The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1875-03-04
simplicity, and consecutiye consistencv and

NNSi III SOLiOi t1lSN 70 dil the
which have been disclosed in all the age
as to leave no doubt that He, who mad,
Nature stand still when be spake and turf
out of her way to do his bidding when b,
wrought miracles in proof of his Divinity
is no less than the Author and Controllel
OF nature that Nature, his work, is but ,
commentary on the Bible, his book, anc
unlike all other commentaries always is il
fullest harmony with the sacred text anc
never fails to throw light on it and thai
all the discoveries of science either in the
kingdom Of matter or of mind are but gem.
IN the dladem of Him, on whose head are
many crowns. When broad culture anc
profund inquiry bring, as they always do
conhrmatory proofs to the Christian relig
ion and additional glories to Christ, it would
be strange if Christianity were not the pro
moter of all true culture and generous in
quiry. Any form of Christianity which
represses education and apprehends, danger
from Legitimate investigation proves itself
by that fact to be-spurious True relig-
ion courts inquiry and says "Come and see "
And Christianity is proved to be the
promoter of liberal culture and inquiry, be.
cause
Lastly: Science has Developed most
and mind has Improved most achere 1t has
had most s1oay.
Facts are the best indicators of tenden-
cles. Induction is the true method of phi
losophic inquiry Bacon demonstrated this
Aristotle relied on the sylogism Bacon
classified facts and reasoned from basis
that was actual and not hypothetical And
If We are to be fair and generous in our in
quires concerning Christianity, we are to
apply to the same methods of induction
from facts that other departments of inqui-
ryare entitled to. What then are the
facts
Much has been said about the Lost Arts
and as art is the offspring of science, these
eulougits Of the old civilizations argue the
existence of lost sciences So far from ad-
vancement these men would have US be-
lieve there has been retrogression. I'm
doubtedly there are lost arts, as the vast
architectural structures, especially, Of
Egygt, which no modern works of men up
proximate, very clearly attest. But when
you come to analyze them, do they not re-
solve themselves into this one,-the lost art
Of human despotism in which millions of
human beasts of burden were driven before
the will of one human task master 4? The
world can well afford to let such arts be
lost
But calling off attention from the re-
mote past, where the mind must deal ne
cessarily with myths and fancies, let com
parison be instituted between those peoples
of the present where Christianity prevails
and where it dose not But one conclu
sion can be reached. The preponderance
IS in favor of Christianity in more than the
ratio of thousand to one. All the sciences
and arts, which make this century especi-
ally so prominent in the history of mate
rial, mechanical and social development, are
the birth, without an exception, of the ge-
MUS Of Christianity. While invention,
push, enterprise, discovery have been the
of Christian civilization and al
most exclusively of Protestant Christianity,
the other peoples have been staid, stereo-
typed, fixed and stolid.
Christianity quiekens, encourages, enliv-
ems, and develops mind as no other system
can. What the sun is to vegetation, Christ,
with all his beams of love and showers of
blessing, is to mind and soul Mind grows
where there is deep soil Of truth and
genial atmosphere. And where is there
such soil as the infinite truths Of the gos-
pei ? and such and atmosphere as the in
huence of the surroundings and spirits ofI
the gospel /? For man to know that he is
not an ephemeron but deathless immor-I
tai, that he is not the progeny of monkey
out child of God, that he has nature
with which God himself by the infinite
of his love has become per-
'onally Unidentified, that he stands in this
at point when he touches
he keys which make for him and for 9th |
srs either eternal music or discord, that
with more than the ambition of Pythias he
5 working for immortal fame and with |
more than that Of Alexander he is fighting
Ills bloodless battles to subdue to his own
possession two worlds,-tbis by abandoning
t and the next by possessing it, that he is
,heered in this sublime endeavor by saint
md angel and God hirIself-an innumer-
lble company of friends and kindred-in
Winning crown of everlasting life, that
ucceeds through faith in Christ is certain
md victory assured, and that in this con-
est for the richest gifts a created spirit
an acquire we can think and speak and
work for the good of others as well as our
elves,-is for him to have all the incen-
i've which the soul of man can receive to-
yard the loftiest achievements of which
he most cultured, refined masculine ma
ure is capable and when we see the ten
ency Of things and the facts resultant from
hese tendencies, it seems to me that no
1genious mind can for moment doubt
hat Christianity is the firm friend and pro-
fact the only friend and promo
sr, of broad, and liberal inquiry and cul-
lre.