The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-10-31
lHFIBELs AND CHRISTIANITY.

byteflan Chhfch IN thls cHyJ, cor.
tains an interesting collection OF the
views Of professed infdels on the
doctrines Of the Christian religion
The sermon was preached at Hazel
wood, Penn, September 9TH, 1919:
Let us look now at what some skeptics
have said IN their cooler moments. about the
moralinfuence of Christianity and infdelity
There is James Parton. He has never
been suspected of being unduly biased in
favor of orthodoxy. He wrote charming
biography of that brilliant rake, Aaron
Burr, whose splendid talents and vaulting
ambition were only equalled by his selfish
| nature and unbridled lust. Parton says that
the writings of Voltaire, Jeremy Betham
and Volncy had much to do in coloring
Burr's character, and that the writings oi
these men so popular among the politicians
of that day did much to relax the morals Of
society and produce the corruption in poll
tics that followed.
ing influence of infdelity. Did you ever
know Christian or an infdel put that es-
innate on the value of good Christian htera-
ture?
Thomas Paine, while an unbeliver himself
declared that his own religious theories were
unsat isfactory. Turn to the autobiography
of John Stuart Mill. Did you ever read
sadder history? See him as little child
walking through the morning fog with pen
| Gil and note book in hand, by his fathers
side He must not express his Joy at the
| beautiful flowers, nor clap his little hands at
| the song of birds-he must never weep for
sorrow or shout for joy-the tears and laugh
ter Of childhood suppressed. The warm
currents of his moral nature were frozen by
| the chilling influence of his stern father. The
whole story of the great mans life as told
| by himself shows his capacity for life enjoy
ment, cramped and crushed by his thorough
| ly goddess training.
| You have heard about the Liberty of
Man, Woman and Children" that is to be
brought about by the overthrow of Chri tt
anity- Let me throw some pictures roughly
on the canvas that you may have an idea of
that glorious liberty. / have not time to
touch them up. / give them in the rou b.
The Anstralian-wild, stark naked, riding
on log through an Australian swamp
That is freedom without any Bible. That
is the liberty of man. Put alongside of that
tlis specimen from Bible land: Joseph
Cook. the intellectual giant, thrilling a Bos-
ton audience with his machless logic and his
burning eloquence.
Or this The heathen woman on the
pyEe or sold in a slave mart, to her future
hns and. That Is the '' liberty of woman. "
Put along side of that, woman in Christian
land reigning as the queen of society.
! Or this: The child tied to a board and
leaned up in the corner of wigwam. OF
tossed into the Ganges, or traded of for a
string OF heads. That is the g liberty of
the child" Place beside that your own blue
eyed darling. whom you press to your bosom
as priceless treasure.
| ~I xnrl1 ,Ir,i+ 4hoI -,
countries where the Bible is taught there is
the only real g liberty for man, woman and
child.
| Thomas Jefferson was not professor Of
religion; far from it. Hear what he says of
the Bible 81 have always said, and always
will say, that the studieus nerusaI Of the
sacred volume will make better citizens
better fathers and better husbands"
Hear Diderot, the great French inffdel'
If you would learn something of his senti-
ments in brief compass, read Carlys!e's
| ter lessons than those of the Bible can 1
teach my child" rut that down as testi-
mony of foe for u.s.
You all know Huxley, no suspicion Of
Christianity has ever sullied his scientific
name. yet he says: s. I have always been
in favor of secular education, but l must
confess have been seriously perplexed to
know by what practical measures the reli-
gious feeling which is the essential basis of
conduct, is to be kept up without the Bible
By the study of what other book could
childrend be so humanized.
Henry st. John l5olingbroke, who died
about the middle of the Eighteenth century,
one of the greatest of the infilel hosts,
said. Constantine acted the wise politician
in protecting Christianity as it tended to
give frmness to his empire and softened the
terocity of the army and reformed the icen-
tiousness of the provinces.
| One of the strongest testimonials for our
Rock comes from Mr. Ingersoll. Let me re-
fresh your minds by reading his beautiful
eulogy on Alexander Clark. Here he read
what he preached" We all know, and so
does Mr.. Ingersoll, that Dr. Clark preached
Christianity and we have Mr.. Ingersoll's
words to prove that the practice of that
adorned Alexander Clark, with his many
virtues, and made his life one that even Mr..
Ingersoll was compelled to admire and he
admits too that this beautiful life was con-
sistent with the Christianity that Mr. Clark
believed and taught DIR. Clark was his
ideal man. Dr. Clark, he admits, was an
| honest believer and was a Christian, there
fore Mr. Ingersolls ideal man is a Christian
If the honest belief and practice of Christi
aLfty result in this high character, then it
follows that if intidel preaching is the very
opposite of Clark's. and the infidel practices
what he breaches, then the inflel practice
and life must be exactly the opposite of DR..
Clark's My opinion is that this beautiful
eulogy fits Mr.. Clark better than it would
fit Mr. Ingersoll.
Let me mention one more testimony from
one whom many of you know. Bucher
Swoope not protesting Christian, but
if you wish to see mastery eulogy ON the
| Book of Books, go and read his Lawyers
Tribute to the Bible" and you will not be
surprised after that to learn that with his
| latest breath he confessed that his only hope
| of salvation was Jesus Christ.
Suspicious looking blood-1uarks have re-
Gently been found at a residence near Indie
pendence which was lately occupied by Fl.
| Taylor Hill. The Riverside, whose editor
has visited the p ace, srys: "a struggle evil
IDENTIFY commenced near the fire place. at the
south end of the house. and was continued
| through that room and an adjoining bed
room. eliminating in a severe struggle near
| a window or opening Ill the-outer wall of the
house. At this point was found large club
| ON which We're stains of blood and some
gray human hairs were found ON the floor at
| this point From this place the blood marks
passed to the outer side of the wall, where
all traces of it were lost. All Appearances
indicate that there has been verw savage
| fight, or something worse and we think
| that an effort should be made to clear up
| the mystery"
A Dalles paper says: Some miserable,
l