The daily gazette., 1880-05-22
The Bible and IngersoIlsnn. i.

secular standpoint, to indicate that
the venerable book is not likely very
soon to become food for the moles
and bats. Coming so soon after the
recent assault on the Bible and Bible
Christianity by Mr.. Robert IngersOll,
an opportunity was given the public
to judge Of the respective strength
of Ingersolism and the friends of
the Bible. When such str ong cham
pions as DR.. Palmer, Bishop Kava-
naugh, Bishop Wiley, and others get |
in their work, Mr.. Ingersoll certain
ly appears decidedly weak. The re-
cent lecture Of Mr.. Robert Ingersoll |
demonstrated very conclusively by |
its construction that the gentleman
is entirely unequal to the task which
he has undertaken. Those who have |
a lingering hope that he may yet de-
stroy Bible Christianity and its insti-
tutions might as well look around
for some other man to perform the
job. Mr.. Ingersoll will not do it.
Perhaps if he knew a little more
about the Bible, or the system he is
attacking, he would perceive, HIM
self, that he is engaged in very
hopeless task. His ignorance of the
system, however, is unfortunate for
his success. Thinking and rejecting
men understand perfectly well that
Christianity can not be ridiculed out
of existence. 1t is great fact and
power in the world, and there does
not appear to be anything to make it
less fact and power in the world in
the future.
1t was ridiculed while as yet its
founder was upon the earth; its ear
liest disciples were ridiculed, tortur-
ed, slain. Within the second CEN
tury of the Christian era CELSIUS, the
brilliant and witty Ingersoll of the
period, tried to laugh and subtle rea-
soning, persecution, and proscrip-
ton, have done their utmost, but
man cannot be persuaded, some-
howor other, to abandon the "gi-
gantic delusion,' - or faith in the un-
seen for dreary vacuity such as the
railing Ingersolls would substitute
for Christianity. In more recent
times and at the present time the
most intellingent earnest assaiiants
of Christianity deep thinkers and
logicians-despise the silly baby-bab-
BILE of Ingersoll, who would never
dare discuss Christian evidences with
any of the great leaders of Christian
thought. Ingersoll is no reasoner
he has no logic. His sophistry is
penetrable and destructible;his mode
of attack is weak. The great Euro
pean assailants of the Christian sys-
tenn long ago found out that ridicule
could not overthrow it, and if it was
to be gotten out of the way, it must
be demonstrated to be either gi-
gantic fraud or a great delusion by a
process of sober, overwhelming rea-
soning. The method of Voltaire
having signally failed (Ingersoll
! seems to cling to it alone), the later
assailants of Christianity, finding nc
new mode of attack, fell back on one
of old CELSIUS methods of accounting
for Christianity which Spinoza had
used in the seventeenth century,
This is what is called the vision hy'
pothesis; that Christ was only seen
in the imagination of his friends af,
ter the crucltixion, and they mistook
the vision for real appearance
Strauss, Renan and the leading enemies
of Christianity on the continent contend
that this was the case, and the learned
rationalistic professors al Leiden and
: Rotterdam, who have produced that Gu
rious work, The Bible TOR Learners, ex-
plain the phenomena of Christianity a:
''emblematic pictures"-pen pictures de
vised by the disciples. There has been
!. of course, great deal OF peculiar reas
oniDg in the effort TO sustain this pcopo
|, sitioD, but Strauss, RenaD, and, II We
! may dignity light weight by putting
him in such distinguished company, In
gersoll, have never been able to over
come the great facts that the events
> which ushered Christianity into the world
4 occurred in an historical, not mytbica
u age-an age of records and education
and comparatively rapid discrimination
of news an age when skepticism In thu
old religions and ndsupernatural was wide
: ly prevalent. The witnesses were 81
y numerous that the statements, early re
corded, could not be refuted. The.
never were refuted even in the centur.
of bitter antagonism to the new faitl
. which followed the crucifixion-an'
= !, what is more, they have never been re
- futed.
Christianity as an historic fact il
well worth the profoundest study
II The record of natural and superna
tional occurrences connected with it,
= rise have been for eighteen centurie
before the world. The evidence O
> their authenticity is far more powerful
than that of most of the received Gree
l. and Latin classics which have survives
+ the wear and tear of centuries. Tb
= supernatural is wound in and oul
= woven closely in the history ofthe or
% gin of the Christian system. Th
supernatural facts are testified to alon
with the naturalfacts. Thet two stan
or fall together. They have stood fo
40 eighteen centuries. The supernaturs
4. part of Christianity seems eminentl
n adapted for the needs of men. Its O.
" feet upon society and individuals ha
~ been good. The most civilized an
= progressive nations of the world al
M those among whom Christianity pr
of walls. 1t is a great fact and power
p the world to-day, and it cannot we'll
* accounted for on any other basis lha
n- that avowed by its adherenls-th
supernatural.
1t is hardly any wonder that sy
tenn which can sway beneficiently a
classes of men, which has greatly am
- liorated the social and moral conditio