Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-07-28
BLACK ON INGERsOLL.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.l
by finding fault with the works of crea
tion and Providence; aud this is an ex
ercise in which he can not long continue
without learning to disbelieve in any
Being greater than himself. 1t was tC
such a person, and not to the unprctend.
ing simpleton, that Solomon applied his
often-quoted aphorism: "The fool hath
said in his heart, there is no God.
These are what Paul refers to as "vain
babblings and the opposition of science
falsely so-called;" but they are perfectly
pOwerless to stop or turn aside the great
current of human thought on the sub.
ject of Christian theology. That majestic
stream, supplied from Thousand un-
failing fountains, rolls on, and will roll
on forever.
La6itur ct la6etur IN onane rolu6ilis
8ua1s.l ta-i
THE CAUSE AND THE ADVOCATE.
! Mr.. lngersoll is not, as some have es-
timated him, the most formidable enemy
that Christianity has encountered since
tile tlmeof Julian the Apostate. But
he stands at the head Of living infidels
"by merit raised to that bad eminence.' .
His mental organization has the peculiar
defects which fit him for such a place.
He is all imagination and no discretion.
He rises sometimes into region of wild
poetry, where ne can color everything
to suit himself. His motto well express.
es the character of his augmentation
"Mountalns are as unstable as clouds p
fancy is as good as a fact, and, high
sounding period is rather better than a
logical demonstration. His inordinate
scif-confidence makes him at once fero-
cioiIs and fearless. He was a practical
politician before he took the stump
against Christianity, and at all times ne
has proved mis- capacity to "split the ears
of his grOdndlings," and make the nm
sk1llfnl laugh. The article before us is
the least Objectionable of all his produc-
tions. Its style is higher and better
suited to the weight of the theme. Here
the violence of his fierce inyectiye is
moderated; his scurrility gives place to
an attempt at sophistry less shocking. if
not more true, and his coarse Jokes are
either excluded altogether, or else yelled
in the decent obscurity of general terms.
Such apaper from such a man, at a time
like the present, is not wholly unworthy
of a contradiction -
9 He makes certain charges which we
answer. 10y an explicit denial, and thus
an issue is made. upon which,, as
pieader would say, we ''pnt ourselves
upon the country" He AYERS that 2
certain something called Christianity"
Is false faith imposed on the world
without evidence; that the facts it pre-
tends to rest on are mere Inventions
that Its doctrines are perniciOus that its
requirements are unreasonable. and thai
Its sanctions are cruel, deny all this
and Assert, on the contrary, That its doc
trlnes are diyinely revealed; its funda-
mental facts inccn. esiably proved; its
morality perfectly free from all taint of
error. and Its influence most .beneficent
upon society in general. a nd upon all in
dividuals who accept it and make it |
ter rule of action. ,oara = -,
- How shall this be determined Not
by what we call Divine revelation. for
that would re begging the question: not |
oy sentiment, taste, or temper, for these |
are rs likely to be false as true: bnt NV |
fifnctive reasoning from evidence. Of |
which the value is to be measured Ar.
cording TO those rules of logic which an.
lightened and just men everywhere have
adopted TO guide them in the search for
truth We can appeal only to that lra-
tional love of justice and that detesta-
tion of falsehood which fair-minded per
sons Of good intelligence bring to the
consideration of other important sub
lects when 1t becomes their duty TO de-
eide upon them. In short, I want 4 de-
cision upon sound Judicial principles.
Gibson. the great Chief .Justjco OF
tennsylyaiiia, once said to certain, skep
'ical friends Of his; 'Glye Christianity