Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-07-28

glance, declares that it "must be
abandoned" because it scen,s 10 him
absurd, unjust, and immoral" /
would not abridge his freedom of
thought or speech, and the argumen-
tum nd Uerecmldium would be lost up.
on him. Otherwise | might suggest
that, when he finds all authority hu-
man and Divine, against him, he had
better speak in n tone less arrogant.
He does not comprehend h0,o Justice
and mercy can be biended togetler in
the pian Of redemption, and therefore
ii cannot be true. A thing is not nee
essarily false because hc does not un-
derstand it; he cannot aunihilate a
principle or fact by ignoringi it. There
are many truths in heaven and earth
which no man can see through for
instance, the union Of mans soul with
his body is not only an unknowable
but an unimaginable mystery. Is it
therefore false that connection does
exist between matter and spirit?
Ho,c, he asks, can tie suGcrings of
an innocent pe,soH sdtisiy justice for the
sins Of The gritty? This raises "A meta
physical question, it il not necessary
or possible for me to discuss here As
matter of fact, Christ died that sin.
ncrs might be rcconciled to God, aud
in that sense lie died for them; that
is. TO furnish them with the means Of
ayerting Divine justice, which their
crimes had provoked.
What, hc again asks, ,c1uid zee think
Of man uho aiio,ccd another man IN
die for n crime ,chich he hia,seif had
commutedf : ! answer that man
who, by any contriyancc, causes hi-
own oiien-e 10 be visited upon the head
of an innocent person i unspcakably
/ depravel. But are Christian. guilty
Of this buscnc.s because they accept
the blessings of an institution which
their great beneiactor died to cstab-
lish! Loyalty to the King who has
erected most bcnciicent government
for u at the cost Of lli- lIic-fdclity
t. the Master who bought W. with IIi-
/ blood lis not the fraudulent -ubti itu.
ton of an innocent person IN place Of
criminal.
The doctrine Of nDn-rcsist1noe, fgr.
| qircacs, of inj,o-ies, reconciliation wh
enemies. a., t1uqh IN the Nc,c Tc.'r.
meni, Is the child of ,re1kuess, d,grdd-
ing, aud unjust This j. the whole
I substance of long. rambling diatribc,
a- incohcrcn, a. sick mans dream.
/ Christianity doe. not forbid the nccc-.
-ary defense Of civil society. or the
proper yiudication Of personal rights.
/ But 10 cherish auimo-ity, to thir,; Tor
mere revenge, to hoard up wrong,
real or faucIed aud lie in wait for the
I chance of paying them back to be
/ impatient, uutorglving, malicious, and
cruel to all who have crossed Us
these diabolical propcu-iiie- are check
ci aud curbed by the authority and
spirit Of the Christian religion, aud
the application of it has converted
men from low savage into refined aud
/ civilized being
The puuthmcnt Of sinners in eternal
/ tell IL excessive. The future of the
soul is n subject on which we have
/ very dark views. In our present state,
/ the mind takes in no idea except what
is conveyed to it through the bodily
senses. All our conceptions of the
/ spiritual world are derived from some
analogy to material thing-, and this
analogy must necessarily be very re.
mote, because the nature of the sub
! iccts compared is so diverse that n
close similarity cannot be even sup
posed No revelation has lifted the
veil between time and eternity but in
I shadowy figures we are warned that a
very marked distinction will be made
between the good and the bad in the
next world. Speculative opinions con-
[ cerning the punishment Of the wicked
its nature and duration, vary with the
temper aud the imaginations of men.
/ Doubtless we are many of US in error /:
but how can Mr.. lngcrsoll enlighten
u-2 Acknowledging no standard of
! liHilA anu NlbuE III tllH NbIlut nc can
have no theory Of rewards and punish.
ments in the next. The deeds done in
the body, whether good or evil, are
all morally alike in his eyes. and if
there be in heaven n congregation Of
the Just, he sees no reason why the
worst rogue should not be a member
of it. 1t is supposed, however, that
man has a soul as well rs body, and
that both are subject TO certain laws,
which cannot be violated without in
curing the proper peualty-or consc.
quence, if he likes that word better.
II Christ ,c1s God lie knc,o that
HIS followers ,oould prosecute and
murder men for their opinions; vet he
did not forbid IT, There is but one
way to deal with this accusation, and
that is to contradict it fatty. Moth
ing can be conceived more striking
! tbo,, tho ,,rnhihitic,, ,,as ,pl,. ,c -