The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-11-26
Concluded from fourth page.


agency OF progress in every department OF hui
It's patient tracing OF cause and effect, by it's
power OF analysis and combination, by it's in
geuious experiments and rigorous demonstra-
tons, has been reared the vast and ever extend
ing temple OF science and art. But reason.
unenlightened by the light OF divine revelation,
can never reveal to man his own origin, indicate
his moral obligations, nor dspel the darkness
OF the tomb. Here, reason falters and COM
pletely fails. lis sometimes alleged that the
idea OF God is primary intuition OF reason
but certain ii is that the origin, duty, and des-
tiny Of man can only be known by direct di-
VINE revelation. AS guide in morality and
religion, reason Is blind, unreliable, and self
contradictory Reason taught Bishop Berkely
and Descartes that matter has no existence,
bur 1t teaches the Materislist that nothing but
matter exists IN the universe. 1t taught the
Ancient Romans one hundred and seventeen
different opinions concerning the sumnant
b0num IN the Augustan age, while 1t dictated
10 the Athenians the worship OF thirty thou
sand idol gods. 1t taught Aristotle the eternity
" IL
ties that the world had beginning. Ii has no
voice to speak OF the resurrection and life eter
nal beyond the grave. Those who take reason
as a guide IN morals and religion, almost in
varibly trample down and disregard the yearn-
Ings OF the religious instinct, and unite only III
a denial Of all systems of religion. Rational
ism not only corrupts morals, destroys virtue,
da nd -, ind, ,I,,o
ife but Its fruits are equally pernicious and
vile in a national point OF view. We direct at
tention to France, which, towards the latter
part OF the eighteenth century exhibited ma
ton OF infdels. In 1898 they deifed reason,
and constituted the Goddess OF Reason an OBJ
ject Of alteration. 1t was decreed that the
church of Notre Dame should be converted
into temple of reason. Here pompous fes-
tiva was held, Nov. 10TH and young woman,
the wife Of Momoro, a we'll known printer, was
chosen to represent the Goddess OF Reason
She was dressed in white drapsry an azure
mantle hung from her shoulders, and her fow-
ing hair was covered with the cap OF liberty
She sat upon an antique seat, entwined with
wv and borne by four citizens. Young girls
dressed In white and crowned with roses, pre-
'ceded and followed her. The females selected
to personify this new divinity were mostly pros
tltutes who received the alterations OF the at
tendant municipal officers and the multitude
collected together on the occasion. The name
and profession Of Christianity were renowned
by the Legislature, and death by an act OF
Government was declared to be an eternal
sleep. The existence OF God and the immor-
tally Of the soul were dsavowed by the ma
tonal convention. and all the religious Of the
%erld were proclaimed to be the daughters of
ignorance and pride, and all public worship
was utterly abolished. All distinctions of right
and wrong we're confounded. The grossest de-
bauchery triumphed. Almost the entire ma
ton was converted into horde OF assassins
All moral and social ties we're torne asunder.-
The kingdom seemed to be changed into one
great prison, the inhabitants converted into
telons. and the common doom OF man COM
muted for the violence Of the sword and the
bsyonet, the sucking boat and the guillotine.-
J; seemed as il the knell of the whole nation
was tolled, and the world summoned to its ex-
ecutlon and funeral. Within the brief period
OF ten years not less than three millions OF
human beings are supposed to have persisted
under the auspices of the Goddess OF Reason.
Such is the result OF substituting the tickle and
conflicting dictates OF human reason, for the
benefcent and iife-giving instructions Of the
only tue and living God.
CONSCIENCE.
Conscience is likewise often deifed. Con-
science is that function OF reason, which per-
tains to the ideas of right and wrong. Like
The religious instinct it is natural to man, and
Is doubtless power or faculty among the orig
inal endowments implanted in man by the
great Creator. Conscience is innate as men,
tai endowment or function OF reason, but not
as true MONITOR else all would have the same
views OF right and wrong. II is evident that
education can create no faculty, and that it can
not even commence its work till there Is some
thing to be educated, Conscience like reason
cannot perform its Office without knowledge
1t occupies rather the position Of a pupil than
that o. teacher. Like Sampson without eyes,
it must be led. AS the eye is useless without
light. 80 is conscience without knowledge -
Conscience faithfully records and holds the
decisions OF the judgment. Ideas are drst
communicated to the understanding. They
are next passed over to tue faculty of reason.
They come eventually before the Judgment,
and mere decision as to right and wrong is
rendered. Conscience records this decision,
and seeks to hold us sacredly to our convection |
IL Us then evident that II the decisions OF judg-
ment be erroneous, our faith will also be erro-
neous, aud our conscience will be tainted with
be same error and to the same extent Con- !
science then to be an infallble guide must be
led. The word OF God is the only IN
faliible standard OF judgment. In the absence
Of this divine standard, the conscience is as
hcke aud changing as the winds Of II eaven,
In compliance with the dictates of Coincidence,
Plutarch and Cicero recomm nded suicide, and
Augustus on the ides of March sacrificed three
hundred Senators and Knights to the divinity
Df julius Caesar; while the Egyptians IN He'll
1polis, at the shrine of the blindest religious
zeal, offered In sacrifice daily three human VIC
inns to Juno. While conscience leads the ig-
norant devotee Of the Koran on a pilgrimage
10 Mecca 1t directs the course Of the infatuated
Mormon Zealot towards the Sodom of Utah.
While it deihes the monkey in the wild iungles
IL. q