The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-08-18
BLACK ILFlHIS CHRISTIANITY.

Venice his reasons are as two grain
Of wheat hid 10 two bushclsof chat
you shall seek al day ere you hn,
them and when you have them, thel
are not worth the search. ."-MuTchan
Of Venice.
The request to answer abe forog0-
ing paper come TO me, not in th,
form, but with the effect OF chal-
lenge, which cannot decline without
seeming to acknowledge that the ro
ligion Of the civilized world is an alb
surd superstition, propagated hy inn
posters, proiessed By hypocutes ant
believed only BY credulous dupes.
But why should !, an unlearned
and unauthorized layman, be placed
in such a predicomentY The expla-
nation is easy enough. This is nc
business Of the priests. Their pre-
scribed duty is to preach the word,
in the full assurance that it will com
mend itself to oil good and honest
hearts by its own manifest yeracity
and the singular purity of its pre-
oepts. They cannot afford to turn
awsy from the proper work, and
leave willing hearts uninstruoted,
while they wrangle in vain with a
predetermined opponent. They were
warned 10 expect slander, lndignity
and insult, and these are among the
evils which they must rotresist.
Ii will be seen that / am assuming
no clerical function / am no preach.
er eEhorting the sinner TO leave the
seat Of the scornful and come up Co
the bench Of the penitents Ny duty
is more analogous 10 that Of the po-
liceman who would silence a rude
disturber Of the congregation by tell.
ing that his clamor is false and his
conduct an ofense against public
dCoeney.
Nor is the Church 10 sny danger
which calls for the special vigilance
Of It's servants Mr lngersoll thinks
that the rockfounded faith Of Chris
tendon is giving way before his as
saults, but he 10 grossly mistaken.
The first sentance of his essay is a
preposterous blunder Itisnot true
that "a profound change has taken
place IN tie world of thought" unlc8s
more rapid spread Of the Gospel
a more faithful observance OF its
moral principles can be called so It's
truths are every where proclaimed
claimed with the power OF sincere
conviction, aud accepted with dcyout
reverence by uncouuted multitules
Of oil classes Solemn temples rise
to its honor in the great cities from
every hill top in the county you see
the church spire pointing toward
heaven, and on Sunday all the paths
that lead t. Il are crowded with w0r-
shippers. In nearly all families, par
ents teach their children that Christ
is God, and his system Of morality
absolutely perfect This belief lies
so deep in the popular heart that. Il
every written record of it we're de-
stroyed to day, the memory of mill
lions could reproduce it to morrow.
It's earnestnegs is proved by its works.
Wherever it goes it manliests itself
in deeds Of practical beneYolence II
builds, not churches alone. but aim
houses, hospitals, and asylums
Il shelters the poor, feeds the
hungry, visits the sick, consoles the
afflicted, provides for the fatherless,
comforts the heart Of the widow, in
structs the ignorant. reforms the
vicious and saves to the uttcrmosi
them that are ready to perish To
the common observer, it does not
look as II Christianity was making
itself ready to be swallowed up by
infdelity. Thus far, at least the
promise has been kept that "the
gates Of hell shall not prevail against
IT,"
There is, to be sure, change in
the party hostile to religion-not a
profound change" but merely in
modes Of expression and methods OF
attack. The bad classes of society
always hated the doctrine and disci-
pline which reproached their wicked.
ness and frightened them by threats
Of punishment In another world
Aforelime they showed their con
tempt of divine authority only by
their actions but now, under ucw
leadership, their enmity against God
breaks out into articulate basphemy
| They assemble themselves together
they hear with passionate admiration
The bold harangGe which ridicules
and de6os the Maker fthe universe
fercely they rage against the High
est, and loudly they laugh, alike at
the justice that condemns, and th,
mercy that offers to pardon them
The orator who relieves them by as
surances Of lmpunity, and tells then
that no supreme authority has made
any law to control them, is applaud
ed to the echo and paid a high price
for his congenial labor; be pockets
their money, and ilalters that he is ,
great power, profoundly moving "th'
world Of thought"
There is another totally false no
tlon expressed in the opening para
graph, namely, that "ihey who know
most ofnature believe the least abou
theology The truth is exactly lh
other way The more clearly ou
sees "the grand procession Of cause
and effects the more awful his rev
erence becomes for the author Of th
"sublime and unbroken" law whicl
links them together Not self con
ceit and rebellious pride, but an
speakable humility, and deep sens
Of the measureless distance hotBee
the Creator and the creature, fills Oh
mind Of him who looks with a ration
al spirit upon the woiks Of the An
/ wise One. The heart Of Newton re
G peals the solemn confession Of ID.
/, yid /. "When ! consider thy heavenl
/ the work Of thy fingers, the moo
7 and the stars which thou hast ordair
], ed what is man that thou art mlndfI
! Of him, or the son Of man that tho
: visitest him r. At the same tim
!. the lamen.able fact must be admitlo
that 50 little learning is a dangefoI
q thing" 10 some persons. The scioli
With a mere smatteriug Of physic