material from the ,google ,print        
project47        ,scientific and        
,religious ,journal4  ,,vol4 ,i4        
,,august1 #ahhj4 ,,no4 #h4     ,,the    
,,importance ,,and ,,nature ,,of        
,,reformation ,,from ,,sin4   ,this know
 also1 that in the last days perilous   
times shall come2 for men shall be      
lovers of themselves1 covetous1         
boasters1 proud1 blasphemers1           
disobedient to parents1 unthankful1     
unholy1 without natural affection1 truce
 breakers1 false accusers1 incontinent1 
fierce1 despisers of those who are good1
 traitors1 heady1 high-minded1 lovers of
 pleasure more than lovers of ,god2     
having a form of godliness but denying  
the power thereof4--#b ,tim4 #c3 #a-e4  
,the ,savior once began his instructions
 with these words1 ,this day is this    
,scripture fulfilled4 ,they seem to be  
an appropriate introduction to our      
lesson upon this occasion4 ,what is the 
religion of thousands8 ,they were made  
the special objects of ,god's favor in  

their infancy 7871 were christened in   
the name of the ,father1 and of the     
,son1 and of the ,holy ,spirit 7871 were
 dedicated to ,god and his service by   
their parents 7871 who1 for them1 took a
 solemn vow to forsake the devil and all
 his works1 the vain pomp and glory of  
the world1 with all covetous desires1 to
 forsake1 also1 all the carnal desires  
of the flesh1 and not to follow or be   
led by them4 ,it is said that the       
christened took this vow when they were 
children1 and understood it not2 when   
they became men they understood it about
 as well as when they were children4    
,but in all candor1 ,i confess that ,i  
never could believe they took this vow2 
their sponsors took it upon themselves  
to make it for them1 and usually pledged
 themselves to see it fulfilled4 ,what  
fearful responsibilities are assumed    
just here4 ,it is too frequently the    
case that those very sponsors serve more
 devoutly1 love more affectionately1 and
 confide more heartily in the profits1  

honors and pleasures of the world than  
in the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the   
,holy ,spirit4  ,survey the lives of    
many of these men1 of all conditions1   
and then deny1 if you can1 that the     
profits1 honors and pleasures of the    
world are the gods they worship4 ,their 
daily and constant employment is either 
a violent pursuit of the vain pomp and  
glory of the world1 or of its power1    
riches and profits2 or it may be that   
they are led on by pride1 malice or     
revenge4 ,such persons live1 not knowing
 or regarding the fact that the baptism 
which now saves us is not the putting   
away of the filth of the flesh1 but the 
answer of a good conscience toward ,god4
 ,there are many such who live but      
little in advance of pagans in a        
commonwealth of ,christians1 and know   
but little more of ,god or of ,christ   
than if they had been brought up in     
,india4 ,a great many are taught to act 
over this play in the name of religion1 
and learned to say1 ,our ,father who art

 in heaven1 and ,i believe in ,god the  
,father ,almighty2 but do they live as  
though they did believe in earnest that 
,god is their ,almighty ,father8 ,do    
they fear him and trust in him8 ,do they
 love and obey him8 ,mere pretense1 or1 
as ,paul termed it1 a guise of          
godliness1 for such is the meaning of   
the original term1 is so common that we 
meet with it almost daily4 ,men have    
learned to tamper with the word of ,god 
until the world is full of theorists4   
,how many talk about religion who set   
aside a great portion of the word of    
,god as worse than useless8 ,and that   
which they profess to believe they do   
not believe with half the simplicity    
which they manifest in believing the    
words of their earthly parents4 ,it has 
been said1 ,he who is not industrious to
 obtain what he professes to desire does
 not desire it1 and he who is not       
industrious to bring about that for     
which he prays1 prays with his tongue   
only1 and not with his heart4 ,all such 

have simply a guise of godliness1 while 
they deny its power4  ,a great many     
people profess to believe the           
,scriptures are true1 and that they     
present the plain and only way to       
infinite and eternal blessedness1 and   
yet they neglect the study of the       
,scriptures4 ,how is this8 ,if there was
 a book revealing a plain and easy way  
for all men to become rich and enjoy    
health and pleasure and this world's    
happiness1 would it not be studied by   
all men8 ,and why is it that the ,bible 
is not studied by the masses and        
regarded more8 ,why are so many         
professors of religion negligent in this
 matter8 ,may it not be because they    
prefer all other business and pleasures 
before this8 ,if professors of religion 
throughout christendom heartily believed
 the ,scriptures even as they profess1  
they would be more diligently studied1  
and in many instances treated with      
greater respect4 ,the faith of many is  
undoubtedly very weak4 ,if the laws of  

our country provided a plain way of     
escape from temporal death for the      
benefit of the condemned criminal1 as   
plain and pointed as the great          
commission given to the apostles of     
,christ1 would any condemned criminal   
hesitate to obey or treat the           
stipulations of law as men are          
constantly treating the precepts of the 
gospel of ,christ8 ,when a man believes 
the ,bible contains the facts and truths
 which concern us infinitely more than  
all earthly matters1 his care and       
diligence should be1 to some extent1 in 
harmony with his persuasion4 ,at this   
point men seem to be most strangely     
careless and grossly negligent4 ,how few
 people do1 or will1 understand that the
 terms of salvation are written as with 
the beams of the sun8 ,is the trouble a 
low degree of faith1 approximating      
unbelief8 ,the shadows are always the   
longest when the sun is lowest4 ,is the 
sun of righteousness low in your        
spiritual heavens8 ,or have you given   

him the uppermost seat in your          
affections8 ,what think you of ,christ8 
,whose son is he8  ,when ,i tell you    
that thousands received the baptism of  
repentance for the remission of sins1   
even before the ,holy ,spirit was given1
 and were clean through the words spoken
 unto them1 many are ready to cry out1  
,these are hard and strange sayings--who
 can hear them8 ,yet1 strange as it may 
seem1 these facts have been upon record 
near nineteen hundred years4 ,jesus     
said1 ,go ye into all the world and     
preach the gospel to every creature2 he 
that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved1 and he that believeth not shall  
be damned4 ,in the record of ,st4 ,luke1
 chapter #bd1 the condition of the new  
covenant1 to which remission of sins is 
promised1 is expressed by the term      
repentance3 ,thus it behooved ,christ to
 suffer and to rise from the dead1 and  
that repentance and remission of sins   
should be preached in his name among all
 nations1 beginning at ,jerusalem4 ,the 

word repentance1 when used in the law of
 ,christ1 is always equivalent to the   
use which the ancient martyrs made of   
it1 viz3 ,amend your lives4 ,we have it 
beautifully expressed in these words3   
,if the wicked turn from all the sins   
which he hath committed1 and keep all my
 statutes1 and do that which is lawful  
and right1 he shall surely live1 he     
shall not die4  ,paul summed up the     
whole matter of his preaching in the    
sentence1 ,repentance towards ,god1 and 
faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,in  
some of the best ,latin translations    
this passage in ,acts #bjth is rendered1
 ,conversion to ,god2 also in ,hebrews1 
#fth chapter1 we read1 ,and conversion  
from dead works4 ,such is more clear and
 natural2 but if we should read1        
according to modern theology1 sorrow    
towards ,god1 and sorrow from dead      
works1 it would sound very unnatural1   
and almost ridiculous4 ,this is a grand 
argument in favor of the reading of the 
,geneva text1 which reads1 ,amend your  

lives and turn1 that your sins may be   
blotted out4 ,but if heaven may be      
gained at an easier and cheaper rate1   
how is it that we are so frequently and 
so plainly assured that without actual  
newness of life1 holiness and           
sanctification unto obedience1 there is 
no hope1 no possibility of salvation8   
,john the ,baptist1 preaching           
repentance1 said3 ,every tree that      
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn   
down and cast into the fire4 ,it is not 
the leaves1 simply1 of a profession1 nor
 the blossoms of good purposes and      
intentions1 but the fruit1 the fruit    
only1 that will save us from the fire4  
,every tree that bringeth not forth good
 fruit is hewn down and cast into the   
fire4  ,our ,savior said1 ,not every one
 that saith unto me ,lord1 ,lord1 shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven1 but he
 that doth the will of my father who is 
in heaven4 ,after he had delivered all  
the beautiful precepts found in the     
lesson given upon the mount he closed up

 all by saying1 ,he that heareth these  
sayings of mine and doth them not ,i    
will liken him to a foolish man1 who    
built his house upon the sand1 and when 
the rain descended and the floods came  
and the winds blew and beat upon that   
house1 it fell1 and great was the fall  
of it4 ,they that are ,christ's have    
crucified the flesh with its affections 
and lusts4 ,if they have not done this1 
and so attained fitness of character to 
dwell with ,god1 it matters not what    
their sorrow has been1 nor their        
intentions1 they will not enter the     
kingdom of ,god4  ,paul says1 ,the works
 of the flesh are these3 adultery1      
fornication1 uncleanness1               
lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1   
hatred1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1    
strife1 seditious1 heresies1 envyings1  
murders1 drunkenness1 revelings1 of     
which ,i forewarn you1 as ,i have told  
you in time past1 that they who do such 
things shall not inherit the kingdom of 
,god4 ,he does not say they who have    

done such things shall not be saved1 but
 just the contrary1 for he adds3 ,such  
were some of you1 but ye are washed1 but
 ye are sanctified2 but he teaches the  
doctrine that those who do such things  
and do not amend their lives shall not  
be excused by any pretense of sorrow and
 good purposes2 they shall not inherit  
the kingdom of ,god4 ,in ,christ ,jesus 
neither circumcision availeth anything1 
nor uncircumcision1 but a new           
creature--a creature living by a faith1 
which worketh by love4 ,it is not simply
 wishing you were a new creature2 not   
simply wishing for a working faith2 nor 
sorrowing because you are not a         
,christian2 but keeping the commandments
 of ,god1 that will permit you to enter 
heaven4  ,in the final closing of the   
,new ,testament writings it is said3    
,blessed are they who do his            
commandments1 that they may have right  
to the tree of life and enter in through
 the gates into the city4  ,paul says1  
,follow peace with all men and holiness1

 without which no man shall see the     
,lord4 ,and ,peter says1 ,add to your   
faith virtue1 and to virtue knowledge1  
and to knowledge temperance1 and to     
temperance patience1 and to patience    
godliness1 and to godliness brotherly   
kindness1 and to brotherly kindness     
charity--and finally says1 if ye do     
these things ye shall never fall1 for so
 an abundant entrance shall be          
ministered unto you into the everlasting
 kingdom of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus
 ,christ4 ,and ,john says1 speaking of  
the ,christian's hope1 ,every man that  
hath this hope in him purifieth himself 
even as he is pure2 then the impure may 
flatter themselves1 and presume upon the
 favor of ,god without purifying their  
souls in obeying the truth1 but they are
 without hope in the world4 ,and again  
he says1 ,little children let no man    
deceive you1 he that doth righteousness 
is righteous1 even as he is righteous4  
,so all the writers and teachers of the 
,new ,testament1 with one consent1      

proclaim the necessity of obeying the   
commandments of the gospel4 ,what a vain
 whim it is to think that sorrow and    
mere intention without reformation of   
life will admit you into heaven4 ,this  
golden dream of heaven has sent         
thousands out of this world unpardoned  
and unsaved4  ,a great many persons     
satisfy themselves with a mere          
confession and acknowledgement of their 
sins4 ,they seem to think they have done
 enough1 if to confession of sins they  
add some sorrow for it4 ,they think all 
is well if1 when their fit of sinning is
 past and they are returned to          
themselves1 the sting remains1 breeding 
some remorse of conscience1 some        
complaints against their wickedness and 
folly for having done so1 and some      
intentions to forsake it1 though never  
carried into effect4 ,there are many    
persons in the churches of our country  
who seem to think the church is a stage1
 whereon they must play their parts1 who
 make a profession every day of         

confessing their sins with humble       
hearts1 and yet1 after having spent     
twenty1 thirty or forty years in this   
manner1 their hearts are as stubborn as 
ever1 and they as impenitent and        
disobedient to the gospel of ,jesus     
,christ4 ,if giving thanks to ,god for  
the blessing received at his hands is   
performed with words only1 with simple  
hosannas1 and hallelujahs1 and gloria   
patris1 and psalms1 and hymns1 then ,i  
presume it is done very efficiently1 787
 though our lives are provoking to his  
majesty4 ,it is not the office of a     
friend 787 to bewail a friend with vain 
lamentation4 ,to be thankful to ,god is 
not to say ,god be praised1 or ,god be  
thanked1 but it is to remember what he  
desires and execute what he commands4 ,a
 dying ,roman once said1 ,it is not the 
office of a friend to bewail a dead     
friend with vain lamentations1 but to   
remember what he desires and execute his
 commands4 ,it is the office of the     
friends of ,christ to remember his      

desires and carry out his instructions4 
,if we do so we are thankful1 and if we 
do not our thankfulness is nothing more 
than mere talk4  ,jesus said to his     
disciples3 ,ye are my friends if ye do  
what ,i command you4 ,and again3 ,if a  
man love me he will keep my words2 he   
that loveth me not1 keepeth not my      
sayings4 ,again3 ,if ye continue in my  
word1 then are ye my disciples indeed1  
and ye shall know the truth1 and the    
truth shall make you free4  ,those who  
love ,god love his cause4 ,when that    
cause prospers they rejoice2 when it    
declines they are hurt4 ,when clouds and
 darkness are round about the church it 
is time to double our diligence and pray
 to ,god for help4 ,circumstances1 over 
which no human being can have control1  
sometimes cause sluggishness in the     
character of a church4 ,the hearts of   
,god's people are often deeply affected 
by witnessing the indifference and      
carelessness of the people1 and still   
more affected by a falling off in their 

numbers4 ,when the godly man ceaseth and
 the faithful fail from among the       
children of men1 it is distressing2 but 
such is the lot of man that we are often
 called upon to witness the truthfulness
 of the prophet's statement4 ,all true  
,christians love the godly because they 
are faithful4 ,the term faithful implies
 truth1 sincerity and fidelity4 ,christ1
 our great example1 is called the       
faithful and true witness4 ,the use of  
the term in our religion indicates      
believers in ,christ--obedient          
believers--faithful brethren in ,christ4
 ,col4 i3 #b4 ,sometimes it is          
equivalent to the word true1 as in #b;d 
,tim41 ii3 #b--;,faithful men2 the      
fidelity of the persons alluded to had  
been tried--proven4 ,and again1 it means
 a ,christian1 in opposition to an      
infidel1 as in #b;d ,cor4 vi3 #ae--,what
 part hath he that believeth with an    
infidel8 ,a good man is faithful in his 
business transactions2 faithful to his  
profession1 adhering to the principles  

of the gospel and laboring to be        
faithful to death2 faithful in the      
discharge of his duties2 faithful in the
 employment of his talents2 faithful in 
all things committed to his trust2      
faithful to his promises2 faithful in   
his friendship4 ,these men fail and     
cease by means of death4 ,the fathers1  
where are they8 ,and the teachers1 do   
they live forever8 ,the visitations of  
death are often mysterious to us4       
,sometimes the most brilliant in        
intellect and the most useful in talent1
 also the most pious and useful in the  
church1 are cut down1 while mere        
cumberers of the ground remain4  ,the   
profession of some is only transient2   
they soon disappear from the assembly of
 the saints4 ,some improper motive1 some
 peculiar excitement may have moved     
them1 or their goodness of heart may    
have left them4 ,they have possibly been
 stony ground hearers or thorny ground  
hearers4 ,the world allures thousands   
and kills the vitality of their         

religion4  ,judas betrayed his master   
from the love of worldly gain2 and      
,demas1 an acceptable preacher and      
companion of ,paul1 abandoned his       
profession1 having loved the present    
world4  ,many fail by endeavoring to    
unite the world and their religion1     
maintaining a good moral character1 but 
are destitute of energy in              
,christianity4  ,when this spirit gets  
hold of a man1 and he is disposed to    
secularize his religion1 or subordinate 
it to his worldly interests1 he is sure 
to fail sooner or later4 ,some fail by  
falling into temptations of various     
kinds1 and disgrace their profession2   
and some fail through intemperance4     
,many fail through the influence of     
error and the enemies of ,christianity4 
,these frequently beguile the unwary4   
,there never was a time in our history  
when unbelief and skepticism was more   
determined in its opposition to the     
,christian religion than at the present4
 ,there is an incessant attempt to      

instill into the minds of the young     
principles in opposition to1 and        
destructive of ,christianity4 ,many have
 split upon the rocks of infidelity1 and
 stranded upon the quicksands of doubt  
and skepticism1 in spite of the fact    
that ,christianity presented them an    
example1 which is the light and life of 
men--a character without a blot6 ,and   
this example is the only foundation upon
 which to build a moral and pious temple
 in which the ,lord does1 and the       
creature may dwell4     ,,our           
,,indebtedness ,,to ,,revelation--,,the 
,,ten ,,atheists ,,in ,,council--,no4   
,,ii4  ,,by ,p4,t4 ,,russel4   ,a rap is
 heard at the door4 ,it being opened1   
,christian enters4 ,good morning1       
gentlemen4 ,i am very glad to find you  
all here4 ,since our former interview ,i
 have been very anxious to continue our 
investigation of the evidence of the    
existence of ,god4 ,i presume1 as you   
are ',free-thinkers' and lovers of      
truth1 you are by this time ready to    

give a scientific reason for the        
existence of the idea of ,god1 and1 as  
you agree with me that we only obtain   
ideas through the aid of the five       
senses1 our only idea of color by the   
eye1 of sound by the ear1 etc41 ,i wish 
to ask you to account for the idea of   
,god4 ,will you oblige me8              
,atheists--,certainly4 ,we have         
consulted on this theme since our last  
interview1 and now declare it to be the 
work or nature of the imagination4 ,it  
is a scientific truth1 as you will      
readily admit1 that imagination can and 
does get up some singular and unreal    
forms4 ,we now assume that the idea of a
 ,god is but the thought of an imaginary
 being4  ,christian--,true1 gentlemen4  
,fancy1 or imagination1 does1 in active 
moments1 bring for our amusement some   
fantastic pictures4 ,her work1 however1 
is never simple1 but always complex4    
,this that we are in search of is the   
idea of a simple being--a being that is 
single1 and not duplex4 ,i will now     

illustrate the extent of the power of   
the imagination4 ,taking a walk through 
nature's flower garden1 we gather one of
 every variety1 and examining them      
closely1 one by one1 we notice their    
difference in form1 color and size by   
the eye4 ,their fragrance we note by the
 smell4 ,thus1 by the aid of the senses1
 we note all their sensible properties4 
,now1 allowing that memory is perfect1  
we have in store all the peculiarities  
of each and every individual flower4    
,gentlemen atheists1 am ,i correct in   
this conclusion8  ,atheists--,well1 yes4
  ,christian--,very well2 then ,i'll    
proceed4 ,having learned1 by what we    
saw1 the art of combining1 we can and   
will imagine all these single flowers   
blended in one large conglomerated      
flower1 containing all the peculiarities
 of each and every single flower4 ,now1 
gentlemen1 is not this all that the     
imagination can do8  ,atheists--,it is4 
,christian--,very well4 ,is this a      
simple or compound idea8  ,atheists--,it

 is a compound idea4 ,it is simply the  
blending of the idea of each single     
flower4  ,christian--,and this is all   
the imagination can do8 ,then1          
gentlemen1 do you not see that as the   
idea of ,god is the idea of a single    
person1 it would be utterly impossible  
for imagination to be its author8 ,it is
 not a conglomerate idea1 but a single  
one4 ,now1 if there is no ,god1 we have 
a clear1 definite idea of nothing4 ,how 
will you account for this8 ,are you not 
now unable to give a reason for your    
premises8 ,is it not the truth that     
fools are wiser in their own conceit    
than men who can give a reason8         
,atheists--,mr4 ,christian1 we did not  
think that you would thus call us all   
fools1 and as our investigation has     
taken such an unlooked for turn1 we must
 ask time for consultation before we    
proceed further4  ,christian--,very     
well4 ,when will you be ready to resume8
 this ,i am anxious to know2 as you are 
liberalists and free-thinkers1 you will 

be equally anxious to reach the truth in
 the premises8  ,atheists--,at two      
,p4,m4  ,it is two o'clock1 and all are 
present4  ,mr4 ,reason1 who was an      
atheist1 opens the discussion as        
follows3  ,mr4 ,christian1 we have held 
a council on the subject under          
discussion1 and our conclusion is that  
you are right4 ,there must be1 and is1  
such a being as ,god4 ,were this not so1
 we never could have had the idea of    
him4 ,we are now deists4 ,we deny that  
he has ever imparted knowledge to man by
 revelation4  ,christian--,gentlemen1 do
 you think your present position is a   
scientific one8  ,deists--,we think it  
is both scientific and invulnerable1 and
 we also think that if you continue this
 investigation with us you will find it 
so4 ,how did you obtain this idea8 ,have
 you seen ,god8 ,no4 ,have you heard him
 speak8 ,no4 ,if we had we could not be 
honest without being ,christians8       
,christian--,gentlemen1 have you not    
contraband goods in your warehouse8 ,as 

your eyes have not seen1 nor your ears  
heard1 nor your powers of observation   
perceived him1 and as you acknowledge   
that every one of your ideas entered the
 mind through the aid of one or another 
of the five senses1 now1 ,i ask1 are you
 logically any better off than before   
you found yourselves obliged to         
relinquish your atheism8 ,do you not    
now1 as well as then1 occupy            
unreasonable ground8 ,having rather     
conceded that atheists are fools1 and   
turned deists1 are you really any better
 off8 ,can you give a reason for your   
present infidelity8 ,out of your own    
mouths you stand condemned as           
unreasonable and foolish4 ,you pretend  
to venerate reason1 while you discard   
her first principles4 ,you need not try 
to evade me at this point by an appeal  
to nature4 ,here you can find no aid1   
for nature tells us of no first cause4  
,the apple tree1 before this window1 now
 so richly laden with fruit1 tells not  
of its first cause4 ,if you say it came 

from an apple-seed1 and that from an    
apple1 and that from another tree1      
another seed1 and another tree1 and so  
on1 in a circle you may always go1 for  
nature does not tell you of a first tree
 as a cause uncaused1 nor of a ,creator1
 a ,god4 ,she does not go behind        
herself4 ,gentlemen1 have you any reply8
 ,if you have1 ,i would like to hear it4
  ,reason timidly says3 ,mr4 ,c41 in    
your very severe strictures on the      
deists1 are you not condemning yourself8
 ,you pretend to place full confidence  
in the teachings of your ,bible1 and    
does it not say3 ',the heavens declare  
the glory of ,god1 and the firmament    
showeth his handiwork8' ,can nature thus
 declare and not make known8            
,christian--,yes1 your quotation tells  
the truth2 yet in this also you have    
taken too much for granted4 ,there      
stands a clock2 it keeps correct time1  
but does it declare the glory of any    
one8  ,deists--,yes1 that of its maker4 
,christian--,but who was its maker4 ,you

 say you do not know4 ,that is true1    
and1 for ought you know1 or can learn   
from its mechanism there might have been
 several makers connected with its      
origin4 ,if you had stood by and seen it
 made1 then you might have told me all  
about it4 ,in that which you call the   
works of nature1 neither you1 nor ,i1   
nor any of our fellows1 are instructed  
by actual observation consequent upon   
being present when they were made--we   
were not standing by when the heavens   
were made2 so that source of information
 is closed up4 ,there is now but one    
resort left to us--but one reasonable   
means of information4 ,that is1 the     
maker of all things must1 necessarily1  
have told man that he created all these 
things4 ,then1 with ,david1 he could    
sing1 ,the heavens declare the glory of 
,god4 ,man first learned from ,god that 
he was the creator of all things1 for   
,god alone could tell it4 ,gentlemen1   
the ,christian is the only reasonable   
being upon the earth1 and the only      

fearless free-thinker4 ,the atheist1 you
 see1 is proved a fool1 and the deist is
 no better4 ,think this over1 then call 
again4  ,deists--,we will4 ,good        
evening4     ,,thomas ,,paine  ,,was    
,,not ,,an ,,infidel ,,when ,,he ,,wrote
 ,,his ,,work ,,called ,,common ,,sense4
   ,in the early ages of the world1     
according to the ,scripture chronology1 
there were no kings1 the consequence of 
which was there were no wars4 ,it is the
 pride of kings which throws mankind    
into confusion4 ,holland1 without a     
king1 hath enjoyed more peace for the   
last century than any of the monarchical
 governments of ,europe4 ,antiquity     
favors the same remark1 for the quiet   
and rural lives of the first patriarchs 
have a happy something in them which    
vanishes when we come to the history of 
,jewish royalty4 7,common ,sense1 p4    
#ab47  ,mr4 ,paine1 did the ,god of the 
,bible approve of the ,jewish royalty8  
,ans4 ,as the exalting one man so       
greatly above the rest can not be       

justified on the equal rights of nature1
 so neither can it be defended on the   
authority of ,scripture2 for the will of
 the ,almighty1 as declared by ,gideon  
and the prophet ,samuel1 expressly      
disapproves of government by kings4 99  
99 99 ,near three thousand years passed 
away1 from the ,mosaic account of the   
creation1 until the ,jews1 under the    
national delusion1 requested a king4    
,till then their form of government     
7except in extraordinary cases1 where   
the ,almighty interposed7 was a kind of 
republic1 administered by a judge and   
the elders of the tribes4 ,king they had
 none1 and it was held sinful to        
acknowledge any being under the title   
but ,lord of ,hosts4 99 99 99 ,monarchy 
is ranked in ,scripture as one of the   
sins of the ,jews1 for which a curse in 
reserve is denounced against them4 ,the 
history of that transaction is worth    
attending to4 ,the children of ,israel  
being oppressed by the ,midianites1     
,gideon marched against them with a     

small army1 and victory1 through the    
divine interposition1 decided in his    
favor4 ,the ,jews1 elate with success1  
and attributing it to the generalship of
 ,gideon1 proposed making him a king1   
saying1 ,rule thou over us1 thou and thy
 son1 and thy son's son4 ,here was      
temptation in its fullest extent2 not a 
kingdom only1 but an hereditary one4    
,but ,gideon1 in the piety of his soul1 
replied1 ,i will not rule over you2     
neither shall my son rule over you4     
,,the ,,lord ,,shall ,,rule ,,over      
,,you4 7,common ,sense1 pp4 #ac and     
#ad47  ,how many ,gideons are there     
among leading infidels whose soul-piety 
would resist such a temptation as that8 
,say1 was ,thomas ,paine an infidel when
 he wrote that8  ,in short1 monarchy and
 succession have laid1 not this or that 
kingdom only1 but the world in blood and
 ashes4 ',tis a form of government which
 the word of ,god bears testimony       
against1 and blood will attend it4      
7,common ,sense1 p4 #ai47 ',but where1' 

say some1 'is the king of ,america8'    
,i'll tell you1 friend2 he reigns above1
 and doth not make havoc of mankind like
 the royal brute of ,britain4 ,yet1 that
 we may not appear to be defective in   
earthly honors1 let a day be solemnly   
set apart for proclaiming the charter2  
let it be brought forth1 placed on the  
divine law1 the word of ,god2 let a     
crown be placed thereon1 by which the   
world may know that so far as we approve
 of monarchy1 that in ,america the law  
is king4 7,common ,sense1 p4 #cc47      
,after quoting sundry passages of       
,scripture against a kingly form of     
government1 ,thomas ,paine says3  ,these
 portions of ,scripture are direct and  
positive4 ,they admit of no equivocal   
construction4 ,that the ,almighty hath  
here entered his protest against        
monarchical government is true1 or the  
,scripture is false4 ,and a man hath    
good reason to believe that there is as 
much of kingcraft as priestcraft in     
withholding the ,scripture from the     

public in popish countries4 7,common    
,sense1 p4 #ae47  ,from the foregoing   
verbatim quotations it will be seen that
 ,thomas ,paine was no infidel until he 
,,parted ,,with ,,common ,,sense1 which 
bears date of ,february #ad1 #aggf4     
,common ,sense is of noble worth4 ,we   
cheerfully concede to ,thomas ,paine all
 the honor due him for services rendered
 in behalf of our country while he was  
,thomas ,paine the ,quaker4 ,he did     
nothing for our country after he avowed 
his infidelity that deserves being      
mentioned by any intelligent ,christian4
     ,a ,,cluster ,,of ,,thoughts1      
,,gathered ,,from ,,jenyn',s ,,internal 
,,evidences1 ,,with ,,additions ,,and   
,,modifications4   ,when the religion of
 ,christ made its appearance it was     
entirely new1 infinitely above1 and     
altogether different from any other     
which had at any time entered into the  
mind of man4 ,its object was new4 ,it   
was to prepare us with fitness of       
character1 through a state of trial1 for

 mutual association with the pure and   
lovely in the kingdom of heaven4 ,this  
is presented in all the gospel1 as the  
chief end of the ,christian's life4     
,until ,christ1 no such reward was      
offered to mankind1 nor means provided  
for its attainment4  ,many of the       
philosophers in old times had ideas of a
 future state1 but they were mixed with 
a great deal of uncertainty and         
misgivings4  ,ancient legislators       
endeavored to inculcate the idea of     
rewards and punishments after death1 to 
give sanction to their laws4 ,this was  
the sole end in view1 and when their    
laws were virtuous1 it was a noble1 a   
praiseworthy end4 ,but the religion of  
,christ is related to the same object1  
brings it about2 and1 also1 has a nobler
 end in view1 and that is to prepare us 
here for a more noble society among the 
citizens of the kingdom of ,god in the  
great hereafter4  ,in all the older     
religions the good of the present was   
the direct1 and the first object1 but in

 the religion of ,christ it is the      
second4 ,the first great object of the  
gospel of ,christ is to prepare us for  
the realities of eternity4  ,there is a 
great contrast between adhering to      
morality from the motive of present     
profit1 in expectation of future reward1
 and living such a life as to qualify us
 for the realization of future          
happiness4  ,the character of those who 
are governed by these different         
principles is not the same4 ,on the     
first principle1 present utility1 we may
 have mere moralists1 men practicing    
simple justice1 temperance and sobriety4
 ,on the second1 we must add to those   
graces of moral nature faith in ,god1   
resignation to his will1 and habitual   
piety4 ,the first will make us very good
 citizens in a civil government1 but    
will never be sufficient to make us     
,christians4 ,so the religion of ,christ
 insists upon purity of heart and       
benevolence1 or charity1 because these  
are essential to the end proposed4      

,that the present existence is one of   
trial with reference to another state of
 being1 is confirmed by all that we know
 in what is termed the course of nature4
 ,probation is the only key that unfolds
 to us the designs of ,god in the       
history of human affairs1 the only clue 
that guides us through the pathless     
wilderness1 and the only plan upon which
 this world could possibly have been    
formed1 or upon which its history can be
 explained4  ,this world was not formed 
upon a plan of unconditioned happiness1 
because it is overspread with miseries4 
,neither was it formed upon a plan of   
unconditioned misery1 for there are many
 joys interspersed throughout the whole4
 ,it was not formed for the             
unconditional existence of both vice and
 virtue1 for that is no plan at all1 the
 two elements being1 as we know1        
destructive of each other4 ,by the way1 
in this very fact we find the grand     
necessity for the remedial scheme4  ,the
 mixture of vice and virtue1 of         

happiness and misery1 is a necessary    
result of a state of probation1 trials  
and sufferings consequent upon offending
 or violating the will of heaven4  ,the 
doctrine of the religion of ,christ1    
with its ultimate object and its ideas  
of ,god and man1 of the present and the 
future life1 and of the relations which 
these all bear to each other1 was and is
 wholly unheard of until you come to the
 teachings of ,christ4 ,no other        
religion ever drew such pictures of the 
worthlessness of earthly-mindedness and 
of living merely for this present world4
 ,and no other ever set out such        
beautiful1 lively and glorious pictures 
of heavenly-mindedness1 along with the  
joys of a future world1 nor such        
pictures of victory over death and the  
grave1 nor of the last judgment1 nor of 
the triumphs of the redeemed in that    
tremendous day4 ,the personal character 
of the great author1 ,christ1 is as new 
and peculiar to this religion as        
anything else that we can possibly      

name--,he spake as never man spake4  ,he
 is the only founder of a religion which
 is unconnected with all human policy   
and government1 and1 as such1 should not
 be prostituted to any mere worldly     
purposes whatever4 ,numa1 ,mohammed1 and
 even ,moses1 blended their religious   
institutions with their civil1 and by   
such means controlled their adherents4  
,christ neither exercised nor accepted  
such power4 ,he rejected every motive   
which controlled other leaders1 and     
chose those which others avoided4       
,power1 honor1 riches and pleasure were 
alike disregarded4 ,he seemed to court  
poverty1 sufferings and death4  ,many   
impostors and enthusiasts have tried to 
impose upon the world with pretended    
communications from the world of        
spirits--some of them have died rather  
than recant2 but no history is found to 
show one who made his own sufferings and
 death a necessary part of his plan and 
essential elements in his mission4 ,this
 distinguishes the ,savior of the world 

from all mere enthusiasts and imposters4
 ,he declared his death in all its      
minutia2 with a prophet's vision he saw 
it1 declared it was necessary1 and      
voluntarily endured it2 and he was      
neither a madman nor idiot4 ,look at his
 lessons1 his precepts and his wonderful
 conduct1 and then imagine him insane if
 you can4 ,still1 if he was not what he 
pretended to be1 he can be viewed in no 
other light2 and yet under the character
 of a madman he deserves much attention 
on account of such sublime and rational 
insanity4 ,there is no other person     
known in the world's history so         
rationally and sublimely mad4  ,in what 
madman's career can you find such a     
beautiful lesson as his instructions    
given upon the mount4 ,what other leader
 enforced his precepts and lessons upon 
men's credulity with such assurances of 
reward as1 ,come1 ye blessed of my      
father6 ,inherit the kingdom prepared   
for you from the foundation of the      
world2 for ,i was an hungered1 and ye   

gave me meat2 ,i was thirsty1 and ye    
gave me drink2 ,i was a stranger1 and ye
 took me in2 ,i was naked1 and ye       
clothed me2 ,i was sick1 and ye visited 
me2 ,i was in prison1 and ye came unto  
me4 ,then shall the righteous answer    
him1 saying1 ,lord1 when saw we thee an 
hungered1 and fed thee2 or thirsty1 and 
gave thee drink8 ,when saw we thee a    
stranger1 and took thee in2 or naked1   
and clothed thee8 ,or when saw we thee  
sick and in prison1 and came unto thee8 
,then shall he answer and say unto them1
 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 inasmuch as  
you have done it to the least of these1 
my brethren1 ye have done it unto me4   
,before the appearance of ,christ there 
existed nothing like the faith of       
,christ and ,christianity upon the face 
of the earth4 ,the ,jews alone had a few
 of its types and shadows1 but the great
 mystery of ,christ had been kept hid   
since the world began4 ,all the ,gentile
 nations were wrapped up in the very    
worst idolatry1 having little or no     

connection whatever with morality1      
except to corrupt it with the infamous  
examples of their gods4 ,they all       
worshiped a multitude of gods and       
demons1 whose favor they sought by      
obscene and ridiculous ceremonies1 and  
whose anger they tried to appease with  
the most abominable cruelties4 ,with    
them1 heaven was open only to           
legislators and conquerors1 the         
civilizers and destroyers of mankind4   
,this was the summit of their religion1 
and even this was limited to a few      
prodigies of genius and learning1 which 
was but little regarded and understood  
by the great masses4 ,one common cloud  
of ignorance and superstition involved  
them4 ,at this time ,christ came as a   
teacher2 his appearance was like a      
rising sun1 dispelling the darkness and 
blessing the earth with light and heat4 
,if any man can believe that the son of 
a carpenter1 together with twelve of the
 meanest and most illiterate mechanics1 
unassisted by any superhuman wisdom and 

power1 should be able to invent and     
promulgate a system of theology and     
ethics the most sublime and perfect1    
which all such men as ,plato1 ,aristotle
 and ,cicero had overlooked1 and that   
they1 by their own wisdom1 repudiated   
every false virtue1 though universally  
admired1 and that they admitted every   
true virtue1 though despised and        
ridiculed by all the rest of the        
world--if any man can believe that they 
were impostors for no other purpose than
 the promulgation of truth1 villains for
 no purpose but to teach honesty1 and   
martyrs with no prospect of honor or    
advantage2 or that they1 as false       
witnesses1 should have been able1 in the
 course of a few years1 to have spread  
this religion over the most of the known
 world1 in opposition to the interests1 
ambition and prejudices of mankind2 that
 they triumphed over the power of       
princes1 the intrigues of states1 the   
forces of custom1 the blindness of zeal1
 the influence of priests1 the arguments

 of orators1 and the philosophy of the  
world1 without any assistance from ,god1
 he must be in possession of more faith 
than is necessary to make him a         
,christian and continues an unbeliever  
from mere credulity4 ,if the credulous  
infidel1 whose convictions are without  
evidence and against evidence1 should1  
after all1 be in the right1 and         
,christianity prove to be a fable1 what 
harm could ensue from being a           
,christian8 ,are ,christian rulers more 
tyrannical and their ,christian subjects
 more ungovernable8 ,are the rich more  
insolent when ,christianized8 ,are poor 
,christians most insolent and           
disorderly8 ,does ,christianity make    
worse parents and worse children8 ,does 
it make husbands and wives1 friends and 
neighbors less trustworthy8 ,does it not
 make men and women more virtuous and   
happy in every situation in life8 ,if   
,christianity is a fable1 it is one the 
belief of which retains men and women in
 a regular and uniform life of virtue1  

piety and devotion to truth4 ,it gives  
support in the hour of distress1 of     
sickness and death4  ,if there were a   
few more ,christians in the world it    
would be very beneficial to themselves  
and by no means detrimental to the      
public4     ,,the ,,resurrection ,,of   
,,the ,,christ4    ,he1 who gave life to
 man at first1   ,can restore it when it
 is lost4   ,our ,savior claimed to be  
the ,son of ,god1 and put the validity  
of his claim on this1 that he should die
 openly by crucifixion1 be buried1 and  
rise from the dead upon the third day4  
,among all the impostors known in       
earth's history there is not one        
instance of a plot like this fact4 ,a   
mere plot of this nature would be hard  
to manage4 ,that the first part of this 
prophesy was fulfilled even our enemies 
admit4 ,it has not been alleged by      
infidels of any note that the           
crucifixion was a fraud1 and did not    
take place1 and that ,jesus1 as a       
consequence1 did not die4  ,the chief   

priests seem to have had considerable   
concern about the prediction of the     
resurrection4 ,why this8 ,was it because
 they had discovered in the person of   
,christ an impostor1 a mere cheat8 ,no2 
this alone would have caused them to    
utterly disregard the prediction of his 
resurrection4 ,those priests saw        
something in the character of ,christ   
which caused them to fear the           
fulfillment of his prediction4 ,what    
other person ever created such a concern
 about such an event8 ,there is not a   
similar case in the world's history4    
,what other dead person was ever known  
to create such a feeling as that which  
moved his enemies to confront him1 if   
possible1 in his rising power4 ,those   
priests had1 doubtless1 witnessed his   
miracles again and again4 ,it is beyond 
all question true that they feared him  
in his death4 ,if they had seen no      
wonderful power exerted during his life 
they certainly would have feared none   
after he was dead4 ,the fear of the     

chief priests over the ,savior's dead   
body is an insurmountable evidence of   
the mighty works which he accomplished  
during his life4 ,those priests         
addressed themselves to the ,roman      
governor1 and requested a guard placed  
around the tomb2 three days and nights  
would settle the question1 for the      
prediction would terminate on the third 
day4 ,pilate granted the request1 and a 
guard was set to watch2 they sealed the 
door of the sepulcher1 placing the seal 
of the state upon the great stone4 ,the 
object of the seal was1 doubtless1 for  
the satisfaction of all parties         
concerned in this matter4  ,it was a    
precaution against fraud4 ,if the seal  
upon a door or box is broken we know at 
once that it has been meddled with4     
,when ,darius thrust ,daniel among the  
lions he put his seal upon the door of  
the den1 to satisfy himself and his     
court that no human hand had interfered 
for ,daniel's delivery4 ,when he came to
 the den and found his seal unbroken1 he

 was satisfied4 ,a seal thus used is of 
the nature of a covenant4 ,if you       
deliver sealed writings to an individual
 his acceptance amounts to a covenant   
between you that the same shall be      
delivered just as they were received4   
,if the seal is broken1 it is a         
manifestation of attempted fraud4 ,there
 is no special agreement needed in order
 to the existence of covenants by seals2
 it is an agreement which men are placed
 under by the laws of nations4 ,the     
sealing of the sepulcher where the body 
of ,jesus lay was to impose1 by all the 
solemnities of the ,roman state1        
obligations upon all the parties        
interested in the person of ,christ4 ,it
 was a grand effort on the part of the  
authorities to prevent any interference 
with the dead body4  ,when impostors are
 known they become odious1 and are but  
little noticed4 ,how was it with        
,christ8 ,when the popular sentiment was
 that he was a prophet the priests and  
scribes sought his life1 believing that 

his death would end his cause8 ,when    
they and the people learned that he was 
an impostor 787 they thought him unsafe 
after he was dead4  ,the prediction of  
,christ that he would rise the third day
 was publicly known throughout          
,jerusalem2 but why the chief priests   
should concern themselves so much about 
it as to take all the steps to prevent  
its fulfillment1 is a puzzling question 
with infidels4 ,was it because they had 
detected him as a cheat and an impostor8
 ,no1 this is an unreasonable           
conclusion4 ,it must have been a secret 
conviction touching his mighty power4   
,the seal was a proper check upon the   
guards2 the ,jews could have no other   
object in having it placed there4 ,they 
were not so foolish as to think1 that by
 this contrivance they would outstrip   
,providence4  ,guards were set to watch1
 and1 doubtless1 did their whole duty4  
,but what are sentinels when the power  
of ,omnipotence is put forth8 ,an angel 
of the ,lord makes his appearance4 ,the 

keepers saw him1 and fell down like dead
 men4 ,the angel rolled away the stone1 
and the conqueror came forth to live in 
the hearts of millions1 and to live     
forevermore4  ,the disciples1 receiving 
power from on high1 soon make their     
appearance in ,jerusalem1 and boldly    
assert the fact of the resurrection4    
,the murderers of the ,savior were      
there4 ,what do the priests do next8    
,they had bribed the soldiers to tell a 
lie which was so base that it only      
needed to be told in order to be known  
as a lie4 ,next1 they arrest the        
apostles2 they beat them1 they scourge  
them1 and bid them shut their mouths1   
and insist that they shall say no more  
about this matter4 ,they did not seem to
 regard them as liars and impostors1    
else they would doubtless have charged  
them with the fraud4 ,they try to       
assassinate and murder these witnesses  
of the resurrection4 ,they prevailed    
with ,herod to put one of them to death2
 but they never seemed to think of      

charging them with stealing the body    
away4 ,their orator1 ,tertullus1 could  
not have missed such a topic as         
imposition and fraud if any had been    
practiced4 ,he did not seem to think of 
anything of the sort1 but contented     
himself with the charge of sedition1    
heresy1 and the profanation of the      
temple4 ,yet the very question of the   
resurrection was under consideration2   
for ,festus tells ,agrippa1 that the    
,jews had certain questions against     
,paul of one ,jesus1 which was dead1    
whom ,paul affirmed to be alive4 ,after 
this ,agrippa heard ,paul's testimony1  
and so far was he from suspecting       
imposition1 that he said1 ,almost thou  
persuadest me to be a ,christian4  ,not 
long after the resurrection the apostles
 were taken before the council and      
sanhedrim of the ,children of ,israel4  
,they make their own defense1 a part of 
which is in these words3 ,the ,god of   
our fathers raised up ,jesus1 whom ye   
slew and hanged on a tree4 ,the first   

impulse of the council was to slay them 
all2 but ,gamaliel1 one of the council1 
stood up and related the history of     
several impostors who perished in former
 days1 and said3 ,if this work be of men
 it will come to nought1 but if it be of
 ,god ye can not overthrow it4 ,he      
advised them to refrain from the men and
 let time tell the story4 ,the tree     
shall be known by its fruits4 ,the      
council acquiesced2 they gave the       
apostles a whipping and let them go4  ,a
 resurrection is a thing to be          
ascertained by men's senses4 ,we all    
know whether a man is dead by the same  
means by which we know whether a man is 
alive4 ,there are those who claim that a
 resurrection could not be proven by any
 amount of testimony1 because of its    
being contrary to the course of nature4 
,but this is mere prejudice and         
ignorance4 ,first3 ,who can measure the 
extent of natural possibilities8 ,are   
they generally known8 ,is it a greater  
thing to give life to a body once dead  

than to a body that never was alive8    
,the objection rests upon the thought   
that testimony should be respected only 
in such cases as seem to us possible1 or
 in the ordinary course of nature4      
,according to this1 no amount of        
evidence could establish the fact that  
water freezes and becomes solid in a    
country where such is not the ordinary  
course of nature4 ,does a man's ability 
in discerning and his truthfulness in   
reporting depend upon the skill or      
ignorance of those who hear8 ,we know   
facts that seem to be as much contrary  
to the course of nature as anything     
could possibly be4 ,but1 in all candor1 
,i must claim that in appealing to the  
settled course of nature1 in a case like
 the one under consideration1 the       
question is referred not to the laws of 
evidence or maxims of reason1 but to the
 prejudices of men and to their         
mistakes1 which are many4 ,men form a   
notion of nature from what they see2 so1
 under different surroundings1 their    

notions about the course of nature will 
differ4 ,the objection falls worthless  
at the feet of the ,,infinite ,,one4    
,there is no greater difficulty in      
accounting for the fact that the dead   
live again than there is in accounting  
for the fact that they did live4        
,,public ,,notoriety ,,of ,,the         
,,scriptures4   ,origen was born in the 
year one hundred and eighty-five of the 
,christian dispensation1 and lived      
sixty-eight years4 ,he gives in his     
writings five thousand seven hundred and
 sixty-five quotations from the ,new    
,testament4 ,tertullian gives eighteen  
hundred and two quotations from the ,new
 ,testament4 ,clemens1 of ,alexandria1  
labored in the year one hundred and     
ninety-four4 ,he gives us three hundred 
and eighty-four quotations from the ,new
 ,testament4 ,ireneus lived in the year 
one hundred and seventy-eight4 ,he gives
 us seven hundred and sixty-seven       
quotations from the ,new ,testament1    
making a grand total of eight thousand  

seven hundred and twenty-three          
quotations1 given by four ancient       
writers4  ,if all the copies of the ,new
 ,testament in the world were destroyed1
 the whole1 with the exception of eleven
 verses1 could be reproduced from the   
writings of men who lived prior to the  
,nicene ,council4 ,unbelievers quote    
from all ancient heathen authors as     
though they were books of yesterday1    
without manifesting the least doubt in  
reference to their authenticity or      
authorship4 ,the evidences necessary to 
establish genuineness of authorship are 
ten-fold greater in the case of the ,new
 ,testament ,scriptures than in the case
 of the histories of ,alexander1 ,julius
 ,csar and ,cyrus1 as given by ancient  
writers4  ,the notoriety of the ,new    
,testament writings during the first    
centuries is without a parallel among   
all ancient writings4 ,their effect upon
 society during those centuries can     
never be explained in harmony with      
unbelief4 ,but this is not all that is  

to be considered4 ,their notoriety      
extends over the centuries between us   
and the times of the apostles4 ,such    
notoriety is the grand support upon     
which the ,new ,testament stands4 ,all  
other ancient writings stand upon the   
same kind of evidence1 but this kind of 
evidence is more than ten-fold greater  
in the support of our religion than it  
is in the support of any other ancient  
documents4  ,we may obtain some idea of 
the influence of the ,new ,testament    
,scriptures during the first centuries  
from the statements of ,gibbon4 ,he says
 there were six millions of ,christians 
in existence in the year three hundred  
and thirteen4 ,it is reasonable to allow
 that there were three millions in the  
year one hundred and seventy-five4      
,under the best emperors of the second  
century books were cheap4 ,thousands of 
persons engaged in writing histories for
 a livelihood4 ,it is allowed that there
 were as many as fifteen thousand copies
 of the four gospels in circulation     

among the people in the last quarter of 
the second century4 ,this state of      
things seems to convey the idea that it 
would be hard work to introduce         
successfully any corruption into the    
text after this period of time4 ,it     
would be too easily detected4  ,there is
 also a grand argument in favor of the  
genuineness of our religion1 which is in
 the fact that it was in deathly        
opposition to both ,judaism and         
,paganism1 its success being the        
destruction of both4 ,if ,christianity  
was an imposition1 its success during   
the first three centuries of our era is 
utterly inexplicable4     ,,what        
,,people ,,have ,,been ,,and ,,done     
,,without ,,the ,,bible4   ,our         
ancestors complained of the reign of    
wickedness2 we complain of it and our   
posterity will complain of it4 ,i       
sometimes think we are all a set of     
complainers and grumblers4  ,of ancient 
pagans it is said3 ,they worshiped and  
served the creature more than the       

,creator4 ,of their idols ,persius1 who 
was a ,roman satirical poet1 born ,a4,d4
 #cd1 said3    ,o1 cares of men6 ,o1    
world all fraught    ,with vanities6 ,o1
 minds inclined    ,towards earth1 all  
void of heavenly thought6  ,sedulius1 an
 ancient ,christian poet1 and by        
nativity a ,scotchman1 says of the same3
    ,ah6 wretched they that worship     
vanities1     ,and consecrate dumb idols
 in their heart--    ,who their own     
,maker1 ,god on high1 despise1     ,and 
fear the works of their own hands and   
art6    ,what fury1 what great madness  
doth beguile     ,men's minds that man  
should ugly shapes adore    ,of birds1  
or bulls1 or dragons1 or the vile       
,half-dog1 half-man1 on knees for aid   
implore4  ,one of their own poets jests 
them thus3    ,even now ,i was the stock
 of an old fig tree1    ,the workman    
doubting what ,i then should be1    ,a  
bench or god1 at last a god made me4    
,the ,romans1 for a time1 were without  
images for any religious use1 but       

afterwards they received into their city
 the idols of all the nations they      
conquered2 and as they became the lords 
of the whole earth1 they became slaves  
to the idols of all the world4 ,seneca  
says3 ,the images of the gods they      
worship1 those they pray unto with      
bended knees1 those they admire and     
adore1 and contemn the artificers who   
made them4  ,the character and condition
 of their gods was worse than their own4
 ,the common opinion touching their god 
of gods1 ,jupiter1 was that he was      
entombed in ,crete1 and his monument was
 there to be seen4 ,lactantius wittily  
says3 ,tell me1 ,i beseech you1 how can 
the same god be alive in one place and  
dead in another2 have a temple dedicated
 to him in one place and a tomb erected 
in another8 ,callimachus1 in his hymn on
 ,jupiter1 calls the ,cretians liars in 
this very respect4 ,he says3    ,the    
,cretians always lyars are1 who raised  
unto thy name    ,a sepulchre1 that     
never dyest1 but ever art the same4     

,lactantius informs us in book #aj1     
chapter #bj1 that they gave divine honor
 to notorious common prostitutes1 as    
unto goddesses1 to ,venus1 or ,faula1 to
 ,lapa1 the nurse of ,romulus1 so called
 among the shepherds for her common     
prostitution1 and to ,flora1 who        
enriched herself by her crime1 and then1
 by will1 made the people of ,rome her  
heir1 and1 also left a sum of money by  
which her birthday was yearly celebrated
 with games1 which1 in memory of her1   
they called ,floralia4 ,they claimed    
that their great goddess1 ,juno1 was    
both the wife and sister of ,jupiter2   
and ,jupiter1 and the other gods1 they  
held1 were no better that adulterers1   
sodomites1 murderers and thieves4 ,such 
was not held in private but published to
 the world4 ,they were described by     
their painters in their tables1 by their
 poets in their verses1 and acted by    
their players upon their stages4        
7,lactantius1 b4 #e1 ch4 #ba47  ,as     
respects the manner in which they       

worshiped their gods1 ,alexander1 in his
 ,dierum ,genialium1 b4 #f1 ch4 #bf1    
insists that the most odious thing in   
their history was the effusion of human 
blood in the service of their gods4     
,this same author says1 ,this unnatural1
 barbarous practice spread itself well  
nigh over the known world2 it was in use
 among the ,trojans1 as it seems from   
,virgil's lines touching neas3    ,their
 hands behind their backs he bound whom 
he had destined    ,a sacrifice unto the
 ghosts1 and on whose flames to shed    
,their blood he purposed4--nead4  ,some 
ignorant infidels seem at a great loss  
to understand why the ,lord should order
 the groves and altars of the heathen   
destroyed4 7,again and again their      
groves were cut down47 ,the children of 
,israel were to make no offerings in the
 groves4 ,if infidels will only exercise
 common sense inside of the history of  
the worship of ,priapus and             
,berecynthia1 they will cease fretting  
over the destruction of those beautiful 

forests4 ,those groves were the most    
corrupt places upon the earth1 places of
 retirement from the altar into         
prostitution1 carried on as a matter of 
worship pleasing to ,priapus4 ,here1 on 
account of becoming modesty1 the half   
can not be told4 ,the removal of        
nuisances in our own country is         
conducted upon the same principles upon 
which groves were destroyed by the      
,israelites4  ,lycurgus dedicated an    
image to laughter1 to be worshiped as a 
god1 and this is said to be the only law
 he ever made pertaining to religion4   
,while his great object was to make     
warriors1 he ordained some things noted 
for the education of youth4 ,he ordained
 other laws so much in favor of lust and
 all carnality of the worst kind1 that  
it might justly be said he made his     
entire commonwealth ludicrous4 ,he      
instituted wrestlings1 dances and other 
exercises of boys and girls naked1 to be
 done in public at divers times of the  
year1 in the presence both of young and 

old men4 ,adultery was also approved and
 permitted by the laws of ,lycurgus4    
,plato and ,aristotle advocated         
community of women1 of goods and        
possessions1 to the end that no man     
should have anything peculiar to        
himself1 or know his own children4 ,this
 was ordained by ,plato1 in order to    
establish in the commonwealth such a    
perfect unity that no man might be able 
to say1 that is thine1 or this is mine4 
,aristotle1 in the second book of his   
,politiques1 sets forth many other      
detestable things4 ,lactantius1 in the  
third of his ,divine ,institutions1     
shows that ,plato's community of        
property and women took away frugality1 
abstinence1 shamefacedness1 modesty and 
justice itself4  ,plato1 like ,lycurgus1
 ordained that young men should1 for the
 increase of their physical strength and
 agility of body1 at certain times      
exercise themselves naked2 that girls   
and servant-maids should dance naked    
among the young men2 that women in the  

flower of their youth should dance1 run1
 wrestle and ride with young men naked  
as well as they1 which1 says ,plato1    
whosoever misliketh understandeth not   
how profitable it is for the            
commonwealth4  ,the morality of ancient 
times may be clearly seen in the fact   
that all manner of debasing things were 
brought to the front4 ,how could men be 
persuaded that adultery should be       
punished when they were taught from     
infancy that it was a virtue among the  
gods8 ,lucian gives his experience thus1
 ,when ,i was yet a boy1 and heard out  
of ,homer and ,hesiod of the adulteries1
 fornications1 rapes and seditions of   
the gods1 truly ,i thought that those   
things were very excellent1 and began   
even then to be greatly affected towards
 them1 for ,i could not imagine that the
 gods themselves would ever have        
committed adultery if they had not      
esteemed the same lawful and good4 ,to  
all this it may be added that the       
opinions of the ancient philosophers    

concerning virtue1 vice1 the final      
happiness1 and the state of the spirit  
after death1 were diverse and           
contradictory4 ,the ,epicurean doctrine 
was1 that sovereign happiness consisted 
in pleasure4 ,they granted a ,god1 but  
denied his ,providence2 so virtue was   
without a spur1 and vice without a      
bridle4  ,the ,stoics also granted a    
,divine ,providence1 but they maintained
 such a fatal necessity that they       
blunted the edge of all virtuous efforts
 and excused themselves in vicious      
conduct4 ,both ,stoics and ,epicureans  
doubted the immortality of the human    
spirit1 and thereby opened the way to   
all manner of licentiousness4  ,i am    
persuaded that eternity alone will fully
 reveal the consequences of a denial of 
a future life and retribution2 it is a  
physical leprosy which removes all the  
most powerful incentives to virtue and  
loosens up the soul to all manner of    
lustful gratifications4  ,a man once    
remarked3 ,i have lived four years an   

avowed infidel4 ,i have boasted that ,i 
would live a good man and die an        
infidel4 ,i have formed the acquaintance
 of all the leading infidels of my      
country1 and ,i am now prepared to      
candidly confess that ,i do not believe 
any man can keep a good heart without   
the fear of ,god4 ,such is my           
observation and experience4     ,,the   
,,latest ,,evolutionary ,,conflict4     
,,they ,,first ,,wish ,,it ,,to ,,be    
,,so1 ,,then ,,soon1 ,,without ,,proof1 
,,they ,,assert ,,that ,,it ,,is ,,so6  
7,from the ,cincinnati ,gazette1 of     
,june #bf1 #ahhj47  ,prof4 ,huxley is   
assured that the doctrine of evolution1 
so far as the animal world is concerned1
 is no longer a speculation1 but a      
statement of historical fact1 taking its
 place along side of those accepted     
truths which must be taken into account 
by philosophers of all schools4  ,this  
statement was the summing up of an      
address delivered at the ,royal         
,institution on the #aith of ,march4    

,the address was specifically an account
 of ,the ,coming of ,age of the ,origin 
of ,species--it being nearly twenty-one 
years since ,darwin's work bearing that 
name was first published4  ,the lecturer
 glanced at the general replacement of  
the catastrophic theory of geology by   
the uniformitarian hypothesis1 claimed  
that many of the most important breaks  
in the line of the descent of plants and
 animals had been filled1 noticed the   
great advance made in the science of    
embryology1 and held that the amount of 
our knowledge respecting the mammalia of
 the ,tertiary epoch had increased      
fifty-fold since ,darwin's work         
appeared1 and in some directions even   
approaches completeness4 ,the lecture   
closed with these words3 ,thus when1 on 
the first of ,october next1 ',the       
,origin of ,species' comes of age1 the  
promise of its youth will be amply      
fulfilled and we shall be prepared to   
congratulate the venerated author of the
 book1 not only that the greatness of   

his achievement and its enduring        
influence upon the progress of knowledge
 have won him a place beside ,harvey1   
but1 still more1 that1 like ,harvey1 he 
has lived long enough to outlast        
detraction and opposition1 and to see   
the stone that the builders rejected    
become the head-stone of the corner4    
,this is plain and emphatic speaking1   
but it has not been suffered to pass    
unchallenged4  ,dr4 ,charles ,elam1 a   
writer who has already more than once   
measured swords with the school of      
naturalists of which ,professor ,huxley 
is a foremost champion1 has been moved  
to respond to this latest utterance4 ,he
 has contributed to the ,contemporary   
,review a paper entitled ,the ,gospel of
 ,evolution1 which1 whatever may be its 
conclusiveness1 is one of the sharpest  
attacks recently sustained by the       
opposing party4 ,acknowledging at the   
start ,mr4 ,darwin's pre-eminence as a  
naturalist1 and ,prof4 ,huxley's equal  
accomplishments in the department of    

biology1 he yet ventures to continue his
 doubt regarding the evidence of their  
peculiar doctrines4 ,he first cites     
,darwin's admissions that it would be   
fatal to his theory if any organs       
existed which could not have been       
evolved by minute selective             
modifications1 and his further          
concession that man1 as well as every   
other animal1 presents structures which1
 as far as we can judge1 are not now of 
any service to him1 nor have been so    
during any former part of his existence4
 ,such structures can not be accounted  
for by any form of selection or by the  
inherited effects of the use and disuse 
of parts4  ,having contrasted ,darwinism
 proper with its exaggerations1 in the  
system of ,haeckel1 who regards         
,darwin's admissions of an original     
creation as contemptible1 and recognizes
 only one force in the universe--the    
mechanical1 ,dr4 ,elam compares         
,huxley's statement in his ,american    
addresses that belief which is not based

 upon evidence is not only illogical but
 immoral1 with his last assertion that  
evolution is a fact1 doubted only by    
persons who have not reached the stage  
of emergence from ignorance4 ,in #ahfb  
,huxley also said--republishing the     
statements as late as #ahgd3            
,obviously1 if the earliest             
fossiliferous rocks now known are coeval
 with the commencement of life1 and if  
their contents give us any just         
conception of the nature and the extent 
of the earliest fauna and flora1 the    
insignificant amount of modification    
which can be demonstrated to have taken 
place in any one group of animals or    
plants is quite incompatible with the   
hypothesis that all living forms are the
 results of a necessary process of a    
progressive development1 entirely       
comprised within the time represented by
 the fossiliferous rocks4  ,since this  
confession was uttered1 whatever        
discoveries may have been made1 there   
has not been the faintest indication of 

the development of any new species by   
artificial selection1 the individuals of
 which are fertile among themselves and 
infertile with the parent stock4 ,it may
 properly be alleged that there has not 
been time enough for such a slow        
process1 but it yet remains as true as  
ever that there is no direct evidence in
 nature of what the ,darwinians call    
favorable variation4 ,it is the         
unwritten law of nature that one race   
must die that another may live1 this    
other1 in its turn1 subserving the same 
end4 ,without this law nature would be a
 chaotic impossibility4 ,if natural     
selection were a real agency1 we ought  
to meet with frequent1 if not constant1 
evidences of transition1 and a slow and 
gradual1 but perceptible improvement in 
species1 especially marked in those     
whose generations succeed each other    
rapidly4 ,but we see nothing of the     
kind4 ,but did selection really exist1  
it would be incompetent to account for a
 multitude of structures and functions  

to which any efficient cause should be  
applicable1 notably to the earliest     
rudiments of useful organs4 ,such organs
 as the eye and the internal ear are    
quite out of reach of any explanation by
 natural selection4 ,since the          
development of the eyes1 due to the     
simultaneous growth of parts from within
 and without1 the organ itself would be 
absolutely useless until it had attained
 such a degree of development as to     
admit of these separate parts meeting1  
and so the principle of preserving any  
useful variety would be quite           
inapplicable4 ,the same is true of the  
internal ear4  ,dr4 ,elam next passes in
 review ,haeckel's ,geneology of ,man   
from the ,lowest ,monera to his ,present
 ,station as ,lord of ,creation4 ,what  
the ,germans call invention of species  
to fill troublesome gaps is illustrated 
in many ways1 but we have room only for 
a single example3  ,the vertebrata must 
be developed from something1 and as yet 
there has been no smallest indication of

 anything like a spine or a rudiment of 
anything that could represent or be     
converted into one4 ,it costs our author
 nothing but a stroke of his pen to     
invent the ',chordonia1' and whence did 
they come8 ,they were developed from the
 worms by the formation of a spinal     
marrow and a chorda dorsulis4 ,nothing  
more--the most trifling                 
modification6--and we are at once       
provided with the root and stem of the  
whole vertebrata divisions4 ,it is      
scarcely any drawback to this stroke of 
genius to say that there is no evidence 
whatever that such an order of living   
beings ever existed2 that no one has the
 least conception of what they were     
like1 or of any of their attributes4    
,prof4 ,huxley's responsibility for this
 imaginative science is evidenced by his
 declaration that the conception of     
geological time is the only point upon  
which he fundamentally and entirely     
disagrees with ,haeckel4  ,it still     
remains true that all our positive and  

direct knowledge as to species          
contradicts the evolution hypothesis4   
,its evidence is purely inferential1    
and1 as ,dr4 ,elam quietly says1 ,as a  
psychological study it is interesting to
 observe how many things are deemed     
impossible to the infinite wisdom and   
power 7which by the terms of the        
supposition1 presided over the          
arrangements of our world7 which are    
perfectly clear and comprehensible when 
considered as the result of blind chance
 and the operation of mechanical causes 
only4 ,omitting for lack of space his   
keen analysis of ,huxley's claim of the 
evidence of evolution from the orchippus
 to the modern horse1 we follow our     
author from his array of what is not    
proved to what is actually taught by    
geology4 ,we quote3  ,,the ,,succession 
,,of ,,forms ,,of ,,life ,,on ,,our     
,,globe ,,is ,,demonstrably ,,not ,,such
 ,,as ,,ought ,,to ,,be ,,the ,,case    
,,on ,,the ,,theory ,,of ,,evolution4   
,it was not the small and feeble species

 or most generalized forms that first   
appeared1 either among mollusks1 fish1  
reptiles or mammalia4 ,we look in vain  
now for the representatives of the      
gigantic fishes of the ,old ,red        
,sandstone4 ,and where are the mighty   
reptile tyrants of air1 earth and water 
of the ,oolite8 99 99 99 ,these races   
appeared in the plenitude of their      
development and power2 and1 as their    
dynasty grew old1 it was not that the   
race was improved or preserved in       
consequence1 but they dwindled1 and     
were1 so to speak1 degraded1 as if to   
make room in the economy of nature for  
their successors4  ,next follows a      
closely linked argument that will not   
bear abridgement1 showing the physical  
improbability that man1 a walking       
animal1 was descended from a climbing   
one1 and the deplorable consequences    
which obliterate free will and          
necessitate the secularization of       
morals1 as elaborated by ,prof4         
,huxley's friend1 ,mr4 ,herbert         

,spencer4 ,this part of the subject has 
a special interest to ,americans1 since 
the work in which ,mr4 ,spencer's views 
are inculcated has been introduced as a 
manual in one of our oldest colleges1   
but its reproduction would widely       
lengthen our article4 ,it is sufficient 
to say that ,dr4 ,elam concludes that   
,mr4 ,spencer's doctrine1 that actions  
are completely right only when1 besides 
being conducive to future happiness1    
they are immediately pleasurable1 would 
justify him in concealing any injury    
done by him to a friend's scientific    
apparatus1 provided he could attribute  
it to the weather1 or the intrusion of a
 dog4  ,such1 in brief1 are the points  
of an essay which1 as a whole1 is one of
 the most brilliant responses that the  
declarations of leading evolutionists   
have called forth4 ,of course1 all its  
points are not new1 but old objections  
have been skillfully refurbished and new
 ones brought into play4        99      
99      99      99      99  ,to mourn   

for the dead1 is to mourn for the lost  
casket when you still retain the jewel  
it held4 ,the memories of the dead one's
 virtues are the jewels1 and the cold   
clay but the casket4     ,,authorships  
,,of ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,the ,,new     
,,testament4   ,i have a few questions  
to put to every man who says            
,christianity is not true4 ,they are    
these3 ,if ,christianity is not true1   
where did it come from8 ,how came it    
into the world8 ,what is its origin8    
,these questions are not trifling ones4 
,infidels have given as many different  
answers to them as there are days in the
 week4 ,there is no agreement among them
 that amounts to a settlement of the    
questions among themselves4 ,the        
,scriptures are ancient4 ,porphyry1 born
 at ,tyre in #bcc1 wrote a book against 
them1 which was burned by order of      
,theodosius the ,great1 in the year     
#cjd4 7,zell's ,encyclopedia47  ,the    
,emperor ,julian1 born in the year #cca1
 and ,hierocles1 who lived in the fourth

 century1 both wrote against            
,christianity1 against the ,scriptures1 
but did not call in question the        
existence of ,christ1 nor the fact that 
he wrought miracles4  ,celsus1 an       
,epicurean philosopher who lived in the 
second century1 was the author of a work
 written against ,christianity1 entitled
 ,logos ,aleethees1 that is1 ,word of   
,truth4 ,to this work ,origen replied4  
,celsus1 in this work1 quotes from the  
gospels by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke and   
,john1 and does this over and over1 and 
shows that the ,christians valued the   
books very highly2 they suffered death  
rather than repudiate them4  ,a ,,table 
,,of ,,the ,,ancient ,,times ,,of       
,,trial ,,and ,,of ,,peace4    ,,date-- 
,a4,d4 #fd to  #fh--,persecution under  
,nero4         #ie to  #if--,persecution
 under ,domitian4 ,banishment of ,john4 
#if to #ajd--,time of peace4        #ajd
 to #aag--,persecution under ,trajan4   
,martyrdom of ,ignatius4        #aag to 
#afa--,time of peace4 ,apologies of     

,aristides1                             
,quadratus and ,justin ,martyr were     
written4        #afa to                 
#ahj--,persecution under ,marcus        
,aurelius4 ,martyrdom                   
of ,polycarp and the martyrs of         
,lyons4               #afd--;,justin    
,martyr was put to death4  ,statistics  
concerning the sufferings of the first  
,christians show that they were in great
 earnest4 ,eternity alone will reveal   
the true number of the martyrs4 ,they   
all suffered and died just as we would  
expect1 in case they knew the facts of  
our religion4 ,twenty-two books of the  
,new ,testament were written before the 
martyrdom of the ,apostles ,paul and    
,peter4 ,infidels often boast1 in their 
ignorance1 that the books of the gospels
 were not written by those whose names  
they bear4  ,if ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke  
and ,john did not write those books     
which bear their names1 then are they   
false in fact8 and if so1 what did the  
authors die for8 ,the sufferings of     

primitive ,christians were great2 the   
persecutions which they endured were    
outrageous1 cruel and inhuman in their  
character4 ,such is the universal       
verdict of ancient history4 ,of the     
persecution under ,nero1 ,tacitus1 a    
celebrated ,roman historian1 who was    
born in the year #ef1 just twenty-three 
years after ,pentecost1 writes1 that    
,nero laid upon the ,christians the     
charge of that terrible conflagration at
 ,rome of which he himself was the      
cause4 ,he says1 ,a vast multitude were 
apprehended4 ,and many were disguised in
 the skins of wild beasts and worried to
 death by dogs1 some were crucified1 and
 others were wrapped in pitched shirts  
and set on fire when the day closed1    
that they might serve as lights to      
illuminate the night4 ,nero lent his own
 garden for these executions1 and       
celebrated at the same time a public    
entertainment in the circus1 being a    
spectator of the whole in the dress of a
 charioteer1 sometimes mingling with the

 crowd on foot1 and sometimes viewing   
the spectacle from his car4 7,annals of 
,tacitus1 #ae3 #dd47  ,juvenal1 the     
coarse and bitter satirist of the same  
time1 writes of the martyred ,christians
 as those who stand burning in their own
 flame and smoke1 their head being held 
up by a stake fixed to their chin1 till 
they make a long stream of blood and    
sulphur on the ground4 7,juv4 ,sat41 #a3
 #aee47  ,seneca also refers to their   
fearful sufferings3 ,imagine here a     
prison1 crosses and racks and the hook1 
and a stake thrust through the body and 
coming out at the mouth1 and the limbs  
torn by chariots pulling adverse ways1  
and the coat besmeared and interwoven   
with inflammable materials1 nutriment   
for fire1 and whatever else beside these
 cruelty has invented4 7,seneca's       
,epistles1 #ad47  ,one of ,diocletian's 
coins commemorates the blotting out of  
the very name of ,christian3 ,nomine    
,christianorum deleto4 ,but the age of  
martyrdoms ended with the accession of  

,constantine to the ,roman empire1 and  
to-day there are more ,christians in the
 world than ever before4 ,skeptic1 take 
one long look at the unbelieving1       
bloody1 persecuting hosts1 and choose   
your future associates4  ,strauss says3 
,no man knows who wrote the ,gospels4   
,can he mean that they are anonymous    
books8 ,does he mean that they are not  
biographies--books containing1 in their 
historic matter1 an account of the      
authors themselves8 ,who does not know  
that those books are and have been      
called the ,gospels of ,matthew1 ,mark1 
,luke and ,john8 ,and who has1 in all   
the past centuries1 produced evidence   
showing that those are the wrong names4 
,no one4 ,insane men might say such a   
thing4 ,infidels don't like to say that2
 they just say you can't prove your     
religion1 nor show that ,matthew1 ,mark1
 ,luke and ,john wrote those books4     
,will any sensible man affirm that they 
are the wrong names8 ,how do we judge   
and believe respecting the authorship of

 other ancient books8 ,why do we believe
 that ,csar wrote the ,commentaries on  
the ,gallic ,war8 ,and why do we believe
 that ,virgil wrote the neid8 ,no sane  
man ever doubted the authorship of those
 writings4 ,preoccupancy during the ages
 past is considered by infidels         
themselves a sufficient ground for      
belief4 ,the fact that those books exist
 has certainly been known from the age  
of the apostles to the present time1 for
 men quoted extensively from them in the
 second century4 ,the names they bear   
were in the possessive case then1 and it
 is but fair to consider them the true  
owners4  ,why are skeptics and infidels 
so partial among ancient books8 ,they   
doubt the authorship of no ancient books
 unless they are written in favor of the
 religion of ,christ4 ,will some wise   
one tell us why this strange            
inconsistency8 ,o1 it is an evidence of 
a wicked heart--that's all6 all66--,,all
 ,,there ,,is ,,of ,,it666  ,here are   
the dates of the books of the ,new      

,testaments1 along with contemporary    
landmarks3                              
----------------------------------------
---------------------------------       
,,books4          ,,after               
,,contemporary ,,landmarks4             
,,pentecost4                            
----------------------------------------
------------------------------- #a      
,peter           #af      ,claudius     
,csar ruled from ,a4,d4 #da to #ed4     
,galatians         #ah      #a ,thess   
#ai      ,romans settled in ,england    
between #da and #ed4 #b ,thess          
#bj      #a ,cor             #bd        
,nero ruled from #ed to #fh4 #b ,cor    
#be      #a ,timothy         #be        
,paul and ,peter were martyred at ,rome 
in or ,romans            #be            
about the year #fc2 #cj years after     
,pentecost4 ,james             #bh      
,matthew           #bh      ,persecution
 continues under ,nero until the ,mark  
#bh       year #fh4 ,the satirist       
,juvenal1 who lived ,philemon           

#bi       under ,nero1 and his brother  
satirist ,martial1 ,collosians          
#bi       both allude to the burnings of
 the ,christians ,ephesians         #bi 
in pitched shirts4 ,philippians         
#bi      ,luke              #cj         
,suetoneus1 writing of what took place  
under ,acts              #cj            
,emperor ,claudius1 in #ec1 makes       
mention of ,hebrews           #cj       
,christ4 #b ,peter           #cd      #b
 ,timothy         #cd      ,galba1 ,otho
 and ,vitelleus rule from #fh to #fi4   
,titus1 about      #cd      ,jude1 about
       #cd      ,christians have peace  
from #fh to #ie4 ,epistles              
of ,st4 ,john                #a1 #b1 #c 
#dj      ,jerusalem was destroyed in the
 year #gj4 ,revelations                 
of ,jesus                  ,christ      
to ,john          #fd      ,vespasian   
rules from #fi to #gi4                  
----------------------------------------
---------------------------------       
,,carlyle',s ,,estimate ,,of ,,the      

,,book ,,of ,,job1 ,,in ,,his ,,own     
,,words4   ,i call the book of ,job1    
apart from all theories about it1 one of
 the grandest books ever written with a 
pen4 ,one feels1 indeed1 as if it were  
not ,hebrew--such a noble universality1 
different from noble patriotism or      
sectarianism1 reigns in it4 ,a noble    
book6 ,all men's book6 ,it is our first1
 oldest statement of the never-ending   
problem of man's destiny and ,god's ways
 with him here on this earth1 and all in
 such free1 flowing outlines1 grand in  
its simplicity and its epic melody and  
repose of reconcilement6 ,there is the  
seeing eye1 the mildly understanding    
heart4 ,so true every way2 true         
eye-sight and vision for all            
things--material things no less than    
spiritual2 the horse--'thou hast clothed
 his neck with thunder2' 'he laughs at  
the shaking of the spear6' ,such living 
likenesses were never since drawn4      
,sublime sorrow6 ,sublime               
reconciliation6 ,oldest choral melody1  

as of the heart of mankind6 ,so soft and
 great1 as the summer midnight1 as the  
world with its seas and stars6 ,there is
 nothing written1 ,i think1 in the      
,bible or out of it1 of equal literary  
merit4 7,dr4 ,cotton's ,scrap-,book47   
,,what ,i ,,live ,,for4    ,i live to   
hold communion     ,with all that is    
divine1   ,to feel there is a union     
,between ,god's will and mine2   ,for   
the cause that lacks assistance1        
,for the future1 in the distance1   ,for
 what'er is good and true1     ,for all 
human hearts that bind me1   ,for the   
task by ,god assigned me1     ,and the  
good that ,i can do4     ,,the          
,,molecule ,,god4  ,,air--,the ,fine    
,old ,english ,gentleman4  ,to be sung  
at all gatherings of advanced siolists  
and scientists4     ,we will sing you a 
grand new song evolved from a 'cute     
young pate1   ,of a fine old            
,atom-,molecule of prehistoric date2    
,in size infinitesimal1 in potencies    
though great1   ,and self-formed for    

developing at a prodigious rate--       
,like a fine old ,atom-,molecule1       
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,in it slept all the forces in our      
cosmos that run rife1   ,to stir        
creation's giants or its microscopic    
life2   ,harmonious in discord and      
co-operant in strife1   ,to this small  
cell committed the world lived with his 
wife--                          ,in this
 fine old ,atom-,molecule1              
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,in this autoplastic archetype of       
protean protein clay   ,all the human's 
space has room for1 for whom time makes 
a day1   ,from the sage whose words of  
wisdom prince or parliament obey1   ,to 
the parrots who but prattle1 and the    
asses who but bray--                    
,so full was this ,atom-,molecule1      
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,all brute life1 from lamb to lion1 from
 the serpent to the dove1   ,all that   
pains the sense or pleasure1 all the    
heart can loathe or love2   ,all        

instincts that drag downwards1 all      
desires that upwards move   ,were caged1
 a happy family1 cheek-by-jowl1 and     
hand-in-glove1                          
,in this fine old ,atom-,molecule1      
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,in it order grew from chaos1 light out 
of darkness shined1   ,design sprang by 
accident1 law's rule from hazard blind2 
,the soul-less soul evolving--against1  
not after kind1   ,as the life-less life
 developed1 and the mind-less ripened   
mind1                          ,in this 
fine old ,atom-,molecule1               
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,then bow down mind to matter2 from     
brain fiber1 will1 withdraw2   ,fall    
man's heart to cell ascidian1 sink man's
 hand to monkey's paw2   ,and bend the  
knee to ,protoplast in philosophic awe--
   ,both ,creator and created1 at once  
work and source of law4                 
,and our ,lord be the ,atom-,molecule1  
,of the young world's proto-prime6      
,,punch4   ,transcriber's ,note  ,the   

punctuation and spelling from the       
original text have been faithfully      
preserved4 ,only obvious typographical  
errors have been corrected4