American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-09-12
Couununicated.1


What conclusion in respect to the
future can be drawn from tho his
tory of the past. Has christianity
n prospect OF perpetnity and III
crease, or is 1t threatened with de
cay Ii must be remembered that
christianity Is not wholly limited TO
the church. Many elements of ITS
power are felt elsewhere. The
philosophy Of GOV ernnent at the
present day il permanently CHRIS
Tan. The theory of human rights
and social progress differs from an
ci, Mt theories in that it has IL oh.iS-
tiai basis. Tue literature of tine
civilized world is becoming more
and more chris ian literature. \
ch, iSiian philanthropy Is breathed
into poetry ami ROMANCE. AS well as
Into social and political life, more
than III any former age. The pub
llc sentiment is imbued with the
principles of a christian civilization.
Christian nations and races OF men.
are the dominant nations and races
of earth. Chris, ian civilIza ion, at
this moment, more than ever before.
seems destined to spread over all
Asia, Africa, and the islands OF the
great oceans. The paganism ot t.
day is evidently to share the fate OF
the paganism of the old Roman EN-
pire; to fade away before the adj
vance OF christianity, and become
ii mere matter of history. Is it pos
sible that in ChrisIendom itself
lao on,n,,aIInI a
ye,ld TO philosophical sk-pticism
Never did christianity Sand
stronger i'm England than after lts
contest with .ieIsm. Never did the
phlu optical mind of France grasl
it with more power than after athe
ism had spent all its force. There
probably was never IL time nor {;
country in winch II historical chris
tianity couid he maintained against
The. tiercest assaults of il skrptica
philo>Ouhy with such a convincing
power, as in Germany at this time
That false nation lISm that is so es
sentiatly at variance with christian
ity, deist icalIy denying Whatever l:
superna ural, has already been
overcome.
| Nowhere, during the whole his
tory of the church, has the defence
of christianity been conducted will
such critical learning and philO
sophie power as III Germany, by thu
great theoinsianS of the presen
century. Such AN histoI icai grount
work of christianity as Neander hi
represented to the world, would b,
looked for III vain i'll any former age
Indeed, history now, evil as we'll al
ecc.esi. 81 zeal. is the ImpreSniDt'
fortress within which christianity il
Ell renclird. Ali the lines of Philo
sophie history now converge II
Christianity. Will the influence ~
secis and parties destroy ohilstiani
to? In respect to these, there i:
not only IA change bul progress. l
has become pretty generally re
crIved opinion among the leadIn;
men of all sectS, that the whOi'
truth is to be found in none o
them; that each Is working Ou
some problem, more or less I'M 'Or
iant, To be adopted Ultimately by
all; that more COMPREHENSIVE,
view of christianity will be possible
;,f, er the good and evil i'll ever,
S, stem have dlstiucily made them
selves apparent TO the whole wOiId
The greatest men OF the age a,e al
ready striving more fhIlOsOphlc III.
and more satisfactorily To answer d;
fundamental question. There Is
continual reaching after unIver>a
ami complete chrIStIinity-thr true
historical christianity, as Ievrale,
by the Supreme Being, and not ih'
limited, paiti chris ia.,it, OF d par
tlcular school. Almost every par
shows il disposition to appropriate
whatever of luth OF of txceiienc
may I've found III any other party
AL seem To be aiming at a wide
grasp OF christianity as a Whole
and may il soon come 70 pass tina
all scctS may he banded togetl e
with ii reciprocal brutherIy love il
Christ Jesus, the immortal redeem
af aud SIr,t,rt