The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-07

the modern period, she became at once
the subject OF rldicule and laughter. In
the seventeen hundred years Of Chrtsu'
anity men had learned to identity the
church and religion, and all the folly Of
the human institution weighed against
the divine. Reason had Just begun It's
great task, and was not yet discriminating
In its condemnation. II saw plainly that
there was much Of folly and Of Wickedn0ss
in the religion dedicated 70 ptsty, and that
the name Of saint overcoEered the sub.
stance oil sinner, and. IN Us reouke and
lridicule, 1t attacked Christianity itseIt, and
not any Of those local accidents: 1t Is Just
to affirm that the .unbelief Of the seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries came
from the many perfectly incredible, and
even monssrous, ideas with which the
church had ineumbeFed itseli In its march
through semi'bNbarian lands and genera
tons.
That cause of skeptciam has wrought
some harm in our own century, because
there are tens OF Thousands OF men who
cannot yet distinguish between the re.
religious organizations oil man and the ab'
solute claims Of Christianity or natural
religion. There is q vast multitude, Too,
who do not discriminate between the Bys'
TEN OF theologian and the simple ideas
OF Christ, and OF this vast multitude quite
q number are turned away from God and
worship by their unbsliet in Romanlsm
or Ualyinlsm, or in some human estimate
Of a Trinity or psrdition. A Presbyterian,
writing from q large city to his own church
publication, mentions that'at private so
CiAl party, where members Of different
denominations were present, "all sgTeed
that certain doctrines oil the Confession Of
Faith could not possibly be the truths OF
God" and yet, such o concession would
not lead any OF that group into doubt, be
cause they can hear the simple voice Of
the Master above the discoTds oil men,
and these are made secure by an anchor.
age OF personal experience. There 10 an |
immense throng, however, who have not
learned the way OF the Leader, who are
only inQuirers or disputants, and
with oil these, the unreasonable.
ness Of the creed 10 an obstacle
to the lie OF faith, One Of the most
weighty thinkers in the orthodox depart. |
ment Of theology, Theodore OhrlsIllsb,
says: at must be confessed that the
church theology OF the last century Was
chiefly to blame for the general apostaey |
from the ancient faith which then began,
From the middle Of the eighteenth cen.
fury to'the end Of the first third Of the
nineteenth, chiet authorities In pulpits
and institutions oil learning were promo. |
ters OF rationalsm. For this spirit we
theologiAns have only ourselves TO thank.
We are now reaping what we ourselves
have sown." II, In its present essence,
Christianity and oil religion offers some
natural difficulties 10 perfect belief, how
evil must be the efec! when man comes
10 with many forms oil human confusion
II to see good father In Heaven is some
times difficult, even TO good persons, how
much more slow must the mind be 10 feel
sure Of the existence OF such Father as
was portrayed by the old Romanists, and
Calvinists, and Methodists? Much of
modern unbelist must therefore still be
associated with the fact that the doctrines |
Of the ChuCh are not so fer reviewed and
restated as to make them as free as pos, |
sible from mystery or improbability.
To this fruitful source OF skepticism,
new studies and new attirmations 10 |
science have come as deep disturber Of |
the heart. Laws have been discovered
until many have seemed willing 10 barter |
away their God for law. The conscience |
and all the moral feeling Of man are 10 |
this new science, the result oil animal ex: |
perience In pursuit OF the best interests Of |
self. Our world Is o selt.maklng world. |
II makes its own men out Of monada, and |
makes Ito own conscience out Of failures |
and successes. II has added TO the mys
terry OF the current faith by suggesting |
that an impersonAl universe 10 possible.
Without attempting to retute these claims
oil science, we Ooncede this: that they are
the most recent and most potent causes oil
skeptiCal sentiment. They Join with the
natural obscuriEy Of religious evidences,
and with the repulsiveness oil many
creeds, In adding density TO that cloud OF
distruSt which has always moved along
between makind and the Creator.
Having noted these evident causes Of
deficient faith, let IA not be slow 10 affirm
that there is much Hkepticism In the
world which Is guilty before man and
God, In that II comes from an idleness or
Concsit which will not study calmly the
pages Of nature and Of the best men.
When unbelief and vanity and buster are
Joined together, the scene Is pitable.
Each one, man or woman, who has reached
years Of rational powers and processes,
owes Il TO self and society 10 make o very
calm and very patient study Of oil these
leading propositions In religion, and to be
slow 10 defy opinions so old and 80 valu.
able. A faith and hope which have
been cherished by 90 many OIL the worlds
preateat, and which seem 80 interWoyen
with soCiety's happiness, may well claim
the marked attention Of all Of tls, not for
few days or years, but all through this
earthly life. To make o swift denial oil
the leading tenets Of Christianity, Is only
10 expose ones sell 10 the edge Of the
maxim that ut Is the habit Of Ignorance
10 make up its mind quickly" Not many
Of the moral ideas Of mankind reveal
themselves 70 incident OF trihing minds:
The Top and the idler and the glutton dnd
the fashionable beau have never been the
persons permitted Of fortune 10 discover
the laws OF liberty or industry or eduCa.
ton. II has never been the privilege Of
these 10 see anything worth seeing,
or 10 hear anything worth heating or
10 do anything worth doing; and,
In her religious domain, Nature has no
excuse 10 oher for any one who will mock
at o religion over whose ideas he has
spent no patient lAbohous time, and shed
no tears. In the presence Of problems 60
great % those Of the origin and destiny Of
man, all good minds will stand with faces
full Of sober inquiry and ptofoundeBt re.
Spect. Penalties muStawait all who dismiss
faith and duty with q laugh, for the God
/ nj Nature AlWAVk leAda 10 dAy OF reckon.
| low ell those who hold the universe In de.
fision.' Il
This argument, and study, and zeal on
the part Of the Church must be as pefpet
ual as Ia the cloud Of doubt which follows
civilization. Il will never end until all
men Shall have GONG 10 their long home
ior, while old grounds Of anEiety may die!
appear, new ones will dorbtless rise above
the surface, and the religious pleadlnaJ
| f,nai havin AGAIN With new themes and