Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1881-08-03
THE GUARDIAN.
Christianity-Its Look Ahead.
New Orleans Times.l

or Prot. Tyndale's Steculations.
Still less does II lie in The iippant
noises attempted by Mr.. Robert In.
gersOll.
A great many good Christians,
aud a great many preachers seem TO
think it does. They are iaboring
under a great mistake and worrying
their souls TO 10 purpose. The
Christian Religion has survived the
birth, growth and death Of all sorts
of speculative systems, which have
had their little day and are now for
gotten, aud has put into the ground,
with whatever Of charitable prayers
and kindly words could be used.
some regiments Of lnger-olis whose
names now no antiquarian would
think IL Of Importance to recall.
They wrote their little books, or
spoke their little pieces, in one way
or other, according To their circum.
stances, made their fuss, and died,
aud 50 much noise ceased upon the
earth. Aud Christianity just went
right on as il nothing had happened.
The danger does not lie ia that
direction. II never did. ii does
not lie in the direction of any dis.
creditins Of ANY particular text or
chapter of the Old Testament or the
New. Christianity does not depend
upon book, although Protestant
Christianity has too mHch taken
that position TO the great weaken
ing Of faith and the great confusion
Of fact. Christ's religion is older
than the New Testament. IL exist
Ell, prospered, converted Jews and
Gentiles, before line of the New
Testament was written. The reli
gion made the book, not the book
the religion.
1t was SO with Judaism previous
~. The Hebrew religion existed.
and vas practiced before a line of
the Hebrew scriptures existed.
The Old Testament grew mp in the
church AS the New Testament grew
up in the Christian. In each case
the Religion and the Church made
the Book, not the Book the Church
and the Religion.
II Mr.. lngrrsoil by discrcditing
portions of the book or snccrlug AZ
them ilippantly imagincs he is >ha
king the Religion, il is only because
he has mistaken cause for effect and
effect for cause. if timid Christians
shrek Ia terror for their religion be.
cause q verse OF chapter seems 10
be demolished, it is only because
their religious teachers have not
instructed them in the real facts of
the case.
The danger to Christianity is
found at home, Inside not outside.
Ii is one OF those cases where there
can be no death but by suicide, If
there can be even that, which we
don't believe.
Whatever harm has been done to
Christianity hitherto has been done
by Christians Themselves. II viii
always he So from the nature of the
case. Nobody TN, Christian can
injure the Christian religion.
1t can be injured 10y teaching and
preaching Il cdrtcaturc of it-sumr
human sPecnlailons Ia It's HaHt-
and thus disgusting people and 80
forcing them To believe they are dis.
gusted with Christianity. This has
been done. Indeed, very rXtcu.
sive business has been carried on in
this lire by very conscientious peo
pie. Men have turned away con
temptuously from Christianity. as
they imagined. when they were on
is turning away from u mass ot Ir.
rational crudities, speculative and
metaphy absurdities of purcl,
human origin.
To tue man who inagines the
discrediting Of a chapter III the
New Testament is the destruction
OF Christianity, il might be help
to remember that St. Paul and 81.
Peter twho were pretty substantial
Chrlsilans.l lived, preached, and
died, keeping the faith, without ANY
Testament 1T all, Aud their case
was that of hundreds of thousands,
IL can be injured, and is mainI,
injured now, by the churches, which
have sccnlarized it and made IL
masquerade as a thing of earth
earthly, of the world worldly.
The sectarianism of the churches,
their Subserviency to wealth in their
struggle for existence, the ambitious
and inirigHes in their councils and
conferences, the purely worldly I
methods by which ministerial sue
cess is sought, and ecclesiastlc Office