,well1 laws are rules by
  which agents act4 ,laws are nothing   
unless there is an agent to act in      
harmony with them or by them4 ,there is 

consequently something lying behind  the
 laws of nature1 acting by them4 ,what  
is that something8 ,do you say it  is   
force8 ,force is the manifestation of   
energy--a mere attribute4 ,there is     
something behind energy1 to which it    
belongs4 ,do you say it is matter8      
,inertia is a property of matter8 ,from 
whence came life and mind8 ,the time    
was when they were not here4    ,you    
unbelievers say it is scientific to     
reason from your own conscious          
knowledge upon the line of physical     
elements1 as well as space and          
duration1 to the ideas of infinite      
matter1 space1 and duration4 ,do you not
  know that there is also a line of     
vital and mental forces8 ,why is it that
  you do not consider men equally       
scientific who reason upon that line    
from  conscious knowledge to the idea of
 an ever-living1 all-powerful           
intelligence8 ,power is a matter of     
conscious knowledge4 ,can you set limits
  to it8 ,no1 never6 ,then power is     

infinite4 ,let us ever remember there is
 no  life without antecedent life2 no   
mind without antecedent mind2 and no    
matter without antecedent substance4    
,where does power come from8 ,can you   
tell8 ,if you are a ,theist you can4 ,if
 you are an ,atheist you can't4         
,unbelievers say the ,infinite ,one1 if 
there be such1 can not be revealed to   
man4 ,this conclusion is rested upon the
 assumption that the finite can not     
comprehend the infinite4 ,this is       
regarded as a complete overthrow of     
revealed religion4 ,can nothing be      
revealed to me unless ,i can comprehend 
it8 ,can ,i know nothing without        
comprehending it8 ,i know load-stone1   
but do  ,i comprehend it8 ,i know       
electricity1 but do ,i comprehend it8 ,i
 am  conscious of life and mind1 but do 
,i comprehend either8 ,we know that     
matter1 of itself1 is inert1 dead1 and  
yet it lives4 ,but this is our          
difficulty3 ,how does it come to live8  
,we know it lives1 but do we  comprehend

 the fact8 ,we know enough about a great
 many incomprehensible  things for all  
practical purposes4 ,do you unbelievers 
know the unknown8  ,if you don't1 might 
it not be well to quit talking about it8
 ,your language  is at fault4 ,you are  
no more competent to talk about the     
unknown than we  ,christians4 ,turn that
 word unknown out of doors and adopt the
 word  incomprehensible1 and then talk  
about it1 for it is revealed to all who 
talk about it4 ,you and ,i apprehend the
 ,,infinite ,,one4 ,you talk about      
infinite space1 infinite duration1      
infinite substance4 ,yes1 and ,i talk   
about infinite life1 infinite power and 
infinite mind4 ,we all know there  are  
infinities in existence4 ,we apprehend  
them1 knowing enough about them  for all
 practical life purposes4 ,you talk     
about the infinities known in  science1 
and ,i talk about the infinities known  
in religion4 ,after all our  reasoning  
may it not be true that mind is infinite
 in its capacities8 ,may  it not1 in the

 future1 comprehend many things which   
are now  incomprehensible8 ,my increase 
of knowledge1 consequent upon the       
capacities  of my mind1 enables me to   
comprehend a great deal that ,i could   
not  comprehend a few years ago4 ,if ,i 
could not have apprehended those things 
prior to comprehending them1 ,i never   
would have learned enough about them  to
 comprehend them4 ,i always apprehend a 
thing1 know it is1 before ,i begin  to  
investigate it4 ,now1 ,i know ,god1 but 
,i do not comprehend him4 ,he is too    
great in his majesty for my present     
knowledge4 ,i may never comprehend him1 
still ,i apprehend him and know enough  
for all practical life purposes4 ,i     
believe that ,i shall know a great deal 
more about him in the future2 yes1  more
 even in this life1 if ,i am only       
faithful in 8going on to know the       
,lord40            ,,materialism ,,in   
,,its ,,bearings ,,upon ,,person ,,and  
,,personality4      ,personality is     
individuality1 existing in itself1 but  

with a nature as its                    
ground4--,coleridge4    ,paley says3    
,the seat of intellect is a person4     
,lock says3 ,person stands for a        
thinking1 intelligent being1 that has   
reason and reflection1 and can consider 
itself as itself1 444 which it  does    
only by that consciousness which is     
inseparable from thinking1 and as  it   
seems to me essential to it1 it being   
impossible for any one to  perceive     
without perceiving that he does         
perceive4    ,henry ,taylor says3 ,the  
quality of intelligence is essential in 
order to  person4 ,that which is not    
intelligent we call a thing1 and that   
which is  intelligent we call a person4 
,by the word person we therefore mean a 
thing  or substance that is intelligent1
 or a conscious being2 including in the 
word the idea both of the substance and 
its properties together4    ,oldfield   
says3 ,person is a subsisting substance 
or 8suppositum10 endued  with reason as 
a man is1 that is capable of religion4  

,thompson says3 ,person as1 applied to  
,deity1 expresses the definite and      
certain truth that ,god is a living     
being and not a dead material energy4   
,jouffroy says3 ,personality1 in        
jurisprudence1 denotes the capacity of  
rights and obligations which belong to  
an intelligent will4    ,a person is a  
being who is intelligent and free4      
,every spiritual and moral  agent1 every
 cause which is in possession of        
responsibility and  consciousness1 is a 
person4    ,webster says3 ,person is an 
individual human being consisting of    
body and  soul4 ,we apply the word to   
living beings possessed of a rational   
nature2  the body when dead is not      
called a person4    ,the ,biblical      
ground nature of the word person is in  
these words3 8,what man  knoweth the    
things of a man but the spirit of man   
which is in him40    ,intelligence is an
 essential attribute of person1 but it  
is not a property  of matter4 ,if       
intelligence is a property of matter1   

then the distinction  between person and
 thing is of a necessity a distinction  
without a  difference4 ,but no greater  
absurdity could possess the human mind  
for one  moment than the thought that   
intelligence is a property or quality of
  matter4 ,nothing short of the fact    
expressed in ,bible language that the   
spirit of man is a gift from ,god1 will 
account for the distinction between     
person and thing4 ,man in his physical  
nature is enslaved to the laws of       
physical nature in common with all      
organized things2 is subject to the     
laws that control matter4 ,the law of   
organic existence is such that he can   
not live without a continual supply of  
food1 which the nutritive process       
continually provides in order to make up
 for the wastage consequent upon        
disintegration of parts4 ,but there are 
impassible limits fixed to the          
nutritive process by the most certain of
 all laws1 viz3 those of gravity  and   
chemical action4 ,to abolish these laws 

would insure the destruction of  all    
organic existence1 because it would be  
the abrogation of the essential         
conditions of organized being4 ,yet it  
is true that when a certain point is    
reached a change and dissolution of the 
molecules always takes place1 and  this 
change is the sure introduction of      
death4 ,hence1 nothing short of  union  
with ,god1 through his own appointed    
means1 by which he brings his  own      
omnipotence to bear for the purpose of  
controlling the essential  condition of 
organic existence1 could ever be an     
antidote of death4 ,man in  his original
 innocence enjoyed such means in the    
fruit of the tree of  life4 ,being      
removed from this he dies by the        
essential laws of his  existence4 ,so   
man in his physical nature is enslaved  
in common with all  things that are     
under the reign of physical laws4 ,yet  
he is a free  intelligence4 ,he is      
conscious of his freedom4 ,there is in  
his history an  abundance of evidence to

 demonstrate his freedom4 ,there is also
 a  sufficient amount of evidence to    
demonstrate the slavery of his physical 
nature4 ,but why refer to evidence here8
 ,these are facts of consciousness4     
,man's personality is1 in view of all   
that has been said1 grounded upon his   
mental or spiritual nature1 which was   
always free1 otherwise his identity  is 
lost forever in the grave4 ,i have said1
 if the attributes of person are        
properties of matter1 there is no       
distinction between persons and things2 
in such a case persons would be things  
and things would be persons4 ,here  it  
is easy to see that the materialistic   
philosophy upon the subject of  man's   
identity changes the ground nature of   
personality1 and destroys all           
distinction between persons and things4 
,,was ,,it ,,right8      ,scientists are
 the last men upon the earth that should
 deal unfairly with  the ,bible4 ,they  
profess to investigate1 to analyze1 to  
demonstrate4 ,in one  word1 they profess

 to be in the lead of thought in a very 
progressive age2  therefore we expect   
just a little more from them than from  
the  unscientific4 ,but1 alas6 many of  
them are mere socialists1 and many who  
are scientists have never investigated  
the ,bible1 do not understand its       
facts1 and are also averse to its       
claims4    8,science takes account of   
phenomenon1 and seeks to understand its 
law40  ,now let us apply the test to    
some of the objectionable facts of the  
,bible1  and note the result4    ,moses 
said to the children of ,israel1        
,understand1 therefore1 this day1  that 
the ,lord thy ,god is he who goeth over 
before thee4 ,as a consuming  fire he   
shall destroy them1 and he shall bring  
them down before thy face2  so shalt    
thou drive them out and destroy them    
quickly1 as the ,lord hath  said unto   
thee4 ,deut4 #i3 #c4 ,this language has 
reference to the inhabitants  of the    
land of ,canaan4 ,their wickedness      
appears in the following  quotations4   

,deut4 #ab3 #bi1 #ca4 ,when the ,lord   
thy ,god shall cut off the  nations from
 before thee1 take heed to thyself that 
thou be not snared by  following them1  
and that thou inquire not after their   
gods1 saying1 ,how  did these nations   
serve their gods8 even so will ,i do    
likewise4 ,thou shalt  not do so unto   
the ,lord thy ,god3 for every           
abomination to the ,lord1  which he     
hateth1 have they done unto their gods2 
for even their sons and  their daughters
 they have burnt in the fire to their   
gods4 ,the destruction  of these        
idolators1 who were burning their own   
sons and daughters in the  fire1        
furnishes unbelievers and skeptics with 
a great deal of capital1  which can be  
used with ignorance1 but not with       
intelligence4    ,what was the law      
governing in the case8 ,the answer is in
 these words3 ,the  course of conduct   
which is for the greatest good of the   
greatest number is  right4 ,this law is 
known in the science of civil           

government4 ,it has its  place in the   
history of all civil governments4       
,without it we are unable to  account   
for the facts known in the history of   
our own government4 ,it is a  law that  
lies at the foundation of all moral and 
social institutions4  ,those wicked     
tribes in the land of ,canaan1 and upon 
its borders1 were in  the way of the    
establishment of any civil institution4 
,it is to be  remembered1 also1 that the
 children of ,israel did not forfeit    
their rights  in the land by going down 
into ,egypt in the time of a famine4    
,the land was theirs by right of        
preoccupancy and by gift4 ,upon their   
return from ,egypt they found no civil  
institutions in the land1 but1 on  the  
contrary1 the people were burning their 
own children in the fire4 ,they  were   
also guilty of every abominable thing   
that was hateful in the sight  of ,god4 
,they were utterly unqualified for      
citizenship in any civil state1  so they
 were cut off as cankers upon the body4 

,to the same end1 the greatest good to  
the greatest number1 our government  has
 cut off thousands of better men4 ,when 
the children of ,israel went into  the  
idolatrous worship of those wicked      
heathen and burned their sons and       
daughters in the fire to ,molech1 the   
,lord gave them statutes and laws  which
 were not good1 and whereby they might  
not live4 ,he served them  right4 ,how  
can civil government be perpetuated1 or 
even exist1 in the  midst of such       
heathenish idolatry8 ,if infidel        
objections1 based upon the  destruction 
of such wicked hordes as were put to    
death in ,canaan1 are  worth anything   
they are worth enough to sanction1 by   
the protection of  civil government1 all
 manner of abominations that are known  
among  barbarous heathen4    ,these     
enemies of ,god and the ,bible talk as  
though such an outrage as  burning sons 
and daughters in the fire to idol gods  
should not be visited  with such        
punishment4 ,would they do any better8  

,could they manage such  barbarous      
murderers better for the general good8  
,if it was possible for a  civil        
government to allow such characters the 
rights of citizenship it  would be at   
the expense of giving license to all    
other crimes1 for there  are no crimes  
greater in their heinousness than       
murderous idolatry4 ,if  infidels ever  
get the power in this or any other civil
 government1 and  carry out the spirit  
of their lectures against the ,god of   
the ,bible1 the  government will soon   
come to an end1 and crime of every grade
 and  character will prevail4 ,american 
citizens have seen many better men than 
old ,amalek die4 ,it is possible that a 
few unbelievers who were out in the     
late civil war have seen better men die4
 ,it is possible that a few  unbelieving
 colonels have killed better men upon   
,southern battle-fields1  and it is     
possible that a few of them are         
traveling over the country  abusing     
,moses and the ,god of the ,bible for   

putting worse men to death4    ,let us  
ever remember that the eternal laws of  
right1 sometimes1  necessitate the      
destruction of human life4 ,the greatest
 good of the  greatest number is an     
object that should always govern the    
action of a  nation4 ,this law should   
never be disregarded4 ,murder1 having no
 connection  with the general good1 is a
 very different thing4 ,when an         
individual is  put to death by an       
individual to gratify malice its        
relations are not with  the general     
good4    ,all sensible men1 who are     
acquainted with the ,bible1 know that   
the facts  of the ,bible1 known in the  
ancient wars of the nation of ,israel1  
like the  facts known in the wars of our
 own nation1 would look terrible in the 
relations of murder4 ,things out of     
their relations are always ugly4 ,a man 
and a woman living together as husband  
and wife outside of the marriage        
relation1 would be in adultery1 while   
others living in the same manner1  but  

inside of the matrimonial relation1     
would be in a grand and  praiseworthy   
union4 ,why is it that sensible men will
 wrest the ,scriptures1  taking things  
out of their proper relations1 and do it
 to their own  condemnation8 8,happy is 
the man who condemneth not himself in   
that thing  which he alloweth40         
,,it ,,only ,,needs ,,to ,,be ,,seen1   
,,and ,,its ,,ugliness ,,at ,,once      
,,appears4      8,are such shams of     
rights1 as caucus-and-ballot-boxism can 
give us1 worth  spending any more time  
and money and agitation upon8 ,i ask1   
and ,i appeal  to what has been most    
lyingly named free government in        
,greece1 ,rome1  ,england1 ,venice1     
,france1 the ,united ,states1 and       
wherever else it has been  attempted to 
make permanent the crisis stage of      
progress which marks the  departure from
 monarchy4 ,no1 my friends1 art-liberty 
alone can be of any  avail4444 ,by      
art-liberty1 my friends1 ,i mean the    
practical application  of all science   

and art systemized as fast as unfolded4 
,the only law  which can govern a free  
state must be discovered2 it must be    
drawn from  the whole of science and    
art--not #8enacted4' ,human law can no  
more be  #8enacted' than can physical   
law40 444 8,man's leaders must find out 
how to  satisfy man's highest           
aspirations1 instead of catering for his
 prejudices2  instead of confirming him1
 by flattery and cajolery1 in his false1
  supernaturalistic notions2 instead of 
studying the trickery of  representing  
and plundering him4 ,and they will      
rapidly find this out1 as  soon as a    
knowledge 7already attained7 of the     
unity of science spreads  among them1   
and along with it its correllate1 that  
all mankind are one  organism1 no       
individual of which can be indifferent  
to each and all of  the others4         
,enlightened1 far-seeing1 all-benefiting
 selfishness will  then take the place  
of short-sighted1 suicidal1 penny-wise  
pound-foolish  cunning2 and that        

barricade of hypocrisy1 duty1 that most 
fallible of all  guides1 conscience1 and
 #8virtue' and #8vice1' those most      
unscientific and  mischievous           
expressions that have ever crept into   
the vocabulary of human  folly1 will be 
obsolete40    ,here is the outcome of   
the liberty that infidels talk so much  
about4  8,art-liberty0 is to            
,,annihilate ,,conscience and the       
distinction between  virtue and vice so 
completely that there will be no more   
use for the  words1 8they will be       
obsolete40 8,all benefiting selfishness 
will then  govern humanity40 ,reader1   
are you prepared for such a state of    
society8  8,if all contracts in         
accordance with present #8law' were     
fulfilled to the  letter1 and if all the
 #8duties' enjoined by present moralism 
were  unflinchingly performed1 and if   
all which #8virtue' styles #8vice' was  
entirely abstained from1 and if what is 
now #8free trade' according to  #8law1' 
had a #8fair field1' how long would it  

take a millionth of the  earth's        
inhabitants to accumulate all its       
wealth8 ,in my opinion1 it  would not   
take ten generations to produce that    
reign of #8law1'  #8principle1'         
#8morality1' #8virtue' and #8free       
trade1' or  mind-your-own-business1 and 
every-one-for-himself-ism1 on the       
earth40 ,are  infidels down on law1 down
 on virtue1 down on principle1 down on  
morality1  etc48 ,it seems so4 8,but    
there must be no stealing1 swindling or 
robbery1  as legally defined1 on any    
account2 and there must be no sexual    
intercourse out of the bonds of         
monogamy1 even for bread1 and1 above    
all1 there must be no acts1 or even     
words of treason4 ,the laboring man  and
 the laboring woman must patiently and  
slowly 7nay1 not very slowly1  ,i'm     
thinking17 die on such wages as they    
who1 in perfect security1 hold  all the 
wealth1 choose to give2 and those out of
 work must brave martyrdom  to          
#8principle1' by starving straightway1  

unless they can obtain a #8permit'  to  
drag out a few months1 possibly years1  
in sack-cloth and on water-gruel  in an 
almshouse4444 ,was ,thomas ,paine here  
to-day his old remedies1  religious and 
political popular free discussion and   
reasoning1 would be  thrown aside or    
only used to assist science and art to  
displace them in  religious and state   
affairs40 ,truth will come to the       
surface6 ,here it is  speaking for      
itself4 ,the office of 8art-liberty10   
the liberty for which  infidels plead1  
is to destroy popular free discussion   
and reasoning1  allowing them only in   
order to destroy themselves1 that is1   
allowing the  infidels to use them to   
displace them in ,,religious and ,,state
 affairs4  ,this is called              
8art-liberty20 liberty in art and       
science1 and despotism in  religion and 
politics ,,or ,,state4 ,such a society1 
plus the absence of  conscience1 virtue 
and vice1 is the infidel's ideal of free
 government4  ,all this means is simply 

8intolerance0 by law2 intolerance in    
8religious  and state affairs40    ,when
 such a state of society is brought     
about in this country the infidels  will
 have more hell than they will relish4  
,listen once more1 8,man's  right to be 
self-governed is1 equally with his      
desire to be so1  self-evident40 ,how   
are these infidels going to have        
self-government and  intolerance by law 
in matters of religion and state8 ,this 
,godless infidel  says1 8,but what is   
most insultingly termed #8elective      
franchise' is the  farthest thing       
possible from self-government4444 ,the  
popular free  discussion of affairs of  
the last degree of complication1        
religious and  state affairs1 except    
during the crisis period of revolution1 
only  renders that worst of despotisms1 
anarchy1 chronic2 it seats in the social
  organism that political gangrene1     
demagogism1 which has always hitherto   
sooner or later required the            
cauterization of military despotism in  

order  to save even civilization4       
,despotism is the most inveterate of all
 the  diseases of the social organism   
which ignorance has inflicted2 nay1 it  
is  a complication of all its diseases4 
,what1 my fellow-man1 would any of you  
think of the physician who should       
consult with an individual organism with
  a view to taking that organism's      
opinion as to what course he 7the       
physician7 had best pursue in order to  
cure him 7the organism7 of  scrofula1   
complicated with every other bodily     
disease to which flesh is  heir8444     
,evidently1 church and state management 
require art and skill  infinitely       
superior to what #8supernaturalism' and 
its legitimate child  monarchism1 or its
 bastard issue1                         
caucus-and-ballot-boxism1 are capable   
of4 ,from the dissecting-room1 the      
chemical laboratory1 the astronomical   
observatory1 the physician's and        
physiologist's study--in fine1 from all 
the schools of science and arts should  

human law be declared1 instead of  being
 #8enacted' in legislative halls by     
those who in every respect besides      
political trickery1 fraud and           
#8smartness1' are perfect ignoramuses40 
,how  is all this to be reconciled with 
the ideas of self-government set forth  
by this author and copied in this       
article8 ,who are to be the doctors1 and
  who are to be the patients8 ,when     
popular discussion is confined to art   
and science1 only as it may be used in  
order to keep it out of religious  and  
state affairs1 who are to be the popular
 free disputants8 ,when  legislative    
halls are done away1 along with their   
progenitors1 elective  franchise and    
representation1 and law emanates from   
all the schools of  science and art by  
8declaration10 will men be more ready to
 obey8    ,give the sore-headed1        
politically gangrened1 conscienceless1  
virtueless1  ,godless applauders of ,tom
 ,paine what they ask1 and it will      
simply amount  to abandoning our        

posterity to the lowest1 vilest         
sensualism known in  ,pagan geography   
along the line or borderland of a foul  
lust-gratifying1  brutalizing hell4 ,may
 all ,christian people1 and every lover 
of our  humanity1 wake up to the        
importance of giving these wide-mouthed1
 blatant  infidels1 who are traveling   
over our country howling about 8liberty 
of  man1 woman and child10 a wide berth4
 ,they would like to be the 8doctors10  
and treat the 8orthodox0 people so as to
 purge 8popular free discussion0  out of
 them1 and at the same time have their  
own stomachs crammed full of  that      
grace1 and so 8steal heaven's livery to 
serve the devil40 ,the above  infidelism
 is copied verbatim from the 8concluding
 application0 of the  life of ,thomas   
,paine by ,calvin ,blanchard1 published 
in #ahgi1 and being now  peddled over   
our country4 ,what do our infidel       
friends mean by so much ado  about      
liberty as opposed to the present state 
of society in our country8  ,free       

thought belongs to all4 ,you can't chain
 the mind4 ,what is it that  they want8 
,will they be so kind as to inform us8  
,is ,calvin ,blanchard a  representative
 of the liberty sought for8 ,then may we
 long live to keep  our heels upon it4  
,,did ,,the ,,race ,,ascend ,,from ,a   
,,low ,,state ,,of ,,barbarism8         
,the fact that the human mind abhors a  
contradiction is an evidence of the     
,godlike nature of man1 and an objection
 to the old tenet of total  depravity2  
it is also the secret of the effort1    
upon the part of  errorists1 to         
systematize4 ,one assumption creates a  
demand for another1  and thus men who   
start wrong1 in science or religion1    
labor under great  disadvantages4 ,when 
an idea is once consecrated to science  
or religion in  the human heart it is   
hard to eradicate4 ,when you find that  
you have made  a wrong start remember   
that it is the part of true manhood to  
make a frank  surrender1 and start anew4
    ,the assumption of the 8evolution of

 species0 lays all its advocates under  
the necessity of assuming that a low    
state of barbarism lies behind the      
civilization known in the history of the
 race as the primitive or first         
condition of intellect4 ,now1 as this is
 a question of fact1 an examination  of 
the evidence pertaining to this second  
assumption is a matter of  primary      
importance4 ,what are the facts bearing 
upon the question8 ,with  ,darwinians   
the 8primeval savage0 is a stereotyped  
idea1 finding expression  in every-day  
language2 and an idea that some         
scientists 7rather sciolists7  never get
 tired of promulgating4 ,with them      
primitive man was little  removed from  
the brute beasts1 devoid of knowledge1  
art1 and language--a  creature in a     
small degree above2 and in a great      
degree below1 the  anthropoid apes1 from
 whom it is claimed he has descended by 
evolution4 ,is  there any proof of this 
primitive inferiority1 or savagery1 as  
opposed to  civilization8 ,how does the 

voice of history speak8 ,it doubtless   
shows many  instances of improvement1 of
 an advance from a low condition to a   
higher  one2 but what does the earliest 
history say as respects the primitive   
condition of mankind8 ,waiving an       
examination of the ,bible history1 we   
will at once proceed to other sources4  
,in ,egypt there are no indications  of 
an early period of barbarism4 ,all      
authorities agree that we find no  rude 
or heathenish time in the far off       
history of ,egypt out of which          
civilization was evolved4 ,the first    
king known in ,egyptian history1 ,menes1
  changes the channel of the river      
,nile1 makes a great reservoir1 and     
erects  the ,temple of ,phthah at       
,memphis4 ,his son ,athothis is known as
 the builder  of the ,memphite ,palace1 
and as a physician1 who wrote books on  
anatomy4  ,the pyramid times are early  
in ,egyptian history2 the portrayed     
scenes in  the tombs of this early      
period reveal the same habits which     

existed in  after times4 ,that writing  
had been long in use is demonstrated by 
the  hieroglyphics in the ,great        
,pyramid4 ,go as far back as you may in 
,egyptian  history1 you will find no    
primitive barbarous mode of life4 ,sir  
,charles  ,lyell admitted1 in           
8,antiquity of ,man10 p4 #ij1 that 8we  
have no distinct  geological evidence   
that the appearance of what are called  
the inferior  races of mankind has      
always preceded in chronological order  
that of the  higher races40    ,george  
,rawlinson says ,mr4 ,pengelly made a   
similar confession at the  meeting of   
the ,british ,association at ,bristol1  
in ,august1 #ahge4 ,so far as  this     
question of evolution is concerned1 it  
is just as easy to establish  involution
 of civilization into barbarism as      
evolution of civilization out  of       
barbarism4 ,herodotus gives an account  
of the ,geloni1 a ,greek people1  who   
were driven from the cities on the      
northern coast of the ,euxine1 and      

retiring into the interior1 lived in    
wooden huts1 and used a language half   
,scythian and half ,greek4 ,we follow   
this people down to the times of ,mala  
and find them fully barbarous1 using the
 skins of those slain in battle as      
coverings both for themselves and their 
horses4 ,the ,copts1 of our times1  are 
degraded descendants of the ancient     
,egyptians4 ,in ,north and ,south       
,america the descendants of the ,spanish
 conquerers are poor representatives  of
 those ,castilians who1 under ,pizarro  
and ,cortez mastered the ,peruvian  and 
,mexican kingdoms1 and planted the      
civilization of the old world in the    
new4 ,civilization is liable to decay1  
to wane1 to deteriorate1 to sink so  low
 that it may be a question whether it is
 any longer civilization4 ,in  the cases
 we have alluded to we have a low       
degradation retaining evidences  of     
something higher4 ,in comparative       
philology we have cases where it is     
presumed by the best of critics that a  

higher state of civilization sank  to   
the lowest conceivable state of         
heathenism4 ,the race existing in       
,ceylon1 known as the 8,weddas10 is of  
this type4 ,the language of the ,weddas 
is regarded as a base descendant of the 
most complete and first known form  of  
,aryan speech1 the ,sanskrit2 and the   
,weddas are set down as descendants  of 
the ,sanskritic ,aryans1 who conquered  
,india4 ,there are no savages of a  more
 debased type4 ,they do not count beyond
 two or three2 they have no  idea of    
letters2 of all the animals the dog     
alone is domesticated2 their  art       
consists in making bows and arrows and  
constructing rude huts2 they  are       
dwindling and threaten to become        
extinct4 ,see 8,report of the ,british  
,association for the advancement of     
science1 for the ,year #ahge10 part #c1 
p4  #age4    ,civilization and barbarism
 are states between which men oscillate1
 passing  from one to the other with    
equal ease1 according to the influences 

brought  to bear upon them4    ,the     
mythical traditions of almost all       
peoples place at the beginning of  the  
history of the race1 a 8golden age10    
which is the opposite of savagery  and  
barbarism4 ,the ,chinese speak of a     
8first heaven10 an age of innocence  and
 a state of happiness1 when 8all was    
beautiful and good1 and all beings  were
 perfect40 ,mexican tradition speaks of 
the golden age of ,tezcuco2 and         
,peruvian history commences with two    
8,children of the ,sun10 who established
  civilization on the borders of ,lake  
,titicaca4 ,the ,greeks described their 
golden age as follows3          8,the   
immortal gods1 that tread the courts of 
heaven1      ,first made a golden race  
of mortal men4      ,like gods they     
lived1 with happy1 careless souls1      
,from toil and pain exempt2 nor on them 
crept      ,wretched old age1 but all   
their life was passed      ,in feasting1
 and their limbs no changes knew4       
,nought evil came them nigh2 and1 when  

they died1      ',twas but as if they   
were o'ercome by sleep4      ,all good  
things were their portion2 the fat soil 
,bare them its fruit spontaneous1 fruit 
ungrudged      ,and plentiful2 they1 at 
their own sweet will1      ,pursued in  
peace the tasks that seemed them good1  
,laden with blessings1 rich in flocks1  
and dear      ,to the great             
gods40--,hesiod4      ,such is the light
 that shines from the region where myth 
and history meet  and wed4 ,can we go   
beyond this8 ,there is no people1 east  
or west1  characterized by an           
uninterrupted progress from barbarism to
  civilization4 ,so the theory of time  
based upon such an idea is altogether   
without foundation4            ,,the    
,,flood ,,viewed ,,from ,a ,,scientific 
,,and ,,biblical ,,standpoint4          
,unbelievers usually pass over the      
events of the flood with mockery4 ,there
  is something about them that is only  
reconcilable with the mental  condition 
of the man who says in his heart1       

8,there is no ,god40 ,the old  methods  
of their interpretation of the          
,scriptures have been abandoned in  many
 particulars4 ,this is the result of two
 things3 first1 progression in          
scientific knowledge2 and1 second1 the  
,bible was always ahead of science  in  
its scientific allusions4 ,now1 it is   
known to scientists that there is1  at  
the lowest calculation1 forty-eight     
times more water in our seas and  oceans
 than ,keill was willing to allow when  
he made the objection that it  would    
require the waters of twenty-eight      
oceans to give us ,noah's flood4  ,the  
objection was1 8there is not water      
enough40 ,men seemed to think that  the 
earth contained the water2 that the     
water was standing in the earth4  ,this 
was very natural1 for people generally  
live upon the land4 ,the ,bible1        
however1 presented a different idea1    
saying1 the earth was 8standing out  of 
the water and in the water40    ,when   
the ,scriptures speak upon this subject 

they refer to the waters just  as a man 
would who never had any misgivings upon 
the subject of their  sufficiency4      
,their teachings are in harmony with    
recent scientific  discovery1 and       
against old-fashioned unbelief4         
,before ,galileo's time men would have  
been regarded insane if they had        
asserted the gravity of the air1 but the
 ,bible contained the fact4 ,it was     
laid away in ,job #bh3 #be3 8,for he    
looketh to the ends of the earth and    
seeth under the whole heaven to make the
 weight for the winds2 and he  weigheth 
the waters by measure40    ,the force   
that is required annually in nature to  
give us the upper waters1  to form the  
clouds1 is estimated by ,arago to be    
more than the labor of  four hundred    
million of able bodied men1 continued   
two hundred thousand  years4--,aunuaire 
du bur4 des4 longit41 #ahce1 p4 #aif4   
,the ,scriptures speak of floods and    
disorders that unbelievers of the       
bygone considered incredible1 but in the

 present time geologists feel that  the 
half was not told1 for they are unable  
to account for all the  destructions    
found in their investigations4 ,the     
events known in the  geological history 
are only in harmony with the fact that  
our planet has  been subjected to       
immense submersions4 ,they are          
scientifically described  thus3 ,an     
internal fire which1 raising the        
temperature of the seas and of  the deep
 waters1 caused on the one side an      
enormous evaporation and  impetuous     
rains1 as if the flood-gates of heaven  
were opened2 and1 on the  other1 an     
irresistible dilation1 which not only   
raised the waters from  their depths1   
broke up the fountains of the ,,great   
,,abyss1 and raised its  powerful waves 
to the level of the highest mountains1  
but which caused  immense               
stratifications of calcareous carbonate1
 under the double pressure  of a great  
heat and a pressure equal to eight      
thousand  atmospheres4--,gansen1 p4     

#aie4    ,the same author gives us the  
following1 which will be beneficial to  
the  scholar3 8,water is dilated #a-bc  
in passing from the temperature of ice  
melting to that of water boiling4 ,an   
elevation of from sixteen to  seventeen 
degrees ,reaumer will then increase its 
volume #a-aaa4 ,now1 we  find by an easy
 calculation that the quantity of water 
necessary to  submerge the earth to the 
height of #a-ajjj of the radius of our  
globe is  equal to #a-ccc of its entire 
volume1 or #a-aaa of its third4 ,if1    
then1 we  suppose that the one third of 
the terrestrial globe is metallic 7at   
the  mean specific gravity of #ab-a_/b71
 that the second third is solid 7at the 
weight of #ba71 and that the remaining  
third is water2 then1 first1 the        
specific gravity of the entire globe    
will be equal to #e-a_/b 7according to  
the conclusions of ,maskeline and of    
,cavendish72 and1 secondly1 it will     
have been sufficient for the submersion 
of the earth to the height of  #f1cfh   

metres1 or #a1edf metres above ,mount   
,blanc2 that the temperature of  the    
mass of the water in the days of the    
deluge should have risen to  sixteen    
degrees ,reaumer is a reasonable        
conclusion40 ,this calculation also  has
 reference to the unnecessary idea that 
the flood was universal4 ,but  why is it
 that a few men recognize the existence 
of a ,god omnipotent and  ridicule the  
flood8    ,the sufficiency of the ark is
 also called in question4 ,buffon says  
the  various species of four-footed     
animals may be reduced to two hundred   
and  fifty4 ,and ,dr4 ,hales shows      
conclusively that the ark had the       
capacity of  bearing forty-two thousand 
four hundred and thirteen tons4 ,he     
says3 ,can we  doubt of it being        
sufficient to contain eight persons and 
about two  hundred and fifty pair of    
four-footed animals1 together with all  
the  subsistence necessary for twelve   
months1 with the fowls of the air and   
such reptiles and insects as can not    

live in water8 ,besides places for the  
beasts and birds and their provisions1  
,noah might find room in the third      
story for thirty-six cabins occupied by 
household utensils1 instruments of      
husbandry1 books1 grains and seeds1 for 
a kitchen1 a hall1 and a space of  about
 forty-eight cubits in length to walk   
in4 ,in addition to all this1 it  is    
conceded1 by the very best minds        
conversant with ship building1 that     
,moses' description of the dimensions of
 the ark are the descriptions of  one of
 the very best floating vessels that    
ever rested upon the waters4  ,this fact
 has puzzled the minds of many          
unbelievers who seem to think  there was
 but little scientific knowledge in that
 early period4 ,they do  not believe    
that ,god was with ,noah4 ,,he ,,was4   
,,the ,,mosaic ,,law ,,in ,,greece1 ,,in
 ,,rome1 ,,and ,,in ,,the ,,common ,,law
 ,,of ,,england4      ,there is no      
logical reason against the thought that 
,god gave to man law in  the gift of    

speech or language4 ,speech is not      
natural to man4 ,he does not  express   
his feelings and passions with sighs and
 groans systematically and  invariably  
as do the lower animals4 ,the speechless
 child has no order of  this kind2 the  
lower kingdom differs widely from man in
 this respect2 the  same animals have   
the same manner of expressing their     
feelings and  passions throughout the   
world2 but man has language to express  
ideas4  ,infants learn to speak by      
imitation2 they do not speak naturally4 
,language  is the result of education1  
of the imitative faculty of man4 8,it   
has been  experimentally demonstrated   
that a man who has never heard the      
articulations of the human voice can    
never speak40 ,so deafness always       
carries dumbness along with it when that
 deafness is from birth1 or  contracted 
in early childhood4 ,i have in my mind  
at the present moment two  bright-eyed  
girls in their 8teens10 who contracted  
deafness in infancy  from the spotted   

fever2 both are destitute of speech4 ,if
 there ever was a  language of nature it
 was abandoned when artificial language 
was taught4  ,the greatest philosophers 
have failed to account for the origin of
  language or speech4 ,the ,pagans have 
declared that it was a gift from the    
gods4 ,if all the inhabitants of the    
world could be congregated1 and all     
would consent to the use of one and the 
same vocabulary1 then we might1  through
 universal training in that vocabulary1 
have an universal language4  ,how could 
such a convention be assembled8 ,the    
truth is1 the origin of  language or    
speech is neither natural or            
conventional1 but imitative1 and  it is 
a fact1 beyond the possibility of cavil1
 that the thing must have  existed      
before it could have been imitated4     
,with whom did it exist8 8,we  think by 
words1 and infants think by things40    
,words were from ,god4    ,two lessons  
we must have as a capital to work with1 
and all else that we  need will grow    

legitimately out of exercise in those   
two4 8,first1 ,the  elementary ideas4   
,second1 ,the elementary words          
significant to them40 ,such  was        
doubtless given man1 as the ,bible      
teaches1 as a capital stock1 and all    
languages are1 directly or indirectly1  
from this original stock1 and its       
results upon the human understanding2   
for who can set limits to  possibilities
 of the human mind when once it is      
furnished with a capital  stock and     
learned the art of its use8 ,in ,europe 
twenty-seven languages are  known1 which
 are kindred branches from three roots1 
and these three roots  are scions of one
 stock2 all languages are traceable to  
one stock4 ,the  ,bible alone accounts  
for the origin of speech1 which was1    
doubtless1 the  origin of law4 ,chaldea1
 ,media1 ,persia1 ,phnicia and ,egypt1  
under the  sovereignty of ,chedorlaomer1
 had everything in legislative knowledge
 to  learn from the ,hebrews4 ,this     
8,chedorlaomer was king of ,elam1 in    

,persia1 in  the times of ,abraham4 ,he 
made the cities in the region of the    
,dead ,sea his  tributaries2 and on     
their rebelling he came with four allied
 kings and  overran the whole country   
south and east of the ,jordan4 ,lot was 
among his  captives1 but was rescued by 
,abraham40 ,see ,zell's ,encyclopedia4  
,lycurgus1 a celebrated legislator of   
,sparta1 who was born #ibf years before 
,christ1 gave an agrarian law that finds
 its prototype1 without its  defects1 in
 the agrarian law of the ,hebrews4      
,solon1 one of the seven wise  men of   
,greece1 who died #eeh years before     
,christ1 transcribed1 from the  laws of 
,moses1 the laws prohibiting certain    
degrees in marriage4 ,the laws  of      
descent1 among the ,grecians1 are almost
 identical with the laws of  descent    
among the ,jews4 ,the ,grecians borrowed
 many laws from the ,hebrews4  ,they had
 their harvest vintage festival2 the    
presentation of the best of  their      
flocks2 the offering of their first     

fruits1 and the portion  prescribed to  
their priests2 the law against garments 
of divers colors2  protection from      
violence to the man who fled to their   
altars2 the law  prohibiting all from   
the altar who had touched a dead body or
 any other  impurity2 the law           
prohibiting from the priesthood all     
those having  blemishes upon their      
persons4 ,all these laws1 found in the  
,athenian code1  had their origin with  
the laws of the ,hebrews--were taken    
from ,moses4    ,during the reign of    
,artaxerxes ,longimanus1 who was the    
brother of ,darius1  and who ascended   
the throne of the kingdom of ,persia in 
the year #dfe  before ,christ1 the ,jews
 were scattered all over the kingdom of 
,persia1 and  their laws were the       
subject of conversation and notoriety4  
,haman speaks of  them to the king as   
differing from the laws of all other    
people4    ,the oldest and most noted   
legislators and wise men took their laws
 from  the law of ,moses4 ,the          

,egyptians and the ,phnicians borrowed  
from the  ,jewish laws4 ,ancient and    
modern writers affirm that the          
individuals  commissioned by the ,senate
 and tribune under ,justinian to form   
the 8,twelve  ,tables0 were directed to 
examine the laws of ,athens and the     
,grecian  cities4 ,this took them at    
once to the consideration of many of the
 laws of  ,moses4 ,zell1 in his         
,encyclopedia1 says3 ,the glory of      
,justinian's reign is  the famous digest
 of the ,roman law1 known generally as  
the ,justinian code1  which was compiled
 out of the ,gregorian1 ,theodorian and 
,hermogenian codes1  by ten of the      
ablest lawyers of the empire1 under the 
guiding genius of  the ,jurisconsult    
,tribonian4 ,their labors consisted1    
first1 of the 8,statute  ,law40 ,second1
 ,the 8,pandects10 a digest of the      
decisions and opinions of  former       
magistrates and lawyers4 ,these two     
compilations consisted of matter  that  
lay scattered through more than two     

thousand volumes1 now reduced to  fifty4
 ,third1 ,the 8,institutes10 an         
abridgement in four books1 containing   
the substance of all the laws in the    
elementary form4 ,fourth1 ,the laws of  
modern date1 including ,justinian's own 
edicts1 collected into one volume  and  
called the 8,new ,code40    ,the word   
8,pandects0 is a term of great          
importance in the investigation of  the 
origin of the ,roman laws2 it points    
directly and certainly to the fact  that
 the ,roman laws1 known as the          
,pandects1 were gathered from all laws1 
for such is the import of the term      
itself when it is associated with the   
term laws4 ,moreover1 it is a ,greek    
term1 showing at once that the  ,grecian
 laws contributed largely to the        
,pandects of the ,roman laws4 ,the  term
 is defined by ,liddel and ,scott in the
 words1 all-receiving1  all-containing1 
so the ,pandects were gathered from all 
laws1  consequently from the laws of    
,moses as well as from the ,grecian     

laws1  which were largely from the laws 
of ,moses4 ,this relationship1 existing 
in  the science of law1 between the laws
 of the ,bible and the ,roman laws      
gotten up under ,justinian1 can be set  
aside by the infidels when stubborn     
facts1 as well as similitude1 are set   
aside4    ,sir ,matthew ,hale says3     
,among the many preferences which the   
laws of  ,england have above others1 the
 two principal ones are1 the hereditary 
transmission of property and the trial  
by jury1 which originated with the      
,jews1 for1 by the law of ,moses1 the   
succession in the descending line was   
to the sons1 the oldest having a double 
portion4 ,if the son died in his        
father's lifetime1 the grandson heired  
the portion of his father4 ,trial by    
jury was first suggested in the         
administration of penal justice among   
the  ,jews4 ,such trials came off       
publicly in the gates of the city1 and  
their  judges were elders and ,levites1 
taken from the general mass of the      

citizens4 8,a part of the common law1 as
 it now stands1 was first collected  by 
,alfred the ,great1 youngest son of     
,athelwolf1 or ,ethelwolf1 ,king of the 
,west ,saxons1 who took the crown in    
#hga4 ,it is asserted by ,sismondi1 in  
his  history of the fall of the ,roman  
,empire1 that when the above named      
prince  caused a republication of the   
,saxon laws he inserted several laws    
taken  from the ,judaical ritual into   
his statutes to give new strength and   
cogency to the principles of morality4  
,so it is a common thing in the  early  
,english reports to find frequent       
references to the ,mosaic law4          
,sismondi also states that one of the   
first acts of the clergy under ,pepin   
and ,charlemagne1 of ,france1 was to    
introduce into the legislation of the   
,franks several of the ,mosaic laws     
found in the books of ,deuteronomy and  
,leviticus4 ,it is truthfully said that 
the entire code of civil and  judicial  
statutes throughout ,new ,england1 and  

throughout the ,states first  settled by
 the descendants of ,new ,england1 were 
the judicial laws of ,god  as they were 
delivered by ,moses4 ,from ,god himself 
one nation1 and one  only1 received     
their laws1 and they are worthy of being
 regarded as models  for all succeeding 
ages4 ,the learned ,michaelis1 who was  
professor of law  in the ,university of 
,gottingen1 says that a man who         
considers laws  philosophically1 who    
would survey them with the eye of a     
,montesquieu1  would never overlook the 
laws of ,moses40    ,goguet1 in his     
learned treatise upon the origin of     
laws1 says3 ,the more we  meditate on   
the laws of ,moses the more we shall    
perceive their wisdom and  inspiration4 
,they alone have undergone no changes1  
amendments or  retrenchments for more   
than three thousand years1 while all    
others have  been receiving amendments  
and additions4    ,milman1 in his       
history of the ,jews1 says3 ,the ,hebrew
 law-giver exercised a  more extensive  

and permanent influence over the        
destinies of mankind than  any other    
individual in the annals of the world4  
,the late ,fisher ,ames1 a              
distinguished statesman and jurist1     
said1 8,no man can be a sound lawyer    
who is not well read in the laws of     
,moses40 ,the seat of this law is the   
bosom of ,god1 and her voice is the     
order1 peace and happiness of the       
world4            ,,did ,,adam ,,fall   
,,or ,,rise8      ,the old scholastic   
ideas of 8total hereditary depravity1   
and miraculous  conversion10 with their 
correllates1 have driven more minds into
 doubt and  skepticism than most of men 
are apprised of4 ,the reasons are       
evident4  ,first4 ,common sense shrinks 
from them as ideas which are destructive
 of  every principle of human           
responsibility4 ,second4 ,they are      
opposed to the  testimony of            
consciousness which asserts the soul's  
freedom4 ,third4 ,they  are opposed to  
correct ideas of justice as it is       

administered in all  governments1 both  
human and divine4    8,and the ,lord    
,god said1 ,behold1 the man is become as
 one of us to know  good and evil40 ,our
 fathers1 of ,calvinistic type of faith1
 used to tell us  that this language    
only asserted ,adam's experience of     
conscious guilt2  that he knew good     
before he transgressed1 and had         
experimental knowledge  of evil after he
 transgressed4 ,this was the best they  
could do and save  their ,calvinism1 and
 even this would not have saved it in   
the days of  investigation like ours4   
,the ,lord did not say1 8,the man is    
become as one  of us knowing good and   
evil10 but 8the man is become as one of 
us to  know good and evil40 ,the old    
view of the subject virtually says1 ,the
 ,lord  had experimental knowledge of   
both good and evil1 and that the way in 
which ,adam became ,godlike was the way 
of the transgressor4 ,then the  greatest
 ,godlikeness is the result of the      
greatest sinning4 ,what  nonsense6 ,the 

,bible says3 8,and the eyes of them both
 were opened1 and  they knew they were  
naked2 and they sewed fig leaves        
together and made  themselves aprons40  
,the account also asserts that the 8tree
 of knowledge  of good and evil0 was 8a 
tree to be desired to make one wise40   
,total  depravity and its correllates   
could never have been found in this     
context4  ,this history is not          
responsible for it1 nor for the         
mischiefs it has  produced4    ,the     
,heavenly ,father knew1 when he created 
man1 that he would fail upon  trial4 ,to
 have prevented this would have been    
nothing short of an  interference with  
man's freedom1 and consequently his     
responsibility1  without which he could 
not have been man4 ,the ,lord saw man in
 his alien  state and in his return to  
holiness4 ,he 8made of one blood all    
nations of  men to dwell upon all the   
face of the earth1 and determined the   
times  before appointed1 and the bounds 
of their habitation1 that they should   

seek the ,lord40--,see ,acts #ag3 #bf4  
,it was necessary that man should become
  as ,god to know good and evil in order
 that he might be continued upon  trial 
in a world of good and evil4 ,to this   
end the ,divine ,ruler placed in  the   
test fruit1 the fruit of the tree that  
was forbidden1 a mental lever  to endow 
man with wisdom as ,god to know good and
 evil1 without which the  man's         
responsibility in relation to good and  
evil could never have been4    ,the     
fruit of the tree of life was for man's 
physical nature2 was to  control the law
 of organic being1 regulating waste and 
supply so as to  prevent the present    
effects of old age1 and keep man in     
perpetual  conditions of youth4 ,after  
man had sinned1 with the knowledge of   
good and  evil1 he was master of his    
position1 and now1 lest he 8put forth   
his hand  and take of the tree of life1 
and eat and live forever10 subjected to 
shame1 to torment1 to anguish and       
tribulation1 mental suffering1 a lost   

being in the state of abandoned fallen  
angels1 with a possibility of           
corrupting his conscience until it      
should be past feeling1 seared as with  
a hot iron1 and so glory in his shame2  
or1 otherwise1 be beyond the motive     
power of life and the restraining power 
of death1 the ,infinite ,one placed  him
 beyond the reach of the tree of life4  
,all of these ways or doings of  the    
,heavenly ,father were right1 were      
merciful1 were best for man4 ,,the      
,,ways  ,,of ,,god ,,are ,,right4 ,,the 
,,ways ,,of ,,god ,,are ,,best4         
,farewell to 8total hereditary          
depravity1 and farewell to all its      
necessary correllations1 such as        
miraculous conversion10 etc4    ,man is 
mentally endowed with wisdom by the tree
 of the knowledge of good  and evil2 is 
kept from ruining himself forever by    
being placed beyond the  reach of the   
tree of life2 is continued upon trial in
 a world of good and  evil2 is          
responsible through his knowledge of    

good and evil1 and the  motive power of 
life1 and the restraining power of death
 is preserved to  control him for his   
own eternal good2 and1 blessed be the   
name of our  ,heavenly ,father1 his eyes
 are open2 so if man goes to perdition  
he must go  with his eyes open4 ,in all 
this we have perfect harmony with all   
,bible  duty and truth1 and also with   
science and universal consciousness of  
freedom and ability to choose and act4  
,not by a hair's breadth has ,god  ever 
infringed upon the freedom of the soul  
to shape and mould its own  moral       
character1 and shape its own moral      
destiny2 but he has done many  wonderful
 things to better the condition of the  
free soul--not forsaking it  in the hour
 of greatest need4    ,the soul's free1 
voluntary service is that which         
constitutes the  requirement of religion
 in all the ages4            ,,did      
,,they ,,dream ,,it1 ,,or ,,was ,,it    
,,so8      ,that there was such a person
 as ,jesus ,christ living in the land of

 ,judea  at the time allowed by all     
,christians is no longer disputed by    
unbelievers4 ,that he lived a life far  
superior to the lives of all other  men 
is also conceded4 ,if the powers of life
 and death were under his  control he   
was more than human4 ,if he rose from   
the dead he was the ,son of  ,god4 ,did 
he rise8 ,this is a question upon which 
the whole ,christian scheme  hinges4    
,what was the nature of the fact8 ,was  
it one about which men could  be        
mistaken8 ,was it a fact which1         
occurring1 addressed itself to the      
senses8 ,if it was the witnesses could  
not be mistaken4 ,there is not a  court 
in the universe that would allow it4    
,there are things about which wise men  
may be mistaken1 but they are not       
things which address themselves to the  
senses4 ,those are things in which      
fools may not1 can not1 be mistaken4 ,it
 is impossible for my wife to be        
mistaken about my presence at this      
moment1 but it is just as possible as   

it was for any of the first witnesses of
 ,christ's resurrection to be  mistaken4
 ,they were not1 they could not be      
mistaken4 ,then what becomes of         
,strauss's mythical idea4 ,what folly it
 is to allow that those witnesses  were 
perfectly honest1 enthusiastically and  
proverbially honest in all  they said1  
and yet mistaken4    ,this moral honesty
 and enthusiasm which ,strauss and      
others allow to the  credit of the      
witnesses is undoubtedly designed as a  
feeler--a mere  catering to the views of
 ,christians upon the character of the  
first  ,christians4 ,very good fellows  
787 after all4 ,how is that8 ,if one of 
my  neighbors would go into a court room
 to-morrow and testify under oath that  
he was with me yesterday1 and the court 
was in possession of the fact that  ,i  
was not with him1 or near him at all1   
would it allow honesty to the  witness8 
,would not every sensible man say1 in   
his heart1 he is a perjured  witness8   
,if he was with ,walker he knew it2 and 

if he was not with him he  knew it4     
,gentlemen1 exercise all your           
shrewdness1 adopt ,strauss's idea of a  
mythical origin of the gospel of        
,christ1 both as respects his miracles1 
which were either seen or not seen1 and 
as respects his resurrection1 then      
spread the blanket of honesty and       
warm-hearted enthusiasm over those men  
who sacrificed everything1 life not     
excepted1 for the testimony which they  
bore1 and the next day any              
well-instructed judge of our courts     
would say1  it is nonsense2 they could  
not be mistaken about any fact which    
addressed  itself to their eyes and     
ears4 ,christ rose from the dead if the 
witnesses  told the truth2 and the      
witnesses told the truth if they were   
honest men2  and if they were not       
honest1 labor1 toil1 suffering and      
martyrdom are no  evidences of          
sincerity4                              
-------------------------------------   
,can you believe in harmony without     

believing in a harmonist8    ,can you   
believe that all things in nature       
adjusted themselves to each  other8     
,can you believe that life1 and mind1   
and moral nature1 each and all came     
from where neither existed8             
,,miscellaneous4      ,voltaire built a 
church to ,god at ,ferney4    ,can you  
believe that your great ancestors were  
apes8    ,do you oppose the ,bible and  
prefer its legitimate effects8          
,huxley wants the ,bible introduced into
 boarding schools4    ,can you believe  
in design without believing in a        
designer8    ,tyndal says the theory of 
evolution of species is utterly         
uncredited4    ,can you believe that the
 type which made these letters set      
themselves up8    ,the ,saturday ,review
 says ,hume used to go to church        
sometimes in  ,scotland4    ,can you    
believe that mind is the result of      
blind1 unintelligent1  mechanical       
forces8    ,tyndal says spontaneous     
generation is the one essential pillar  

of  evolution of species4    ,tyndal    
says the failures to produce spontaneous
 life by experimenting are  lamentable4 
,collins insisted on his servants going 
to church 8that they might not rob  or  
murder him40    ,can you believe that   
worlds hung themselves together and move
 themselves1  as one grand whole1       
through space8    ,can you believe that 
the correllation of things in nature was
 without  design8 that such adaptations 
as light to the eye was unintended8     
,can you be honest in exerting your     
influence against the religion of ,jesus
  ,christ while it is your candid       
conviction that a country is better off 
with it than without it8    ,do you     
sometimes say you prefer to live where  
there are churches and  ,sunday-schools1
 and all their appliances for the       
bettering of the  condition of humanity1
 and at the same time constantly find   
fault with the  ,bible and religion     
which creates such things8 ,if such is  
your course1 are  you strictly honest8