The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-08-31


. people contented and happy. Judged by tn
: standard our country has had good government du
= ing the last twenty years. Our population has grow
from thirty to more than fifty million. Our agricu
tural products have largely increased in amount an
= In value Our manufacturing Interests have bee
:. most prosperous Our minerals have been develope
and our railroads have traversed the continent. W
: have undergone period of prosperity hitherto ur
known in the history of the world. For the govern
ment under which these great results have been pos
9 sible the Republicanparty has been mainly respons
BILE for the twenty years. 1t has thus shown this
it is worthy of your confidence and your support.
Gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
The following is the concluding
, portion of Henry Ward Beecher's ar
ticle in the North american Reuiew
to which we referred last week:
The dread of Darwinian views j:
sincere; yet secret fear prevails thai
they may be true. But have mer
considered what relief they will be
from some of the most disgraceful
tenets of theology? Are they content
to guard and defend terrific scheme
which sullies the honor, the justice
and the love Of God, against move
ment that will cleanse the abomina-
ton and vindicate the ways OF God to
man? Even if the great truth of ev-
olution led to unbelief, it could not be
so bad as that impious and malignant
representation Of God and his govern
ment which underlies all mediavals
and most Of modern theology. We
shall quote from the Presbyterian
Confession Of Faith the account given
by the Church of the origin Of man,
and of his moral government, in the
light Of which the scientific account
Of the origin Of man and the nature
of sin is as health to sickness, as life
to death. Instead Of dreading the
prevalence of the scientific doctrine,
Christian men should rush toward it
with open arms and exultation, as a
release from the hideous nightmare of
ages.
In chapter w., sec. 2, is the state
ment Of mans creation:
"our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty
and temptation Satan sinned eating the forbid
den fruit. This their sin, God pleased, accord
ing to his will and holy counsel, to permit, having
purposed to order 1t to his glory. By this sin
they fell from their original righteousness and
munion with God, and became dead in sin, and
wholly deled in all the faculties and parts of soul and
body"
Next in chapter VI, secs. 1, 2, is
the account of the orr gin of sin:
''They (Adam and Eve) being the root of mankind,
the guilt of their sin imputed and the death
In sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their pos
teriy descending from them by ordinary generation.
From this original corruption whereby utter
ly iudsposed, disabled, and made opposite all good
md oil tn evil do dali un1
ransgressions."-(Chap.v vi.:s,4)
Should physician place son of
fifteen years in d plague hospital, ex-
pecting, nay, certain that he would
incur the disease, and that he would
propagate it to innumerable others
that he might show his skill in COM
batting it, would not language fail in
characterizing the deed? Or, if this
illustration be deemed inapt by leav-
ing out the power of choice, substitute
the case Of father who should place
his daughter Of seventeen years in
court where courtiers, expert in seduc-
tive batteries, who should beguile, be-
wilder, and seduce the innocence of
the child who had no experience of
danger. or example, or friend, and who
should fall, become the Il. other of i'm
modest children in endless succession;
would such a cruel experiment be
creditable or excusable because he
meant to set up afterward remedial
influence?
But the most astounding part of
this account Of creation is, that God.
when he had created innocence and
inexperienoe, permitted it to be de-
bauched, and went on to transmit to
the whole human race, through all
time, the degradation, sin, and suffer-
ing Of these divinely destroyed exper-
imentalists Of Eden.
It appears then, that the earth was
IA vast machine for the manufacturing
of corruption; that God himself plan
ned that corruption: that instead of
stanching the evil at its outbreak, he
devoted the earth to the production
Of corruption. 1t appears, also, that
the sin which they did not commit
was imputed to all the myriads Of hu-
man beings born ages after the sin
was committed, and that the penalty
upon Adams sin was the total de-
ranger ent Of every human faculty; so
that men could not be obedient, but,
as a part of the Divine will and ar
rangement, were created not only I'M
able to do good, but by the whole
force of Gods decree made opposite to
all good and arholly Inclined to all eoil.
This we are taught has been the busi-
ness of God for ten thousand years
to produce infinite sin and suffering.
Even this is but the beginning Of
that theory of creation and Gods de-
sign in it, which theologians dread to
have swept away by the revelations of
science. 1t appears that, before step
was taken in this mighty tragedy,
there was distinct purpose, in God,
that this world should produce innu-
merable wretched souls, whose sin re-
suited from the conditions of their
creation, for whom no remedy was at
tempted, who were made with the dis
tinct and ayowed purpose Of furnish
ing material for another and after
world, designed and built for the pur-
pose of torment endless, Increasing
! forever!
by the decree of God, for the of his
glory, some men and angels predestinated unto
everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to
lasting DEATH These angels and men, thus predesti-
mated and foreordained, particularly and I'M
changeabiv designed and their number is certain
and definite that it be either increased or di
| minished. Those of mankind that are predestned
unto life, God before the foundation of the world was