material from the ,google ,print project47 ,scientific and ,religious ,journal4 ,,vol4 #a4 ,,october1 #ahhj4 ,,no4 #aj4 ,,law ,,and ,,atonement4 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 and it shall not die4 ,the first quotation1 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 is often produced in support of the scholastic idea that the law of ,god was inexorable1 that is absolute or unconditional1 not to be moved or its penalty escaped by reformation or petition4 ,the language of the text is very definite1 and1 when viewed aside from its context as an inexorable law1 it certainly follows that every sinning soul must pay its penalty4 ,neither can ,i see how it can be satisfied by punishing an innocent person in the room of the guilty1 for the innocent one was not the soul that sinned4 ,yet this quality of law is claimed in order to make out the theory of a vicarious punishment endured by the ,savior1 that is1 that ,he took the sinner's law place4 ,this idea was necessitated by the theory that we all sinned when ,adam transgressed1 and lost all ability to do anything for ourselves4 ,so we must be redeemed by satisfaction to justice1 rather than by mercy4 ,this old ,calvinistic system of error lays the penalty of the inexorable law upon ,christ4 ,but ,calvinists are not alone in this theory of a vicarious punishment1 in order to a vicarious atonement4 ,neither are they alone in the abuse of the phrase the law1 for our ,sabbatarian friends are constantly asserting that the law of ,god was1 and is1 simply the ten commandments given1 they say1 to ,adam in ,eden1 and authoritatively published on ,sinai4 ,they assert that all the balance of the five books of ,moses was his law1 written by him1 but the record justifies us in saying1 that the ten precepts were not the tenth part of the words given to ,moses upon ,sinai2 neither were they all the words that were written upon the tables of stone4 ,the tables begin with the sixth verse of the fifth chapter of the book of ,deuteronomy1 in these words1 ,i am the ,lord thy ,god which brought thee out of the land of ,egypt1 from the house of bondage1 and end with the twenty-first verse4 ,but as the sixth verse is fatal to the ,sabbatarian theory it is clipped off along with the fifteenth verse1 which is cut out of the middle of the matter written upon the tables1 and both are gravely divorced from ,god and handed over to ,moses4 ,both1 however1 are in perfect harmony with the second and third verses1 which read thus3 ,the ,lord our ,god made a covenant with us in ,horeb4 ,the ,lord made not this covenant with our fathers1 but with us1 even us1 who are all of us here alive this day4 ,that the sixth and fifteenth verses were upon the tables of stone is evident from the reading of the twenty-second verse1 which reads thus3 ,these words the ,lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire1 of the cloud1 and of the thick darkness1 with a great voice4 ,and ,he wrote them in two tables of stone1 and delivered them unto you4 ,many persons who claim that the import of the term die1 in the sentence ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 was experienced by the ,savior upon the cross dying as a substitute in the law-place of sinners1 overlook several things of first importance4 ,first1 infants were not included in the provisions of a vicarious punishment and atonement unless it can be shown that they sinned--were sinners4 ,second1 no innocent person can justly suffer in the law-place of the guilty4 ,in all such cases justice is dishonored and law violated1 for just law limits its penalties to the guilty4 ,our salvation is not of the law1 but by grace or favor4 ,law had nothing to do with the death of ,christ4 ,he1 ,,by ,,the ,,grace ,,of ,,god1 tasted death for every man4 ,if it be of the law it is not of grace4 ,again1 the simple sentence1 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 never was the law of ,god in any age1 but simply a fraction of the law4 ,did ,christ ever sin8 ,no6 ,then ,he never honored this law1 or satisfied its penalty by dying2 for if1 as our friends say1 the inexorable quality of the law will forever hold the guilty to its claims1 it will forever keep the innocent from its penalty4 ,but ,i aver that the inexorable quality that is claimed for the law of ,god never belonged to it4 ,no1 not even to the simple sentence1 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die4 ,the ,lord authorizes us to supply the condition in every instance where it is not expressed1 thus3 ,when ,i shall say unto the wicked1 thou shalt surely die2 if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right2 if the wicked restore the pledge1 give again that he had robbed1 walk in the statutes of life1 without committing iniquity1 he shall surely live1 he shall not die4 ,so the prophet gives us the second quotation at the head of this article1 ,shall not die4 ,it would be just as proper to make this last scrap of the law inexorable as its opposite4 ,such teachings do violence to the truth by overlooking the merciful provisions that are found in the laws of ,god1 by holding inexorable law before us as a streak of justice clothed with black vengeance4 ,the gospel of ,jesus ,christ knows no law in connection with ,christians1 or any others1 except1 first1 the laws of nature4 ,secondly1 the laws of the state or government in which we reside4 ,third1 the law of ,christ4 ,we are under law to ,christ in common with all men1 for the ,father had put all things under ,him4 ,we were never under the law given to ,adam4 ,we were not in the garden of ,eden4 ,we believe with ,paul that the first offense in the history of mankind was the offense of one1 that it was one that sinned1 that by one man's offense death reigned1 that it was one man's disobedience4 ,when men talk to me as an individual1 and of my relations to law1 sin and death1 ,i wish them to recollect that ,i was never in the garden of ,eden4 ,so ,i claim an alibi4 ,adam sinned thousands of years before ,i1 as a man1 had my existence2 and as it is true that1 where there is no law there is no transgression1 so it is equally true that1 where the man is not1 he does not transgress4 ,i was not in the garden of ,eden1 so there ,i did not sin4 ,but we are told that the ,father of mercies1 by a decree of law1 imputed ,adam's offense to all his children1 and that he1 by the vicarious punishment endured by the ,savior1 took ,adam's offense off from ,adam's children4 ,admit it1 and three things follow3 ,first1 we did not sin in fact when ,adam sinned4 ,second1 from ,adam to ,christ all the innocents upon earth were sinners by the arbitrary decree of ,jehovah4 ,third1 the ,father put this decree-load of guilt upon an innocent one1 and executed the real penalty upon him4 ,how is this8 ,suppose a legislative body legislates a man a murderer because his great great grand-father killed a man1 should it not also legislate him free from the penalty of murder and never in cruel injustice inflict it upon him or any other innocent one simply as a satisfaction to justice8 ,law ought to always place us where we are in fact1 otherwise it is detestably unjust4 ,why should any sensible man attribute such dealings to the ,father of ,spirits8 ,the fallacy of such teaching is seen in the fact that the penalty of the ,adamic law was executed in the day of the transgression1 and not nine hundred nor thousands of years afterwards4 ,the phrase1 ,dying thou shalt die does not help the case1 for the phrase ,in the day limits the penalty as respects the time of its fulfillment4 ,adam lost citizen life in the ,garden of ,eden in the very day of his offense4 ,the full penalty was executed when he was driven out4 ,physical death was an after result1 growing out of the fact that ,adam's posterity was unborn when he was driven from his ,eden home4 ,the ,lord did not say to ,adam1 in the day thou eatest thereof you shall die and not live again1 if he had the way of redemption would have been forever closed against him4 ,adam's first sons appear before us with a law of faith1 embracing typical and sacrificial duties1 through which they were brought into the way of life with reference to an ultimate arrival at the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of ,god4 ,this law of faith was given to ,adam's family outside of the ,garden2 and the law of ,sinai was not given to ,adam1 nor to his immediate posterity1 for in that case ,cain would have been put to death for killing his brother ,abel4 ,it was given to ,abraham's family after the exodus from ,egypt4 ,it was a political law1 because it pertained to a community4 ,next in order follows the law of ,christ4 ,beside these we know of no revealed law1 excepting those of which we have spoken4 ,so this vicarious punishment system of things1 with all its consequences1 rests upon a something that men call the inexorable law of ,god1 which a man can not find in the annals of creation1 providence or redemption4 ,the prophet1 in the language of our quotation1 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 is grappling with the system of things which we are endeavoring to overthrow4 ,the children of ,israel fell into the sentiments of our modern ,calvinists1 and claimed that ,the fathers had eaten sour grapes1 and the children's teeth were set on edge4 ,by this proverb they understood that the son was to bear the iniquity of the father4 ,the ,lord rebuked them in the language of our topic1 and more severely in the context4 ,see ,ezekiel1 eighteenth chapter4 ,the ,lord said to them1 ,behold1 all souls are mine4 99 99 99 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die4 ,the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father1 neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son4 ,the prophet also describes a righteous man1 and then adds1 ,if he begets a son that is a robber1 a shedder of blood1 and that doth the like to any one of these things1 and doth none of the duties of a righteous life1 he shall surely die4 ,we would naturally conclude that this vile person would transmit moral depravity1 if such was possible1 but how can moral corruption be transmitted through physical generation8 ,let some of the wise crack this shell6 ,if ,i was passing around through the little city of ,kokomo to-morrow1 and was talking upon this theme1 ,i would hear some one accuse some poor soul of being a natural born thief1 without the ability to refrain from it4 ,there is neither morality nor immorality1 vice nor virtue in an involuntary act4 ,are the rushings of the ,wild ,cat river moral or immoral8 ,if a man could be a natural thief1 and therefore could not help but steal1 he would be no more a sinner in the sight of ,god1 nor responsible1 nor morally corrupt than the horse that breaks into your cornfield and fills himself4 ,in the saying1 ,if the wicked will turn1 etc41 he shall surely live1 he shall not die1 we discover two important things3 ,first1 the death spoken of is not physical1 for all die1 regardless of character2 second1 it is not moral1 for the poor fellow is already morally dead--dead in trespasses and in sin4 ,the term die being used in the divine law with reference to the government of ,god1 and under such circumstances as already mentioned1 must indicate simply the forfeiture of citizen life in the paradise of ,god1 in the world to come1 for it is said of the wicked1 ,they have no inheritance in the kingdom of ,god and of ,christ4 ,but if ,christ took their law-place1 and was punished in their stead1 satisfied justice1 of course it was done1 and then universal salvation1 regardless of character1 and upon simple legal merits1 must obtain1 because this theory rests upon the hypothesis that sinners could do nothing for themselves4 ,but is it true that the atonement was completed upon the cross or by the death of ,christ only8 ,i answer1 he was victim upon the cross and high priest by the power of an endless life4 ,priest by the word of the oath which was subsequent to the law4 ,he was not a priest while he was a victim in death4 ,in ancient times the victim was slain and its blood was taken into the holy place1 then the high priest officiated in the holy place4 ,but the priest never entered without blood4 ,so ,christ1 by his own blood1 entered into ,heaven itself1 now to appear in the presence of ,god for us4 ,but all this releases us not in the least from our own obligations to ,god and our humanity4 ,the ,savior came to our earth to give us1 first1 his life1 in order that we might make it our own2 second1 his divine mind concerning us and our expectations2 third to ratify the same by his death2 fourth to give us an assurance of a resurrection from the dead1 and of a future judgment4 ,for the first it is said that he consecrated for us a new and living way through the veil1 that is to say through his flesh1 into the holiest4 ,for the second we have simply the gift of a second will4 ,he took away the first that he might establish the second1 by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of ,christ4 ,for the third it is said that ,the ,new ,testament was dedicated not without blood4 ,for the fourth it is said that ,he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained1 whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead4 ,so every one of us shall give an account of himself to ,god1 and receive according to his own works and not the works of another4 ,one question1 and only one1 will be of interest to me in the judgment1 and that is this1 how have ,i lived8 ,what are the deeds which were done in my body8 ,the ,lord once said of a wicked city3 ,though ,noah1 ,job and ,daniel were in it they should save none but themselves by their righteousness4 ,but we are told that the righteousness of ,christ was the only satisfaction2 that he1 dying in our law-place1 paid the debt4 ,then ,i am released4 ,let the debt be what it may1 ,i can't be held to give satisfaction4 ,but we were always anxious to know what we were released from4 ,was it physical death8 ,no2 we must die4 ,was it death in sin8 ,no2 there is no getting out of that without reformation and pardon4 ,vicarious punishment6 ,what is it8 ,what was it that ,christ suffered in the sinners' law-place8 ,it could not be the everlasting punishment threatened in the ,scriptures1 for the ,savior was only about three hours upon the cross4 ,and if the ,savior paid the debt1 why is it that sinners are to pay it themselves unless they repent8 ,but there is still another grave objection to the theory4 ,it is this1 ,it declares that there is no forgiveness with ,god4 ,he can't forgive when ,christ paid the debt4 ,can you forgive a debt that is paid8 ,is it possible for such a thing to take place8 ,one writer has called this old theory the ,redeemer's glory2 but if it be his glory it is the ,father's dishonor4 ,elder ,stockell gives the theory the very imposing title1 ,the ,redeemer's ,glory ,unveiled4 ,but look at the following from page #aeg of his work thus entitled3 ,in a strict and proper sense the infinite ,god doth not forgive sin2 for it is readily granted by all who are sound in the faith that ,jesus ,christ hath given full satisfaction to divine justice for all sin1 and hath fully paid the debt of his church4 ,and if ,christ hath satisfied the justice of ,god for all the sins of his people1 how then can it justly1 or with propriety of speech1 be said that ,god pardoneth our sins and transgressions8 ,sure ,i am that debt can never be forgiven which is paid4 ,others1 who are not so wise1 or1 it may be1 so frank1 refuse to allow the logical consequences of the doctrine of vicarious sufferings4 ,this theory represents mercy as always stultified until ,christ satisfied justice4 ,imagine the ,savior upon the cross1 innocent1 suffering by sheer necessity of justice in the sinners' law-place4 ,justice is standing off to the right and ,mercy is a short distance to the left4 ,poor ,mercy6 ,she says1 ,i always felt stultified up to this hour1 for ,justice was always dissatisfied and frowning4 ,justice responds1 ,true2 but just now ,i am being satisfied4 ,i have always asked for this4 ,so from this time forward ,i shall be in a smiling mood4 ,now we can unite and let the guilty ones go free1 for ,i have wreaked my vengeance upon the innocent one4 ,just now the poor skeptic with common sense says1 ,hold6 ,does not the law say ',it is the soul that sinneth that shall die8' ,did ,i not hear you say that you had wreaked your vengeance upon the innocent one8 ,justice and mercy both draw a veil over their faces and respond through the advocates of this system of things1 ,without controversy1 great is the mystery of godliness4 ,the poor skeptic of common sense retires muttering to himself something like this1 ,well1 if such is the mystery of godliness1 ,i pray that ,i may never fall into her hands4 ,just now he is accosted by a preacher1 who says to him1 ,look there upon that ,roman cross4 ,don't you see that sinless one8 ,he is spotless1 pure and lovely4 ,he never sinned1 neither was guile found in ,his mouth1 yet ,he was accounted guilty of all the sins of the whole human family1 at least ,he suffered the full penalty enacted against all the sins of all the race1 and satisfied justice4 ,common-sense skeptic says3 ,who required that8 ,who counted him guilty of the whole8 ,who8 ,the preacher responds1 ,god and ,his justice--yes1 ,his justice4 ,justice1 you know1 had to be satisfied1 for ,god ,himself could not forgive a man until the debt was paid4 ,do you see8 ,common-sense skeptic turns away disgusted1 and as he walks off he is heard to say1 ,farewell1 to all of you6 ,who can blame men who never heard any thing better for being unbelievers8 ,when ,jehovah proclaimed ,his name1 ,he said ,the ,lord1 the ,lord ,god1 merciful and gracious1 long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth1 keeping mercy for thousands1 forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin4 ,this must be admitted by all intelligent ,christians4 ,mercy was never stultified4 ,there was in all the dispensations of ,god's providence free and unstultified mercy4 ,the infinite ,one was never unable to forgive sins2 neither was ,he laid under the necessity of punishing the innocent in the room of the guilty4 ,no1 ,he never did it4 ,his justice never required it1 and it is too mean to ascribe it to ,him4 ,his laws in all the dispensations were conditional1 contained merciful provisions4 ,now1 let us fear ,god and keep ,his commandments1 for this is the whole duty of man4 ,the great thought of pardon through the abundant goodness of ,god runs through all the ages1 but substitution1 in the sense of vicarious punishment1 does not4 ,it is not taught even in connection with dying animals1 for the blood of animals could not take away sins4 ,again1 the soul that sinneth it shall die1 but animals were not sinning souls1 so that scrap of revealed law could not be honored in the death of a goat4 ,there is nothing in the history of the ages to necessitate the idea that justice could not allow the free exercise of mercy towards the penitent sinner1 or that ,god's wrath must be appeased1 or ,he made propitious by means of blood4 ,he was propitious1 and therefore ordered the use of blood for wise and benevolent purposes4 ,the use of blood is related to ,his mercy as effect is to cause1 and not as cause to effect4 ,the mercy and goodness of ,god was always complete1 full and unrestrained by all external causes1 except the moral and virtuous qualities of their object4 ,by the grace of ,god ,jesus tasted death for every man4 ,he did not go to the cross because law or justice required it1 but because ,he loved the race4 ,he came from heaven to earth and volunteered the cross as a commendation or demonstration of the divine love for man4 ,the authority of law is never associated with the cross or death of ,christ4 ,for this great love for man1 manifested even in his death1 ,he gained the throne of ,lordship1 where ,he exercises himself as the ,savior of men and as ,lord over all4 ,will you obey ,him and live8 ,,the ,,simplicity ,,of ,,the ,,science ,,of ,,mind4 ,our sphere of research is simplified by dividing its objects into matter and mind1 so as to have but two centers of thought4 ,many have concluded that the address of matter to our senses has made it easy to pursue knowledge respecting bodies1 while the invisibility of mind presents insurmountable difficulties1 but this conclusion is scarcely supported by facts4 ,if men have erred with reference to their own intellects1 they have also made many and egregious blunders concerning matter and its qualities4 ,we think the study of mind is just as easy as the study of matter4 ,here a man has nothing to do but look into himself4 ,with my mind ,i think1 reason1 reflect1 remember1 hate1 love1 grieve1 rejoice1 imagine1 contrive1 invent and will1 and this very mind is conscious of all these operations2 so in this study there ought to be no mistake4 ,we lay it down as a truth of first importance1 that all minds are alike4 ,as gold is gold1 so mind is mind1 throughout the universe4 ,my mind is myself1 which ,i carry with me everywhere2 it is my own personality from which ,i can never part4 ,it is the individual ,walker4 ,individual is defined thus3 ,an object which is1 in the strict and primary sense1 one1 and can not be logically divided4 ,an individual is not absolutely indivisible1 but that which can not be divided without losing its name and distinctive qualities4 ,individuality1 like personal identity1 belongs properly to intelligences4 ,consciousness reveals it to us that no being can be put in our place nor confounded with us1 nor we with others4 ,i am one and indivisible4 ,you can not amputate any of the faculties of the mind4 ,it is a mind which no one dissects or divides4 ,we are assured that we are the offspring of ,god4 ,paul says this truth had been promulgated by one of the ,athenian poets1 and it was so correct that ,heaven's seal was placed upon it4 ,being the offspring of ,god we are essentially like our ,great ,father ,spirit1 for it is one of the laws of ,god that the child or descendant shall always be like its progenitor2 not like him in body1 for ,god is a spirit4 ,a spirit hath not flesh and bone4 ,we are therefore like ,him in spirit4 ,being the offspring of the divine intelligence declares the nature of that intelligence1 just as the stream declares the nature of the water in the fountain which feeds it4 ,as the fountain is the antecedent of the stream1 so ,god is the antecedent of life and intelligence1 from whom all spirits came1 and to whom all spirits must return4 ,our studies in respect of mind are wonderfully simplified when we recollect that in ourselves we see all other men1 spirit or mind being in its essence and attributes essentially the same2 but the fountain is always greater than the stream1 so ,god is more wise and powerful than any of his offspring4 ,but as each perfect sunbeam1 however small or weak1 has all the essential properties of light1 and each grain of pure silver all the properties of that metal1 so mind1 as the living offspring of the divine mind1 is in the likeness and image of ,god4 ,this branch of study becomes remarkably simple when we reflect that in ourselves we see all men and women1 angels and demons1 and even ,god himself4 ,the whole universe of mind is reflected in that inner-man mirror which we call ourself4 ,we have guarded this subject by the language1 the essential attributes of mind4 ,by this qualifier we wish it understood that mind1 like body1 has its accidental or acquired qualities4 ,vice1 virtue1 folly1 wisdom1 malignity and benevolence are not essential to mind1 but like the accidents of matter known as roughness or smoothness1 softness1 hardness1 blackness1 etc41 are merely qualities or attributes of its conduct4 ,vice is vicious action and virtue is virtuous action4 ,but action arises from will and will from thought4 ,all minds are free agents1 being vicious or virtuous from their own choice4 ,there is as much piety1 morality or immorality in the flowing of the ,wabash river as there is in involuntary action4 ,so ability to choose is the great factor of morality1 virtue1 immorality1 and vice4 ,in scientific investigations lying in the realm of the physical there are countless objects to engage our thoughts1 but here we have but one1 and we always carry it about with us and are continually using it4 ,our consciousness is to all the operations of our spirits what seeing1 touching1 hearing1 tasting and smelling is to surrounding bodies4 ,it enables us to examine all the minds in the universe4 ,would you like to have an organ which would enable you to see spirits8 ,in your consciousness you have a faculty superior to all the five senses put together4 ,in our consciousness we see and feel ourselves1 and in so doing we see not only the minds of others1 but our great ,father himself4 ,we can not tell what instincts are in the bee1 or what sagacity is in a spaniel1 because we are neither spaniels nor bees1 but we are of a more noble race4 ,we are in possession of minds or spirits1 and consequently identified with all minds or spirits1 so the science of mind1 or psychology1 is the knowledge of ourselves4 ,christianity1 as a spiritual system1 takes us and all its votaries into this intellectual temple1 where we may certainly know ,god through a correct knowledge of self4 ,in this temple we have a sample of the spirits of men1 angels and demons1 and over all1 an example of the spirit we worship4 ,these invisible intelligences are the wonderful agencies through which good and evil are effected4 ,natural laws are only the rules by which the great ,father ,spirit acts4 ,laws are rules by which agents act1 and they always imply agents4 ,men of olden times are often spoken of as great metaphysicians4 ,who has not heard of ,homer1 ,herodotus1 ,pindar1 ,demosthenes1 ,aristotle1 ,plato and many others4 ,but those ancient men1 here as in physics1 dealt so much in fancy that they were not disposed to enter into the simple examination of their own minds or spirits4 ,entangled in the doctrines of chance1 fate and destiny they robbed the ,creator of the sceptre of the universe4 ,they placed ,jove1 their supreme deity1 under a decree that he could not change2 confessed that he could not1 in many instances1 help them when he desired to do so4 ,the greatest hindrances to progress among them were their failures to know the true character of ,jove1 or their want of a correct knowledge of ,god1 and the distinction between mind and matter4 ,they failed to separate between the two4 ,their gods were continually in an abominable quarrel about some interest that involved human welfare1 and for that very reason their theory of mind was nothing but a confused mass of childish stories4 ,they had no starting point from which to reason4 ,they1 failing to separate between mind and matter1 were led into endless theories about what they denominated the animal and intellectual soul4 ,the idea of one of their own poets that we are ,god's offspring was of no avail1 in science1 to them1 because they neither knew themselves nor their gods4 ,we are1 therefore1 indebted to the ,bible for our superior knowledge in the science of mind4 ,if the ,gospel had never reached us we would have been as great dreamers in mental science as the mystics of ,india4 ,the doctrine of one ,creator1 who is a perfect spirit1 and the father of our spirits1 and that he presides over all nature for the good of the whole2 that matter is inert1 and moves not unless as it is moved2 that all life and force is in mind or spirit2 that all spirits are free agents1 and act from choice2 that all spirits have the same essential attributes2 and that man is of the divine genos kind or sort1 and1 as an intellectual being1 is therefore in the image of ,god1 has simplified and extended our researches in the science of mind1 and based them on reason and common sense as well as revelation4 ,from such considerations the doctrine of universal brotherhood has proceeded along with the equal1 civil1 political and religious rights of all mankind4 ,the ultimate fruit of all is the abolition of oppression and slavery throughout the world1 and the desire to see all men elevated to their proper rank as intellectual and moral beings4 ,thus our views of ,god and nature1 of mind and matter1 are of immense practical value to our race4 ,do you say mind or spirit does not belong as a real factor to science8 ,well1 we are astonished6 ,science is correct1 or certain knowledge arising from a deep and rational inquiry into the object or subject of investigation4 ,the question therefore comes back again1 have we any knowledge of mind8 ,this is to ask1 whether consciousness is knowledge6 ,the term comes from the ,latin con1 which signifies together1 and scio1 ,i know1 and is used to convey the idea that we know the thing altogether1 that is1 have perfect or full knowledge4 ,it is the mind's testimony concerning itself4 ,now1 if ,i can become acquainted with external and material objects through my senses1 certainly my consciousness of my own mental operations is1 and must be1 more certain and self-evident4 ,in judging1 reasoning1 reflecting1 choosing1 desiring1 remembering1 loving1 hating and hoping1 along with all other operations of mind1 ,i must know the operation intimately1 perfectly and altogether4 ,if ,i am reflecting1 ,i know it1 and this consciousness is science1 is certain knowledge1 is the very thing from which no man can escape so long as he is a rational being4 ,here is my individuality1 my personality1 in that which is the indivisible unit of my nature1 from which ,i can not emigrate1 and one attribute of which ,i can not amputate--the ,i6 ,the thief may escape from justice1 but he can not escape from the dishonest wretch--himself4 ,the murderer in ,america may flee to ,england or ,france1 but through conscious memory he is1 and will forever be1 compelled to keep company with the murderous villain4 ,he has this consciousness and will keep it through eternity1 even though he should be pardoned4 ,here1 then1 is certain knowledge1 more than seeing1 hearing1 or any other sense belonging to the physical1 for it is the conscious knowledge of that which sees and hears1 and which reaches out through the senses and connects itself with the objective4 ,it is therefore certain that1 in case there is no such thing as mental science1 there is no such thing as science at all1 in all the realm of the universe2 because the mind1 in the act of knowing1 knows itself or is conscious of its own operations1 otherwise it could know nothing whatever1 could not be mind4 ,have we not the most certain evidence of the existence of mind8 ,is light a certain evidence that there is light1 or a source of light8 ,is not reasoning a proof that there is something which reasons8 ,can there be light without a cause8 ,can there be invention without an inventive being8 ,the mind is like a telescope in this respect1 that it shows itself in showing that about which it is occupied4 ,the man who is content to believe what he sees1 hears1 tastes1 smells and feels1 is only a sensuous believer--an animal1 and not a man4 ,reason's glory is that it perceives the invisible4 ,,our ,,indebtedness ,,to ,,revelation--,no4 ,,iv4 ,,by ,p4,t4 ,,russell4 ,,language ,,and ,,religion1 ,,from ,,whence8 ,there are conditions under which circumstantial evidence is the best possible testimony4 ,these conditions are found inseparably connected with our present subject4 ,that men now possess the same powers of body and mind that they always manifested is disputed by no intelligent individual4 ,those powers have been1 through all the ages1 precisely the same both in number and kind4 ,has the history of humanity furnished a single case in which a person1 perfectly deaf during all his life1 had the ability to speak words8 ,such is unknown in the history of the past1 and also in the records of the present4 ,history is as blank at this point1 as a barren oasis4 ,all the other faculties are as perfect with the deaf as they are with those whose hearing is perfect4 ,their inventive genius is equally vigorous2 this being true1 why should the defect of the ear deprive them of the power of speech8 ,will the ,deist answer this question8 ,mr4 ,skeptic1 as you are in the same difficulty with the ,deist1 you may help him if you choose4 ,if you are1 as you pretend1 free and fearless thinkers1 give us your thoughts upon this question4 ,if you are cowardly1 then stand off and sneer at the question which you dare not try to answer4 ,the facts developed at this point ought to be remembered1 and the question1 why can the deaf1 described1 never talk8 ought to be pressed home to every heart4 ,,mathematics ,,will ,,aid ,,us ,,here4 ,when we see a constant increase in the number of persons or things in an undeviating ratio1 with the aid of mathematics we can pass back to the first of the series1 to the first man living at the base of the human series4 ,ever remember that there can not be a series without a unit lying at its base4 ,why do the life-long deaf never talk8 ,you answer3 ,all ,adam's children learn to talk by hearing others talk1 and as those deaf ones never heard1 so they never learned to talk4 ,very well4 ,the first man1 at the beginning of the series of humanity1 had no powers or faculties which his descendants do not possess1 and as they all have been under the necessity of learning to talk by hearing others talk1 will you unbelievers and skeptics tell us1 if you can1 how that first man became a talker8 ,can the life-long deaf talk as well as those whose ears are perfect8 ,no4 ,well1 then1 the difficulty rests upon you4 ,that you may remember it1 ,i will repeat it once more1 it is this3 who did the first man hear in order to learn the talker's trade8 ,,where ,,did ,,language ,,come ,,from8 ,do you tell us that society made language8 ,then society must be older than language1 for the maker is always1 of necessity1 older than the thing made4 ,but without language there could be no interchange of ideas1 and without this society could not exist4 ,where there is no intelligent communication of ideas we never think of society4 ,society does not exist where there is no intelligent communication of ideas between persons4 ,the trees in the grove are never spoken of as a society4 ,they are not and can not be in the social state4 ,neither are the brutes around us4 ,man is the only being upon earth capable of becoming a constituent element or part of society4 ,mr4 ,blair says1 in his lectures on ,belleslettres1 ,it would be extremely difficult to conceive how society could exist without language4 ,now1 as society can not exist without language1 it is certain that society could not be the author of language1 for the author must be older than his production4 ,but ,mr4 ,blair springs another difficulty4 ,it is in these words3 ,it would be equally difficult to conceive how language could exist without society4 ,a moment's reflection will satisfy all reasonable persons that language can not exist without society1 and that which can not exist without the other can not be the maker--author--of the other1 for the maker must be older than the thing made4 ,then1 as neither of these could exist without the other1 neither could be the author of the other4 ,so language and society are both effects1 and their cause is outside of or antecedent to both1 for every effect has an antecedent cause4 ,,who1 ,,or ,,what1 ,,is ,,that ,,cause8 ,first1 it must have existed before man4 ,second1 it must have possessed the powers of speech2 and1 therefore1 must have been an intelligence4 ,we have already seen this in our reflections upon the fact that the life-long deaf1 who are deprived of hearing words spoken1 are always dumb2 so man1 if he had never heard words spoken1 would have remained dumb4 ,he that created the ear1 could ,he not hear8 ,did ,he not know what ,he was doing8 ,he that arranged the vocal powers of man1 could ,he not speak8 ,is there no evidence of an intelligent authorship here8 ,he who not only created but also endowed man with all ,his noble and ,god-like attributes1 would ,he not delight in visiting man and talking with him and learning him the art of speech8 ,did man not have the privilege of learning to talk8 ,did he not hear and learn from the ancient of days--from his great author8 ,is it not unreasonable to suppose that the author of man's being took no delight in him8 ,without this the first man could never have commanded the use of words4 ,here we have the ,arriere pensee clue1 that is1 the clue in mental reservation2 and here we meet the axiom4 ,the clear is the true1 and the ,ariadne1 the clue that leads us out of the labyrinth4 ,language at the first must have been specific4 ,this1 in the nature of the case1 must have been true2 that is1 each and every word must have been used in such a manner as to convey a certain definite idea4 ,as we have already seen how mathematics aid us in passing back to the first man1 so we can easily see how to reach an approximate idea of his mental condition4 ,physiologically1 he might have been a full developed athlete1 but in mentality1 like the helpless infant4 ,he is at the first uneducated4 ,true1 he possesses powers of mind1 but they are inactive4 ,no thought has passed through his mind to wake him up4 ,he opens his eyes and immediately he thinks1 he hears1 and thought is increased4 ,he is connected with the objective world of things by means of the five senses1 and his mind goes to work upon these4 ,his thoughts are all his own2 he himself thought them2 they were within his reach4 ,he saw and heard1 but his thoughts1 like yours and mine1 did not go beyond his perceivings4 ,yes1 he wakes up and hears a rustling sound in the air just above his head2 looking up he discovers a pair of the birds of ,paradise flying over him2 they light on the branch of a tree near by4 ,these were the first things seen2 he saw them in the morning of the first day of his life4 ,he looks and looks1 and thinks these birds are older than himself1 for he remembers having seen them at the moment of the first consciousness4 ,the question possible came up1 ,whence came they1 and all the other things which ,i now see and hear8 ,were they always here8 ,no answer is found4 ,his curiosity is aroused2 his reason is perplexed2 he would be puzzled4 ,he now reaches for thoughts too high for him2 neither bird1 beast1 nor any other part of all creation can give the light he seeks4 ,whichever way he turns he receives no answer2 he is bewildered2 he is now anxious for light and ready to receive it4 ,man has found his extremity1 and this is ,god's opportunity4 ,he visits man and talks to him1 and man1 hearing the speech of his ,creator1 learns to talk4 ,he is now able to ask for the solution of the perplexing problem of the ages1 ,from whence came all these beautiful and useful things with which ,i am surrounded8 ,did they come of themselves1 or did somebody make and arrange them8 ,here the ,lord drives away all his troubles1 simply saying3 ,i created all these things2 the earth and the heavens1 and all that is in them1 the sun1 moon and the stars also1 and ,i now place you here in this beautiful ,eden1 earth1 to dress and keep it4 ,thus man obtained the use of language and the foundation of religion at the same time4 ,of this ,i will speak more at length in my next4 ,tell them farewell4 ,n4,b4--,let the determined skeptic answer these essays if he can1 and if he can not1 let him be an honest man and surrender4 ,,mind ,,and ,,instinct1 ,,or ,,strictures ,,upon ,,the ,,teachings ,,of ,,evolutionists4 ,the evolution imagination ventures to affirm that man's intellectual superiority over the brute is not qualitative but quantitative4 ,then it follows1 of necessity1 that intellectually considered the brute is the image of man just as much as man is the image of ,god1 the difference being quantitative and not qualitative4 ,evolutionists claim that man's superiority over the brute results from greater complexity and superior development of the brain4 ,now if man1 as they say1 once lived the life of the brute1 and his superiority now is simply quantitative1 why is it that his inferiors of to-day are not passing into real manhood8 ,they are far superior to any creature which is not far from the tadpole stage of evolution4 ,if we were once there1 and evolutionists say we were1 why not take all brutes in as our kins-folk4 ,now1 since evolutionists have learned the secret of mind-making by training dogs and other animals to certain habits1 and giving time for heredity to transmit those habits1 they being immediately petrified in brain structure1 why should we not go to work and bring about a millennial glory1 at least by the third or fourth generation8 ,if so much has been overcome as lies between man and the tadpole1 with the tadpole capital only to work upon1 perhaps we might1 with our present capital1 bring into existence a race of gods4 ,why not8 ,we are taught that instinct is habit petrified in brain structure and transmitted by heredity1 that it is1 consequently1 organized ancestral experiences that are the source of instinct1 but not always4 ,why this modification in the teachings of evolutionists8 ,do they not know that the acknowledgment of the existence of an original instinctive endowment breaks down the whole theory of mind-being from environments8 ,and what right have ,atheists to claim instinct as an original endowment1 in certain cases8 ,the very idea is destructive of their speculation1 for in order to an original endowment1 as they term it1 over and above that which is the result of ancestral experiences petrified in brain structure and transmitted1 there must be the endowment1 that which endows1 and the endowed4 ,these three things stand or fall together4 ,but why should they claim this exception of an original endowment8 ,the answer is easy4 ,facts that are utterly against them are known to exist in the world of instincts4 ,we have an example in the instinct of the honey bee4 ,neither the drone nor the queen ever built a cell4 ,so this is conceded to be an original endowment4 ,o1 ye evolutionists6 will you tell us where this cell-building instinct came from8 ,you claim that it was1 or is1 an original endowment4 ,from whom8 ,again you tell us that instinct depends upon brain structure in every instance2 then what is the difference between instinct and intellect or mind8 ,you tell us that mind also depends on brain structure1 and you say that intelligence is unlike instinct1 because it works by experience1 not ancestral1 but1 on the contrary1 by individual experience4 ,then we have it thus3 ,first4 ,instinct works by ancestral experience1 petrified in brain structure1 and transmitted4 ,second4 ,mind works by individual and not ancestral experience4 ,third4 ,instinct is sometimes an original endowment4 ,now1 can we or any others tell how it is that mind depends1 just like instinct1 wholly upon brain structure1 and is1 at the same time1 unlike instinct in that it is wholly dependent on individual1 not ancestral experience8 ,and if mind or intelligence does not depend on ancestral experience1 how is its origin to be accounted for on the hypothesis of heredity through evolution of species1 starting1 without life1 instinct or mind1 by blind forces operating on dead matter1 and the forces themselves simply the forces of dead matter8 ,the capacity for intellectual improvement is a remarkable peculiarity of man's nature4 ,the instinctive habits of the lower animals are limited1 are peculiar to each species1 and have immediate reference to their bodily wants4 ,where a particular adaptation of means to ends1 of actions to circumstances1 is made by an individual the rest do not seem to profit by that experience1 so that1 although the instincts of particular animals may be modified by the training of man1 or by the education of circumstances1 so as to show themselves after a few generations under new forms1 no elevation of intelligence ever appears to take place spontaneously1 no physical improvement is manifested in the species at large4 ,on the other hand1 we observe in man not merely the capability of profiting by experience1 but the determination to do so1 which he is enabled to put into action by the power which his will1 when properly disciplined1 comes to possess1 of directing and controlling his current of thought by fixing his attention upon any subject which he desires to keep before his mental vision4 ,this power1 so far as we know1 is peculiar to man1 and the presence or absence of it constitutes the difference between a being possessed of powers to determine his own course of thought and action1 and a mere thinking automaton4--,carpenter's ,physiology4 ,,revival ,,of ,,learning4 ,,to ,,whom ,,are ,,we ,,indebted8 ,charlemagne1 ,emperor of ,germany1 who is known as a ,christian prince1 and ,alfred the ,great1 of ,england1 lived in the eight and ninth centuries4 ,the darkest period in the dark ages was between the fifth and the eleventh1 but they are known as the earliest luminaries of the modern world4 ,they encouraged learning both by example and patronage1 but they could not overcome the gross ignorance of their times2 nevertheless they shed a strong and living lustre over the age in which they lived4 7,see ,elements of ,general ,knowledge1 by ,henry ,kelt1 ,fellow and ,tutor of ,trinity ,college1 ,oxford1 p4 #bdf47 ,where1 and under what circumstances1 were their schools established8 ,they were confined to churches and monasteries1 and the monks presided over them1 but they were inadequate to the task of diffusing knowledge in any extensive circle4 ,the reign of heathenism and ignorance continued4 ,the ,arabians had introduced the knowledge of arithmetic1 geometry1 astronomy1 chemistry1 medicine1 and the philosophy of ,aristotle into ,spain4 7,see ,warton on ,pope1 vol4 #a1 p4 #ahd47 ,at the beginning of the eleventh century several enlightened scholars undertook to educate the youth of the cities of ,italy1 and at a later period those of ,france1 ,england and ,germany4 ,to the stability and prevalence of the education thus begun is the establishment of the universities of ,europe attributable4 ,those of ,paris and ,oxford carry their claims to antiquity to the times of ,alfred and ,charlemagne1 but it is said that the real claims of ,paris stop with ,phillip ,augustus in the twelfth century4 ,in the year #abfd ,merton ,college was founded by ,walter de ,merton1 ,lord ,chancellor of ,england and ,bishop of ,rochester1 but the honorable title1 ,mother of ,universities of ,europe is due to ,bologna4 ,it was in her walls that learning1 in the eleventh century1 first attempted to raise her head4 ,it is said upon good authority that #aj1jjj students were assembled here in the next century1 that is1 somewhere about the beginning of the fourteenth century1 and that each country in ,europe had its resident regents and professors at ,bologna4 ,here the studies of the civil and canon law constituted the almost exclusive objects of application1 but ,paris directed the attention of her scholars to theology4 ,oxford began at this time to acquire fame and to rival the foreign universities in the ability of its professors and the multitude of its members2 in the year #acdj they amounted to #cj1jjj4 ,many other universities were soon established upon the models of ,bologna1 ,paris and ,oxford4 ,in these logic and scholastic divinity were for centuries the reigning subjects of pursuit4 ,the works of ,aristotle were studied with great eagerness4 ,upon the logic of ,aristotle was founded the cultivation of scholastic theology and casuistry1 which is a department of morals2 its object is to lay down rules for directing us how to act where there is any room for doubt or hesitation4 ,to this belongs the decision of what are called cases of conscience1 that is1 cases in which we are under obligation1 but which1 from certain surroundings1 give rise to doubt1 or how far the obligation may be dissolved2 such as the obligation to keep a promise obtained by fraud or force4 ,to make nice distinctions between one word and another1 to separate subjects by infinite divisions1 not as the real nature of things1 but as fancy directed1 and to draw conclusions with no moral end in view1 were the pursuits of the schoolmen4 ,the decrees of the councils of the ,church of ,rome1 its edicts and ceremonial and ritual observances1 were scrupulously regarded instead of obedience to the pure and practical elements of ,christianity4 ,classical learning was entirely neglected4 ,here is the feature of ,roman church history which infidels have endeavored to use falsely against even ,rome1 to wit3 the opposition of the churchmen of those times to classical learning4 ,this was considered dangerous to true piety1 and calculated to corrupt the pure theology of the gospel1 because the orators of ,greece and ,rome were regarded as blind guides of erring reason and seducers to the paths of sin and destruction4 ,virgil and ,horace were looked upon merely as the advocates of a profane and idolatrous mythology1 and ,cicero was regarded as a vain declaimer1 impiously elated with the talent of ,pagan eloquence1 but the infidel charge that the church has always been in the way of scientific education1 expressed in unqualified terms1 is simply false in fact4 ,that there was a time when she was opposed to classical learning is a well attested fact1 but she1 at the same time1 taught and operated in universities and monasteries1 as stated above4 ,the first dawnings of modern literature are seen in connection with the cultivation of the language of ,provence and the productions of the ,troubadours4 ,the first great teacher in this connection was ,william1 ,count of ,poiton1 a nobleman1 distinguished by his powers in the crusades4 ,many of the men of note who were in the crusades1 were of his character4 ,their writings upon the topics of war1 gallantry1 satire and history1 first roused ,europe from her ignorance and lethargy1 first taught her to think and reflect and judge upon subjects of imagination4 ,the ,troubadours sustained the middle place between ,gothic ignorance and ,italian excellence1 and literature is indebted to them for rearing the first fruits of ,european genius and inspiring the moderns with the love of poetry4 ,their influence and language spread over all the countries of ,europe4 ,their bards were in the courts of kings and the castles of barons4 ,the commencement of the crusades and the beginning of the fifteenth century1 mark the limits of their fame4 ,their romance had its rise in the manners of chivalry1 and fell into disrepute when chivalry declined4 ,in the fourteenth century men of intellectual genius in ,italy resolved to cultivate their own native language and to combine with its grandeur the charms of imagination and the acquirements of classical learning4 ,the poetry of the ,tuscan school1 the works of ,dante1 ,ariosto1 ,boccio and ,petrarch1 have never yet been excelled by four succeeding centuries of genius and literature4 ,the way was open for the revival of classical learning in the fifteenth century1 and for the cultivation of all the arts and sciences connected with its cultivation4 ,the downfall of the ,roman ,empire in the east and the discovery of the art of printing happened about the same time4 ,scholars had long trembled in view of the approach of ,mahomet the second4 ,constantinople was captured by the ,turks in #adeh2 then ,chrysoloras1 ,gaza of ,thessalonica1 ,demetrius ,chalcondyles1 ,johannes ,lascaris1 ,callistus1 ,constantius1 ,johannes ,andronicus1 and many other learned ,greeks1 fled into ,italy for protection1 where they found1 at ,florence1 several ,greek professors who had been persuaded by ,cosmo de ,medici to settle in that city4 ,they settled in ,florence and there interpreted the ancient writings which had been kept in the eastern metropolis4 ,the best ,italian scholars fell in with them and soon became enamored with the spirit of poetry1 eloquence and history4 ,here a better philosophy was soon taken up1 and the cunning of scholasticism1 as known in the empty speculations of metaphysicians1 gave place to the more profitable principles of moral philosophy4 ,the study of the ,greek language was introduced in ,england by ,william ,grocyn1 a fellow of ,new ,college1 ,oxford1 who died about the year #aebj4 ,to the mechanical genius of ,holland we must ascribe the discovery of the art of printing1 for the original inventor was ,laurentius ,john ,coster1 of ,haerlem1 who made his first essay with wooden types about the year #adcj4 ,the art was communicated by his servant to ,john ,faust and ,john ,guttenberg1 of ,mentz4 ,it was carried to perfection by ,peter ,shoeffer1 the son-in-law of ,faustus1 who invented the modes of casting metal types4 ,trihemius1 in his ,chronicle1 written ,a4,d4 #aead1 says he had it from the mouth of ,peter ,shoeffer that the first book they printed with movable types was the ,bible1 about the year #adej1 in which the expenses were so great that #d1jjj florins were expended before they completed twelve sheets4 ,the author of a manuscript1 ,chronicle of ,cologne1 compiled in #adii1 also says that he was told by ,ulric ,zell1 of ,cologne1 who himself introduced printing there in #adff1 that the ,latin ,bible was first begun to be printed in the year of ,jubilee1 #adej1 and that it was in large type4 ,mr4 ,edwards1 of ,pall ,mall possessed a copy of this curious ,bible in three volumes1 bound in morocco4 ,in his catalogue it was valued at #abf4 ,there1 is a beautiful copy of this work in the ,bodleian 7or ,bodleyan7 ,library in the ,university at ,oxford4 ,the art of printing soon spread over the greater part of ,europe1 and to-day our world is a world of books1 and the love of the ,bible was the origin of printing4 ,,councils4 ,,unity ,,of ,,roman ,,church4 ,the ,council of ,nice assembled in ,asia ,minor by the direction of ,constantine in the year #cbe4 ,here we see more than two hundred and fifty bishops1 mostly from the east1 with presbyters1 deacons and others1 engaged in an effort to settle the ,arian heresy1 which consisted in maintaining that ,christ was the most exalted of all created things1 but inferior to ,god the ,father4 ,this opinion was first ventilated in the year #cah4 ,it was publicly condemned by the ,council of ,alexandria in the year #cbj1 and then by the ,council of ,nice4 ,this ,council maintained the perfect equality of essence of both ,father and ,son1 and could only express their relation by terming it eternal generation1 which ,dr4 ,adam ,clark calls eternal nonsense4 ,arius and his partisans were banished by the ,council of ,alexandria1 but as he had powerful adherents he found means to return at the express command of ,constantine4 ,he was on his way to receive the oath of ministerial allegiance when he very suddenly1 as some say1 died by poison4 ,his death was in the year #ccf4 ,it is said that ,constantine was baptized into the ,arian communion in the year #ccg4 ,the followers of ,arius increased greatly after his death4 ,under ,constantius1 called ,flavius ,julius1 ,arianism became the religion of the court1 and it even penetrated as far as ,rome1 which was obliged to receive into its communion ,felix1 an ,arian bishop4 ,but the divisions which grew among the ,arians themselves prepared for the ,catholic church an easy victory over them and led to their final extinction4 ,it is worthy of being remembered at all times1 and under all circumstances1 that this whole controversy is unauthorized in the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 faith in him as the ,son of the living ,god being the great truth upon which the ,church of ,god is built4 ,what eternal nonsense it is to be quarreling about whether he and his ,father are of the same essence4 ,the truths of ,christianity and of ,protestantism are found in the teachings of the anti-,nicene fathers1 but we must remember that these were uninspired men1 and therefore displayed no standard of truth4 ,the term fathers1 without qualification1 includes a vast range1 comprising a period of eleven hundred years1 from ,clemens to ,bernard1 from the ,bishop of ,rome to the ,monk of ,clairvaux4 ,immediately after the ,council of ,nice their works took on the infections of popery4 ,each succeeding writer in each succeeding century added to the gathering mass of error and superstition4 ,the filth and dirt accumulated until the system of delusion was fully developed in the man of sin4 ,the ,fathers1 as they are called1 are entitled to no more than other men4 ,they should never be resorted to as authoritative or inspired1 for they were not4 ,they may be used as witnesses to show the customs of their times4 ,so far as they are concerned as the standard of truth1 we may just as well1 with safety and without remorse1 deliver them to the ,vatican to rot with the lumber and legends of the dark ages4 ,the anti-,nicene fathers had many errors1 but theirs were not the errors of ,romanism4 ,the religious productions of the first three centuries of our era contain1 in the main1 the principles of ,protestantism4 ,the post-,nicene fathers1 or popery1 may be compared to a field of wheat overrun with weeds4 ,the great work of the ,protestant reformers was to eradicate the weeds4 ,failing to accomplish this in the ,roman field1 they gathered the pure seed grain and sowed it in the ,lord's field1 the world1 where it now waves in beauty1 tending to a glorious harvest4 ,once on a time a person was asked where ,protestantism was before the ,reformation4 ,he answered in turn1 ,it was where your face was this morning before it was washed4 ,the reply was just4 ,dirt could be no part of the human countenance1 and removing the filth by washing could neither change the features of the face nor destroy its identity4 ,by this cleansing operation the face only assumed its normal and natural appearance4 ,in like manner the superstitious traditions of the ,roman church were no part of ,christianity4 ,it was but proper that the reformers should dismiss the adulterations of the ages and plant their feet away back in the land of ,israel with the ,christ of ,god4 ,arius was regarded as an innovater on the true faith4 ,the great enemy of ,arianism was simply ,trinitarianism4 ,the council of ,nice was presided over by ,hosius4 ,the assembled fathers declared the consubstantiality of the son for the establishment of ,trinitarianism and the extermination of ,arianism4 ,this wonderful term1 consubstantiality1 had been rejected by the synod of ,antioch sixty years before1 and by ,dionysius1 of ,alexandria1 in opposition to ,sabellianism4 ,in #cei the ,emperor ,constantius assembled the council of ,rimini1 a city of ,central ,italy4 ,six hundred bishops and a number of priests now undo all that the council of ,nice had done4 ,this council was as accommodating to ,arian ,constantius as to the ,trinitarian ,constantine4 ,constantius1 forsaking the ,trinitarian system1 adopted ,arianism1 and ,greeks and ,latins complied with the imperial wishes1 and1 like dutiful subjects1 signed the ,arian and semi-,arian confessions of ,sirneium1 ,seleucia1 ,milan and ,ariminum4 ,the western and eastern prelacy subscribed in compliance with their sovereign to the ,arian creed1 which1 as ,du ,pin has shown1 was signed by his infallibility1 ,pope ,liberius4 ,next in our programme comes ,theodosius ,i41 assembling a council of one hundred and fifty bishops at ,constantinople in the year #cha4 ,theodosius was a zealous ,catholic2 he was baptized before the end of the first year of his reign1 and immediately published an edict in support of the doctrine of the ,trinity1 branding all who did not hold it as heretics4 ,his council was presided over by ,st4 ,gregory ,nazianzen4 ,the chief work of this council was to anathematise the ,council of ,rimini1 which was composed of six hundred bishops and a multitude of priests4 ,this work was done1 and so one hundred and fifty bishops curse and denounce as heretical and false six hundred bishops and a multitude of priests2 so the voice of the many is not always the voice of ,god1 nor yet the voice of a council the voice of a ,pope2 neither is the infallibility of a ,pope always found in a council1 nor is the infallibility of one ,pope always found in the voice of another4 ,theodosius ,,ii4 convened a council in #dca4 ,nestorius1 bishop of ,constantinople1 seems to have been the cause of this convocation1 having persecuted all who were not of his opinions2 now undergoes persecution for having plead that the ,holy ,virgin ,mary was not the mother of ,god4 ,he plead that ,jesus ,christ being the word1 consubstantial with the ,father1 ,mary could not1 at the same time1 be the mother of ,god the ,father and of ,god the ,son4 ,to settle this quarrel ,nestorius demands a council and obtains it4 ,this council condemned ,nestorius1 and one of its committees displaced ,cyril4 ,the ,emperor1 ,theodosius ,,ii41 reversed all that was done1 and then permitted it to reassemble4 ,the deputies from ,rome1 ,john1 ,patriarch of ,antioch1 with twenty-six suffragans1 arrived five days after the transaction1 and it is on record that his arrival was followed by one of the most distinguished cursing matches of antiquity4 ,the ,roman bishops on occasions of this character always had recourse to cursing1 and they scarcely ever failed to ease themselves up with an overflow of anathemas and execrations4 ,cyril and ,nestorius exchanged mutual imprecations1 even before the sitting of the council4 ,the saint1 it is said1 had launched twelve anathemas at the heretic in an ,alexandrian synod in the year #dcj1 and the heretic ,nestorius thanked the saint by returning the same number of inverted blessings4 ,this has been a heavy business among ,popes for many centuries4 ,john and ,cyril engaged in the same kind of warfare immediately after ,john's arrival at ,ephesus4 ,john and his party congratulated ,cyril1 ,memnon1 and their accomplices by deposing and excommunicating them1 and now the parties continue1 for some time1 to give vent to their feelings in mutual anathemas4 ,these benedictions were the only articles of mutual exchange1 current and of legal tender value between the parties4 ,at last the ,emperor had ,nestorius and ,cyril arrested1 and ordered all the bishops to return each to his church1 and so no conclusion was reached4 ,the ,greeks called the second assembly at ,ephesus a gang of felons1 but the first1 it is said1 excelled it in all the arts of villainy4 ,the contest was finally ended1 not by the church1 but by the state4 ,the ,emperor reinstated ,cyril and banished ,nestorius1 and the western diocese was in the end reduced to submission and the church to unity1 not by ecclesiastical authority1 but by imperial power4 7,see ,evagrius #a1 #e2 ,liberatus c4 #f2 ,godeau #c1 #caj47 ,the ,council of ,chalcedon met in the year #dea4 ,st4 ,leo1 bishop of ,rome1 took the advantage of the troubles which the quarrel about the two natures occasioned in the empire1 and presided at the council by his legates1 which was a new feature in councils4 ,but the fathers of the council apprehending that the church of the west would1 from this precedent1 pretend to the superiority over the eastern church1 decided1 by their twenty-eighth canon1 that the see of ,constantinople and the see of ,rome should enjoy alike the same advantages and privileges4 ,this was the origin of the long enmity which prevailed and still prevails between the two churches1 the eastern and the western4 ,this council endorsed and established the two natures in one person4 ,the twenty-eighth canon of this council has been rejected and condemned by the ,latins1 yet ,pelagius1 ,gregory1 ,pascal and ,boniface acknowledged this council1 thereby placing the seal of infallibility upon it as much as they ever did upon other councils4 ,in #eec ,justinian assembled a council at ,constantinople to discuss the three chapters1 as they were designated1 composed by ,ibas1 ,theodoret and ,theodorus4 ,vigilius1 bishop of ,rome1 with bishops and deacons from ,italy1 ,africa and the east1 was in ,constantinople during the entire sittings of this council1 and refused to attend although invited4 ,but the council went on1 all the same4 ,his infallibility1 supported by his clique1 opposed the emperor and his council1 but in vain4 ,he formed his bishops and deacons into a separate council1 published a constitution defending1 in modified terms1 the three chapters1 and interdicting all further discussion upon the subject by the authority of the ,apostolic ,see2 pronounced anathemas against the persons and defenders of the authors of the three chapters4 ,having now made himself a partisan of the authors1 who were condemned by the emperor's council1 he was cursed for promoting heresy1 and banished in dishonor4 ,this served to bring him to his senses upon several matters1 and so he turned about and approved what he had before condemned4 ,and so heresy was converted into orthodoxy by the magical power of an emperor at the expense of the infallibility of ,vigilius4 ,the ,italians1 ,tuscans1 ,ligurians1 ,istrians1 ,french1 ,illyrians and ,africans1 who took a stand against the emperor1 were like the pope1 the vicar general of ,god1 converted by the sword of ,justinian4 ,the ,italian clergy who resisted were banished4 ,in #fha there was a council at ,constantinople1 convoked by ,constantine1 the bearded4 ,this council was called by the ,latins 'in trullo1' because it was held in an apartment of the imperial palace4 ,the emperor himself presided4 ,the bishops of ,constantinople and ,antioch were on his right hand1 and the deputies from ,jerusalem and ,rome were on his left4 ,in this council it was decided that ,jesus ,christ had two wills4 ,here ,pope ,honorius ,i4 was condemned as a monothelite1 that is1 as wishing ,jesus ,christ to have but one will4 ,o1 shame6 ,what will come next8 ,well1 we are out at sea in the very darkest periods of the dark ages1 and there is no telling how much our senses may be shocked4 ,we find next what is known as the ,second ,council of ,nice4 ,it was assembled by a woman1 ,mrs4 ,irene1 in the name of her son1 whose eyes she had caused to be put out4 ,her husband1 ,leo1 had abolished the worship of images as leading to idolatry4 ,this woman re-established this worship4 ,during ,constantine's minority she executed the imperial power4 ,she was a bold defender and patron of emblematic or image worship4 ,it is said that she had the ambition of ,lucifer and the malignity of a demon4 ,she is accused of being connected with the murder of her husband4 ,she put out the eyes of ,nicephorus1 and amputated the tongues of ,christopher1 ,nicetas1 ,athenius and ,eudoxas1 ,constantine's sons1 for suspicion of conspiracy4 ,she destroyed the eyes of her own son4 ,no woman1 says ,bruys1 was ever less worthy of life than this princess4 ,her ambition1 says ,godeau1 made her violate all the laws of ,god and man4 ,now listen1 but first prepare to experience all that the opposite extreme can possibly produce4 ,is there any place in your nature where life and death1 or heaven and hell1 can meet in festive joys8 ,no4 ,then bear with my story the best you can1 for it must be told4 ,here it is3 ,theodorus and ,theophanes extol that vile woman for her ,,virtue ,,and ,,excellence7874 ,the ,greeks placed her among the saints in their menology1 and in holy festivity celebrate her anniversary4 ,hartman and ,binius1 in more modern times1 flatter her prudence and piety7874 ,alexander lauds her religion and faith as worthy of immortal honor7871 though the blinding of her son1 he admits1 exposed her to reprehension4 ,baronius justifies the assassination of her son4 ,he commends the inhumanity which arose from zeal for religion4 ,here let the curtain drop till my next on councils makes its appearance4 ,,infidels ,,in ,,evidence ,,in ,,favor ,,of ,,christianity4 ,we should not be surprised when wicked men of every grade of character assail our religion1 for its great ,author erected a standard of duty too perfect to suit their unruly passions and lusts4 ,opposition to ,christianity is the natural correllate of an unregenerated heart4 ,this fact was the cause of all the sufferings of the primitive ,christians1 not the only cause1 but the first and leading cause4 ,one striking circumstance is worthy of notice1 which is1 that they have censured ,christians for their zeal with an unsparing tongue1 and1 at the same time1 they have shown as much if not more vehemence and obstinacy in their own good-for-nothing opposition4 ,every kind of opposition has been manifested which the ingenuity of man could dictate4 ,indeed1 there is little urged against ,christianity in our day that is original4 ,almost every cavil and argument may be traced to ,voltaire1 ,porphyry1 ,celsus and ,julian1 the old enemies of the ,christ4 ,infidels1 who dislike 7will you hear it87 the labor and trouble of investigating the question of the claims of the ,christian religion upon their intelligence1 seize with avidity upon the labors of others and parade them before the public mind4 ,just now there is no question put so often by men who feign to be unbelievers as1 ,what do you think of ,colonel ,ingersoll8 ,he stirs you up4 ,the little city of ,logansport was favored not a great while in the past with a visit and lecture from the ,colonel4 ,after the lecture was over some half a dozen gentlemen were taking a lunch at an eating restaurant1 and there was one very talkative creature in the group who had much to say of the ,colonel's effort and of the unscientific and absurd character of the ,bible4 ,finally1 one noble-hearted gentleman said to the boasting skeptic1 ,now you have said a great deal about the ,bible1 and ,i venture the assertion that you can't quote one verse that is in it4 ,i challenge you to do it4 ,just give us one1 long or short1 from any chapter in all the ,bible4 ,the man failed4 ,he couldn't do it4 ,then1 said the ,christian gentleman1 you fellows are always talking about science and about the unscientific character of the ,bible1 so ,i will now ask you one of the most simple questions known in science1 and we will see whether you will answer it4 ,it is this3 ,how many teeth have you got in your mouth2 how many does a man have8 ,to the utter astonishment of the company the man failed again1 and the company told him laughingly that he must treat to the cigars4 ,such fellows know comparatively nothing1 and yet they are always championing their men1 who contain all their knowledge and do their thinking for them4 ,ask the infidel who his leaders are and he will point you to ,hume1 ,voltaire1 ,thomas ,paine1 etc4 ,are ,christians always holding up their great minds8 ,suppose we test the merits of the case in this manner1 then who are your infidels that will compare with ,jesus ,christ and his apostles8 or1 with such men1 even1 as ,milton1 ,clarendon1 ,hale1 ,bacon1 ,boyle1 ,locke1 ,newton1 ,addison1 ,lyttleton1 ,west1 ,johnson and ,campbell8 ,where are your persons of such profound understanding8 ,to compare such persons as these with ,voltaire1 ,hume1 ,gibbon and ,thomas ,paine1 is as silly as to compare manhood with infancy4 ,no infidels try ,christianity upon its own merits4 ,if they were candid men they would separate ,christianity from all foreign and irrelative circumstances1 and test its evidences seriously1 as the magnitude of the question deserves4 ,apply the same unbelief to the common and ancient records of history and you will at once get the credit of being rash and foolish4 ,the scoffs and sarcasms and sophistries of infidels are not from a love of truth4 ,whatever the cause or causes may be1 one thing is certain1 and that is1 that they do not understand ,christianity itself1 nor the nature and magnitude of its evidences4 ,they condemn that which they never gave themselves the trouble to investigate4 ,whoever investigates the religion of ,jesus ,christ will find that the character of its founder is far superior to any other character1 and his apostles far superior to any other fishermen4 ,to believe that his religion is of simple human origin is like believing that a first-class ship of war is the invention of a child4 ,the majesty of ,christ and the divinity of his religion appears in nothing more than this1 that in proportion to our acquaintance with the ,scriptures of the ,new ,testament does the light of truth shine upon the mind4 ,the seeming successes of infidelity1 and the multitude of apostates scattered over our country1 makes us naturally more anxious to warn the rising generation against the errors of those who would mislead them4 ,but there is nothing in these fearful signs of the times to shake our faith or excite our fears1 because the faithful ,bible student finds the condition of our world just such as the ,scriptures have foretold4 ,all the surroundings that characterize the conduct of infidels2 their expertness in ridicule2 their extreme folly and resoluteness2 their licentiousness and anxiety for change in laws as well as society2 the snares laid out by them to catch the unsteadfast1 and their vain professions to free the world from slavery1 while they themselves are in bondage to corruption1 are drawn by the divine pencil of prophecy with so much exactness that he who runs may read4 ,by examining the word of ,god you will find that the ,free-thinkers of our country1 the ,illuminati of ,germany1 ,darwin1 ,strauss1 ,huxley1 ,tyndal1 ,renan1 and the man of our own land who is most noted in our midst for oratorical accomplishments without logic1 argument or truthfulness of statements touching the ,christian religion1 are all present evidences of the divinity of the prophetic words of the ,new ,testament4 ,,woman ,,and ,,her ,,rank4 ,i presume that ,adam knew nothing of the subject of woman's inferiority4 ,i do not think that he ever said to ,eve1 ,don't soar so high nor dive so deep into philosophy1 science and religion1 because you are a woman4 ,i don't think he ever said to his wife1 ,astronomy is beyond your reach1 nor ,science is too deep for your slender powers4 ,home is a woman's empire1 but this very fact demands that her intellectual powers should not be inferior to her husband's4 ,a vast majority of people have their minds influenced and their characters formed by their mothers4 ,foolish and silly1 as well as lazy women generally1 have their counterparts in their offspring4 ,by following the outlines of nature in her facts we have become scientific1 and all the wisdom we can get from this source will be still more advantageous4 ,the woman's physical nature should ever teach us that she is not to be taxed with physical labor beyond her strength and sphere of life4 ,such taxation is barbarism and savageness4 ,this heathenism always destroys home4 ,the ,american ,indian has no home2 he lives an idle1 lazy1 good-for-nothing life1 while his wife1 or woman1 as the case may be1 does all the drudgery4 ,for this very reason he was never elevated1 as a general rule1 above a shot-gun and a hound dog1 and never had a home superior to ,doolittle's birth-place1 which1 he said1 was at ,cape ,cod1 ,nantucket1 and all along up and down the shore4 ,it is said that the ,english is the only language in which the word home occurs4 ,what infamous hours many bachelors keep2 many of them die of dissipation because they have no mother1 sister1 or wife to look after them and render their homes pleasant and attractive4 ,what an odd looking thing a house is without a female occupant4 ,won't you tarry awhile8 ,can't you stay awhile8 ,o1 don't be in a hurry4 ,such is often heard1 and the reply is1 ,no1 ,i am much obliged to you1 ,i must go1 for my mother1 my sister1 or my wife1 is expecting me4 ,but for these sentiments he would stay until midnight2 so some unmarried men are the most contemptible bores4 ,when you get acquainted with them you naturally hate to see them coming4 ,some married men fall into the same way of boring their neighbors4 ,when ,i see a man doing this ,i suspect that he has lost his love of home associations1 and ask myself the question1 ,what is the trouble8 ,there is always an adequate cause for every effect4 ,modern ,freeloveism looks to the annihilation of home1 for the reason that it proposes no definite home for male or female4 ,no people destitute of the light of the ,bible ever possessed a home1 such an one as ours4 ,one of the great abominations of infidelity is often met within the advocacy of ,freeloveism1 and matrimony binding at the option1 simply1 of the parties4 ,what is a vagabond on the earth but a man without a home8 ,slaves have been the same in every age1 and a government that does everything for its subjects will always keep them in degradation4 ,a father and mother who would not effectually ruin their children must not raise them in indolence and affluence1 doing everything for them and teaching them nothing in a practical way2 even so a woman must be elevated until her post is one of honor4 ,you might as well tie a man hand and foot1 and command him to run a race1 as to deprive women or others of their natural rights1 and then expect them to rise or progress the same as those who are in the full possession of all their liberties4 ,give to all freedom and scope for their talents1 and allow them to rise or fall at pleasure1 but ever point them upward and onward4 ,women were slaves in ,egypt1 in ,babylon1 in ,ninevah1 in ,persia1 in ,greece and ,rome1 and all those nations sunk4 ,she is now a slave in ,china1 in ,india and in ,turkey4 ,adam said3 ,she is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh2 she shall be called woman for she was taken from man4 ,therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother1 and shall cleave to his wife1 and they shall be one flesh4 ,say what you will of gallantry1 and of the flattery of the sex1 but here you have the intelligent and affectionate language of the first man1 which1 for beauty and love1 as well as simplicity1 has never been surpassed4 ,she is bone of my bone1 and consequently of my own rank4 ,we are one4 ,she is flesh of my flesh and therefore is my equal4 ,she shall be called woman1 that is1 a female man4 ,it is authoritatively asserted that the ,hebrew term translated woman signifies a female man1 just as in ,latin equa is the feminine of equus1 ,julia is the feminine of ,julius4 ,but if she was a female man she possessed all the attributes of humanity1 and therefore her dignity was and is the same as the other sex4 ,adam gave to ,eve a position1 an honorable position1 for he took her in as a part of himself4 ,his honor was her honor1 his rank was her rank1 and she was his helpmeet4 ,my ideal woman is not one who is good for nothing1 bred only and polished to the taste of lustful appetence2 to sing1 to dance1 to dress1 to troll the tongue and roll the eye4 ,she should be a helpmeet as termed in the ,bible4 ,she should be a creature not too bright and good to labor in her proper sphere1 that is1 to prepare daily food1 serve it up and guide the house4 ,a high legal dignitary placed an epitaph upon the tomb of his wife1 that read3 ,an excellent woman and a good cook4 ,when a stout1 able-bodied woman sits herself down and whines out1 ,i can't work1 she gets down very low4 ,what is such a woman good for8 ,it has been said that woman is man's imaginative side4 ,well1 ,i imagine that there is a great deal of truth in the remark so far as many men are concerned1 and this simple fact has ruined many a wife4 ,a woman may operate very well upon a man's imagination1 but that will never help him to make a living4 ,let woman be1 to all intents and purposes1 the equal of man1 trained for the work of every-day life1 for this is what the word education means4 ,then throw open to her all the employments lying within her strength1 which are now monopolized by men1 and let this new advantage work a reformation in her education4 ,what is her education even now1 and in our own country8 ,instead of being educated for health and long life1 they are trained in many instances for disease and a premature death4 ,the history of woman1 as woman1 is not in our reach2 at least ,i am not prepared to say it has been written4 ,i wish it had1 for ,i am persuaded that woman has been the great redeeming element upon the human side of bliss1 without which our world could not exist4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and they charge that he 7,thomas ,paine7 was a drunkard4 ,that is another falsehood4 ,he drank liquor in his day1 as did the preachers4 ,it was no unusual thing for the preacher going home to stop in a tavern and take a drink of hot rum with a deacon1 and it was no unusual thing for the deacon to help the preacher home4--,ingersoll4 ,therefore1 if a man stops at a hotel and drinks till he has to be helped home1 he is no drunkard8 ,no6 ,ingersoll is a temperance man 787 and he knows4 ,,the ,,testimony ,,of ,,an ,,infidel ,,in ,,whose ,,heart ,,every ,,spark ,,of ,,truth ,,and ,,justice ,,was ,,not ,,extinguished4 ,j4,j4 ,rousseau says3 ,the gospel1 that divine book1 the only one necessary to a ,christian1 and the most useful of all to the man who may not be one1 only requires reflection upon it to impress the mind with love of its author and resolution to fulfill his precepts4 ,virtue never spoke in gentler terms2 the profoundest wisdom was never uttered with greater energy or more simplicity4 ,it is impossible to rise from the reading of it without feeling a moral improvement4 ,look at the books of the philosophers with all their pomp1 how little they are compared with this4 ,shall we say that the history of the gospel is a pure fiction8 ,this is not the style of fiction1 and the history of ,socrates1 which nobody doubts1 rests upon less evidence than that of ,jesus ,christ2 and1 after all1 this is but shifting the difficulty1 not answering it4 ,the supposition that several persons had united to fabricate this book1 is more inconceivable than that one person should have supplied the subject of it4 ,the spirit which it breathes1 the morality which it inculcates1 could never have been the invention of ,jewish authors1 and the gospel possesses characters of truth so striking1 so perfectly inimitable1 that the inventor would be a more astonishing object than the hero4--,j4,j4 ,rousseau1 vol4 #cf1 pp4 #cf1 #ci4 99 99 99 99 99 ,have infidels been martyred on account of their infidelity8 ,men are not so foolish as to have themselves devoured by wild beasts or perish in slow fires rather than recant from a theory they never espoused1 ,col4 ,ingersoll to the contrary1 notwithstanding4 ,men do not prefer red-hot iron chains to denying a ,lord in whom they never believed4 ,infidels have nothing to lose by recanting4 ,colonel ,ingersoll says1 ,i think ,i would4 ,there is not much of the martyr about me1 so we think of the ,colonel6 ,,the ,,jewish ,,religion ,,and ,,institutions ,,known ,,among ,,heathen ,,writers4 ,,by ,,henry ,,kett1 ,b4,d41 ,fellow and ,tutor of ,trinity ,college1 ,oxford4 ,published first in #ahab4 ,the transactions and literature of the ancient ,jews were too remarkable to escape the attention of the learned and inquisitive ,pagans when ,judea became a province of the ,roman ,empire4 ,many particulars relative to the eminent character of ,joseph as a minister to ,pharaoh1 and as an inspired prophet1 to the emigration of the ,jews from ,egypt1 their miraculous passage through the ,red ,sea1 their settlement in the ,holy ,land1 the institutions and ceremonies of the law1 the splendor of ,jerusalem in its most flourishing times1 the magnificence of the temple1 and the supreme1 eternal and immutable nature of their worship1 are related by ,diodorus ,siculus1 ,strabo1 ,pliny the ,elder1 ,tacitus and ,justin4 ,,centuries ,,before ,,christ4 ,the fragments of ,sanchoniathon1 the most ancient historian of ,phenicia1 who is supposed to have flourished not long after the death of ,moses1 confirms the ,bible account of the origin of the world and of many men and places mentioned in the ,pentateuch4 ,berosus1 the ,chaldean1 and ,manetho1 the ,egyptian1 who lived in the reign of ,ptolemy ,philadelphus1 king of ,egypt1 represent several circumstances known in the accounts given by ,moses4 ,they wrote about the time when the ,old ,testament was translated into ,greek4 ,their evidence1 to say the least1 shows the honor that was paid by the most learned persons of the ,east to the records of the ,bible4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i know the ,bible is inspired1 because it finds me at greater depths of my being than any other book4--,coleridge4 ,transcriber's ,note ,the punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved4 ,only obvious typographical errors have been corrected4