material from the ,google ,print project47 ,scientific and ,religious ,journal4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,november1 #ahhj4 ,,no4 #aa4 ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,character ,,of ,,our ,,religion4 ,the character which the gospel of ,christ requires is made up of all that is lovely1 is formed upon the highest model1 but it is not composed of the insensibility1 the anger1 the pride1 the egotism1 the worldliness1 which is so common among men4 ,it is not the cold indifference of modern moralists2 it is not the rank and scepticism of modern doubters1 nor yet the intellectual rashness and moral phantoms of modern scientists4 ,these have done all they could to take possession of the human heart1 and have left it more miserable than it was before4 ,the great author of our holy religion1 through the instrumentality of our blessed ,savior1 brings us into the possession of his own spirit2 imparts to us the elements of his own divine excellence2 forms us anew in his own image4 ,the idea of ,emanuel1 ,god with us1 is composed of the richest elements4 ,it embraces all that is venerable in wisdom1 wonderful in authority1 and touching in goodness4 ,human greatness1 blended with imperfections and many limitations1 is seen only in detached and separate parts2 never appears in any one character whole and entire2 but in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ these conceptions1 or scattered rays of an ideal excellence1 are brought together and constitute the real attributes of that ,savior whom we worship1 who stands in the nearest relation to us1 who is the head of all principality and power1 and who pervades all nature with his presence4 ,the object of the ,christian religion is to recover man from his degraded1 miserable condition1 elevate him above his debasement1 and reinvest him with the character of ,christ1 that he may eventually dwell with the angels in the perfections of the ,infinite ,one4 ,the views and spirit transfused into the soul of the ,christian are very different from the views and spirit of the world4 ,the spirit of the world is pride and selfishness1 the pride of rank and office1 the pride of wealth and worldly accomplishments1 which lives for the praise of men4 ,on the contrary1 the ,savior imparts to all his worshipers the loveliest of all the graces1 a heaven-born humility1 a modest estimate of one's own worth1 and a deep sense of unworthiness on account of human weakness4 ,as ,christians we learn to humble ourselves in view of the majesty and perfections of our heavenly ,master4 ,before honor is humility4 ,the ,savior commands an humble religion2 its love is humble1 its faith is humble2 its repentance1 its baptism1 its hopes1 its joys1 its raptures are all humble4 ,true greatness is not found except in an humble mind2 never is an archangel more exalted1 more truly great1 than when he bows before the throne of ,christ4 ,the spirit of the world is self-will and insubordination1 hard-heartedness and impenitence1 or inflexible perseverance in sin4 ,the spirit of the world is one of self-indulgence and guilty pleasure4 ,sinners are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of ,god4 ,they are eager for enjoyment and obtain it in dissipated behavior1 thought and feeling4 ,lawless pleasure is the idol of the sinner's heart and the rule of his life2 it often leads him to shame1 infamy and ruin4 ,the religion of ,christ gives1 in the place of this1 the love of ,god and duty4 ,the pleasures of the ,christian are much broader and brighter than the pleasures of the disobedient2 they are far superior to the sinner's day dreams and pleasures of sense4 ,the spirit of the world rejects the truth of ,god2 distrusts his word2 has not sufficient confidence in his declarations1 or1 it may be1 love for his praises1 and so leans upon self1 having no wants1 fears1 or despondency which it does not presume to relieve for itself4 ,and often it happens when corruptions1 doubts and disobedience have kept rule until the poor man is ruined and the hope of a better day is literally exhausted1 that the soul under the dominion of sin cries1 ,lord1 save1 or ,i perish4 ,have you faith in ,god and in his word8 then let unshaken confidence in ,jesus ,christ his son and our ,savior become the great principle and impulse of action1 rise up in the dignity of true manhood or womanhood and obey the gospel and live4 ,it is hard to conceive of a darker1 deeper chasm than that which would be made by the absence of this great principle and impulse of action which has formed thousands of characters in the image of the ,redeemer4 ,let no one suppose that the obligation to live a ,christian life is a light one4 ,holiness is the highest attainment of a rational soul2 it is the greatest good within the reach of man2 it is the greatest good in the universe4 ,seek this1 it is most sublime and excellent2 seek to be virtuous and holy that your hearts may be won and subdued by the power of ,his own word4 ,purify your souls in obeying the truth4 ,there is nothing in the universe that can be a substitute for purity or holiness1 it is an indispensable qualification for the heavenly world4 ,o1 when will men understand and realize that nothing possesses importance compared with this which relates to ,god and eternity4 ,never was there stronger evidence of folly than that man presents who chooses this world for his portion4 ,if tears could quench the fires of torment they would be quenched at the remembrance of the folly which preferred this world's goods to the salvation of the soul4 ,there is nothing upon earth that hurts the true-hearted1 energetic ,christian like the indifference with which those who have hope toward ,god are directing their way toward that exceeding and eternal weight of glory4 ,in a short time we shall pass through the tomb4 ,to-day we are floating upon the stream1 to-morrow we may be floating upon the ocean of eternity4 ,another step and we have entered on the world of retribution1 but what retribution is it8 ,is it the world of peace and joy8 or is it the region of tribulation and anguish8 ,to those who by patient continuance in well-doing1 seek for glory and honor and immortality--eternal life4 ,but to those who are contentious and obey not the truth1 but obey unrighteousness1 indignation and wrath1 tribulation and anguish1 upon every soul of man that doth evil4 ,is it not a melancholy state of being to be gliding down the stream of time under the fearful uncertainty whether we will land in the realms of bliss or the regions of anguish8 ,you may be happy without power above your fellows1 without influence over them1 without great learning1 without wealth1 but you can not be happy without ,god4 ,give man all of this world that he desires1 multiply around him the gratifications of sense and the pleasures of thought1 and if ,god is not his joy and refuge the day is not far distant when he will feel as did the poor prodigal in a far country feeding upon husks in nakedness and want2 but if you are a ,christian you dwell with ,god in ,christ1 for ,god is in ,christ reconciling the world unto himself1 not imputing unto them their trespasses1 and if any man be in ,christ he is a new creature4 ,whosoever abideth in him sinneth not--doth not serve sin4 ,nothing can make you miserable while you enjoy the presence of ,god4 ,if you have accepted the ,savior as ,emanuel1 ,god with us1 as ,god manifested in the flesh1 and have entered into him1 you are at home with ,god--with the ,father of your spirit--and why should you not be happy8 ,in him 7,christ7 all fullness dwells4 ,god is there4 ,paul says1 ,all the promise of ,god in him are yea1 and in him amen unto the glory of ,god by us4 ,it pleased the ,father that in him all fullness should dwell4 ,are you in him8 ,he says1 ,i am the door1 by me if any man enter the same shall be saved1 but the door was never known to be of any use to the man who passes by it4 ,it is only of importance to those who enter4 ,have you no interest in this open door8 ,it was said to a very needy people1 ,see1 ,i have set before thee an open door1 and no man can shut it4 ,god is in ,christ1 ,christ is the great doorway to the ,father's house4 ,he says1 ,i am the way2 no man cometh unto the ,father but by me4 ,do you ask how shall ,i enter the door8 ,well1 do you really believe that it is your own duty to enter the door1 or do you wait to be thrown into it by some unknown spiritual convulsion that you never have as yet experienced8 ,how is this8 ,let us see4 ,when the ,savior was in the world he gathered about him a great many disciples4 ,john the ,baptist also gathered a great many more and prepared them for the ,lord4 ,these all received the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins1 were converted and saved4 ,jesus said to them1 ,now1 ye are clean through the word which ,i have spoken unto you--,john xv1 #c4 ,all this was accomplished before these disciples were baptized at ,pentecost or any where else with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it was not given until ,jesus was glorified1 and when it was given it was not given to sinners to make them saints1 but to the disciples who were already converted and pardoned1 to guide them into all truth1 to endow them with apostolic authority4 ,jesus said to them1 ,ye shall receive power after the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you1 and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in ,jerusalem and in all ,judea and in ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth4 ,acts i1 #h4 ,so these disciples were converted and cleansed--saved before they were baptized with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,there is no case in all the world's history of a sinner being baptized with the ,holy ,spirit in order to his conversion from sin1 or in order to put him into ,christ4 ,these disciples who were baptized with the ,holy ,spirit were by the same means qualified to fill the offices of apostles and prophets--were guided into all truth--preached the gospel with the ,holy ,spirit sent down from heaven1 and that gospel is the power of ,god unto salvation1 unto every one that believeth4 ,jesus said1 ,go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature2 he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved1 and he that believeth not shall be damned4 ,paul says1 ,christ loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word4 ,on ,pentecost1 when hundreds were convicted of their sins1 and said1 ,what shall we do8 the answer from the spirit of ,god was1 ,repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of ,jesus ,christ for the remission of sins1 and ye shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,these all entered into ,christ--the door1 while those disciples who had entered a good while before ,pentecost were put into the offices of apostles and prophets by the baptism of the spirit4 ,no man should wait to be put into the open door1 to be put into ,christ1 but should do as all the disciples of ,christ did in the days of ,christ and of his apostles--flee for refuge into an open door--not wait to be put in1 but enter4 ,you can be saved in heaven without being put into the office of an apostle or prophet1 but you can not enter heaven without being sanctified and cleansed4 ,will you come and enter by the ,lord ,jesus1 become a child of ,god by faith in ,jesus ,christ1 being baptized into ,christ8 ,do you say this is not the way8 ,then1 why8 ,o1 why should the pages of this book of books be burthened with such things8 ,were those disciples who received the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins before ,pentecost out of ,christ--uncleansed--unwashed8 ,no6 ,they were clean through the word spoken unto them4 ,they were converted--pardoned4 ,will you enter ,christ1 or wait to be put into ,christ8 ,why is it that all men are not put into ,christ8 ,i answer1 men are not put into ,christ1 they enter in--they come to ,christ--they come to ,god--,god is in ,christ4 ,the spirit and the bride say1 come6 ,and let him that heareth say1 ,come6 ,and let him that is athirst come6 ,and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely4 ,many of the ,corinthians hearing believed and were baptized4 ,when the ,samaritans believed1 they were baptized1 both men and women4 ,this is our entrance into the door4 ,we have now just entered into the church of ,christ--into the family of ,god--it is ,god's house--we are at home in the ,father's house1 and naught will harm us if we live at home1 if we are obedient children not fashioning ourselves after our former lusts4 ,the injunction comes to us here3 ,add to your faith virtue1 to virtue knowledge1 to knowledge temperance1 to temperance patience1 to patience brotherly kindness1 to brotherly kindness godliness1 and to godliness charity1 and if these things be in you and abound1 they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ4 ,but he that lacketh these things is blind and can not see afar off1 and had forgotten that he was purged from his old sins4 ,wherefore the rather1 brethren1 give diligence to make your calling and election sure1 for if ye do these things ye shall never fall4 ,for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ4 ,blessed are they that do his commandments1 that they may have right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city4 ,men in disobedience to the gospel feel1 when they approach the cold ,jordan of death1 that every thing upon which they built their hopes is being swept away4 ,their thoughts1 their treasures1 their grandeur1 their honors1 their little world1 their all1 fails them here4 ,they have lived at a distance from ,god1 and now they tremble at the thought of approaching before him whose great mercy they have rejected4 ,death is a terror to sinful man--his afflictions are his darkest hours4 ,it is not so with the ,christian4 ,to him death has no sting2 over him the grave has no victory to boast1 nor has the second death any power4 ,he has unshaken confidence that every thing is safe in the hands of ,jesus4 ,what but obedience to the gospel of the blessed ,god will enable the child of faith1 when flesh and heart fail to say1 ,thou wilt show me the path of life2 in thy presence is fullness of joy1 and at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore4 ,what then must be the happiness of fixing the heart on ,god1 where there is nothing unlovely1 nothing fickle1 nothing false or dying4 ,we may place our affections on the things of earth1 and sooner or later we are severed from them4 ,here all is change1 disappointment and consequent sorrow4 ,it is not so in ,heaven where all1 is pure and immutable4 ,from our best affections towards creatures up to the love of ,god there is a height as lofty as his ways and attributes are above the attributes and ways of mortals4 ,no fear can haunt the mind that he may change in his character of love4 ,he is beyond the reach of accident or change1 perfect in goodness and power1 and to those who trust in him1 he is a sure and never-ending1 and ever-increasing source of joy4 ,blessed are all they that put their trust in ',emanuel4' ,their very sacrifices are more than compensated4 ,if we give up self it is for the love of ,god4 ,if we give up time it is for eternity1 and in the exchange our happiness is not diminished either here or hereafter4 ,,our ,,indebtedness ,,to ,,revelation4--,no4 ,v4 ,,language ,,and ,,religion4 ,,by ,p4,t4 ,,russell4 ,christian4 ,having in my last article traced language and religion to their necessary and only possible source1 ,i am now ready to hear any objections that may be entertained4 ,mr4 ,skeptic1 if you have any1 present them4 ,skeptic4 ,suppose that ,i admit all that you say1 it would1 in the nature of the case1 account for the origin of one language only1 while facts show that there are an unnumbered variety4 ,so your argument is at fault4 ,the same difficulty belongs to your conclusion concerning the origin of religion4 ,can you remove this difficulty8 ,christian4 ,yes but while ,i am pleased with your frankness1 ,i must say1 the difficulty is only apparent1 not real4 ,look at yonder tree4 ,there is but one main stem1 or trunk1 and many leading branches4 ,these principal branches are each also divided into several minor branches1 and these also throw out many lesser limbs and twigs4 ,so it is with languages4 ,as the smallest twig at the extreme end of either of those limbs can be traced to the trunk through the main branches1 so all the various languages that are in use to-day1 can and may be traced to a few older ones1 and these1 again1 to one principal or parent language4 ,the ,english language of the present time differs widely from the ,english of three or four centuries ago4 ,its number of words have more than doubled4 ,and this has not been the result of the creation of new words1 but of borrowing from other and older languages4 ,so extensively has this been carried on1 that ,dr4 ,webster says1 that in gathering and arranging material for his dictionary1 he found himself under the necessity of consulting thirty ,european and ,asiatic languages4 ,our language may be called an amalgamation from a great many other languages4 ,it is not an original language4 ,we1 like the ancient ,greeks1 have been borrowing extensively1 and1 like them1 we have been careful to keep all that we borrowed4 ,what is true of our language is equally true of all modern languages4 ,wherever there is commercial or other free intercourse1 each party is found borrowing words from the other1 and thus their vocabularies are lapping and continually increasing4 ,i am now ready to introduce the important consideration1 it is this1 all modern languages are shaded by a few ancient ones4 ,the ,english1 ,german1 ,french1 ,spanish1 ,italian1 etc41 are deeply shaded through borrowing from the ,latin1 ,greek1 ,hebrew1 and ancient languages1 while these last1 as well as other ancient languages1 have never borrowed from the former4 ,this shows that ,greek1 ,latin and ,hebrew are older than the others4 ,i shall now take for granted that which all real linguists declare to be true1 viz3 that the smaller number of languages from which we and our contemporaries have so freely borrowed1 are all shaded by their borrowings from one2 and1 as the younger always borrows from the older1 that one must of necessity be the parent language of all languages4 ,this conclusion accounts for the word babel in our language1 and its equivalent in all others1 as well as for the existence of a multitude of words too tedious to mention4 ,,religion ,,and ,,its ,,origin4 ,the word is from religo1 and signifies to bind over4 ,webster says1 ,this word seems originally to have signified an oath or vow to the gods1 or an obligation of such oath or vow4 ,religion1 in its comprehensive sense1 includes a belief in the being and perfections of ,god1 in the revelation of his will to man1 in man's obligation to obey his commands--any religion consisting in a belief of a supreme power or powers1 governing the world1 and in the worshiping of such power or powers4 ,that men have the power to become religious is too evident to require a word in argument2 even ,tyndal admitted that there was a place in man's psychological nature for religion4 ,now1 since man possesses this1 and as all his other powers and faculties were made for use1 it is but reasonable that this faculty should also have its proper sphere of action4 ,,two ,,questions4 ,they are these3 ,first1 was ,polytheism or ,monotheism the primitive religion8 ,second1 is religion human or ,divine in its origin8 ,in answering these questions ,i shall gather facts1 and from them deduce my conclusion1 after the inductive method4 ,first1 universal history and tradition as far back as they can be traced1 without one dissenting voice1 locate the origin of man in ,asia4 ,from this point men migrated in every direction4 ,here1 in ,asia1 their language and religion1 if they had any1 would be one and the same4 ,this would1 in the nature of the case1 be true1 whether religion was at first human or ,divine4 ,again1 as all derivative languages are found to be shaded by one primitive language1 so all derivative religions will1 on examination1 be found to be shaded by the one primitive religion4 ,that is1 the leading or fundamental idea will be found more or less unclouded in all the more modern religions4 ,now1 which is it that shades all religions8 ,is it ,polytheism or ,monotheism8 ,is the fundamental thought of either found in all the others8 ,will any one pretend that ,polytheism is the primitive religion8 ,is its leading thought of many gods1 found in all religions8 ,it is not in ,judaism1 ,christianity1 nor ,mahomedanism4 ,these are one in their advocacy of one living and true ,god4 ,this fact breaks the chain of ,polytheism and ruins its claim to be considered the first religion4 ,here we must leave ,polytheism and look after the claim of ,monotheism4 ,if this is the first form of religion1 it must1 according to our rule1 shade all other religions2 if it does not1 then1 from this stand-point all is yet in the dark4 ,,monotheism ,,tested4 ,in all time past it has been conceded that the maxim1 vox populi1 vox dei1 is true when taken in its broad or universal sense4 ,we are apt to attribute that to be true which all men presume4 ,it is an argument with us that anything which seems true to all1 as that there are gods1 shows that they have engrafted in them an opinion concerning gods1 neither is there any so void of laws or good manners that doth not believe that there are some gods4--,sen4 ,epist4 ,c4 #ag4 ,this seems a firm thing which is alleged why we should believe gods to be1 because no nation is so fierce1 no man so wild1 whose mind has not been imbued with an opinion concerning gods1 or that uses proceed from bad customs4 ,but all do however conceive a ,divine power and nature to exist4 ,now1 in all things1 the consent of all nations is supposed to be the law of nature4--,cicero1 ,tusc41 q4 #a1 p4 #bii4 ,in such a quarreling and tumult and gangling1 you may see this one thing by common consent1 acknowledged law and speech1 that there is one ,god1 the king and father of all1 and many gods the children of ,god4 ,this the ,greek says2 and this the ,barbarian says2 the inhabitant of the continent and the ,islander1 the wise and the unwise do say the same4--,max4 ,tyn41 ,dis4 #a1 p4 #e4 ,it is an ancient saying and running in the race of all men1 that from ,god were all things1 and by him all things were constituted1 and do consist4--,demundo 7dedicated to ,alexander71 cap4 #f4 ,here ,i rest1 not for want of more witnesses1 for the testimony of all antiquity is full on this point4 ,there is not an ancient tribe1 race1 or nation1 of which we have any information1 historic or traditional1 who did not acknowledge the existence of one ,supreme ,being4 ,in this the chain is unbroken1 so ,monotheism must have been the first religion4 ,the chain of ,polytheism is broken many times4 ,all nations did not acknowledge the existence of many gods4 ,indeed1 no nation of antiquity acknowledged a plurality of supreme gods1 while all nations acknowledged a ,supreme ,god1 who1 with them1 was the father of gods and men4 ,so in this way the chain was always broken1 never whole4 ,polytheism then could not1 in the very nature of things1 be the original religion with ,monotheism engrafted upon it4 ,simple ,polytheism never existed with any nation2 it always displayed a supreme head1 a ,supreme ,god--father of gods and men4 ,and even this form of ,polytheism was acknowledged by a part of our race only4 ,the idea is worthy of being repeated1 that all nations of men throughout all antiquity acknowledged one living and true supreme and master ,god presiding over all gods and men4 ,this idea lies at the foundation of all ancient ,polytheism1 and most certainly at the foundation of all ancient ,monotheism4 ,now1 as religion simply consists primarily in man's relation to ,god1 with the accessory idea of dependence upon and obligation to him1 the question is3 ,was that religion earthly or ,divine in its origin8 ,were these thoughts the thoughts of men only1 or were they too high for us8 ,can you think of your relation and obligation to a being of whom you have never heard or learned8 ,no4 ,neither could man in the beginning1 nor at any subsequent time4 ,religion came not from earth4 ,human genius was not and could not have been its foundation4 ,there is but one other possible source1 which is simply the will and teachings of the creator4 ,religion is unearthly1 and hence ,divine in its origin4 ,the stream always declares the nature of the fountain4 ,gentlemen skeptics1 you boast of free and fearless thought4 ,make your vaunting good4 ,examine1 if you dare1 and let us have your strong reasons1 if you have any4 ,the nature of man made revelation a necessity4 ,this will be the theme of my next4 ,truth never fears the light1 but known error is a coward1 and loves the dark4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,noble book6 ,all men's book4 ,it is our first statement of the never-ending problem of man's destiny and ,god's ways with men on earth4--,carlyle4 ,,force ,,and ,,life4 ,,dr4 ,j4,l4 ,,parsons4 ,the origin of force and life in the universe is a great puzzle to materialistic scientists4 ,in the azoic period of our earth there was no life on it4 ,the living creatures now on the earth must1 therefore1 have had some origin4 ,that origin is not due to spontaneous generation1 according to the testimony of the most enlightened scientists1 ,professor ,haeckel to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,the various vital manifestations and exhibitions of force in the universe are due to some cause4 ,the intuitions of mankind1 as well as the teachings of science1 declare there must be a cause lying behind the universe which has produced it4 ,two great philosophies contend for the mastery in the solution of the problem of life4 ,materialistic philosophy seeks to account for the origin of all things on principles which deny the existence of ,god1 the ,creator1 and which make man wholly a material being4 ,christianity declares that the ,god of the ,bible is behind the universe as its cause4 ,the only things which materialists recognize as having any existence in the universe are matter and force4 ,if force be used in the sense of mind or spirit1 which it is not in this case1 ,i have no objection to this statement4 ,one of the first elementary lessons in material philosophy is the inertia of matter4 ,being at rest matter has no power to set itself in motion4 ,being in motion it has no power to put itself at rest4 ,it is moved by a force which is in no sense an attribute of matter4 ,since the earth is in motion and teems with life1 that motion and life must be due to force1 which is the only remaining existence in the universe4 ,as a cause lying behind the universe1 this force is denominated the unknown force4 ,prior to and in the azoic age we have nothing in the universe but matter and force1 and according to ,mr4 ,spencer1 not only an unknown force1 but also an unseen and an unknowable force4 ,subsequent to the azoic period and now we have the earth full of life1 intelligence and religion due to the unknown force4 ,this unknown1 unseen and unknowable force may be studied in the light of its manifestations and effects1 ,mr4 ,spencer to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,since all effects are contained in their causes1 the universe as an effect must have been and must be contained in the great unknown force as its cause4 ,the characteristics which mark the effect must mark the cause also4 ,if the stream be fresh water1 the fountain which sends it forth must be fresh water also2 for the stream is contained in the fountain4 ,if there be no fountain there can be no stream4 ,if there be no cause there can be no effect4 ,if there be no involution there can be no evolution4 ,the stream can not rise higher than its fountain4 ,the universe now contains life4 ,the unknown force must also contain life2 for all effects are contained in their causes4 ,the universe has in it mind4 ,the unknown force must have mind2 for all effects are contained in their causes4 ,the universe has in it goodness and religion4 ,so must the unknown force possess goodness and religion2 for all effects are contained in their causes4 ,the unknown cause of all things must possess mind1 intelligence1 goodness1 holiness1 else these things could not have proceeded from the unknown cause4 ,ex nihilo nihil fit is still true4 ,but life1 mind1 energy1 holiness1 are attributes of the ,god of the ,bible4 ,whenever science divests the unknown force of these attributes which characterize ,jehovah1 she has left a cause wholly inadequate to the production of the universe4 ,whenever she invests the unknown force with life1 power1 intelligence and goodness1 she has set up the ,god of the ,bible4 ,again1 man is possessed of a mind and a religious element in his nature4 ,if man's origin be due to the monkey or the tadpole1 then the monkey or the tadpole must have a mind and a religious nature2 for all effects are contained in their causes4 ,the monkey must have a mind superior to that of ,newton's1 and the tadpole must be more religious than man2 for the stream can not rise higher than its fountain6 ,man has a religious element in his nature4 ,that element seeks to be satisfied religiously1 as the eye instinctively seeks for light1 the ear for sound1 or the body for food4 ,until the constitutional elements of man's nature are changed1 he will instinctively seek for a ,god capable of satisfying this element of his being4 ,this part of man is satisfied in the ,bible and in the ,god of the ,bible4 ,hence ,i conclude that the race as a race will never go into atheism4 ,as for myself1 ,i heartily believe and fully accept the statement of the inspired bard of ,israel concerning the problem of force and life3 ,with thee is the fountain of life4 ,god the author of life and the source of all the force in the universe4 ,i do not for one moment believe the teaching of my learned skeptical professor of physiology1 ,sanford ,e4 ,chaillei1 that life is the result of organization2 that digestion is a chemical process2 and that animal heat and force result from this process4 ,his favorite illustration was the steam engine4 ,the fuel in the fire-box generated the heat which made the water in the boiler boil1 and thus the steam force was produced that moved the boat on the river4 ,but1 unfortunately for this illustration the ,professor always left out of the consideration the fireman4 ,no amount of fuel and water would ever generate force sufficient to turn a wheel without a fireman to light the fuel4 ,so no amount of bread and meat in a man's stomach would ever generate enough force to produce a single blood corpuscle without the vital force to set in motion and keep up the process of digestion and assimilation4 ,without a ,god to endow the body with this vital force1 there would be none1 and consequently no digestion and no animal heat or physical force4 ,if animal life and force result from organization and chemical digestion1 a chemist could make a dead body live1 where the organs are not destroyed1 by putting food into the stomach and giving it time to chemically digest1 which it would do in a short time1 but it will neither produce animal heat nor support life4 ,if digestion is a chemical process1 the chemist ought to be able to take bread and meat and make a red blood corpuscle1 which he can not do4 ,digestion and assimilation are vital processes4 ,the vital force always eludes the test of the chemist2 but that force is always present in the living animal economy4 ,the chemist can purchase every ingredient that enters into the composition of bone except the vital force1 without which he can not make an inch of bone4 ,the making of bone is a vital process which takes place only in the living animal economy4 ,no physician can possibly have a correct physiological theory of the cure of disease who ignores the presence and power and office of the vital force in the human system4 ,the body of man was formed of the dust of the ground according to ,moses1 and no mistake2 ,mr4 ,ingersoll to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,moses further says that the ,lord ,god breathed into his nostrils the breath of life1 and man became a living soul4 ,according to this author1 life did not result from organization4 ,what the ,almighty breathed into his nostrils was not atmospheric air2 for the air was in his nostrils before ,jehovah breathed the breath of life into them1 and yet it did not make this body live4 ,using the term breath in the sense of air that we breathe1 the old adage that men die for the want of breath is not true2 for the body dead is surrounded with the same air as when it was living4 ,when the ,creator breathed the breath of life into the newly-formed body1 and man became a living soul1 he imparted more to it than simply air2 and when the body dies1 something more than simply air or breath has departed from it4 ,solomon was wiser than the average wise acre or the conceited materialistic doctor when he said concerning death3 ,then shall the dust return to the earth as it was2 and the spirit shall return unto ,god who gave it4 ,the body without the spirit is dead1 says ,inspiration4 ,it is the presence of this spirit in the human body1 imparted to it by the ,almighty1 which vitalizes the body1 which produces the vital force1 by which force the body is builded and its operations carried on4 ,as the ,creator formed the body of the first man of the dust of the ground1 and vitalized it by breathing into it the breath of life1 and endowed it with a living germ and vital force by which1 under proper circumstances1 it reproduces itself2 so ,god said3 ,let the earth bring forth grass1 the herb yielding seed1 and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind1 whose seed is in itself1 upon the earth4 ,the seed has in it a germ of life and a hidden vital force which heat1 moisture and the soil have the capacity of developing1 so that it reproduces itself4 ,every vital manifestation of this seed is the result of vital force with which the ,creator has endowed every perfect seed4 ,this force in the animal and vegetable kingdoms produces vital manifestations4 ,chemical and other physical forces never produce vital manifestations4 ,gravity is that species of force by which all bodies or particles of matter in the universe tend toward each other4 ,the reason why bodies are drawn towards each other in this manner is because ,god has endowed them with a force which compels them to act in this way4 ,to call it the force of gravity is no explanation of either the origin or nature of this force4 ,to say that gravity makes the apple fall down instead of up is a polite way of expressing one's ignorance of such questions4 ,to say that nature makes a seed grow1 that nature heals a wound1 is only to make a show of learning4 ,god made the worlds and upholds them by the power of his word4 ,god energizes nature4 ,all the physical and vital forces of the universe are but the manifestation of his power4 ,god has endowed all things that grow with the germ of life4 ,atheistical philosophy starts without ,god and ends without him4 ,it seeks for spontaneous generation1 but never finds it4 ,it would have a stream without a fountain1 and an effect without a cause1 and a world without a ,creator4 ,i have no use for any theory of life1 or of medicine1 which denies the existence of ,god1 whom ,i regard as the source of all the forces in the universe4 ,nature is only the manifestation of his power and wisdom4 ,there is nothing supernatural in the universe unless it be ,god himself4 ,all the wonderful phenomena of the human body are the result of a living force with which he has endowed it1 and are to be explained1 if explained at all1 by a better knowledge of the intentions and workings of this force4 ,this knowledge will be obtained by a more careful study of nature1 by a more intimate acquaintance with him and his works4 ,anatomically1 physiologically1 and intellectually1 man is fearfully and wonderfully made2 and every wonderful thing connected with him is worthy of our careful consideration4 ,kokomo1 ,ind4 ,,alleged ,,contradictions4 ,,answered1 ,,perhaps ,,the ,,thousandth ,,time1 ,,by ,,request ,,from ,,logansport4 ,michal1 the daughter of ,saul1 had no child unto the day of her death4--,second ,samuel1 vi1 #bc4 ,but the king took the five sons of ,michal1 whom she brought up for ,adriel1 the son of ,barzillai1 the ,meholathite4--,second ,samuel1 xxi1 #h4 ,dear friend1 if you will notice the last quotation closely you will find that the words which ,i have italicised clearly indicate the true solution of the difficulty1 which has no real historic existence4 ,those sons were not the natural sons of ,michal1 but adopted sons1 which she brought up for ,adriel1 whose wife was ,moreb1 the natural mother of those children4 ,but1 somehow1 it comes to pass that you refer me in both cases to the first book of ,samuel instead of the second4 ,how is this8 ,second case4 ,and it came to pass after these things that ,god did tempt ,abraham4 ,the contrary does not happen to be a contradiction4 ,here it is1 ,let no man say when he is tempted ,i am tempted of ,god2 for ,god can not be tempted with evil1 neither tempteth he any man with evil4--,james i1 #ac4 ,any grammarian can see at once that there is no contradiction here4 ,god did 7try7 tempt ,abraham4 ,when was this and what was it for8 ,well1 it was thousands of years before ,james's present tense language was written4 ,suppose ,i give a parallel4 ,here it is3 ,let no ,jew say when he offers a lamb he offers it to obey the ,lord1 for the ,lord accepteth not lambs1 neither does he require them of any man4 ,the contradiction is found in the fact that some thousands of years in the past1 the ,lord did1 for wise and benevolent purposes1 require ,jews to offer lambs4 ,now1 can any man fail to see that there is no contradiction here4 ,god did tempt ,abraham4 ,what was it for8 ,answer4 ,he simply designed to teach ,abraham1 in a way that would impress the lesson upon the mind for all time to come1 that the human beings were not to be offered in burnt sacrifices as the heathen were wont to do4 ,his angel said to ,abraham1 ,stay thy hand4 ,see6 there is an offering fast by the horns in the bushes4 ,don't kill your son6 ,yes1 ,god did try or tempt ,abraham4 ,it was a grand trial of his loyalty to ,god4 ,and it was ,god's most effectual way of teaching ,abraham and his posterity that they must not offer their sons and daughters in the fire as the heathen did4 ,there is not only no contradiction here1 but a grand lesson also1 which represents ,god in just the reverse of the infidel interpretation of the case4 ,third case4 ,and the man which journeyed with him stood speechless1 hearing a voice1 but seeing no man4--,acts iv1 #g4 ,this voice heard by those persons was in the ,hebrew tongue1 and as such was not understood by those who were with ,saul4 ,so we have it upon record in the #bb;d chapter of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 that they saw the light and were afraid1 but they heard not1 that is1 understood not1 the voice4 ,that the voice was in the ,hebrew is asserted in the twenty-sixth chapter and the fourteenth verse4 ,we often hear a man's voice1 and fail at the same time--say we did not hear because we did not understand the words uttered4 ,such is the latitude of the original term translated by the word hear4 ,so there is no contradiction here4 ,the term hear in one passage is used with reference simply to the noise2 in the other it is used with reference to the words spoken1 which they understood not4 ,so it is said1 they heard them not4 ,can you hear a man speaking in a dead language8 ,you can hear the voice in the sense of hearing the noise1 but you can't hear the voice in the sense of hearing the language4 ,no man can hear a language unless he understands it in the sense of the original term4 ,your fourth case is in the following quotations3 ,and ,jacob called the name of the place ,peniel2 for ,i have seen ,god face to face1 and my life is preserved4--,gen4 xxxii1 #cj4 ,it somehow happens that my good querist in giving this quotation refers me to the #cast chapter1 which is wrong again4 ,he says he has taken advice1 and has read the contexts4 ,well1 perhaps he has4 ,but this is the second mistake any way4 ,the first is reference to the wrong book4 ,the second is reference to the wrong chapter4 ,how is this8 ,our querist's contrary is1 however1 in these words1 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time4--,john's ,record i1 #ah4 ,our friend1 proposing these contradictions for my consideration1 says he has given himself the trouble to investigate2 has read the context in connection with each quotation1 and still they are not clear1 yet for the last quotation he refers me to #a ,john iv1 #ab4 ,well1 well2 how shall we understand this8 ,and how shall we harmonize the quotations8 ,well1 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time--this is true1 for he is the ,king ,eternal1 immortal1 invisible1 whom no man hath seen with the literal eye1 nor can see4 ,this teaching is positive and pointed1 but in ancient times even those to whom the word of ,god was sent were called gods4 ,so said ,jesus4 ,the one ,jacob saw was called a man4 ,and again1 there was a messenger--an angel1 if you please--that bore ,jehovah's name upon him4 7,see ,exodus xxiii1 #ba1 and context47 ,this was the angel of ,god's presence4 ,the angel of his presence saved them4--,isaiah lxiii1 #i4 ,god's great messenger bore his name4 ,men saw him1 the angel1 and seeing him saw ,god1 for this angel was ,god with them--,god's representative bearing his name4 ,this angel ,god1 or angel having ,god's name in him1 talked with ,moses4 ,moses saw him1 and it is truthfully said that ,moses saw ,god1 that is1 saw this angel whose name was that of ,god4 ,and when forty years were transpired there appeared to him1 ,moses1 in the wilderness of ,mount ,sinai1 an angel of the ,lord in a flame of fire in a bush4 ,when ,moses saw it he wondered at the sight1 and as he drew near to behold it1 the voice of the ,lord came unto him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,this 7,moses7 is he1 that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the ,mount ,sinai and with our fathers1 etc4 ,moses went up into ,sinai and saw ,god1 but it was simply the angel that bore his name--the angel of his presence4 ,that is all there is of it4 ,i once sat in a church-house in ,logansport when there were present representatives from different states in our ,union1 and a gentleman made a little address and introduced them to the audience1 saying1 ,ohio is here1 ,iowa is here1 ,kentucky is here1 ,illinois is here1 ,california is here4 ,how was this8 ,well1 those men were messengers from those states1 and their presence was the presence of those several states4 ,just so the angel of ,god's presence was with ,moses2 and ,stephen said1 with our fathers4 ,the presence of this angel was the presence of ,god1 and they who saw him saw ,god1 for this angel's name was ,god1 or1 in other words1 ,god's name was in him4 ,but the ,god whose name this angel bore1 and whose name even men bore who were called ,gods1 because to them the word of ,god was sent1 and they1 having ,god's word1 were his representatives1 has not been seen at any time1 neither indeed can be with literal eyes4 ,n4,b4--,friends who wish to engage our attention and space must remember the important rule among editors1 and send their name along with their requests and articles4 ,,some ,,things ,,that ,,need ,,thought4 ,it has been said of past nations1 that side by side have grown in their midst the elements both of greatness and of ruin4 ,there is one phase of our society1 as ,americans1 which is more to be dreaded than all others known to the philosophic mind1 that is the reckless licentiousness which characterizes many politicians during political campaigns4 ,in ancient times a grand safeguard against this debasing practice was found in the law that said1 ,thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of my people4 ,this evil1 like all others1 when it becomes a strong habit1 is well calculated to stir up anger1 and wrath1 and hatred2 to stir up the passions1 and destroy confidence1 which is always and only disastrous to the social state4 ,this growing evil needs to be checked by some means1 otherwise our country will experience tumults growing out of maddened party ambition1 and party interests1 which will cause disaster and grief4 ,the ballot-box needs to be guarded with wise and severe laws1 because it is the pivotal wheel in our government4 ,and next to this1 because of the relation it sustains to our government's welfare1 is the reputation of our public officials4 ,i would not screen them from their just deserts1 but ,i do say that the leaders in political affairs should be1 in common with all others1 too high-minded to indulge in slandering each other1 as many are in the habit of doing4 ,it reminds me in some of our political campaigns of the cursing-matches of the ,popes1 in some of the councils that were held during the dark ages4 ,it is possible that we have in ,indiana1 and perhaps in some of the other states1 sufficient law upon the subjects of slander1 but law that is disregarded1 being seldom enforced1 amounts to nothing4 ,then1 there is a disposition growing out of the pride of character to disregard the slanderer's tongue4 ,yet licentiousness tends to civil and social ruin all the same4 ,that is to say1 it destroys confidence1 breeds retaliation and corruption1 and inflames all the baser passions known in the dying agonies of a civil government4 ,as an ,american citizen ,i would warn our people to manufacture all the public sentiment possible against this low1 vile1 and debasing practice1 by pleading with our countrymen against it4 ,and let us never hold our peace until we shall have thrown such safeguard around our ballot-box as will put an end to all the abominable corruptions that now threaten our existence as a free people4 ,is it true of us1 that we carry the seeds of our own destruction as a nation in our own bosom8 ,are we to die as a nation1 over the ballot-box8 ,shall we be so foolish8 ,let statesmen and politicians look well to the essential elements of the nation's life1 by the advocacy of reform at this point where reform is most needed4 ,and let ,christians of every name plead for morality as an essential qualification for a place at the head of so great affairs as belong of right to the people of counties1 states and nation4 ,righteousness exalts a nation1 but sin is a reproach to any people4 ,it is time for us to look after the moral elements of every man's life who proposes himself as a candidate for office in our midst1 but we can well afford to be satisfied with the truth4 ,shall we look to this8 ,while we pray as ,christians for such rulers and authorities as will look to the permanent and lasting interests of our country1 let us vote as we pray4 ,do we pray one way and vote another8 ,if so1 let us repent4 ,do we pray for righteous rulers and for a good government and then vote for profane1 wicked men2 for men of intemperate habits1 men who are perfectly indifferent to the moral welfare of our country2 men who will disregard the welfare of the nation by neglecting the elements of national greatness8 ,if political parties triumph in this government through slander1 trickery1 whisky and corruption1 and continue to do so1 the time will inevitably come when we will realize the facts of national ruin4 ,we might as well think of a man having good health and living long upon the earth who takes poison into his stomach continually1 as to think of future glory as a nation if we carry out our purposes by dishonest1 illegal measures and by railing1 in a slanderous and unjustifiable manner1 against the best men of the nation4 ,it has been said that political parties are necessary as checks to corruption1 but when parties themselves indulge in all manner of corruption in order to succeed as parties1 they are no longer checks1 but abettors of corruption4 ,let the preachers1 whose business it is to reprove sin1 and who have been kept from taking the risk of being shut out of ,paradise1 by being kept out of politics787 open their mouths and be heard all over this country against all these immoral1 vile practices indulged as a means of political success4 ,the ignorant1 fossilized partisan who looks no higher than party will perhaps raise a yell of indignation against them1 but at the same time he will continue the use of the same old argument1 viz3 the pool of politics is too filthy for preachers to meddle with4 ,is it a filthy pool8 ,then let us bring all the purifying elements of the nation to bear upon it and see if there is anything in it besides corruption4 ,if there is not1 the sooner we find it out the better1 and if there is1 the sooner we get it separated from its corruption the better4 ,,the ,,religion ,,and ,,society ,,of ,,greece4 ,,how ,,does ,,it ,,compare ,,with ,,ours4 ,from the ,egyptians and other nations to whom the ,grecians were indebted for their earliest laws1 they derived their established religion4 ,to the worship of the twelve principal divinities the gratitude of the succeeding ages added the deification of heroes and legislators renowned for their important services to society4 ,various degrees of adoration were paid to the gods and to the souls of departed heroes4 ,temples were erected1 festivals were instituted1 games were celebrated1 and sacrifices were offered with more or less pomp and magnificence to them all4 ,a regular gradation of immortal beings was acknowledged to preside throughout universal nature from the ,naiad1 who was adored as the tutelary guardian of a stream to ,jupiter1 the father of gods and men1 who ruled with ,supreme power over heaven and earth4 ,the religion of the people extended little beyond the external honors paid to the gods of their country and the attendance upon sacrifices and processions4 ,the sacred ceremonies were magnificent and public1 except that the votaries of ,bacchus and ,ceres were indulged in their secret mysteries4 ,the festivals were observed with every circumstance of pomp and splendor to charm the eye and please the imagination4 ,a sacrifice was a feast attended with gayety and even licentiousness4 ,every temple was the resort of the idle and the dissolute1 and the shrines of the ,cyprian ,venus and the ,athenian ,minerva could attest that devotion1 far from being a pure and exalted exercise of the mind1 was only the introduction to dissoluteness and debauchery4 ,the northern regions of ,greece were particularly renowned for temples from which oracles were issued4 ,the temple of ,apollo at ,delphi1 situated upon a lofty rock near ,parnassus1 and that of ,jupiter in the groves of ,dodona1 were celebrated for the responses of the ,pythia and the priests2 they were held in the greatest veneration for many ages1 and their oracles were consulted even in the most enlightened times by philosophers themselves1 who1 in this instance1 as well as many others1 conformed to the popular superstitions4 ,the spirit of the religion of ancient ,greece was included in these principles1 that the worship of the gods was of superior obligation and importance to all other duties1 and that they frequently displayed their power in this world in the punishment of the bad and the prosperity of the virtuous4 ,such were the opinions inculcated by the most celebrated philosophers and poets but the common people1 more gratified by the fictions of the received mythology1 than by tenets of pure morals1 found in the actions recorded of their gods and goddesses a sufficient justification of every species of licentiousness4 ,with respect to a future state of existence1 the philosophers themselves appear to have fluctuated in uncertainty1 as may be collected from the sentiments of ,socrates4 ,the poets inculcated a belief in ,tartarus and ,elysium4 ,they have drawn a picture of ,tartarus in the most gloomy and horrific colors1 where men1 who had been remarkable for impiety to the gods1 such as ,tantalus1 ,tityus and ,sisyphus1 were tormented with a variety of misery ingeniously adapted to their crimes4 ,the prospect of ,elysium is beautiful and inviting1 as described by ,homer1 ,hesiod and ,pindar4 ,in that delightful region there is no inclement weather1 but the soft zephyrs blow from the ocean to refresh the inhabitants who live without care and anxiety2 there the sky is always serene and the sunshine is perpetual4 ,the earth yields delicious fruits for their sustenance three times per year4 ,but these enjoyments were confined to the persons who were of rank and distinction4 ,their ,elysium was a sensual heaven4 ,how very different is the ,christian's future happy home8 ,proteus informed ,menelaus that he would be conveyed to the ,islands of the ,blessed1 because he was the husband of ,helen1 and the son-in-law of ,jupiter4 ,no incentives to goodness from the consideration of a future state are held out by the older poets to the female sex1 or to the ignoble or common people1 however pure their conduct or exemplary their virtue4 ,in later times we find that ,pindar extends his rewards to good men in general2 but ,euripides is sometimes skeptical1 and ,iphigenia without hesitation expresses her disbelief of the popular mythology4 ,the learned ,jortin says1 ,it gives us pleasure to trace in ,homer the important doctrine of a supreme ,god1 a providence1 and a free agency in man1 supposed to be consistent with fate or destiny2 a difference between moral good and evil1 inferior gods or angels1 some favorable to men1 others malevolent1 and the immortality of the soul2 but it gives us pain to find these notions so miserably corrupted that they must have had a very weak influence to excite men to virtue and deter them from crime4--,jortin1 ,dissertation vi1 p4 #bde4 ,this observation may be applied to the state of opinions even in the most enlightened times of ,greece1 when the credulity and ignorance of the common people1 and the errors and doubts of the greatest philosophers1 proved the necessity and the importance of the ,christian religion4 ,the possible attainments of a religious nature were very different from ours4 ,in the times of ,lycurgus there were two hereditary kings or presidents2 their power was controlled by ,lycurgus1 through the gift of equal authority to twenty-eight senators4 ,the two kings commanded the armies and high-priests of the temples4 ,the senators were the executive and legislative council of the state2 with them the laws originated4 ,the assembly of the people elected the senators by saying yes or no to the measures proposed to them1 but had no right to discuss their propriety--were not allowed the privilege4 ,lycurgus allowed every family an equal amount of land2 prohibited the use of gold and silver1 and made iron money the only currency of the country1 in order to check the avarice of the people4 ,he forbade foreign travel in order to retain the morals of his people1 or keep them from the corruptions of other nations4 ,to produce a hardy people1 he required the women to indulge in all the athletic exercises of his government4 ,the children were inspected as soon as they were born1 and those considered worthy were handed over to the public nurses1 and the unworthy1 that is1 the deformed and sickly1 were taken out and left in the woods and upon the mountains to perish4 ,all the children of the ,spartans were considered as the property of the state1 and their education consisted in accustoming them to endure the cravings of hunger and thirst1 with the scourge of discipline and every degree of suffering4 ,the business of ,spartans consisted in preparing themselves for war4 ,they were disciplined in such a manner that it was necessary to curb them constantly1 lest they should rashly undertake to make conquests4 ,out of this character of the ,greeks arose that old saying1 ,when ,greek meets ,greek then comes the tug of war4 ,many of the laws of the ,spartans would1 in this country at least1 destroy all the finer feeling1 and inaugurate a reign of despotism utterly at variance with ,christianity4 ,god's time to give to the inhabitants of the earth the glorious system of our holy religion was not until our race was educated1 so as to be no longer the slaves of the reigning ambition and passion of such men as ,lycurgus4 ,the ,savior's hour was several centuries from ,lycurgus4 ,here it is appropriate to remark that ,god1 in his providence with the nations of men1 has during all the ages given to men just as fast as they were able to receive4 ,,the ,,relations ,,of ,,christianity ,,to ,,human ,,greatness4 ,some who deny the existence of spirit apart from matter allow that the greatness of man consists in his being an eating animal4 ,others allow that it lies in the fact that he is a working animal2 while some have allowed that it was found in the fact that he is a fighting animal4 ,and all infidels agree in one thing1 viz43 that man is simply an animal4 ,but the animal nature of man is not to be considered1 with any degree of truth1 his crown of glory2 his true greatness can not be identified with it4 ,we are acquainted with animals that can eat more1 and seem to do it with a greater relish4 ,others can run faster1 jump higher1 overcome greater weight and outdo him in all manner of physical labor4 ,they are in possession of greater courage and fight with greater ferocity4 ,so we must search for man's greatness outside of all these elements of character4 ,can we find no brighter1 higher principles in the human character8 ,to do so we must lay aside the animal nature of man altogether1 and consider his character as it is blended with his intellectual and moral nature4 ,in other words1 we must consider man as man1 not as an animal4 ,we must consider him as a mind or spirit1 and look to something higher than eating1 laboring at the helm1 and fighting1 if we would discover his true greatness4 ,in the improvement of mind is the true improvement of man in all his relations4 ,without this he is unqualified for all the various obligations that are necessary to be discharged in order to the development of true greatness4 ,to be great a man must rise above the little1 the mean1 the vile and the degraded4 ,to do this he must be educated1 trained1 until the fruits of a virtuous and useful intelligence are seen in his every-day life4 ,men are not considered great nor admired for the simple development of physical nature4 ,infidels claim that cultivated literature is incompatible with religion4 ,it has been said that a man of ardent piety can not produce a work that will live in after ages4 ,this is a libel upon the truth1 and upon him who said3 ,i am the truth4 ,faith in ,god certainly places the maximum of greatness upon the human mind4 ,the man who believes in the existence of mind apart from matter1 and consequently looks upon death as a blessed state of rest to the good man which lies between the two great activities of time and eternity1 and also believes in ,god and future rewards1 has stronger motives to sound moral rectitude than the man who denies and ridicules these great truths4 ,the seat of law is the bosom of ,god1 and her voice is the harmony of the world4 ,it is respect for law that brings responsibilities home to the heart4 ,where there is no faith there is no respect for law pertaining to future rewards2 and where this is the case there is no sense of moral obligations connecting man with the future retribution4 ,so there is nothing resting upon an unbeliever's heart that will serve as a check upon his passions1 and deter him from living with reference to the gratification of a mere animal nature4 ,skepticism1 by shutting ,god out of the mind1 destroys the very idea of law4 ,cicero's description of law is in these noble words3 ,there is one true and original law conformable to reason and to nature1 diffused over all1 invariable1 eternal1 which calls to the fulfillment of duty and to abstinence from injustice1 and which calls with that irresistible voice which is felt in all its authority wherever it is heard4 ,this law can not be abolished or curtailed1 nor affected in its sanctions by any law of man4 ,a whole senate1 a whole people1 can not dispense from its paramount obligations4 ,it requires no commentators to render it intelligible2 nor is it different at ,rome1 at ,athens1 from what it was ages ago1 nor is it different now from what it will be in ages to come4 ,in all nations and in every age it has been1 is1 and forever will be the same--one1 as ,god1 its greatest author1 is one4 ,man is man1 truly1 as he yields himself to this divine influence4 ,faith in ,god implants this law in the individual and national heart4 ,infidelity excludes its authority and influence and leaves man to the mercy of his undisciplined appetites4 ,the fruits of infidelity have always been selfishness4 ,the ,christian believer regards himself as subordinated to a higher power1 and labors under a sense of obligations which begets habits of self-control that are the life of morality4 ,the ideal character of the ,christian religion is such that faith in ,god and future rewards tend to make the earth life an image of the divine4 ,this is the glory of both reason and faith1 that it perceives the invisible4 ,the students of the present have no trouble to see that the true greatness of the nation of antiquity was in their attribute of morality4 ,virtue and morality in an ancient ruler shines in history even across the dark ages1 and makes glad the heart of the student of the nineteenth century4 ,faith in ,god has been the great leading thought in the rise of nations--that is1 in reformations4 ,luther and ,melancthon preceded ,lord ,bacon1 ,newton and ,locke4 ,the few stars that lit up the gloomy night that preceded the reformation and the revival of literature were lighted by the faith of ,god4 ,speaking of this fact1 ,dr4 ,goode says3 ,we behold a flood of noonday bursting all at once over every quarter of the horizon and dissipating the darkness of a thousand years2 we behold mankind in almost every quarter of ,europe1 from the ,carpathian ,mountains to the pillars of ,hercules1 from the ,tiber to the ,vistula1 waking as from a profound sleep to a life of activity and bold adventure2 ignorance falling prostrate before advancing knowledge2 brutality and barbarism giving way to science and polite letters2 vice and anarchy to order and moral conduct4 ,the modern opposers of ,christianity1 reasoning in a retro-grade motion--that is1 going backwards--ascribe every improvement to science and philosophy1 but it was religion that took the lead in both the great revival of learning and the reformation4 ,aldhelm1 ,bede and ,alcuin were three great ,anglo-,saxon luminaries of the eighth century4 ,alcuin was the tutor and confidential friend of ,charlemagne4 ,ingulph1 made abbot of ,croyland by ,william the ,conquerer1 was the bright light of the eleventh century4 ,to him we are indebted for much that has come down to us4 ,john of ,salisbury1 ,girald the ,cambrian1 and the monk ,adelard1 and ,robert of ,reading were all religious leaders4 ,the last two traveled in ,egypt and ,arabia1 studied mathematics at ,cordovia4 ,adelard translated ,euclid out of ,arabic into ,latin4 ,such also was ,alfred the ,great1 who was victorious in prosperity and adversity1 as a legislator and philosopher1 as a soldier and politician1 a king and a ,christian2 he was the pride of princes1 the flower of society and the delight of mankind4 ,roger ,bacon1 of notoriety on account of his superior knowledge of physics1 was the bright ,christian light of the thirteenth century4 ,from this century all the way through the reformation the revival of faith in ,god was the revival of the golden age of learning or literature4 ,when faith in ,god expired in ,france the entire social fabric steadily declined until all crumbled and fell as in the ruins of an earthquake4 ,at the same time the inhabitants1 loosened from the restraints which faith in the living ,god imposes1 stained every part of the country with blood1 and its glory and grandeur perished4 ,it has been well said that the rights of man can not be well secured and enjoyed unless he is viewed in his relations to ,god4 ,where government aims at and subserves this end it is a blessing4 ,blackstone has well remarked that the whole should protect all its parts1 and that every part should pay obedience to the will of the whole2 or1 in other words1 that the community shall guard the rights of each individual member1 and that in return for this protection each individual should submit to the law of the community4 ,faith lets ,god down into the hearts of lawmakers1 and a sense of accountability to him must1 most certainly1 have a grand tendency to refine laws in their first conception4 ,at least it happens to be true that wherever ,god is feared and law made the basis of the legislation and policy of a nation1 that nation is1 in fact1 found to excel in those interests which are essential to a nation's well-being and glory4 ,we challenge any man1 or set of men1 to an estimate of the comparative purity and morals of the nations of the earth4 ,it is1 and forever will be1 found to correspond with their religious systems4 ,the great conflict which is now going on in every civilized country is a conflict between faith and infidelity4 ,for the triumph of light and truth the very throne of ,god is pledged4 ,there may be difficulties to encounter1 but these will be vanquished4 ,as well undertake to pluck the sun and stars from the heavens1 and spread the black curtain of one long protracted night over the world1 as to try to quench the light of immortal truth as it flows freely into the hearts of so many millions and stirs up the deep fountains of human spirits4 99 99 99 99 99 ,owing to the attitude of the churches for the last fifteen hundred years truth-telling has not been a very lucrative business4--,col4 ,ingersoll4 ,the ,colonel's business has been very lucrative1 therefore his has not been a truth-telling business4 ,,the ,,theory ,,of ,,the ,,original ,,free-,,thinkers4 ,see how they have advanced6 ,free-thinking ,christians1 a name lately adopted by a society which arose in the year #agii1 and has ever since regularly assembled in ,london1 calling itself a church of ,god founded on the principles of free inquiry4 ,their first members separated from a congregation of ,trinitarian dissenters in ,parliament ,court ,chapel1 ,bishopgate street2 they rejected the doctrine of the trinity1 the atonement1 and other points of ,calvinism2 then the sacraments and the immateriality of the soul2 and lastly1 the inspiration of the scriptures and public worship1 for they have neither singing nor praying in their assemblies1 and regard the ,bible only as an authentic history4 ,these free-thinking ,christians readily admit that1 since their first assembling as a body1 their sentiments have undergone considerable alteration on points of primary importance1 but they contend that this is the natural consequence of free inquiry2 that men who had heretofore been the slaves of error could not but advance in the attainment of truth after adopting a system which left thought unrestrained and conscience free1 and they are still ready to renounce any opinion whenever it shall appear to them untenable4 ,in consequence1 their public meetings1 which are mostly on ,sunday forenoons1 resemble rather a debating society than a ,christian ,church4 ,the elder opens the meeting by stating the subject for consideration1 and1 at his call1 several speakers successively address the meeting4 ,it is not unusual to hear among them difference of opinion1 and they are all prompt to controvert the current doctrines of the ,christian world1 to show their dissent from all sects and parties1 and their aversion to the clergy and to ,christian ministers of all denominations4 ,this society was little known till the year #ahjh1 when they advertised their intention of publicly inquiring into the existence of a being called the devil4 ,so singular a notice could not fail of drawing a considerable number of persons to their assembly1 especially on a ,sunday morning4 ,the landlord of the house at which they met in the old ',change1 alarmed for his personal security1 obliged them to remove1 and they engaged the large room at the ,paul's ,head1 ,cateaton street4 ,here the magistracy interfered1 but as they had taken the precaution to license themselves under the toleration act1 nothing could be done legally to restrain them4 ,since then they have set up a periodical publication under the title of the ,free-thinking ,christian's ,magazine1 in which they profess to disseminate ,christian1 moral1 and philosophical truth1 and they have erected a handsome meeting-house in the crescent behind ,jewin street1 ,cripplegate1 where this weekly assembly1 consisting of members and strangers1 is said to amount to between four and five hundred persons4 ,the following appears to be the latest summary of their opinions3 ,the ,christian religion1 they say1 consists in the worship of one ,god1 eternal1 just1 and good1 and in an obedience to the commands of ,jesus1 his messenger on earth1 who taught the wicked to repent of the error of their ways and that ,god was ever ready to receive them4 ,forms and ordinances1 parade and show1 are no points of his system1 but virtue and purity of heart can alone prepare man for a blissful existence beyond the grave1 the wisdom and hope of which were furnished by the resurrection of the teacher of their faith1 a member of earth and an heir of immortality4--,free-thinking ,christians' ,magazine2 ,hannah ,adams's ,dictionary of all ,religions1 page #hb4 ,,remarks4 ,the above dictionary is in my possession4 ,it was published in #ahag by ,james ,eastburn ,company at the literary rooms1 corner of ,broadway and ,pine streets1 ,new ,york1 and by ,cummings and ,hilliard1 ,no4 #a ,cornhill1 ,boston4 ,the author credits the above article to the above-named magazine1 so we may rely upon it as the freethinker's own presentation of his theory in its early history4 ,it will be of great interest to all our readers1 as it will enable them to see1 at once1 the origin of so-called free-thought4 ,it had its origin with ,calvinistic errors upon the subject of the ,trinity1 a vicarious atonement1 and kindred ideas concerning human redemption4 ,it will be of interest also to mark the improvements 787 of free-thinkers1 who are always boasting of being in the advance guard in warring with error and ignorance4 ,they had neither singing nor prayers when they started out1 and in these regards they have not apostatized from their first faith1 for they are up to this time a praiseless and prayerless people1 never praying unless it is when they have the cramp or some other disease4 ,their wants seem to be few and easily supplied4 ,health and hominy are the staples of spiritual food with them at the present4 ,the time was when1 as a society1 they wished to wear some of the main elements of the ,christian religion1 such as belief in the existence of ,god2 the existence of the church of ,god1 and belief in the resurrection of ,christ1 and through him the resurrection of all men2 but they have long ere this thrown aside all these4 ,in the beginning of their history they were noted1 as our author says1 for their disposition to promptly controvert the current doctrines of the ,christian world1 and show their dissent from all sects and parties1 and their aversion to the clergy1 and to ,christian ministers of all denominations4 ,this trait of character they still retain1 regardless of the advance of ,christians from ,calvinistic errors4 ,this looks like they were determined on hating the profession of ,christianity1 regardless of its character4 ,such is their chronic disease4 ,they talk no more of worshiping the eternal ,god1 nor of obeying the commands of ,jesus4 ,but it is just to say of their most noted leaders that they confess that the ,christ life was1 and is1 the most exalted and praiseworthy life of all the ages4 ,and1 while this life remains to challenge the world to imitation1 we ,christians shall rejoice1 believing in ,christ and realizing that our foundation stands sure and secure4 ,in their origin they built a fine church house1 but now they go to ,china and borrow ,josh house1 as an odius epithet for church house1 forgetting that their ,china brethren are simply clinging to their own old philosophy of nature and her lessons1 without the religion of the ,bible2 and1 also1 forgetting that they1 themselves1 allow that all that is1 is right1 being1 from natural selection1 simply the survival of the fittest4 ,eight years more and a century will have passed since free thought started out in ,parliament ,court ,chapel1 and from present indications we are inclined to think that all men will be under the necessity of conceding that ,christianity is the fittest1 for it stoutly refuses to die4 ,in their beginning they repudiated the idea of the inspiration of the ,bible2 to this they have held without change4 ,further than this1 they acknowledged that the ,bible was an authentic history1 but now they calumniate the idea1 and blaspheme the ,bible and its ,god4 ,in these respects they have grown backwards2 and they no longer claim to worship one ,god1 eternal1 just and good1 nor to obey the commands of ,jesus1 rejecting sacraments1 forms1 ordinances1 parade and show1 along with song and prayer4 ,perhaps they cast up their accounts1 and found that there could1 in the very nature of things1 be no worship outside of all these elements of worship1 and then determined to be more honest at least1 and endeavor in the future to people the earth with a non-worshipping1 ,godless1 ,christless1 praiseless1 prayerless1 non-hoping set of inhabitants1 who would give all up in death for the sake of free thought4 ,,what ,a ,,man ,,may ,,be ,,and ,,be ,a ,,christian ,,in ,,the ,,estimation ,,of ,,col4 ,,ingersoll4 ,we find the following in the ,colonel's speech1 which was delivered at ,rockford1 ,ill41 on ,tuesday1 ,october #e1 #ahhj4 ,we publish it in order to show the utter fallacy of the infidel's claim that ,christianity is necessarily in conflict with education2 that ,christians are necessarily bigots1 narrow-minded men1 dangerous to the liberty of man1 woman and child4 ,read it1 ye fault-finding skeptics and infidels1 and save your claims against the ,christian religion if you can4 ,correllate it with the hollow utterances of ,colonel ,ingersoll1 which are so often repeated by him in other addresses directed wholly against ,christianity1 if you can4 ,here it is3 ,i have known him 7,garfield7 for years4 ,i know him as well as ,i know any other man1 and ,i tell you he has more brains1 more education1 wider and more splendid views than any other man who has been nominated for the ,presidency by any party since ,i was born4 ,some people say to me3 ',how can you vote for ,garfield when he is a ,christian and was a preacher8' ,i tell them3 ',i have two reasons3 ,one is1 ,i am not a bigot1 and the other is1 ,general ,garfield is not a bigot4 ,he does not agree with me2 ,i do not agree with him on thousands of things2 but on the great luminous principle that every man must give to every other man every right that he claims for himself we do absolutely agree4' ,italics mine4--,,ed4 ,i would despise myself if ,i would vote against a man in politics simply because we differed about what is known as religion4 ,i will vote for a liberal ,catholic1 a liberal ,presbyterian1 a liberal ,methodist1 a liberal anything ten thousand times quicker than ,i would vote for an illiberal free-thinker4 ,i believe in the right4 ,i believe in doing to other people in these matters as ,i would like them to do to me4 ,general ,garfield is an honest man every way2 intellectual every way4 ,he is a poor man2 he is rich in honor1 in integrity he is wealthy1 and in brains he is a millionaire4 99 99 99 ,he is a great1 good1 broad1 kind1 tender man1 and he will do1 if elected ,president1 what he believes to be right4 ,,sum ,,of ,,possibilities4 #a4 ,it is possible for an honest man to be the best educated man in the nation1 and at the same time be a ,christian4 #b4 ,it is possible for the millionaire in brains to be the best educated man in the nation1 and at the same time be a ,christian4 #c4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and not be a bigot4 #d4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and an advocate of the great luminous principle that every man must give to every other man every right that he claims for himself4 #e4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian and be a liberal man4 #f4 ,it is possible for a man to be honest every way1 and be a ,christian4 #g4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be every way an intellectual man4 #h4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be rich in honor4 #i4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be wealthy in integrity4 #aj4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be a great man4 #aa4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be a good man4 #ab4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and be a broad1 kind1 tender man4 #ac4 ,it is possible for a man to be a ,christian1 and have wider and more splendid views than any other man4 ,and ,colonel ,ingersoll says he knows all this to be so4 ,now what shall we think of the utterances of lesser lights in infidelity since we have the living fact before us that ,christianity is in perfect harmony with the very highest education2 with the widest and most splendid views2 with honesty every way2 with greatness2 with goodness2 with integrity2 with honor2 with kindness and tenderness2 with the great luminous principle that a man must give to every other man every right that he claims for himself8 ,and it is also in perfect harmony with a great and liberal heart4 ,we have hope that ,colonel ,ingersoll will yet find his way into the temple of truth1 which reveals the glory and grandeur of the perfect harmony that exists between ,christianity and all that is truly great and good--since he has pronounced the word ,eureka4 ,,life ,,and ,,force ,,are ,,not ,,the ,,same4 ,hylozoism is the doctrine that life and matter are inseparable4 ,this doctrine has been presented in several different forms4 ,straton1 of ,lampsacus1 claimed that molecules were each and all of them in possession of life4 ,the ,stoics did not1 however1 accord life to each and every distinct particle of matter1 but held that the universe1 as a whole1 was a being animated by a principle which gave to it motion1 form and life4 ,this principle they called the soul of the universe4 ,this idea was advocated by the followers of ,plotinus1 who contended that this soul of the world animated the smallest particle of matter4 ,spinoza asserted that all things were alive in different degrees4 ,matter1 according to ,leibnitz and ,boscovish1 and others1 is always endowed with force4 ,attraction and repulsion and chemical affinity1 all indicate activity in matter2 but all this fails to meet the demands of science1 for this simple reason1 life is a force always connected with organization1 which much of matter wants4 ,spontaneous motion1 growth1 nutrition1 separation of parts1 and generation are phenomena which indicate the presence of life2 which most certainly is not co-extensive with matter4 ,so ,hylozoism1 ancient and modern1 under whatever name you please to term it1 breaks down4 ,here1 also1 we discover that it is foolishness to confound the terms life and force4 ,,macaulay ,,on ,,sunday4 99 99 99 ,this day is not lost4 ,while the machinery is stopped1 while the car rests on the road1 while the treasury is silent1 while the smoke ceases to rise from the chimney of the factory1 the nation enriches itself none the less than during the working days of the week4 ,man1 the machine of all machines1 99 99 99 is recuperating and gathering strength as well1 that on ,monday he returns to his work with his mind clearer1 and more courage for his work1 and with renewed vigor4 ,,the ,,enterprise4 ,the ,christian ,foundation is approaching the close of its first year1 and ,i think it proper now to return my heart-felt gratitude to those who have given strength to it in its youth1 when strength was and is most needed4 ,i do not claim that it is perfect or faultless1 but ,i am glad to know that its reputation has been and is all that ,i can ask1 viewing it in the light of my own limited intelligence4 ,i have been and am endeavoring to make this journal food for the intellect4 ,i have the consolation1 whether it lives long or short1 of knowing that ,i have given it my best energies and attention4 ,and ,i have refrained from loading it with advertisements1 simply for profits4 ,i shall continue it if permitted by ,providence4 ,and as the year is drawing to a close1 ,i wish to say to all its patrons1 can you not remain with this journal at least through another year1 and by so doing assist me in placing one matter of fact1 biblical and scientific1 as well as logical defense of our religion1 upon a solid basis4 ,it will continue to know no party or sect1 and it will continue to defend the truth wherever found4 ,truth stands true to her ,god2 man alone vacillates4 ,,napoleon ,,bonaparte',s ,,estimate ,,of ,,the ,,christ4 ,napoleon said1 ,i know men1 and ,i tell you that ,jesus ,christ is not a man4 ,superficial minds see resemblance between ,christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions2 that resemblance does not exist4 ,there is between ,christianity and whatever other religion the distance of infinity4 ,as for me1 ,i recognize the gods and these great men as beings like myself4 ,nothing announces them as divine4 ,it is not so with ,christ4 ,everything in him astonishes me2 between him and whoever else in the world there is no term of comparison4 ,he is truly a being by himself4 ,in fact1 the sciences and philosophy avail nothing for salvation1 and ,jesus came into the world to reveal the mysteries of ,heaven and the laws of the spirit2 also he has nothing to do but with the soul1 and to that alone he brings his gospel4 99 99 99 ,jesus borrowed nothing from our sciences4 ,he is not a philosopher1 since he advances by miracles1 and from the commencement his disciples worshipped him4 ,the ,bible contains a complete series of facts of historical men1 to explain time and eternity1 such as no other religion has to offer4 ,even the impious themselves have never dared to deny the sublimity of the gospel4 99 99 99 ,in every other existence but that of ,christ how many imperfections6 99 99 ,christ proved that he was the son of the ,eternal by his disregard of time4 ,all his doctrines signify one only and the same thing--eternity4 ,,obituary4 ,,little ,,myrtie ,,bogg1 daughter of ,dr4 ,m4,m4 and ,mary ,a4 ,bogg1 of ,macy1 ,indiana1 departed this life on the #fth day of ,october1 #ahhj4 ,aged two years1 #g months and #bh days4 ,she leaves along with her parents three lovely sisters4 ,one great consolation to parents and sisters is in the fact that ,little ,myrtie bore her afflictions with the fortitude and patience of even true womanhood1 but best of all was the good ,christian sense and rare intelligence that she exhibited in her last hours4 ,let her last words1 ,by1 by1 and come and see ,myrtie1 burn upon the altar of the heart until we all meet her in the better land4 ,transcriber's ,note ,the punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved4 ,only obvious typographical errors have been corrected4