material from the ,google ,print        
project47        ,scientific and        
,religious ,journal4  ,,vol4 ,i4        
,,september1 #ahhj4 ,,no4 #i4     ,,the 
,,divinity ,,of ,,our ,,religion ,,as   
,,conceded ,,by ,,its ,,enemies4        
,voltaire says1 ,i am ever apprehensive 
of being mistaken2 but all monuments    
give me sufficient evidence that the    
polished nations of antiquity           
acknowledged a supreme ,god4 ,there is  
not a book1 not a medal1 not a          
bas-relief1 not an inscription1 in which
 ,juno1 ,minerva1 ,neptune1 ,mars1 or   
any of the other deities1 is spoken of  
as a creating being1 the sovereign of   
all nature4  ,on the contrary1 the most 
ancient profane books that we           
have--,hesiod and ,homer--represent     
their ,zeus as the only thunderer1 the  
only master of gods and men2 he even    
punishes the other gods2 he ties ,juno  
with a chain1 and drives ,apollo out of 
heaven4  ,the ancient religion of the   
,brahmins explains itself in a sublime  

manner1 concerning the unity and power  
of ,god1 in these words found in the    
#b;d chapter of the ,shastah1 ',the     
,eternal1 absorbed in the contemplation 
of his own existence1 resolved1 in the  
fullness of time1 to communicate his    
glory and his essence to beings capable 
of feeling and partaking his beatitude1 
as well as of contributing to his glory4
 ,the ,eternal willed it1 and they were4
 ,he formed them partly of his own      
essence1 capable of perfection or       
imperfection1 according to their will4  
,the ,eternal first created ,brahma1    
,vishna and ,siva1 then ,mozazor and all
 the multitude of the angels4 ,the      
,eternal gave the pre-eminence to       
,brahma1 ,vishna and ,siva4 ,brahma was 
the prince of the angelic army4 ,vishna 
and ,siva were his coadjutors4 ,the     
,eternal divided the angelic army into  
several bands1 and gave to each a chief4
 ,they adored the ,eternal1 ranged      
around his throne1 each in the degree   
assigned him4 ,there was harmony in     

heaven4'  ,the ,chinese1 ancient as they
 are1 come after the ,indians4 ,they    
have acknowledged one only ,god4 ,they  
have no subordinate gods4 ,the ,magi of 
,chaldea1 the ,sabeans1 acknowledge but 
one supreme ,god1 whom they adored in   
the stars1 which are his work4 ,the     
,persians adored him in the sun4 ,the   
sphere placed on the frontispiece of the
 temple of ,memphis was the emblem of   
one only and perfect ,god1 called ,knef 
by the ,egyptians4 ,the title of ,deus  
,optimum ,maximus was never given by the
 ,romans to any but ,jupiter4 ,voltaire 
adds1 ,this great truth1 which we have  
elsewhere pointed out1 can not be too   
often repeated4 ,jupiter was the        
translation of the ,greek word ,zeus1   
and ,zeus a translation of the          
,phenician word                         
,jehovah4--,philosophical ,dictionary1  
vol4 #a1 pp4 #cgd1 #cge4  ,ever         
remember1 that there is1 in all the     
ancient theories of gods1 the grand idea
 of one supreme ,god4 ,unbelievers keep 

this great truth out of sight4  ,r4     
,dale ,owen says of ,christ1 ,his       
character and his doings1 as exhibited  
in the gospel biographies--are almost as
 marvellous as the system he gave to the
 world4 ,they accord neither with his   
country nor with his time1 nor--except  
as one illustrious example disclosing to
 us what man may be--with that human    
race with which1 on a hundred occasions1
 he expressly identified himself4 ,it   
were difficult in this connection1 to   
improve on the words of an anglican     
clergyman1 whose early death was a      
misfortune to the church he adorned4    
',once in the roll of ages1 out of      
innumerable failures1 from the stock of 
human nature1 one bud developed into a  
faultless flower4 ,one perfect specimen 
of humanity has ,god exhibited on earth4
 ,as if the life blood of every nation  
were in his veins1 and that which is    
best and truest in every man1 and that  
which is tenderest and gentlest and     
purest in every woman1 were in his      

character2 he is emphatically the ,son  
of ,man4' ',christ is the crowning      
exemplar of the ,inspired2 for he1 while
 abiding among us1 lived1 more nearly   
than any other of ,god's creatures here1
 within sight and hearing of his future 
home4 ,therefore it is that his         
teachings are the noblest fruits of     
inspiration4'  ,a4,j4 ,davis says3 ,he  
7,christ7 was ,a ,,type ,,of ,a         
,,perfect ,,man1 both in physical and   
spiritual qualifications4 ,his general  
organization was indeed remarkable1     
inasmuch as he possessed1 combined1 the 
perfection of physical beauty1 mental   
powers and refined accomplishments4 ,he 
was generally beloved during his youth  
for his great powers of discernment1 his
 thirst after knowledge1 and his        
disposition to inquire into the causes  
of mental phenomena1 of the conditions  
of society1 and of the visible          
manifestations of nature4 ,he was also  
much beloved for his ,,pure natural     
sympathy for all who were suffering     

afflictions either of a physical or     
mental character--,it is true that at   
the age of twelve years he was admitted 
to the presence of the learned doctors4 
,there he manifested some of his powers 
of discernment1 interior and natural    
philosophy1 unsophistocated love1       
simplicity of expression1 kindness of   
disposition1 and universal sympathy and 
benovolence4 ,these he displayed with   
all the naturalness and spontaneousness 
resulting from the promptings of an     
uncorrupted and purely-organized        
spiritual principle4  ,gregg1 a ,deist1 
says3 ,i value the religion of ,jesus1  
as containing more truth1 purer truth1  
higher truth1 than has ever yet been    
given to man4 ,much of his teaching ,i  
unhesitatingly receive as1 to the best  
of my judgment1 unimprovable and        
unsurpassable--fitted1 if obeyed1 to    
make earth all that a finite and        
material scene can be1 and man only a   
little lower than the angels4 ',not     
every one that saith unto me1 ,lord6    

,lord2 99 99 99 99 99 99 but he that    
doeth the will of my ,father who is in  
heaven4' ',by their fruits ye shall know
 them2' ',i will have mercy1 and not    
sacrifice2' ',be not a slothful hearer  
only1 but a doer of the work2' ',woe    
unto ye1 ,scribes and ,pharisees1 for ye
 pay tithes of mint1 and anise and      
cummin1 and neglect the weightier       
matters of the law1 justice1 mercy1 and 
temperance1 7faith left out47'  ',the   
enforcement of purity of heart as the   
security for purity of life1 and of the 
government of the thoughts1 as the      
originators and forerunners of action4' 
',he that looketh on a woman1 to lust   
after her1 hath committed adultery with 
her already in his heart2' ',out of the 
heart proceed murders1 adulteries1      
thefts1 false witness1 blasphemies2     
these are the things which defile a     
man4'  ,universal good-will toward      
men4--',thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself2' ',whatsoever ye would that men
 should do unto you1 that do ye also    

unto them1 for this is the law and the  
prophets4'  ,forgiveness of             
injuries4--',love your enemies2 do good 
to them that hate you1 pray for them    
which dispitefully use you and persecute
 you2' ',forgive us our trespasses as we
 forgive those that trespass against    
us2' ',i say not unto thee1 until seven 
times1 but until seventy times seven2'  
',if ye love them only that love you1   
what reward have ye8 ,do not even       
publicans the same8'  ,the necessity of 
self-sacrifice in the cause of          
duty4--',blessed are they which are     
persecuted for righteousness' sake2'    
',if any man will be my disciple1 let   
him deny himself1 and take up his cross 
daily1 and follow me2' ',if thy right   
hand offend thee1 cut it off and cast it
 from thee2' ',no man1 having put his   
hand to the plough and looking back1 is 
fit for the kingdom of ,god4'           
,humility4--',blessed are the meek1 for 
they shall inherit the earth2' ',he that
 humbleth himself shall be exalted2'    

',he that is greatest among you1 let him
 be your servant4'  ,genuine sincerity2 
being not seeming4--',take heed that ye 
do not your alms before men1 to be seen 
of them2' ',when thou prayest1 enter    
into thy closet and shut thy door2'     
',when thou fastest1 anoint thine head1 
and wash thy face1 that thou appear not 
unto men to fast4' ,all these sublime   
precepts need no miracle1 no voice from 
the clouds1 to recommend them to our    
allegiance1 or to assure us of their    
divinity2 they command obedience by     
virtue of their inherit rectitude and   
beauty1 and vindicate their author as   
himself the one towering perpetual      
miracle of history4--,creed of          
,christendom1 pp4 #cah1 #cai4  ,we hold 
that ,god has so arranged matters in    
this beautiful and well-ordered1 but    
mysteriously-governed universe1 that one
 great mind after another will arise    
from time to time1 as such are needed1  
to discover and flash forth before the  
eyes of men the truths that are wanted1 

and the amount of truth that can be     
borne4 ,we conceive that this is        
effected by endowing them1 or by having 
arranged that nature and the course of  
events shall send them into the world   
endowed with that superior mental and   
moral organization in which grand       
truths1 sublime gleams of spiritual     
light1 will spontaneously and inevitably
 arise4 ,such a one we believe was      
,jesus of ,nazareth1 the most exalted   
religious genius whom ,god ever sent    
upon the earth2 in himself an embodied  
revelation2 humanity in its divinest    
phase1 ',god manifest in the flesh1'    
according to eastern hyperbole2 an      
exemplar given in an early age of the   
world to show what man may and should   
become in the course of ages2 in his    
progress towards the realization of his 
destiny2 an individual gifted with a    
grand1 clear intellect1 a noble soul1 a 
fine organization1 marvelous moral      
intuitions1 and a perfectly balanced    
moral being2 and who1 by virtue of these

 endowments1 saw further than all other 
men1 ',beyond the verge of that blue    
sky1 where ,god's sublimest secrets     
lie4'--,creed of ,christendom1 pp4 #cjf1
 #cjg4  ,we regard him 99 99 as the     
perfection of the spiritual character1  
as surpassing all men of all times in   
the closeness and depth of his communion
 with the ,father4 ,in reading his      
sayings1 we feel that we are holding    
converse with the wisest1 purest1       
noblest being that ever clothed thought 
in the poor language of humanity4 ,in   
studying his life we feel that we are   
following the footsteps of the highest  
ideal yet presented to us upon earth4   
,by the very next sentence ,gregg's     
eulogy upon ,christ becomes an eulogy   
upon the ,old ,testament4 ,he says the  
,old ,testament contained his teaching2 
it was reserved for him to elicit1      
publish and enforce it4--,creed of      
,christendom1 pp4 #cjj1 #caj4  ,but it  
must not be forgotten that though many  
of the ,christian precepts were extant  

before the time of ,jesus1 yet it is to 
him that we owe them2 to the energy1 the
 beauty1 the power of his teaching1 and 
still more to the sublime life he led1  
which was a daily and hourly exposition 
and enforcement of his                  
teaching4--,gregg1 ,c4,c4  ,strauss     
allows that it was not possible that the
 early ,christians should have looked   
upon ,christ as their ,redeemer and     
,mediator between ,god and men1 if the  
apostles had not proclaimed this very   
doctrine2 and the apostles could not    
have preached it if ,jesus himself had  
not designated himself as the ,redeemer 
from sin1 guilt and death1 and demanded 
faith in himself as a religious act4 ,he
 asserts that the distinguishing        
features of the ,christian church must  
be traced to ,christ1 his ministry and  
teachings about himself2 that ,christ   
claimed the power to secure peace to his
 followers4 ,he also claims that the    
moral and religious character of ,christ
 is above every suspicion1 and unequaled

 in its kind4 ,he says1 ,the purely     
spiritual and ethical conceptions of    
,god as the 'only one1' he owed to his  
,jewish education1 and1 also the purity 
of his being4 ,but the ,greecian element
 in ,jesus was his cheerfulness1 arising
 from his unsullied mind4 ,again he     
says1 ,jesus1 by cultivating a frame of 
mind that was cheerful1 in union with   
,god1 and embracing all men as brethren1
 had realized the prophetic ideal of a  
,new ,covenant with the heart inscribed 
law2 he had to speak with the poet1     
received ,god into his will2 so that for
 him the ,godhead had descended from its
 throne1 the abyss was filled up1 all   
fear was vanished4 ,his beautifully     
organized nature had but to develop     
itself to be more fully and clearly     
confirmed in its consciousness of       
itself1 but needed not to return to     
begin a new life4  ,gregg1 the ,deist1  
after presenting ,jesus as the one      
towering1 perpetual miracle of history1 
says1 ,next in perfection come the views

 which ,christianity unfolds to us of   
,god in his relation to man1 which were 
probably as near the truth as the minds 
of men could in that age receive4 ,god  
is represented as our ,father in heaven1
 to be whose especial children is the   
best reward of the peace-makers1 to see 
whose face is the highest hope of the   
pure in heart1 who is ever at hand to   
strengthen his true worshipers1 to whom 
is due our heartiest love1 our humblest 
submission1 whose most acceptable       
worship is righteous conduct and a holy 
heart1 in whose constant presence our   
life is passed1 to whose merciful       
disposal we are resigned by death4 ,his 
relation to us is alone insisted on4    
,all that is needed for our consolation1
 our strength1 our guidance1 is assured 
to us4 ,the purely speculative is passed
 over and ignored4 ,it may be that the  
prospect of an exceeding1 even an       
eternal weight of glory may be needed to
 support our frail purposes under the   
crushing afflictions of our mortal lot4 

,it may be that1 by the perfect         
arrangements of ,omnipotence1 the       
sufferings of all may be made to work   
out the ultimate and supreme good of    
each4 ,he next makes this grand         
concession3 ,to the orthodox ,christian1
 who fully believes all he professes1   
cheerful resignation to the divine will 
is comparatively a natural1 an easy1 a  
simple thing4 ,to the religious         
philosopher 7meaning such as himself7 it
 is the highest exercise of intellect   
and virtue4 ,the man who has realized   
the faith that his own lot is so        
regulated by ,god as unerringly to work 
for his highest good--with such a man1  
resignation1 patience1 nay cheerful     
acquiescence in all suffering and       
sorrow1 appear to be in fact only the   
simple and practical expression of his  
belief4 ,if1 believing all this1 he     
still murmers and rebels at the trials  
and contrarieties of his lot1 he is of  
the childishness of the infant which    
quarrels with the medicine that is to   

lead it back to health and ease4        
,huxley says3 ,the belief that the      
divine commands are identical with the  
laws of social morality has left        
infinite strength to the latter in all  
ages4 ,the lover of moral beauty1       
struggling through a world full of      
sorrow and sin1 is surely as much the   
stronger for believing that sooner or   
later a vision of perfect peace and     
goodness will burst upon him1 as the    
toiler up a mountain for the belief that
 beyond crag and snow lie home and      
rest4--,modern ,symposium1 page #bej1   
#a4  ,baldwin ,brown1 of the ,liberal   
,school1 speaking of a very singular    
effort of ,mr4 ,harrison1 says3 ,i      
rejoice in the passionate earnestness   
with which he lifts the hearts of his   
readers to ideals which it seems to     
me--that ,christianity which as a living
 force in the ,apostles' days turned the
 world upside down1 that is right side  
up1 with its face toward heaven and     
,god--alone can realize for man4 ,i     

recall a noble passage written by ,mr4  
,harrison some years ago3 ',a religion  
of action1 a religion of social duty1   
devotion to an intelligible and sensible
 head1 a real sense of incorporation    
with a living and controlling force1 the
 deliberate effort to serve an immortal 
humanity--this1 and this alone can      
absorb the musings and the cravings of  
the spiritual man4' ,a4,j4 ,davis       
speaking of the first century1 says3    
',jesus ,christ and his apostles were at
 this time establishing the only true   
religion4'  ,now1 ,i wish to say a few  
things in view of all that ,i have given
 from the opposite side4 ,and first1 as 
it is the part of science to find a     
cause for every effect1 we will look    
after the causes as given by those men  
who reject the essential divinity of the
 religion of ,christ1 and also look     
after the strength or weakness of their 
cause1 as the case may be3  #a4 ,what is
 the cause of the character they ascribe
 to the ,christ8 ,we will begin with the

 ,deist ,gregg4 ,he claims that ,god has
 endowed men differently--has endowed   
some with brains so much larger and     
finer than those of ordinary men as to  
enable them to see and originate truths 
which are hidden from the mass2 and that
 when it is his will that mankind should
 make some great step forward1 should   
achieve some pregnant discovery1 that   
is1 discovery loaded with benefits to   
our race1 he calls into being some      
cerebral organization of more than      
ordinary magnitude and power1 as that of
 ,david1 ,isaiah1 ,plato1 ,shakespeare1 
,bacon1 ,newton1 ,luther1 ,pascal4 ,here
 we discover the cause of the superior  
character of ,christ as a teacher1 which
 is assigned by all the leading spirits 
in modern unbelief1 viz3 a finely       
endowed cerebral organization1 and a    
,jewish education2 these are constantly 
presented as sufficient to meet the     
scientific demand for the cause of his  
life and teachings1 or the cause of     
,christianity4 ,but there is a          

scientific demand lying behind all this1
 viz3 what is the cause of this fine    
cerebral organization1 which was so     
wonderful as to produce the most        
wonderful character of all ages8 ,the   
answer1 given in the clear-cut words of 
all except ,atheists1 who say there is  
no ,god1 is this1 ,the all-wise disposer
 of all things sends just such men into 
our race1 when any great step forward is
 necessary to be made--that he endows   
them with direct reference to the       
discoveries and achievements to be made4
 ,so the great cause1 after all1 is1    
upon their own showing1 the will and    
power of ,god2 for if he endowed him1 as
 they claim1 with direct reference to   
his teachings and achievements1 it      
follows of necessity1 that he willed    
that those very teachings and           
achievements should not only be made1   
but be made just when they were1 and    
just as they were2 so ,christianity     
finds its origin in ,god1 and is a      
manifestation from ,god1 according to   

the showing of ,gregg and ,strauss4 ,for
 ,strauss will have it that the finite  
must not be separated from ,god4 ,but   
you must remember that ,strauss is a    
,pantheist1 and that he1 as such1 claims
 that the infinite1 or ,god1 who with   
him is not a person1 but all-pervading  
life1 receives the finite into itself1  
and so it becomes a part of the idea of 
the ,godhead2 in such a manner1 however1
 that it is not peculiar to ,jesus      
alone1 but to humanity as such4 ,so     
,strauss reaches the same thought that  
,gregg expresses--so far as the relation
 of ,christ to ,godhead is concerned4   
,while he and ,strauss differ upon the  
subject of the ,godhead1 one being a    
,deist and the other a ,pantheist1 they 
find their agreement in naturalism1 that
 is to say1 they account for the ,christ
 character upon the score of his being  
more finely organized and endowed by    
relation to the ,godhead2 ,gregg claims 
that this is attributable to an all-wise
 ,godhead1 and ,strauss claims that it  

is attributable to the all-pervading    
life1 or ,pantheistic ,godhead1 and both
 include as a second cause of his       
character his education4  ,we then      
systematize as follows3 first1 the      
,deist who accepts the character of     
,christ as exhibiting a superior life4  
,his first cause for the existence of   
,christianity is the fine organization  
of ,christ4 ,his second cause is his    
education4 ,the pantheist has it as     
follows3 first cause for the existence  
of ,christianity1 the fine organization 
of ,christ4 ,second cause1 his          
education2 both1 however1 must find a   
cause behind that fine organization1 and
 that cause1 they claim1 is the         
,godhead1 however much they may differ  
about that ,godhead4  ,this relation    
between ,christ and the true ,godhead is
 the fundamental article in the         
,christian religion1 and becomes at     
once1 by common agreement1 the first    
great cause of the origin and existence 
of the ,christian religion4 ,no         

,pantheist1 or ,deist1 or ,naturalist   
gets away from this conclusion without  
avowing ,atheism4 ,what does it amount  
to8 ,answer3 ,christianity is of ,god4  
,the reason is this1 the fine cerebral  
organization of ,christ was of ,god4    
,hence we have it1 first cause1 ,god2   
second cause1 ,christ2 effect1          
,christianity4 ,common admission1       
,christ is the grandest character1 the  
purest life1 the finest teacher1 finest 
organization ever yet given to the race4
 ,the ,christian says1 ,amen6 ,but      
science must find a cause for every     
effect4 ,what was the cause of the      
teachings of the apostles1 whose        
sincerity was such that they died for   
their religion8 ,well1 ,strauss says1   
,it is inconceivable that they should   
have done it if ,jesus himself had not  
designated himself as the ,redeemer from
 sin1 guilt and death1 and required     
faith in his person as a religious duty1
 claiming the power to secure peace in  
the ,holy ,spirit4 ,according to        

,strauss1 we have this arrangement3     
,first1 the infinite--the ,godhead took 
the finite ,jesus into itself4  ,second1
 he was above suspicion--the finest1    
purest specimen of all ever known among 
men4 ,a4,g4 ,davis1 ,r4,d4 ,owen1 ,renan
 and ,gregg1 and ,tom ,paine1 and a host
 of others in unbelief say ,amen6 ,gregg
 says ,god sent him1 and sent him to do 
just that which he did do4 ,strauss     
says1 ,he taught his desciples1 and they
 consequently taught the world4         
,,our ,,indebtedness ,,to ,,revelation4 
,,the ,,ten ,,sceptics ,,in             
,,council--,no4 #c4  ,,by ,p4,t4        
,,russell4   ,christian4 ,gentlemen2 ,i 
am happy to meet you again4 ,be seated4 
,have you weighed the matter ,i gave you
 in our last interview8 ,if you have1 ,i
 would like to hear your objections1 if 
you have any4  ,reason4 ,we think we    
have some valid objections4 ,first1 we  
are satisfied that your position is     
unscientific1 although it is ingeniously
 taken4 ,among scientific men it is     

conceded that nature reveals her own    
birth1 and declares her creation4 ,now1 
if it is true that ,nature herself tells
 the history of her origin1 then your   
idea that ,god the creator told this1 is
 to us unreasonable1 for there is no    
need of the same story being told to the
 same auditors by two different parties2
 so we must regard your position as     
untrue4  ,christian4 ,are you sure that 
,nature ever gave the history of her    
origin1 of her birth8 do you read it in 
the book of ,nature1 or does she tell it
 vocally8  ,reason4 ,tell it vocally8   
,no6 ,nature has no power of speech6    
,she wrote the history of her origin    
upon the pages of her own book1 and the 
eye of the ,scientist reads it there4   
,christian4 ,are you certain of this8   
how was she qualified to do so8 ,could  
you write the history of your origin1 of
 your birth1 without the aid of some one
 older than yourself8 ,did you have the 
powers of observation in active         
exercise1 watching every movement among 

the causes that brought you into being8 
,now1 if man could not be an eye-witness
 to his own origin1 upon this planet of 
ours1 was there anything else in nature 
that could be1 and so gave that history1
 which you know you could not8 ,is it   
not possible that you have obtained your
 intelligence from another source--from 
what ,i call the revelation of the      
,creator8 ,may it not be true that you  
have thus borrowed your information1 and
 falsely credited it to ,nature8 ,if you
 found it in the book of ,nature and    
read it there1 you can tell me on what  
page it is written8 will you do this so 
that ,i may read it too8  ,reason4 ,read
 it there1 and on some certain or       
well-known page6 ,really1 you are very  
captious4 ,this great truth is on every 
page2 the whole face of ,nature declares
 it2 ,i can not tell you anything about 
the page4  ,christian4 ,there is a      
,german maxim which1 translated into    
,english1 reads1 ,the clear is the true4
 ,the natural converse of this ,german  

proposition is this3 ,the truth of the  
ambiguous is very doubtful4 ,this leaves
 your claim in a very suspicious        
condition1 if it does not brand it with 
falsehood4 ,again1 you say it was       
written in the book of ,nature4 ,by whom
 was it written8 ,a book can not write  
itself4 ,nature1 or the material        
universe1 neither did nor could write   
it1 for she has no power of action1     
inertia being her property4 ,she might  
be acted upon4 ,i can write upon this   
sheet1 but it can not write upon itself4
 ,if it is written upon it is           
self-evident that a foreign power has   
done it4 ,so ,nature1 being the         
aggregate of everything1 can not move   
without the hand of a foreign power     
moving her4 ,i suppose you are now ready
 to ask1 ,is it not a scientific truth  
that matter is eternal8  ,reason4 ,yes1 
we are satisfied that matter is         
uncreated1 and hence eternal4 ,the idea 
that something was made of nothing might
 do for the dark ages1 but it will not  

stand the test now4 ,the penetrating eye
 of the scientist has exploded that     
dream4  ,christian4 ,i am glad to hear  
you speak thus with confidence1 and yet 
the sequel may show that you are the    
dreamer4 ,science1 falsely so called1   
has declared matter eternal4 ,true      
science contradicts this4 ,none of the  
processes of ,nature1 since the time    
when ,nature began1 have produced the   
slightest difference in the properties  
of any molecule4 ,we are therefore      
unable to ascribe either the existence  
of the molecules1 or the identity of    
their properties1 to the operation of   
any of the causes which we call natural4
 ,the quality of each molecule gives it 
the essential character of a            
manufactured article1 and precludes the 
idea of its being eternal and           
self-existent4--,prof4 ,clark ,maxwell1 
lectures delivered before the ,british  
,association1 at ,bradford1 in ,nature1 
vol4 #h1 p4 #dda4  ,prof4 ,maxwell is a 
star of first magnitude among ,british  

scientists2 he has made a specialty of  
molecular organizations4 ,no real       
scholar would dare to risk his standing 
by disputing the conclusion of ,prof4   
,maxwell4 ,an idea that is shut out by  
matter of fact discoveries will not be  
made the basis of an argument by any    
scholar who has not been taking a ,rip  
,van ,winkle sleep while the rest of the
 world has been advancing4 ,the great   
improvements resulting in the           
astonishing increase of power has       
enabled us to closely examine the       
smallest known particles of matter1     
molecules4 ,and under the best glasses1 
these give every possible indication of 
being a created1 or manufactured        
article4  ,thus1 the latest and most    
grand discoveries in this field of      
science do unequivocally confirm the    
declaration of ,moses in ,gen4 #b3 #c1  
where1 according to the ,hebrew in which
 he wrote1 speaking of the creation of  
all things1 he gives us this idea1      
,which ,god created to make4 ,see       

marginal reading1 ,gen4 #b3 #c4 ,hebrew 
scholars tell me this is the correct    
reading4 ,the word1 rendered1 and made1 
is in the infinitive mood1 and hence    
should read1 to make2 also1 that the    
word rendered1 created is the proper    
term by which to indicate the producing 
cause4 ,this1 then1 is the thought      
presented by both of our witnesses1     
i4e41 by ,moses and science4 ,moses says
 ,god created the material to make      
globes1 or worlds4 ,the material was    
molecular1 and science declares that    
every molecule gives every possible     
indication of being manufactured or     
created4 ,so1 true scientific           
discoveries have so completely          
vindicated the ,mosaic cosmogony that it
 leaves no chance for any1 outside of   
three classes1 to object4 ,for two of   
these classes ,i am not writing1 viz41  
the cowardly and the dishonest4 ,to do  
this would be casting pearls before     
swine4 ,but for the ignorant ,i send    
this on its mission4 ,read and digest4  

,in my next ,i will demonstrate the     
divine origin of language and religion4 
,till then1 farewell4     ,,infidels    
,,in ,a ,,logical ,,tornado4   ,there is
 nothing but matter4 ,matter is eternal4
 ,therefore all things are eternal4     
,does this have the right ring8 ,it must
 be so if infidel materialism be the    
true philosophy4 ,and if it is so we are
 all deceived2 for universal conscience1
 and universal language1 are both       
against it4  ,if there is anything that 
is not eternal there was a time when it 
began to be1 it was created in some way1
 intelligently or by accident4 ,if      
intelligently1 the ,bible idea is1 and  
must be correct4 ,if without an         
intelligence it was not1 and could not  
be by evolution1 for creation by        
evolution could not1 and can not be2    
because that which is not in a thing can
 not be evolved out of it1 unless you   
can get more out of a thing than there  
is in it2 which is absurd4 ,so evolution
 is a negation of the doctrine of a     

creation4 ,and the doctrine that there  
is nothing but matter1 and that matter  
is eternal1 is a denial of creation by  
intelligence or otherwise4 ,the infidel 
says1 life began to be2 for there was a 
time when there was no life4 ,but they  
say matter is eternal4 ,and life is not 
eternal4 ,therefore life is not matter4 
,gentlemen1 will you get away with this 
conclusion8 ,the opposite is equally    
fatal to the materialistic theory4      
,thus1 matter is eternal4 ,there is     
nothing but matter4 ,therefore life is  
eternal4 ,can you get this conclusion   
out of1 or away from logical deductions8
  ,but infidels say1 ,life is a property
 of certain elements of matter4 ,very   
well2 can you separate things and their 
properties8 ,can you get them so far    
apart as to hold the one                
class--things--to be eternal1 and the   
other class--properties--not8 ,your     
philosophy of spontaneous generation of 
life says1 ,yes1 yes1 there was a time  
when it began to be1 and it was         

spontaneously generated1 of course it   
was4 ,very well2 there is nothing but   
matter4 ,matter did not begin to be2 it 
is eternal4 ,life began to be1 therefore
 it is not matter2 otherwise it is      
eternal according to infidel logic1     
unless you take the position that life  
is nothing6  ,matter is eternal4  ,that 
which began to be is not eternal4  ,mind
 began to be2  ,therefore1 mind is not  
eternal4  ,very well2 let's look at it  
once more4  ,matter is eternal2 it did  
not begin to be4  ,mind is not eternal2 
it began to be2  ,therefore1 mind is not
 matter4  ,where1 gentlemen1 ,o where   
will you place mind8 is it also nothing8
  ,that which began to be was created4  
,life and mind1 both1 began to be2      
,therefore1 life and mind were created4 
,question4 ,were they the effects of an 
inadequate cause8 ,inanimate and        
unintelligent nature would not be an    
adequate cause4 ,did these do more than 
animated intelligence can do8 ,gentlemen
 of skeptical proclivities answer4  ,if 

so1 is this not evolution backwards8 ,is
 it not retrogression1 or development at
 the expense of the loss of power to    
rise to the plane of unintelligent mind 
and life evolving nature8 ,do you say1  
organic life does evolve organic life   
and mind4 ,from a state of death8       
,without antecedent life and mind being 
drawn upon8 ,come1 gentlemen2 how is    
this8 ,you say inanimate ,nature        
produced life and mind without the      
previous existence of either2 can you   
duplicate that feat with your power8 ,if
 you can't are you not below the        
inanimate ,nature which did it for the  
first time8 ,can inanimate forces do    
more than living intelligent ,nature8   
,do you say no6 ,then demonstrate the   
philosophy of spontaneous generation of 
life1 and show yourself ,a ,,god4  ,an  
effort to produce organic life without  
antecedent life1 or where it is not1 is 
an effort to create organic life4 ,the  
efforts of unbelievers to produce       
organic life by spontaneous generation1 

is an effort to produce organic life    
where it is not4 ,therefore the efforts 
of unbelievers to produce organic life1 
by spontaneous generation1 is an effort 
to create organic life4  ,an effort to  
create organic life where it is not is  
an effort to rise into the character of 
a ,god1 and show one's self the equal of
 ,god4 ,but why should this effort not  
be made8 ,if unintelligent dead matter  
has performed the feat1 without wisdom  
or design1 why should it not be         
performed by living intelligent ,nature8
 ,gentlemen1 demonstrate your theory4   
,do you say1 we have given up all hope  
of witnessing its demonstration8 ,well1 
well1 has any man ever witnessed it8    
,you say no4 ,then it is not certain    
knowledge4 ,science is certain          
knowledge4 ,therefore spontaneous       
generation of life and intelligent being
 is not science4 ,now1 gentlemen1 don't 
prostitute science at the shrine of your
 nonsensical guessing any more4 ,throw  
your guessing to one side and           

acknowledge ,god like wise men1 and be  
no longer foolish4  ,do you say life was
 always in matter8 ,then we must        
conclude that it is in matter in the    
same sense in which all other corporeal 
qualities are in bodies1 so as to be    
divisible together with it1 and some of 
it be in every part of the matter4 ,this
 is ancient ,hylozoism4  ,on the other  
hand1 the ,stoical ,atheists supposed   
there was one life only in the entire   
mass of matter1 after such a manner1 as 
that none of the parts of it by         
themselves should have any life of their
 own4 ,now1 according to this ,stoical  
theory1 life is no corporeal quality or 
form1 but an incorporeal substance4     
,there are1 really1 but two sorts of    
,atheism which have been in any thing   
like extensive notice4 ,first1 ,such as 
claim that life is essential to matter1 
and therefore ingenerable and           
incorruptible4 ,second1 ,those who claim
 that life and everything1 besides the  
bare substance of matter1 or extended   

bulk1 is merely accidental1 generable1  
or corruptible1 rising out of some      
mixture or modification of matter4 ,is  
life1 perception and understanding      
essential to matter1 as such8 ,is       
senseless matter perfectly wise1 without
 consciousness8 ,such is ,hylozoism1 and
 it is outrageous nonsense4 ,very few   
men ever had credulity enough to receive
 and appropriate it4 ,this form of      
,atheism was a forlorn and abandoned    
thing1 without form or systemization1   
for centuries gone by--and it has       
few--very few--votaries1 even now4 ,the 
second kind of ,atheism is that of a    
true notion of body1 that it is nothing 
but resisting bulk1 associated with     
atomic physiology1 which is an old      
theory resurrected of late1 and         
displayed anew1 with a show of deep     
philosophy and wisdom4 ,but that mind   
and understanding itself sprang from    
senseless nature and chance1 as a mere  
accident1 or from the unguided and      
undirected motions of matter1 is also   

nonsensical1 and utterly absurd4 ,were  
there infinite atoms in mutual          
encounters1 dashing and striking against
 each other8 ,did these atoms1 devoid of
 sense and life1 with their reflections 
and repurcussions1 their cohesions1     
implexions1 and entanglements1 their    
scattered dispersions and divulsions1   
produce life and intelligence8 ,if so1  
we will call it by the name of chance4  
,hear this1 ,o1 ye scientists1 there is 
but one choice1 and that is between ,god
 and chance6  ,the chance theory is that
 infinite atoms of various sizes and    
figures1 devoid of life and sense1      
moving fortuitously from eternity in    
infinite space1 and making successive   
encounters and various implexions and   
entanglements with one another1 produced
 first a confused chaos of these        
omnifarious particles or atoms1 which1  
jumbling together with infinite variety 
of motions by the tugging of their      
different and contrary forces1 hindered 
and restricted each other until1 by     

joint conspiracy1 they conglomerated    
into a vortex or vortexes1 where1 after 
many convulsions and evolutions1        
molitions and essays1 in which all      
manner of tricks were tried1 without    
design1 they chanced in length of time  
to settle into the form and system of   
things known as earth1 air and fire1    
sun1 moon and stars1 plants1 animals and
 men2 so that senseless atoms           
unconsciously moved themselves1 although
 dead as grains of sand1 and kept up the
 motion until1 without any living       
substance underlying1 and adequate to   
produce motion1 all things so           
beautifully arranged sprang into life   
and being4 ,o1 ye stars1 what is the    
magnitude of an infidel's credulity8    
,what is there which he can not believe8
 ,it is no longer to be set down that he
 is a reasonable man4 ,the fool saith in
 his heart there is no ,god4 ,there is a
 grand relation between the eternal     
spirit and that eternal substance which 
lies behind and underneath all that is1 

and that relation is the relation       
between the ,king ,eternal and that over
 which he presides and which he         
controls4 ,so out of nothing nothing    
comes4     ,,religious ,,hysteria1 ,,or 
,,getting ,,instantaneously ,,converted4
  ,,by ,,george ,,herbert ,,curteis1    
,m4,a41  ,late ,fellow and ,sub-,rector 
of ,exeter ,college1 ,principal of the  
,litchfield ,theological ,college1 and  
,prebendary of ,litchfield ,cathedral4  
,i fear it is impossible to deny1 that  
in the early part of the eighteenth     
century--amid the general coldness1     
languor1 and want of enthusiasm which   
characterized that effete epoch--the    
,church of ,england1 as well as all the 
dissenting bodies1 slumbered and slept4 
,at this epoch1 the ,puritans were      
buried1 and the ,methodists were not    
born4 ,the ,bishop of ,litchfield1 in a 
sermon delivered in #agbd1 said1 ,the   
,lord's ,day is now the ,devil's market 
day4 ,in ,litchfield ,cathedral ,library
 is a copy of ,dr4 ,balguy's ,sermons1  

delivered in #agdh1 containing on the   
fly-leaf an autograph remark by ,bishop 
,bloomfield4 ,it is in these words1 ,no 
,christianity here4 ,it is said of that 
period of time1 by a noted minister of  
the ,church of ,england1 that a dry     
rationalism had taken possession of the 
church1 and that all the powers of her  
best intellects were engaged in hot     
contests with ,deists and ,unitarians2  
that an equally dry morality and stoical
 praise of ,virtue formed the chief part
 of the exhortations from the pulpit4   
,it was just in these times that the    
causes of the reformation of ,john      
,wesley sprang into being4 ,seven       
biographies of ,john ,wesley have       
already been written1 and the subject   
seems far from being exhausted even yet4
 ,as usual in such cases it is the      
earlier publications which take the more
 sober view of his character and        
history2 while those of a later date    
surround their hero with a halo of      
extravagant admiration4 ,alexander      

,knox1 a personal friend of ,wesley's1  
thus writes of him3 ,how was he         
competent to form a religious polity so 
compact1 effective and permanent8 ,i can
 only express my firm conviction that he
 was totally incapable of preconceiving 
such a scheme4 99 99 99 99 ,that he had 
uncommon acuteness in fitting expedients
 to conjunctures is most certain2 this1 
in fact1 was his great talent4 7,letter 
appended to ,southey's ,third ,edition1 
#b1 p4 #dbh47 ,methodism1 at the first1 
sprang up simply as a revival4  ,half a 
century ago a distinguished ,wesleyan   
wrote as follows3 ,though ,methodism    
stands now in a different relation to   
the establishment than in the days of   
,mr4 ,wesley1 dissent has never been    
professed by the body--and for obvious  
reasons3 7#a7 ,a separation of a part of
 the society from the church has not    
arisen from the principles assumed by   
the professed ,dissenters1 and usually  
made so prominent in their discussions  
on the subject of establishments4 7#b7  

,a considerable number of our members   
are actually in the communion of the    
,church of ,england to this day4 7#c7   
,to leave that communion is not1 in any 
sense1 a condition of membership with   
us4 7,r4 ,watson's ,observations1 p4    
#aef47  ,what may we reasonably believe 
to be ,god's design in raising up the   
preachers called ,methodists8 ,not to   
form any new sect1 but to reform the    
nation1 particularly the church2 and to 
spread scriptural holiness over the     
land4 7,large ,minutes of ,conference1  
#agdd-hi1 ,qu4 #c47 ,in the same1 ,qu4  
#de1 we have this answer3 ,we are not   
seceders1 nor do we bear any resemblance
 to them4 ,we set out upon quite        
opposite principles4 ,southey says3     
,wesley had now proposed to himself a   
clear and determinate object4 ,he hoped 
to give a new impulse to the ,church of 
,england1 to awaken its dormant zeal1   
infuse life into a body where nothing   
but life was wanting1 and lead the way  
to the performance of duties which the  

church had scandalously neglected4      
7,southey's ,life1 p4 #aic1 ed4 ,bohn47 
,mr ,curties says3 ,a disastrous period 
of ,wesleyanism opened with ,john       
,wesley's voyage to ,america1 in #agce4 
,it was a mission nobly undertaken1 at  
the instance of ,dr4 ,burton1 of ,corpus
 ,college1 and of the celebrated mystic1
 ,william ,law2 and its purpose was     
twofold2 first1 that of ministering to  
the settlers in ,georgia1 and then of   
evangelizing the neighboring tribes of  
red ,indians4 7,southey's ,life1 p4     
#dg74 ,but its results were far         
different from those which either       
,wesley1 or those who wished him well1  
could have anticipated4 ,for not only   
were his services for the settlers      
rejected1 and his mission to the        
,indians a failure4 7,r4 ,watson's      
,life1 p4 #ch47 ,on his voyage out he   
had fallen in with twenty-six ,moravian 
fellow-passengers1 on their way from    
,germany to settle in ,georgia2 and they
 spoilt all4 ,on his as yet unsettled1  

enthusiastic1 self-dissatisfied frame of
 mind1 the spectacle of their confident1
 tranquil1 yet fervid piety1 fell like a
 spark on tinder4 ,he writes1 in his    
journal1 now first begun1 ',from friends
 in ,england ,i am awhile secluded2 but 
,god hath opened me a door into the     
whole ,moravian ,church4' ,here1 ,wesley
 learned1 and took in1 the doctrines of 
,peter ,bohler1 the ,moravian1 who      
taught thus3 ,first1 when a man has a   
living faith in ,christ1 then he is     
justified4 ,second1 this living faith is
 always given in a moment4 ,third1 in   
that moment he has peace with ,god4     
,fourth1 which he can not have without  
knowing he has it4 ,fifth1 and being    
born of ,god he sinneth not4 ,sixth1 and
 he can not have this deliverance from  
sin1 without knowing that he has it4    
7,southey's ,life1 p4 #aac47  ,such is  
the origin of the ,methodist tenet that 
there is a swift and royal road1 not    
only for some men1 but for all men1 by  
which the highest spiritual things may  

be reached at a bound4 ,under such an   
impression ,john ,wesley set about      
realizing an instantaneous and sensible 
conversion4 ,if a man under high mental 
excitement is looking for such a thing  
to occur1 something will take place     
sooner or later that will answer the    
expectation4 ,so1 on ,wednesday1 ,may   
#bd1 #agch1 about nine o'clock in the   
evening1 at a society's meeting in      
,aldersgate street1 ,wesley persuaded   
himself that he had felt the desired    
transition and had passed--from what1 to
 what8 ,in the answer to that question  
lies the whole doctrinal difference     
between modern ,methodism and the       
,church of ,england4 ,stevens1 in his   
history of ,methodism #a1 #ajh1 says1   
,methodism owes to ,moravianism special 
obligations3 7#a7 ,it introduced ,wesley
 into that regenerated spiritual life1  
the supremacy of which over all         
ecclesiasticism and dogmatism it was the
 appointed mission of ,methodism to     
reassert4 ,but a still stranger event   

occurred in ,john ,wesley's life1 which 
contributed still farther to darken and 
confuse his teaching at this critical   
period of his career4 ,he had been      
carried away by his love of the         
,moravians so far as to take a long     
journey1 and to visit the headquarters  
of their communion at ,hernhutt1 in     
,saxony4 ,there he had been an honored  
guest at the retreat which the          
enthusiast ,count ,zinzendorf had carved
 out of his estate for these hunted     
,bohemian followers of ,huss and        
,wickliff4 ,but he had returned home1   
after a brief residence among them1 as  
,luther returned from ,rome1 not a      
little shaken in his allegiance to their
 system4 ,indeed1 shortly afterwards he 
broke from them entirely2 set up a sort 
of ,english ,moravianism of his own1 and
 organized it with bands and            
class-meetings on the ,moravian model4  
,but his feelings as a churchman        
revolted against their                  
ultra-spiritualism2 repudiated their    

doctrine that sacraments and outward    
means were nothing1 and protested that a
 man must do something more than wait1  
in quietude1 until the influx of ,god's 
spirit came upon him1 and filled1 like a
 rising tide1 all the sluices and       
channels of his soul4 ,but no sooner had
 this unquiet soul emancipated itself   
from one foreign influence than it was  
warped out of its true course by        
another4 ,german mysticism had done its 
work on him1 and its doctrine of        
regeneration into ,god's kingdom by an  
interior convulsion of the mind had left
 its mark upon ,wesleyanism for all     
future time4 ,but just as this          
extravagance seemed likely to subside1  
and to be absorbed amid the healthier   
atmosphere of an ,english churchman's   
common sense1 most unhappily a strong   
breath of ,french fanaticism suddenly   
set across his path1 from quite another 
quarter4 ,and the singular phenomenon   
now presented itself of an epidemic     
religious-hysteria commingling with1 and

 emphasizing into lamentable            
extravagance1 all the most dangerous    
features of the ,methodist-,moravian    
doctrine about the new birth4 ,so       
wonderfully is all the world connected  
together6 99 99 99 99 99  ,these ,french
 convulsionists1 who had1 just before   
this time1 brought their curious mental 
malady with them into ,england1 were    
refugees from the atrocious dragonnades 
of ,louis the ,,xiv4 ,maddened by his   
abominable and relentless persecutions1 
deprived by his autocratic edicts of all
 that life held dear1 robbed of their   
children at the sweet age of seven years
 old1 broken on the wheel1 hunted among 
the mountains of the ,cevennes1         
beggared1 insulted1 tortured1           
massacred--what wonder that these poor  
,protestants lost the balance of their  
mental powers and engendered a          
hysterical disease8 ,the disease is 7,i 
believe71 under its strangely mutable   
forms1 well known to medical science1   
though science has never yet been able  

to probe all its mysterious depths4 ,its
 seat is1 apparently1 the great nervous 
ganglia of nutrition1 which lie in the  
center of the body1 and whose strange   
sympathetic action with and upon the    
brain has led to all the popular notions
 about the heart and neighboring organs 
being the seat of various impassioned   
feelings4 ,suffice it1 however1 at      
present1 to observe that the phenomena  
which this extraordinary and infectious 
disease presented had sufficed to cheer 
the faith and animate the ardor of the  
,calvinists in the ,cevennes against    
,rome4  ,the ,cevennes is a range of    
mountains in the south of ,france1      
divided into ,n4 and ,s4 99 99 a wild   
rugged country1 and the abode of many   
,protestants1 who here maintained       
themselves against the persecutions of  
their enemies4 7,see ,cavalier ,jean74  
,such1 in fact1 were the causes of the  
extasies or irregular inspirations2 the 
want of spiritual guides and schools1   
spoliation1 suffering1 liability to     

torture1 and constant apprehension of   
the galley or the gibbet1 the minds of  
these unfortunate creatures became      
excited4 99 99 99  ,this religious      
enthusiasm began in ,vivarais1 an old   
territory of ,france1 in ,languedoc1 on 
the ,rhone1 with the dragonnades and the
 revocation1 repeal of an edict1 about  
the year #afhf4  ,a practical proof of  
the morbific power of the emotions and  
passions is found in the frequent       
occurrence of psychopathitis in times   
when all the elements of social life are
 in a state of fermentation4 ,in and    
after revolutions sudden changes of     
fortune produce a thousand cases of     
mental disorder4  ,the very same disease
 broke out among the ,romanists         
themselves1 at ,port ,royal1 in #agbi4  
,in the previous century it had thrown  
whole nunneries near ,bordeaux into wild
 confusion4 ,in the sixteenth century it
 was known in ,italy as the ,dancing    
,mania1 or ,tarantism4 ,at the close of 
the fifteenth century ,tarantism had    

spread beyond the borders of ,apulia4 99
 99 99 ,the number of those affected by 
it increased beyond all belief4         
,inquisitive females joined the throng  
and caught the disease from the mental  
poison which they eagerly received      
through the eye4 99 99 99 ,foreigners of
 every color and race were1 in like     
manner1 affected by it4 ,neither youth  
nor age afforded any protection2 so that
 even old men of ninety threw aside     
their crutches1 and joined the most     
extravagant dancers4 99 99 99           
,subordinate nervous attacks were much  
more frequent during the seventeenth    
century1 than at any former period4     
7,hecker1 ,epidemics of the ,middle     
,ages1 pp4 #ajg-aae1 ,engl4 ,trans47    
,during the ,middle ,ages it appeared in
 ,germany4 ,it was a convulsion1 which  
in the most extraordinary manner        
infuriated the human frame2 99 99 99 and
 was propogated by the sight of the     
sufferers4 ,they continued dancing1 for 
hours together1 in wild delirium1 until 

at length they fell to the ground in a  
state of exhaustion4 ,they then         
complained of extreme oppression1 and   
groaned as if in the agonies of death4  
99 99 99 ,they were haunted by visions1 
and some of them afterwards asserted    
that they had felt as if immersed in a  
stream of blood1 which obliged them to  
leap so high4 ,george ,fox1 ,journal #a1
 p4 #ajj3 ,the word of the ,lord came to
 me again4 99 99 99 ,so ,i went up and  
down the streets crying1 ,woe to the    
bloody city1 ,lichfield6 ,and there     
seemed to me to be a channel of blood   
running down the streets1 and the       
market-place appeared like a pool of    
blood4 ,in ,germany it was called ,st4  
,john's or ,st4 ,vitus's dance4 ,and    
long before its first appearance in that
 precise form1 in #acgd1 it had1 no     
doubt1 been the real secret of the      
bacchanalian orgies among the ,greeks1  
and of the frantic1 dervish-like        
gestures and cuttings with knives and   
lancets which we read of among ,asiatic 

races4 ,in our own day and country      
7thank ,god7 these extraordinary and    
degrading spectacles are scarcely to be 
seen4  ,but the disease still lurks     
among the superstitious ,christians of  
,tigre in ,abyssinia2 in ,siberia2 among
 the revivalists of ,ireland and        
,america2 and 7in a very mild form71    
among the ignorant ,welsh               
,methodists1--who are on this account   
popularly called ,jumpers4 ,now it so   
happened that these poor hysterical     
,french refugees had arrived in great   
numbers in ,london1 and had also visited
 ,bristol1 shortly before the critical  
year #agci1--when the excitable ,george 
,whitfield landed from ,america1 and    
,john ,wesley returned home from        
,germany4 ,men's thoughts were then full
 of the 7so called7 ,french prophets4 ,a
 new religious enthusiasm was floating  
in the atmosphere1 and it only needed   
the impulse of some exciting preaching1 
and the mental tension which is always  
produced among expectant and heated     

crowds1 to generate infallibly an       
outbreak of this unaccountable and      
infectious malady4 ,such an occasion    
soon presented itself4 ,in ,february1   
#agci1 ,whitfield1 for the first time1  
preached in the open air1 at ,kingswood1
 near his native place1 ,bristol1 to the
 wild and lawless colliers of the then  
,black ,country of ,england4 ,in the    
,may following he persuaded ,john       
,wesley to join him there1 and to       
imitate his example4 ,and then1 for the 
first time1 religious hysteria began to 
manifest itself in ,england4 ,men and   
women of all ages fell down in          
convulsions1 and cried aloud for mercy4 
,and honest ,john ,wesley said1 ,i am   
persuaded that it is the devil tearing  
them as they are coming to              
,christ4--,wesley's ,journals4          
,,things ,,hard ,,to ,,believe4  ,,by   
,d4,h4 ,,patterson4   ,for myself ,i    
still live and doubt4 ,you know ,i can't
 believe everything4 ,there are so many 
things hard to believe--,i can't see    

them4  ,so wrote an honest1 intelligent 
young man1 who was standing on the verge
 of infidelity4 ,nor is he alone in his 
doubts4 ,many persons will not accept   
the ,bible on account of its mysteries  
or miracles4 ,to doubt seems to be as   
natural as to believe4 ,sir ,wm4        
,hamilton says3 ,philosophers have been 
unanimous in making doubt the first step
 in philosophy4 ,when ,paul says1 ,prove
 all things1 he tells us doubt a thing  
until it is tested4 ,to doubt is not    
necessarily a fault1 but to continue in 
doubt is blameworthy4 ,if we are        
doubtful about a thing it is our duty as
 intelligent beings to examine the      
testimony concerning it1 and so end our 
doubt4 ,but shall we reject a thing     
because it is hard to believe8 ,if the  
,bible had nothing in it hard to        
comprehend we would not be likely to    
accept it as divine in its origin2      
because the mind that comprehends a     
matter is no more limited1 in regard to 
that matter1 than the mind that         

conceived it4 ,consequently1 if we could
 comprehend everything in the ,bible    
there would be no divinity of infinite  
attributes about it to contrast with the
 limited powers of human nature4 ,its   
miracles are proof of its divine origin4
  ,if you leave the ,bible1 to what will
 you go8 ,are all things hard to believe
 in the ,bible8 ,does a man's believing 
power rest upon flowery beds of ease in 
the teaching of infidelity8 ,in the     
so-called realms of free-thought is     
there nothing hard to believe8 ,will it 
no more be said that--    ,not a truth  
has to art or to science been given1    
,but brows have ached for it1 and souls 
toiled and striven8  ,rejecting the     
,bible1 you must either accept ,deism or
 ,atheism4 ,deism admits the existence  
of a ,god of infinite power and         
intelligence4 ,a ,deist need have no    
trouble in believing a miracle4 ,the    
question with him is not1 can ,god work 
miracles1 and thereby reveal himself to 
man1 but has he done it4 ,reason teaches

 us that intelligent design             
characterizes every act of ,god4 ,which 
theory ascribes the more intelligence to
 ,god--the ,deist's or the ,christian's8
  ,it is universally conceded that man  
has a worshiping nature4 ,this is       
evinced by the almost universal idolatry
 of past ages4 ,would an act of wisdom  
reveal to man the true object of        
worship8 ,man has a conscience which    
smites him for his wrong doing1 and     
approves him for his well doing4 ,would 
wisdom and love tell him what is right8 
,or would such attributes allow him to  
remain in ignorance of his duties8 ,man 
has a desire for eternal life2 would    
,deity prepare a place of happiness for 
him and not reveal the fact to him1 that
 he might better prepare for it1 and    
enjoy the hope of it8 ,man has a desire 
for the knowledge of his origin1 and for
 a knowledge of the attributes of his   
,god2 would an intelligent being create 
him with these desires and refuse to    
gratify them8  ,surely there are some   

things in ,deism hard to believe4 ,deism
 allows that man has in his nature this 
empty bucket1 which is not to be filled 
during his stay in this world1 if it    
shall ever be6 ,nor are these all the   
hard things which ,deists ask me to     
believe4 ,he wishes me to believe that  
the history of the ,nazarene is         
legendary1 that he was a fanatical      
enthusiast4 ,some ,deists have refused  
to believe so hard a thing as this4     
,yet ,i am asked to believe1 in addition
 to this1 that he1 ,christ1 has become1 
as ,renan says1 the corner-stone of     
humanity so entirely1 that to tear his  
name from the world would be to rend it 
to its foundations4 ,i am asked1 also1  
to believe1 with ,renan1 the prince of  
,deists1 that1 ,whatever may be the     
surprises of the future1 ,jesus will    
never be surpassed4 ,his worship will   
grow young without ceasing2 his legend  
will call forth tears without end2 his  
sufferings will melt the noblest hearts2
 all ages will proclaim that among the  

sons of men there is none born greater  
than ,jesus4 ,i am asked1 with this same
 ,renan1 to place the person of ,jesus  
on the highest summit of human grandeur4
 ,is it not hard to believe all this    
about ,jesus1 and at the same time      
believe that he gave to the world a     
false religion8 ,truly there are many   
things hard to believe--,i can't see    
them6  ,i can not believe that the      
passion of an hallucinated woman gave to
 the world a resurrected ,god4 ,i can   
not believe that his legend was the     
fruit of a great1 altogether spontaneous
 conspiracy4 ,a conspiracy implies      
conspirators2 and ,i can not believe    
that the apostles were such outrageous  
fools as to make a conspiracy1 and work 
so zealously in it1 and cling so firmly 
to it1 when it promised nothing but     
stripes1 imprisonments1 hunger1         
nakedness1 and death4 ,neither can ,i   
believe that these unlearned ,galilean  
fishermen had the ability in themselves 
to concoct a conspiracy that would1 and 

did1 deceive nearly the whole civilized 
world4 ,nor can ,i believe that an      
ignorant1 deluded ,nazarene founded a   
religion that has held the attention of 
the thoughtful of all ages4 ,he that    
refuses to believe the ,gospel of ,jesus
 ,christ1 along with the claims of the  
,bible1 has many more and greater       
difficulties in accounting for the      
existence of ,christianity4 ,it is here1
 and its existence is the greatest      
miracle man has ever witnessed4 ,to deny
 its divinity only increases its        
wonderfulness4 ,we can not have an      
effect without an adequate cause4 ,it is
 hard to believe that humanity is an    
adequate cause of ,christianity4 ,for   
eighteen centuries it has been living   
and acting2 persecuted by enemies       
without1 and torn and betrayed by       
enemies within2 oppressed by government1
 and corrupted by ,popes and priests2   
shorn of its grandeur and glory by      
paganism2 its spirituality crippled by  
stripes and animosities2 its fervid love

 and deep piety replaced1 to a great    
extent1 by policy2 its rites and        
ceremonies changed by councils2 yet1 it 
continues a monumental proof of the     
divinity of its glorious founder4       
,rescued from the wreck of the ,dark    
,ages by ,luther and others1 it commends
 itself more and more to every          
reflecting mind as the only living      
religion of the present and future4     
,deliver me from the credulity that     
believes that such a wonderful          
soul-redeeming institution had its      
origin in the passion of a crazy woman  
or the conspiracy of a few ignorant     
fishermen4     ,,the ,,result ,,of      
,,ignorance1 ,,as ,,viewed ,,from ,,the 
,,skeptic',s ,,standpoint4   ,a singular
 forgetfulness is sometimes noticeable  
in quarters where one would least expect
 it2 that the education of an immature  
mind1 and the prosecution of a          
scientific inquiry1 are two perfectly   
distinct things2 that the former        
requires faith1 the latter skepticism2  

and that while the former is the work of
 the church1 the latter is the work of  
individuals4 ,thus the ,duke of         
,somerset goes to church1 and finds an  
ignorant generation reposed in a        
paradise of illusions1 while its more   
learned and thoughtful progeny is       
excruciated with doubt4 ,in vain        
preachers now exhort to faith4 99 99 99 
,the ,protestant oftentimes takes up his
 open ,bible2 he wishes to believe2 he  
tries to believe4 99 99 99 ,all these   
efforts avail nothing4 ,christian       
,theology and ,modern ,skepticism1      
#ahgb1 p4 #add4  ,the ,duke and the     
,protestant are simply trying to do two 
things at once2 and1 naturally1         
,professor ,huxley is tempted in the    
same direction4 ,lay ,sermons1 p4 #ba4  
,but then he is keen enough to suspect  
some absurdity in the position1 and     
honestly proclaims that the army of     
liberal thought is1 at present1 in very 
loose order2 and many a spirited        
freethinker makes use of his freedom    

mainly to vent nonsense4 ,lay ,sermons1 
p4 #fi4  ,according to the above        
quotations1 if it is wise to be         
skeptical1 to be ignorant is bliss4     
,give me a paradise of illusions2 let me
 repose in them2 if ,i am disappointed  
in the end ,i shall fare as well as the 
skeptic1 with this difference1 that in  
case there is any hereafter1 ,i shall   
know that in my ignorance ,i lived a    
life of blessedness with reference to   
the now experienced eternity2 while1 in 
case there is no hereafter for us1 we   
shall just be equal4 ,again ,i repeat   
it1 let me have the side where ,i take  
no risks when viewed from the skeptic's 
standpoint1 and where ,i can repose in a
 paradise of illusions1 in preference to
 the skeptic's excruciating doubt4  ,but
 we shall not be disappointed4 ,neither 
are we necessarily a generation of      
immature minds4 ,we are willing as a    
whole to compare with non-church going  
people as a whole4 ,and we are further  
conceded to be the happiest people in   

the world1 unless you can find a people 
happier than those who repose in a      
paradise of mental illusions4 ,yes6 ,but
 we shall find in the end that it was   
neither ignorance nor illusion1 but the 
wisdom of the wise4 ,let us continue    
thus1 to live4     ,,evolution4  ,,what 
,,do ,,evolutionists ,,teach8           
,,dedicated ,,to ,c4,f41 ,,danville1    
,,ind4   ,many scientists who reject    
religion put on an air of superiority   
that is repulsive4 ,if you call their   
speculations in question you at once    
receive credit for being an uneducated  
fool1 a worshiper of the ,bible4  ,mr4  
,huxley advises theologians to let      
science alone4 ,wonderful advice6 ,do   
such men let religion alone8 ,they can't
 agree among themselves1 not even in    
their advice to theologians4 ,and they  
ask more of religionists than they are  
willing to give4 ,dr4 ,lionel ,beale1 an
 ,english physiologist has written a    
volume of three hundred and eighty pages
 to prove that the phenomena of life1   

instinct and intellect1 are not         
referable to the blind forces of nature4
 ,he avows his belief that mind governs 
matter2 that a never-changing1          
all-seeing1 power-directing and         
matter-guiding ,omnipotence presides    
over all things4 ,he also avows faith in
 the miracles underlying ,christianity4 
,but ,prof4 ,huxley says1 there is      
overwhelming and crushing evidence that 
no event has ever occurred on this earth
 which was not the effect of natural    
causes1 meaning thereby physical causes4
 ,the factor of a divine intelligence he
 sets aside as of no consequence4 ,his  
words are1 the doctrine that belief in a
 personal ,god is necessary to any      
religion1 worthy of the name1 is a mere 
matter of opinion4  ,tyndall1 ,carpenter
 and ,henry ,thompson teach that prayer 
is superstitious absurdity4 ,herbert    
,spencer is regarded by infidels as the 
great philosopher1 and he labors to     
prove that there can not be a personal  
,god1 or human spirit or self2 that     

moral laws are simply generalizations of
 utility1 or1 as ,carl ,vogt would have 
us believe1 that self-respect1 and not  
the will of ,god1 is the basis and law  
of moral obligation4 ,and ,mr4 ,haeckel 
would have us believe that a few        
monistic materialists are the only men  
entitled to a hearing upon the question 
of ,evolution4 ,so he excludes all true 
and intelligent ,christians1 for they   
are not and can not be monistic         
materialists4  ,his words are1 ,it is   
only a select few1 therefore1 of learned
 and philosophical monistic materialists
 who are entitled to be heard on        
questions of the highest moment to every
 individual man1 and to human society4  
,but just what the man means by the     
highest moment we are anxious to know1  
as he is the most blank negative of     
religion that we can conceive4 ,when he 
attempts to answer the religious        
objections to evolution1 or1 as he terms
 it1 the descendence theory1 he         
unceremoniously dismisses them as       

beneath his notice1 giving his only     
argument1 viz43 ,all faith is           
superstition4 ,he disposes of the       
objections drawn from first1 or         
intuitive truths1 by a simple denial of 
their existence1 asserting that all our 
knowledge is from our senses4 ,the      
objection that so many noted naturalists
 reject evolution1 as it is advocated by
 himself and others1 he considers at    
some length4 ,he says1 first1 ,many have
 grown old in another way of thinking   
and can not be expected to change4      
,second1 ,many are collectors of facts1 
without studying their relations1 or1   
they are destitute of the genius for    
generalization1 and so1 can not rear the
 building4 ,others1 again1 are          
specialists4 ,he says ,it is not enough 
that a man should be versed in one      
department1 he must be at home in all1  
in ,botany1 ,zoology1 ,comparative      
,anatomy1 ,biology1 ,geology and        
,paleontology4 ,he must be able to      
survey the whole field4 ,his next1 and  

mainly1 is the statement that           
naturalists are generally lamentably    
deficient in philosophical culture and  
spirit4 ,he says ,the immovable edifice 
of the true monistic science1 or what is
 the same thing1 natural science1 can   
only arise through the most intimate    
interaction and mutual interpretation of
 philosophy and observation4 7,see      
,philosophie and ,empirie1 pp4          
#fch-fda47  ,this statement alone should
 stir up all ,deists to a consideration 
of their teaching touching the          
sufficiency of the ,book of ,nature2 for
 if it be true1 then we must expect some
 other revelation1 or be left to the    
conclusion that the ,great ,father has  
left his creatures in a great measure in
 a state of helplessness1 unless ,mr4   
,haeckel1 or some other man like        
himself1 can show us that the ,great    
,spirit intended that he1 and others    
like him1 should do our thinking for us1
 seeing that we are incapable through   
mental deficiency1 of raising the       

edifice1 and seeing that1 ,mr4 ,huxley  
advises us poor 787 theologians to let  
it alone4 ,and ,mr4 ,haeckel himself    
would not allow that any man is entitled
 to a hearing until he comprehends      
,biology1 ,botany1 ,comparative         
,anatomy1 ,zoology1 ,geology and        
,paleontology4 ,ho6 evolutionists1      
ninety-nine out of every hundred of you1
 get out6 ,you have no right to speak on
 the subject2 otherwise1 ,haeckel is one
 of the foolish men1 and talks without  
understanding himself4 ,you must be at  
home in all those sciences1 and         
emancipate yourselves from all religious
 beliefs before you have a right to be  
heard upon the grave question of        
evolution from an ancestral moneron2 for
 you are incapable of comprehending your
 own monistic--materialistic origin4    
,for1 according to ,haeckel1 before a   
man is entitled to be heard he must     
renounce all faith in ,god1 in the      
,bible1 in the human spirit1 and in the 
future life4 ,mr4 ,haeckel knows a great

 deal8 ,well1 there are some very       
weighty men in this world8 ,but1 when   
they are in the east1 our planet does   
not tip up in the west8 ,we ,christians 
have no right to be heard8 ,mr4 ,huxley 
advises us to keep our mouths shut 7874 
,well1 that is grand8 ,it correllates so
 beautifully with free thought and free 
speech4  ,one evolutionist is all the   
time spreading himself about the        
preachers of religion knowing nothing in
 science1 and another is saying to them1
 let science alone1 and another says you
 can't rear the building if you try2 you
 don't know enough4 ,what a grand       
harmony there is just here8 ,we         
theologians would advise natural        
selection to be present with such       
instructors as thus advise us1 and      
continue with them long enough1 at      
least1 to reject the worst from the     
school and give us a blessing in the    
survival of the fittest1 for we would   
like to know our duty4 ,so much for     
liberalism and broad principles4        

,monistic materialism1 according to     
,haeckel1 finds its primeval parent in a
 moneron1 a creature of one substance1  
and that a semi-albuminous fluid4 ,now1 
it would be very interesting to know    
just how all the different substances1  
in all the creatures of this earth1 got 
in1 in order to get out1 for involution 
lies behind evolution4 ,but then1 we    
theologians have no right to be heard8  
are not entitled to be heard8 and1      
besides this1 ,mr4 ,haeckel has set     
aside intuitive1 or first truths1 and1  
as all axiomatic truths are of this     
class1 perhaps it is wrong for us to    
bother you with our logic8 ,nevertheless
 we can't refrain from speaking our     
piece2 we are advocates of free thought 
and free speech4  ,it must be conceded  
that there was a time when life and     
organisms began to exist upon our       
planet4 ,from whence did they come1 and 
how8 ,the high-priest of ,germany1 who  
claims to be entitled to a hearing1     
says1 by spontaneous generation they    

first appeared in the monera4 ,his words
 are these1 ,only such homogeneous      
organizations as are yet not            
differentiated and are similar to the   
inorganic crystals in being             
homogeneously composed of one single    
substance1 could arise by spontaneous   
generation1 and could become the        
primeval parents of all other organisms4
 ,such is ,haeckel's germ of life4  ,did
 it always exist8 ,is a moneron an      
eternal life germ8 ,no4 ,neither        
,haeckel or ,darwin advocates such a    
foolish idea2 nor yet the idea of       
life-germs always existing4 ,life-germs 
are material organisms1 and they may be 
alive or dead2 for we know there is no  
period in the history of a living       
organism when it is not liable to die4  
,spontaneous generation does not        
correlate with the idea that life-germs 
always existed4 ,and it is also opposed 
to the ,christian idea that all life is 
from ,god1 the eternal1 ever-living     
spirit4 ,so we ,christians say1 there is

 no life without antecedent life4 ,if   
men prefer to deify life-germs1 of      
course that is their business1 but we   
have no disposition to accept a         
distinction without a difference1       
excepting the sacrifice of our common   
sense4 ,it is more rational to believe  
in an ever-living intelligence as the   
source of all life1 intelligence and    
moral nature4 ,did an eternal life-germ 
evolve all the forms of organic life    
known upon our earth8 ,the eternal      
life-germ idea of materialistic         
philosophy represents no evolutionists  
of any note whatever4 ,i know of one    
gentlemen only1 at the present writing1 
that it represents4 ,haeckel says1 ,we  
can1 therefore1 from these general      
outlines of the inorganic history of the
 earth's crust deduce the important     
fact1 that at a certain definite time   
life had its beginning on our earth1 and
 that terrestrial organisms did not     
exist from eternity1 but at a certain   
period came into existence for the first

 time4  ,the godless advocates of       
spontaneous generation thus allow that  
life in its first appearance was without
 antecedent life2 and so more was       
produced by the blind forces than was in
 nature to be evolved4 ,tell me how that
 was done1 and ,i will tell you how to  
create something out of nothing4        
,haeckel says1 ,all the different forms 
of organisms which people are usually   
inclined to look upon as the products of
 creative power acting for a definite   
purpose1 we1 according to the theory of 
selection1 can conceive as the necessary
 productions of natural selection1      
working without a purpose4--,history of 
,creation1 ,vol4 #a1 pp4 #agf-cbg4 ,he  
says1 ,we have before this become       
acquainted with the simplest of all     
species of organisms in the monera1     
whose entire bodies when completely     
developed consist of nothing but a      
semi-fluid albuminous lump2 they are    
organisms which are of the utmost       
importance for the theory of the first  

origin of life4--,history of ,creation1 
,vol4 #a1 p4 #ccj4  ,here we part with  
our friends of the ,haeckel school4     
,they maintain that there was life      
without antecedent life1 and so get more
 out of dead atoms than was in them1    
which is equal to something made of     
nothing4 ,mr4 ,darwin1 being apprised of
 this difficulty1 claimed a miraculous  
origin for the first form1 or forms1 of 
life1 but retired the ,creator at once  
upon the great achievement1 leaving all 
to be evolved from these first forms by 
and through natural agencies1 denying   
even design in nature4 ,mr4 ,buckner1 a 
bold advocate of the spontaneous        
generation of life1 who has published   
two volumes on ,darwinism1 says         
,darwin's views are the most thoroughly 
naturalistic that can be imagined1 and  
far more atheistic than those of his    
predecessor1 ,lamark1 who admitted1 at  
least1 a general law of progress and    
development2 whereas1 according to      
,darwin1 the whole development is due to

 the gradual summation of innumerable   
minute and accidental operations4 ,it is
 admitted that the doctrine of evolution
 of species from other and entirely     
different species is a mere hypothesis1 
an opinion1 or guess4  ,what have we to 
gain by the adoption of this unknown    
factor in the vegetable and animal      
kingdoms8 ,answer1 nothing but          
irreligion2 a world of godless infidels 
tearing afresh the wounds that death has
 made1 and restoring to the grave its   
victory over the human heart4 ,renan1 in
 his recent lectures talks about the    
torture consequent upon the             
disappointment in his efforts to attain 
to the unattainable2 and ,strauss said  
the sense of abandonment is at first    
something awful4 ,this is the           
inheritance that the tenet of evolution 
leaves to all infidels in their last    
extremity4     ,,when ,,should          
,,children ,,become ,,church ,,members8 
,we have looked with great anxiety upon 
the efforts being put forth in our      

,sunday-schools1 believing that they    
would result in bringing intelligent    
,christians from the extremes into which
 they have fallen by means of the       
controversy going on upon the subject of
 infant church membership2 but it seems 
that there is great need of some one to 
speak out against the old1 fossilized   
ideas touching this subject4 ,and at the
 risk of being faulted we shall say our 
piece4 ,first1 ,the ,apostle ,john      
addresses a class of ,christians which  
he terms little children1 classifying   
them in contradistinction from young men
 and fathers4 ,he says1 ,i write unto   
you1 little children1 because your sins 
are forgiven you for his name's sake4   
,this class included neither young men  
nor fathers1 for ,john addresses young  
men and fathers as separate and distinct
 classes4  ,jesus also recognized this  
class of disciples by saying1 ,better   
were it for a man that a mill-stone be  
hanged about his neck1 and he be drowned
 in the depths of the sea than for him  

to offend one of these little ones which
 believe in me4--,matt4 #ah4  ,second1  
,the gospel of ,christ undoubtedly      
reaches the lowest capacity of          
responsible creatures1 and just where   
the ability to believe in ,christ and   
commence a ,christian life comes in1    
there responsibility comes in1 whether  
that be at eight1 ten1 or any other year
 in the child's history4 ,we can not    
conceive of a sinner in youth without a 
,savior provided1 nor of a sinner in    
childhood without the gospel privilege  
of becoming a member of the body of     
,christ4  ,fathers and mothers1 where   
are your children8 ,are they reading    
novels between ,sundays1 and all other  
kinds of literature8 ,are they believing
 this1 that1 and the other story1 which 
they read8  ,are they old enough and    
wise enough to know what is wrong8 ,do  
they know what is right8 ,have you      
taught them8 ,if you have1 that settles 
one important question1 viz43 are they  
teachable8 ,if they are not1 of course  

you have not taught them4 ,well1 teach  
them the knowledge of our ,lord just as 
soon as you can1 as soon as they are    
teachable1 and then point them to the   
,savior of men1 for they are then old   
enough and wise enough to become        
,christians4 ,the gospel of the blessed 
,savior is so loaded down with divine   
mercy that it simplifies its            
requirements to faith in the ,lord      
,jesus ,christ and obedience to his     
will4 ,but ability measures             
responsibility1 and where ability begins
 responsibility begins1 and as ability  
increases responsibility also increases4
  ,i am1 and have been1 for many years1 
satisfied that a great and grievous     
wrong exists on both sides of the       
question of infant church membership4   
,first1 no one can be a member of the   
body of ,christ who is incapable of     
enjoying spiritual union with ,christ   
through faith and submission to his     
will1 for he that is joined to the ,lord
 is one spirit4 ,so membership in the   

body of ,christ is1 so far as           
unteachable babes are concerned1 a      
misnomer4 ,on the other side1 the       
neglect to teach children when they are 
teachable1 and to instruct them to come 
to ,christ in their childhood1 when they
 can come in faith1 is a great and      
grievous wrong4 ,will not all our       
brethren speak out upon this subject8   
,brethren1 let us have no laziness here6
 ,where a soul finds condemnation there 
the gospel finds it4     ,,our          
,,indebtedness ,,to ,,the ,,jews4   ,it 
is the business of mind to follow facts 
and mark their results4 ,the ,jewish    
nation had an existence prior to the    
,augustan or ,athenian age1 and was far 
ahead of either in civilization and     
morality4 ,the ,jewish people have often
 been reprobated1 as a people almost    
without literature1 art and             
civilization1 but we are persuaded that 
it is base ingratitude upon the part of 
any scholar living in a civilized land  
to speak of that ancient family thus in 

terms of reproach4 ,what are the        
scriptures of the ,old and ,new         
,testaments but ,hebrew productions8 ,it
 certainly corresponds with infidelity  
to speak contemptuously of the people   
who1 more than all others1 were under   
the influence of those scriptures for   
ages in the past1 and who were the      
chosen people through whom they were to 
be given to the world of mankind4 ,the  
,hieroglyphics of ,egypt1 and the       
,classics of ,greece1 are perishable    
monuments constructed in memory of      
intelligence and civilization1 when     
compared with the undying influence of  
the ,bible upon the hearts of the       
millions who resort to it to find their 
way through life4 ,for one edition of   
the classics we have had ten thousand   
,bibles4 ,why is this8  ,men of the     
profoundest wisdom have investigated the
 claims of the ,bible upon the attention
 of the literary and scientific1 upon   
the attention of the moral and civil in 
every nation4 ,they tell us that its    

morality and theology are far superior  
to the teachings of any and all of the  
ancient teachings of the greatest known 
philosophers1 and that the writings of  
those philosophers are much inferior to 
those of ,moses and the prophets4 ,the  
poetry and philosophy of the ,hebrews1  
as presented in the ,bible1 surpasses   
,homer and ,aristotle4 ,and their       
independent religion1 existing amidst   
the heathenism of the surrounding pagan 
nations1 was the only religion          
calculated1 by virtue of its one ,god to
 worship1 to unite the human family in  
one great brotherhood4 ,it is conceded  
upon all sides that the ,bible is the   
most remarkable book that the world ever
 read4 ,how base and unjust is it1      
therefore1 to be speaking reproachfully 
of the ,hebrews as a nation4 ,we should 
remember them with great kindness for   
the inestimable treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge handed to the people of the   
ages through them4 ,to them the whole   
,christian world is indebted for its    

morality and civilization4 ,even ,thomas
 ,paine got his notions of civil        
government from the ,pentateuch4 ,if you
 doubt this read his work entitled      
,common ,sense1 and you will doubt it no
 more4  ,jewish writings and ,american  
life and character are very intimately  
blended1 and we can not separate them   
without being guilty of great injustice4
 ,if ,british1 ,scottish1 ,roman1       
,saxon1 ,danish and ,norman blood runs  
through our veins1 our minds have been  
cast in a ,hebrew mould4 ,to this cause 
we owe the most of our greatness as a   
nation4     ,,the ,,second ,,five       
,,points ,,in ,,calvinism1 ,,with ,,two 
,,other ,,fives4   ,some one has        
submitted the second five points in     
,calvinism4 ,here they are3  ,first--,if
 you seek religion you can't find it4   
,second--,if you find it you don't know 
it4  ,third--,if you know it you haven't
 got it4  ,fourth--,if you have got it  
you can't lose it4  ,fifth--,if you lose
 it you never had it4    --,virginia    

,missionary4   ,,the ,,five ,,points    
,,of ,,methodism4  ,first--,god is able 
to give religion to all the world4      
,second--,if you seek it you can find   
it4  ,third--,if you find it you are    
sure to know it4  ,fourth--,if you don't
 know it1 you haven't got it4           
,fifth--,if you lose it you can easily  
find it4   ,,five ,,points ,,in ,,the   
,,religion ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ        
,first--,the gospel is the embodiment of
 the religion of ,jesus ,christ4        
,second--,god gave it as a system of    
good news1 to the whole human family4   
,third--,if you lay hold upon it by     
faith you have it4  ,fourth--,if you    
have it1 and will obey it in your every 
day life1 you will enjoy it4            
,fifth--,if you don't enjoy it1 it is   
because you don't obey it4              
,,benjamin ,,franklin',s ,,epitaph ,,as 
,,the ,,exponent ,,of ,,his ,,faith4    
,copy1 from the ,virginia ,missionary of
 ,august #abth1 #ahhj4   ,a             
correspondent of the ,inter-,ocean not  

long since sent the following comment   
upon ,ingersoll's claim that ,benjamin  
,franklin was an infidel3  ,as ,col4    
,ingersoll appears to be trying to      
appropriate our old and esteemed friend1
 ,benjamin ,franklin1 as a recruit for  
his infidel doctrine1 let me call his   
attention1 through your widely          
circulated journal1 to the following    
epitaph1 written by himself for himself3
             ',the body of              
,benjamin ,franklin1                    
,printer1      ,lies here food for      
worms1    ,like the cover of an old     
book1   ,its contents torn out and      
stripped      ,of its lettering and     
gilding2               ,but it will     
7,as he believed7            ,appear    
again1 in a          ,new and more      
beautiful          ,edition1 corrected  
and               ,amended by           
,,the ,,author4'     ,,honesty1 ,,or    
,,the ,,inner-,,self4   ,i have thought 
that the inner-self upon the surface    
both in words and actions is necessary  

to the existence of an honest man4 ,the 
conclusion forces itself upon me in such
 a manner that ,i can not forbear       
expressing it1 and yet1 if this be true1
 how few are strictly honest4 ,but it is
 not intended that this conclusion shall
 be applied beyond its proper limits2   
that is to say1 to those elements of    
thought which should1 in righteousness1 
be kept forever in the heart4 ,but it is
 intended that the remark shall be      
applied to all that is said and done4   
,the surface man should always find his 
prototype1 or counterpart1 in the       
inner-self1 otherwise there is a want of
 harmony between the outer and the      
inner-self4 ,this want of harmony is    
dishonesty2 so dishonesty is always     
hypocrisy4 ,there is much more hypocrisy
 in the world than men are accustomed to
 think4  ,what an immense distance there
 is between the inner and the outer     
self4 ,the distance is not always       
measured1 for men often keep much in    
their hearts that is not known by       

others1 and which they themselves do not
 counterfeit4 ,in this we can not charge
 them with necessary dishonesty4 ,men   
may be dishonest in keeping a secret1   
but keeping a secret is not necessarily 
dishonesty4 ,the distance between the   
heart1 the inner-self and the           
outward-man1 is very great1 even as     
respects the secrets of the heart which 
may be honestly kept as secrets1 and it 
is certainly very great as respects     
those secrets2 which should not be kept 
as secrets4  ,it is a fact1 so well     
known in our time that we need not argue
 the question4 ,there is a great deal of
 religion in the human heart which is   
latent until some misfortune1 that      
brings a man to a sense of his need of  
help from a higher source1 brings it to 
the surface4  ,it is true of dishonest  
men1 who try to stultify their religious
 nature1 and make the world believe that
 they are genuine1 honest infidels4 ,i  
very much doubt the honesty of every    
infidel known in our history4           

,transcriber's ,note  ,the punctuation  
and spelling from the original text have
 been faithfully preserved4 ,only       
obvious typographical errors have been  
corrected4