The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-04-19

Otherwise all. our previous reading of tho
Gospels aud Epistles has been upside down.
Take the atonement by Christ for the
human race out of the Bible and what is it
| worth to us?
Humanity and Reason he tells us,
"stand aghast" atthe picture he draws as
necessarily flowing from the doctrine fthe
universally of the fall.
Guided by reason alone there are many
things occurring frequently in the world at
which humanity and reason stand
aghast," and COMPOUNDED without the
means of explaining, preventing or reliev-
ing them. Whole cities are swallowed up
by earthquakes, or overfowed by the burn
ing lava Of volcanoes. Manhood, age and
helpless infancy destroyed by thousands.
Humanity shudders; reason and science
stand dumb, COMPOUNDED, speechless, at
their utter impotency to administer the
least grain of consolation. 1t requires the
faith, which the lecturer holds in such
supreme contempt, to hold up to man tho
light man needs in such darkness.
If not one in thousand million of the
so called wild races of man have "either
the means or the capacity to embrace the
promise of Saviour" then Christ in his
command to his disciples, GO ye unto all
the world and preach my Gospel to erery
creature and disciple all aations,' gave
them commission which was incapable of
being successfully executed
Happily, however, the patient persever-
ance of christian missionary enterprise is
demonstrating the wisdom and righteous
ness of the Masters command, and when
ever the faith of the church comes I'D to
the standard of its duty, it's mission will
be more rapidly accomplished
But "faith without knowledge" we are
told, sis blind and gropes in eternal ignor-
ance and delusion." This sounds like
strange philosophy. In the region of
thought covered by knowledge there would
seem to be no room tor .taitA-they operate
in entirely different spheres, and have very
little fellowship.
"Fath,'' we are told by Paul, els the
evidence of things not SEEM But the
faith which the lecturer talks about is
really no "faith'' at all; it is merely tho
acceptance and admission of demonstrated
facts.
The cause of religion, we are also told,
"invariably suffers in these conflicts with
the impregnable bulwarks of SCIENCE" be-
cause of the "bindness and ignorance of
those theologians who seem to display
much greater capacity for believing than
for reasoning
1t is amusing to see with what self-as-
sorting superiority this gentleman talks of
the "ignor ance and folly Of those oho haze
Nrown the Sacred Word under tile aoheels of
knoaoledge" only to be crushed, we suppose
by the triumphal car of science, which Jug
gernaut-like, allows nothing to stop its pro-
gress. My recollection is that it is the
worshipers of Juggernaut who are crush
ed beneath the wheels of his car. The
figure or idea does not appear to be very
fortunate.
l am no theolosian; only plain layman.
But l can assure the lecturer that the
" cause Of religion is in no danger either
from my plumbers or his towering reason.
Individuals may be led to cast away their
confidence; may be turned aside and in
duced to " sorest tile Scriptures" as many
have done, " to their own destruction"
and herein lies the danger 1 apprehend
from the introduction of such topics in
popular lectures; but the 'causs Of religion"
is beyond the assaults of science or even
the blunders of faith. 1t rests upon a
rock which no researches of science can
undermine. The evidences of its truth
and divinity may not be tangible to the |
grasp of the unsanctified human intellect |
they are nevertheless real; spiritually dis
cerned; visible to the eye of faith; expert !
mentally MISUNDERSTANDING: in regard |
to which the brightest intellect, cultivated |
by years Of scientific investigation, may be
profoundly ignorant.
l leave the subject and will not again |
trespass on your kind indulgence. Re-
peating, however, the hope before express |
ed, that the lectures may induce those who |
heard them and many others, to seek and |
know for themselves what the Bible really |
does teach. In which case they may prove
a blessing in disguise. E.