Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-10-25
The Bible.

2atss b. .ao courtesy Of editor we're mainly
intesdd 10 show tee Divine auth 'rity, the
wonderful n ssrv.tion. the neral ELECTS, the
a2rcement Of the several paris, the Spirit of
the WRITER'S aud the wonderful fulflment OF
tie prophecies OF this Book Of Books"
lwlu!d agaiu rsiierate tho Injunction in my |
frs: a'ti,'e, "Seatch the Buliptures." search |
for yourself, aud DO cot led astray by the man.
sirous suis OF the day.
l now propose to show, by Scripture. as we'll |
Gs by i,tOr,cai statistics,
TIE STATE OF MANKIND WITHOUT THE BIBLE. !
We must consider what, as to religious truth.
! Is aud ever has been tho state OF mank nd
wi bout .hs Bible. when Adam died. Me
thuseah was about 200 years old; when Mshu-
selah died, Shem was nearly 100; when Shem
died Abraham was about $50: SO that ira
dition need pass only through two bands from
Adam to Abraham: and yet within this period
the trsdttioo of the one true Goi was, in q
manner, extlagushed, aud the world YVES gen.
orally lalsod into poiytheiSm aud idoatry."
Such is The remark of Bishop Newton on the
tendency OF mankind to corrupt religion. if they
have uo written revels!ici: sod tho same ten
denoy has been found 10 all tto subsequent
bis Org Of the Tolll.
Ga review of what mankind has ever
been, when igoorant of that religion which the
bbs teaches, we fad Two remarkable facts.
lst. Thar vtr] worship has ma 10 them mcrc
wicked. The heather deities being Infamous Tor
the most enormous crimes, their o.ship yusist.
cd, trcqaeutly. 10 ths vilest and most shameful
. ries-Hhat were callt d the mos5 holy mystic
r 9. both OF Ceres aud Bscchus, W,rS full CT
, teWdnGss: so thar. "a DIR. Robertson remarks,
tho more any man honored euch gods, the
worso Re Was himself; and The oitener lie served
y them, the more wicked be became. Sec Eph.
". II aud 10 and lst Peter iv, g.
Tho dark places # the earth were, and are
sill, tc! Of the habitatoBs of cruelty as we'll as
lie ,n,ious1ess: almost ell heathen nations
q throughout tho world offered, and still offer,
q human sacrifices Custom which Iether the
. Greeks lor the Romans, learned aud refined as
a they were, ever abolished IN the countries
;. which they conquered, as slated by Grotius
Dlodorus Slcaus gives an account of two
+ hundred chi!drep, Of the best families Ia Car
: thage. being hurat to death as O sacra6os TO
Saturn. Tho Mulooh of Scripture.) From .hs
, warning given by Moses to the Isrselites, Daut.
XII. 81. 1t seems that 10 lis time tbs practice
was Common among the nations Of Canaan, q
| prsctics which they adopted from The Tyreans.
At Rome, tho murder Of iofants was regulated
j by The lava OF Ronlu'us and this horrid prac-
tlce was approved by both Pluiarch and Seneca.
= Cd. Civilization, 10 the shsanos Of trus reii.
o gon. has opposed co oneck to dolstr5, thus
b iorcby ilIu-lra,ing the remark of Tho apostle
g that tue W rid by wisdom koew not God"
3 LIST COllnthlans q.
The earliest form of idoIatry Was probably
the worship of the heavenly bodies; but in the
4 progress Of society III r. Was nutblpg too vile
and folih to be ~orsIiped as god by some
+ Of tho h"athen na,lous.
!. The Egyptians. shose Learning was proyerbial,
. and woo We!e 10 many rep 'llS equal, # not
superior to Us 10 .r $ and scetc3, as appears
iron tho rulus yea leif of their grandeur, Wor'
Z s lpued bulls, c;oc. d les oats, apes, frogs.
: b:etl's. ond serpeps. 10 sn extreme famine
T they cross % c.: one another, Father than cd
i CD tn, If lnl' gised dei,ics. Tho most msgai6
!. ceut teGl!es ser, erected to their god. the bu |
APPS. a ID when lie died, the wi ols nation went
. Into u,urninr. Thus, as Ro!lln remarks to
. show what man i when l;tt to himself, God
pernllted that very Iaioo, Which bad Carl
human VISION to its T Attest height TO b., tho
ihuatrc in which Il e m ,at ridi ;uluus I'D a! sIfd
inla'rY wa ac:cd.
1t has he, II o5s,iv d by another writer of
an 'ebt l.torY, that even Gr.e'c. 10 It, esry
history, il d . religion lar l~ss generate than
VIXEN it wss IN re oisi!iz d. It 4ssfron polished
E-> pt that Greece, when in u unclv,l zsd state,
2 principally learned the ausnrdiivs Of polytho
ISM Atheoa, tie ost po shed Oily of Greece,
+ the most dsiineui he'd FIR arts aud l:srniug,
vas the ulcRt gwen to ldula,rl; 81 much 81,
hat Elam Ills it tho "sltsr OF Greece" acd
, Psussllas, ihIr hoathcn historian, tells us
hat 1t had N re images thsn a tho rest Of
Gresca. PueIs psocrs. soulptors, only Ieut
their u J. and philosophers their ssucion, TO
l EB vail
the greatest of the phI!o ophers of antiquity,
not oolr, as paley remarks "did not destroy
, the ldo.a'rG OF Athens, or produce he ixhest
} revolution ia tue maouers Of his country" but
evidently, both by preceDt and example, taught
bis disciples. 10 matters of religion, to govern
themselves by the custom of tho couuurJ.
PiutaTch states tia; Numa, the immodiat,
successor OF RomuIus. forbade the Romans to
represent God under tho form of man OF beast,
aud that tor l60 years their temples were With.
out imsges. But 10 after aRes, in the period
OF her sreatcr refinement, Rome adopted the
gods q almost every nation whom she had
conquered. and opened her temples to the
7 gEo:sest superstltions Of tho most barbarous
7 people, while she prosecuted none but Jews
, aud Christians. who alone possessed tho light
Of divine truth.
) Tho ttst chapter of Romano, particularly
) verses rs, 1882. describes very accurately,
what are mems Viswa of God. and what is
their own character, when they have les. the
! knowledge OF true religion, and although that
chsp!er was written nearly 1000 years ago,
presents to Us faithful picture of the present
state of mankind when placed 10 tho Same cir.
| cumstances.
1t thus appears that where God has not re
VeaIed bis will to mankind they arc alike ig-
porant ca two points: they arc Ignorant of
; God AID they are ignorant of themselves.
History gives no instance of any nation turning
from atheism, or idolatry. to the knowledge
and adora.icn OF the one true God, without
tho assistance of Divine revelation and sone,
The Africans. Tartars and Chinese after 900
years Of tie worlds progress and improve.
menis. still continue to worship stocks, stones
and devila-l Cor. z, 20. This is confirmed
By Christian missionaries of modern times, that
IS. that all nations that have not been, directly
or lOIlrrc,tV tauoht no fha R;h1a ii,