The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-06-05
TIMELY TOPICS.
THE BIBLE AND INGERSOLLISM

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 Ingersoll-
ism and the friends of the Bible. When
such strong champions as DR.. Palmer,
Bishop Kavanaugh, Bishop Wiley, and
others get in their work, Mr.. Ingersoll
certainly appears decidedly weak. The
recent lecture of Mr.. Robert Ingersoll
demonstrated very conclusiveiy by its
construction that the gentleman is en-
tirely unequal to the task which he has
undertaken Those who have q linger-
ing hope that he may yet destroy Bible
Christianity and its institutions 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 at
lacking, he would perceive himself that
he is engaged in a very hopeless task.
His ignorance of the system, hover, is
unfortunate for 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 any thing 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 earliest disciples
were ridiculed, tortured, slain. Within
the second century of the Christian era
CELSIUS, the brilliant and witty Ingersoll
of the period, tried to laugh and subtle
reasoning, persecution, and prescription,
have done their utmost, but man cannot
be persuaded, somehow or other to aban-
don the Gigantic delusion," or faith in
the unseen for a dreary vacuity such as
the railing Ingersolls would substitute
for Christianity. In more recent times
and at the present time the most intelli-
deep thinkers and ogicians-despise
the silly baby babble of Ingersoll who
would never dare discuss Christian evil
dences with any of the great leaders of
Christian thought. Ingersoll is no rea-
soner; he has no logic. His soplistry is
penetrable and destructible; his mode of
attack is weak The great European as
sailants of the Christian system long ago
found out that ridicule could not over
throw it. and if it was to be cotton out
of the way, it must be demonstrated to
be either a gigantic fraud OF great de-
fusion by a process of sober. overwhelm-
ing reasoning. The method of Voltaire
cling to it alone), the latter assailants of
Christianity, finding no new mode of at
tack, fell back ON one of old Celsus's
methods of accounting for Christianity
which Spinoza had used in the seven
teenth century. This is what is called
the vision hypothesis; that Christ was
only seen i'll the imagination of his friends
after the crucifixion, and they mistook
the vision for a real appearance. Renan,
Strauss, and the leading enemies of Chris
tianity on the continent contend that this
was the case, and the learned rationalis-
tic professors at Leiden and Rotterdam,
who have produced that curious work,
Tile Bible .tor Learners, explain the phe-
nomena of Christianity as emblematic
pictures pen pictures devised by the
disciples. There has been, of course, a
great deal of peculiar reasoning in the
effort to sustain this proposition, but
Strauss, Renan, and, if we may dignity
a light weight by putting him. in such
distinguished company, Ingersoll, have
never been able to overcome the great
facts that the events which ushered
Christianity into the world occurred in
an historical. not a mythical, AEGEAN
age of records and education and COM
paratively rapid discrimination of news;
an age when skepticism in the old reli-
gions and supernatural was widely preva-
lent. The witnesses were SO numerous
that the statements, early recorded,
could not be refuted. They never were
refuted even in the century of bitter an
tagonism to the new faith which followed
the crucifixion-and what is more, they
have never been refuted.
Christianity as an historic fact is we'll
worth the profoundest study. The record
of natural and supernatural occurrences
connected with its rise have been for
eighteen centuries before the world The
evidence of their authenticity is far more
powerful than that of most of the re-
ccived Greek and Latin classics which
have survived the wear and tear of GEN.
turtles. The supernatural is wound in
and out, woven closely in the history of
the origin of the Christian system. The
supernatural facts are testified to along
with the natural facts. The two stand
or fall together. They have stood for
eighteen centuries. The supernatural
part of Christianity seems eminently
adapted for the needs of men. It's eff
feet upon society and individuals has
been good. The most civilized and pro-
gressivc nations of the world are those
among whom Christianity prevails. 1t
is great fact and power in the world
to-day, and it cannot well be accounted
for ON any other basis than that avowed
by its adherents-the supernatural.
1t is hardly any wonder that system
which can sway beneticently all classes
of men, which has greatly ameliorated
the social and moral condition of men
is hardly any wonder that such system
could not be overthrown by CELSIUS, by
Spinoza, by Hume, Hegel, Comte, Spen-
Der, Clifford, OF, indeed, by that sarcastic
Frenchman of whom DR.. Young once
said i'll his presence:
Thou art so witty, wicked. and so thin,
Thou art ut once the Devil, Death and Sin.
At the tail end of long line of unsuc-
cessful giant assailants comes Robert In
sersoll, aping st. Simon, the French
humbug and precepter of Comte, who
declared that lie had proved the decrcp-
titude of all existing religion" and coun-
seled his disciples TO organize a new reli-
gion-St. Simonism. Mr.. Ingersoll, with
roars of laughter and torrents of Jest,
tolls It's the Bible is q fabrication and