Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-03-25
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SUPERSTITION,

The present is the nineteenth century. 1t
is eighteen hundred and seTenty-nine years
since the WORD was made flesh and dwelt on
earth. This was wonderful event. To it
every other event in the providence and grace
of God points, Life and Immortality were
brought to light, and the spell of darkness,
which bound the human family, was broken.
The light of truth shines bri yhter and bright
er as each successive year rolls on. Paganism
is gradually passing away, and the old imagina-
ry deities of the former times are crumbling
into decay and death. Only their names now
exist and they now live not even in song.
Notwithstanding the glorious transforming
and reforming power of the gospel, it seems
only to be partial in it's effectupon IA vast mul-
titude of the human family. However great
may be the advances made in religion, at the
present time, there are many persons living un-
der the full blaze of the light Of the nineteenth
century, who are only kind of semi-pagans.
They entertain notions that the sensible heath
Ell would have laughed at, and they practice
a kind of idolatry that is as silly as worship
ping toad These semi-pagans are not con-
fined to the ignorant and lower classes of So
ciety. We might expect to find the ignorant
those who enjoy little Bible knowledge-to be
inclined to idolatry. Man must have some
God. He will adore some divinity. If he is
ignorant and degraded, his god will be mean
and contemplate. In accordance with this
general principle, the gods. of heathen ma
tions-nations without the Bble-are dumb
idols. We may, and ought to pityth heather
for worshipping multitude of gods; but we
ought not to be surprised. They are ignorant
of the true God, but must have some god,
hence they make god
But no one in Christian land, it is said
makes an idol and adores it. This is true but
there are many claiming to be Christians, who
do things equally as foolish, if not more so.
How many are there, in every community, who
never turn back on the road without making
cross mark on the ground and splitting in it ?
By this process they undertake to drive away
bad luck. If this process of preventing bad
luck was practiced only by those living in dark
corners of the globe, and by those on the out
skirts Of civilization, we might exclaim, 20,
that those people were taught the precious
truths of the Bible - but what are we to think
or say, when it is practiced by the learned and
by those living in constant view of the church,
and at whose very doors the gospel is preached
every Sabbath, and on whose centre-tables and
in whose bed-clfambers the Holy Bible is found.
It seems that one moments reflection would
suffice to convince any sane person, that the
scratching of rude cross on the ground and
splitting in it, can, in no way whatever, be con-
ducive to the bringing about of train of pro-
pitious events, or preventing unpropitious oc-
currences He who worships no God but
Luck, must have a poor and contemplate opln-
ion of his deity, if he supposes he is controlled
by such silly services as making crosses on the
ground and splitting in them. The only place
that such an act, service, ceremony, or what
ever it may be called, can be properly placed,
is under the head of heathen superstition, and
those who perform this and similar ceremonies,
are rightly entitled to be called seml-pagans.
Those who perform such ceremonies ought
to know that by all such acts, they insult that
God in whom they live and move, and in whom
they have their being. Where in the Bible are
we commanded to make cross in theroad and
spit in it whenever we determine in our own
mind to turn back? The whole tenor OF the
Bible is at variance with all such ceremonies,
and he who performs them breaks either the
first or second commandment. He Worshlps
the imaginary deity, Luck, or he Worshlps the
true God in a way not appointed in his word
In either case, he sins against God, and by all
such services and ceremonies, REJECTS Jesus
Christ, the only saviour of sinners and author
of all our blessings.
g When father takes up child to show
him pictures, ten to one he holds the book at
such an angle as suits his own vision, and not
that of the little one. Yet the little ones
sight is the one to be favored. How true 1t IS
that the preachers and teachers OF religious
truth too often hold that up wherethey can see
best, and not those Of whom they have charge,
can best see it.
az Temptation is a fearful word. 1t lndl-