The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-08-25
50 90 PER ANNUAI

julius Caesar was assassin8ted w,
I do not need TO prove that like a.
ordinary murder He was master o
the world, and his'death was follow
cd BY a war with the conspirators
the battle at Philippi, the quarrel %
the victorious triumvirs, Actinm
and the permanent establishment o.
imperial government under Angus
tus. The life aud character, IN,
death aud resurrection, of Jesus m,
( just as yisibly connected with event.
which even an inddel must admit "a
be ofequal Importance. The Church
rose and armed herself in righteous
ness for conflict with the powers OF
darkness, innumerable multitudes OF
the best and wisest rallied to her
standard and died in her cause; her
enemies employed the coarse and
vulgar machinery Of human govern
ment against her, and her professors
we're brutally murdered in large mum
bers her triumph was complete; the
gods Of Greece aud Rome crumbled
on the affairs; the world was revo-
lutiOnized and human society was
transformed The course Of these
events, and thousand others, which
reach down to the present hour,
received its first propulsion from the
transcendent fact OF Christs cruciGx-
ion. Moreover, we find the memorial
monuments Of the original truth
planted all along the way. The
sacraments Of fbaptism aud the supper
constantly point MS back to the au )
thor and fnisher Of our faith The
mere historical evidence is for these
reasons much stronger than what we
have for other occurrences which are
regarded as undeniable When to
this is added thecumulative evidence
given directly and positively by eye
witnesses ofirreproachable character,
and wholly uneontradieted, the proof
becomes so strong that the disbelief
we hear of seems like a kind Of in
sanity.
at Is the very error Of the moon,
Which comes more near the earth than sho
was wont,
And makes men mad 2"
From the facts established by this
evidence, it follows irresistably that
the Gospel hascome to US from God.
The snenoes all reasoning about the
wisdom and justice of its doctrines,
since it is impossible even TO imagine
that wrong can be done or command.
ed by that Sovereign Being whose
will alone is the ultimate Of all jus
tiee.
But Mr. lngersoll is still dissatis-
fed. He raises objections as false,
feeting and baseless as clouds, and
insists that they are as stable as the
mountains, whose everlasting foun-
dations are laid by the hands Of the
Almighty. l will compress his
propositions into plain words printed
| in italics, and, taking q look at his
misty creations let them roll away
and vanish into air, one after an
other
Christianity offers eternal salvation
az the reward OF belief alone This
is a Misrepresentation simple and
naked. No such doctrine is pro-
pounded in the Scriptures, or in the
creed of any Christian church. On
the contrary, it is distinctly taught
that faith avails nothing without
repentance, reformation and newness
of life.
The mere failure to believe it is
punished in hell. have never known
any Christian man OF woman to as
sert this. It is universally agreed
that children too young to under
stand 1t do not need to believe it
| And this exemption extends to adults
who have never seen the evidence
or, from weakness of intellect, are
incapable Of weighing it. Lunatici
and idiots are not in the least dan
ger, and, for aught l know, this cat.
egory may, by a stretch Of Cod
mercy, include minds eonstitutionalll
sound, but with faculties so perverted
by education, habit or passion tina
they are incapable of reasoning
sincerely hope that, upon this o
some other principle, Mr.. Ingersol
may escape the nell he talks about 81
much. But there is no direc
promise to save him in spite Of him
self The plan ofredemption contain
! no express covenant to pardon on
who rejects with seorn and hatred
Our hope for him rests upon tn
J infinite compassion OF that graciou
Being who prayed on tue cross 70
r the insulting enemies who nailed hir
B there.
The mystery ofthe second birth
e incomprehensible Christ establishe
I a new kingdom in the world, bu
! not of il. Subjects were admitte
: to The privileges and protection q
: its government by process equivs
J lent to naturslism. To be Dor
e again, or regenerated, is to be matt
L allied The words mean the san
a thing. Does Mr. Ingersoll want !
I disgrace his own intellect by pre-
e tending that he cannot see th
8 simple analogy?
"The doctrine Of the atonement
1t absurd, unjust aud immoral " II
e plan OF salvation, or any plan TO. q
e. rescue Of sinners from the leg
y operation Of divine justice, cou
q have been formed only in the cou
Is ellis ofthe Omniscient Necessari
ID its heights aud depths are no; easj
l. fathomed hy finite intelligence. b
y he greatest, ablest, wisest and mc
j. yirtuous men that ever lived ha
ld given it their proloundest consi lei
> tion, aud found it to be not OF
NJ authorized by revelation, but tn.
ld rotically coulormed to their best a
Sc and highest conceptions OF inin
as GOODNESS. Nevertheless, here il
nd rash aud superficial man, With
nd trsining or habits Of reflection. W
he upon The mere glance, declares /
Dc must We ahanlone Bsca
la- it S ems % him "thsurd. unius,
isl immar. a." would OF ahri
are his freelom of Thought or spe,