Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-05-08
A GRAVE QUERY.
Is the Christian Religion Nothing
But a Delusion ?
Or. Talmage's RepIy-What II Has Done
and What 1t is 0oing-Making Men Bet
ter-Women Purer and Homes
Happier.
MARVELS OF THE GREAT DELUSI0N.
Special 10 the Re1ister.

OF fellowship to one hundred and sixty
four new members and baptized fifty-four
candidates, making the present member
ship of the Tabernacle two thousand and
seventy-five. The house was densely crowd
ed, when DR.. Talmage arose and announced
his text as Ezickiel, xxi. 2l: HE made his
arrows bright, he consulted with images,
he looked into the liver" and then said:
Two kinds of divination or hnman device
by which the King OF Babylon tried to find
out the divine will, A number of arrows
with names on them were put together and
mixed up and then the King drew out one
OF them and by the name on it decided what
city to attack. Then an animal was slain
and by the lighter or darker color Of the
liver the brighter or darker prospect of
success was inferred. ''He made his arrows
brighter, he CONSULTED with images, he
looked in the liver" Stupid delusion' In
all ages the world has had its hallucinations
and fables and chimeras. The one spoken OF
in the text no more absurd than q thous-
and others of the past and present. The
world seems to like being hoodwinked.
Jennie Southcot came forth in the latter part
Of the last century declaring she had seen
visions and chapels were built in her honor
and she had over 100 900 worshipers. Apol-
lonius, about the time of Christ, after being
totally speechless for five years went forth
to desciple Ephesus and Antioch and Baby.
Ion and Athens and Sparta and Greece and
the world, preaching virtue, was said to
cast out devils and raise the dead and after
his own decease was said to have come TO
resurrection. The ancients had their
DeIphic Oracle
at which the Pythia, seated in ApolloS
temple, would utter crazy jargon from
which the people guessed their own fortune
or that Of a nation. Some times asentence
would be uttered which by change OF pune
tuation you can make read just opposite.
general going out to battle and desiring
to know OF his safety in battle received this
answer which means one thing if you put
a comma before the word never, and means
just the opposite if you put comma after
the word never: Thou shalt 60 return,
never in war shalt thou perish
or Thou shalt go, return never,
in war shalt thou perish" So shat il the
general returned in safety it was according
to the DelphC oracle, and if he were killed
it was according to the Delphic oracle.
AS much did the ancient auguries deceive
the world for centuries. The priests by
the way birds flew, or by the intonations of
thunder, or by the internal appearance of
slaughtered animals presagcd individual or
national destinies. The Sibyls were said to
be INSPIRED women who lived in caves and
wrote prOphesies in what are called Sybil-
line books. AS late as lS29 man arose in
New York pretending TO be divine being,
and played his part SO well as to get some
wealthy merchants To become his disciples
turning their fortunes into his disCiplcShip.
A II ages have had their neCrOmancies, their
inCantatiOns, their witChcraft, their Sorceries,
their divnations and.their delusions. No
prctence that they ever did any good. They
disappointed, they deceived, they degraded
They Pauperized the People.
They were as cruel as they were absurd.
They never built a hospital or healed
wound or wiped away tear or emanc-
pated the bondaged. Now it is charged that
there is delusion greater than this have
mentioned, namely, the delusion OF the
time at least 500, ,OOO, 900 dupes. 1t bids fair
TO encrcle the earth. 1t already overohad-
ows the Appalachian range on this CONT
nent and prepares to OvcrshadOw the Balkan
and Carcassian ranges on another. This de-
fusion has conquered the United States and
Great Britain till they are styled Christian
nations. and threatens Africa, having
planted its batteries on the east, west and
south of that continent, is plotting for the
capture Of the islands Of the Pacific and has
already duped Mlanesia, Micronesia aud
Malayan Polynesia. has had the imperti
nence 10 lay siege to the Indian Archipe.
lago and Borneo, Sumatra, CeIebes and
Java have felt its power. Even in the
Fiji islands, out OF population OF l2h,OU,
l02, 600 have become
The Victims OF ofChristianity.
and unless we can in some way stop il
soon, it will swallow the globe. Supposing
for few moments that Christianity, ac-
cording TO its antagonists, is the trcmcnd-
Gus Swindle of the age. propose to show
you what this delusiOn has accomplished.
First, This delusion o. the Christian re-
ligion he's made wonderful Transformations
of human character. can gOdown through
ary aisle in any church !. Christend0m
and show you men who were intemperate,
profane and VIGOROUSLY bad, but under the
delusion OF the Christian religion have be.
come sober and clean of speech and good,
all their associates acknowledging the
change. You could hardly believe il was
the same nan. He changed all his assOcia-
tions, gave up the companiOnship Of those
who drank and gambled and raced horses,
and from that time found joy in churches
and prayer.meetngs. So complete was the
delusiOn his wife and children saw the diff
erence The home that well nigh went 10
ruin has been reconstructed. The money
that went for rum goes for clothes, for
books. for education. he is another man.
There is as much difference between what
he is now and what he was before, a. be-
tween
Dove and n YuIture.
as between a rose and a nettle. as between
day and night. Powerful delusion! Ad-
miral Farragut, who was one OF the most
admired officers OF the Ameri-
can navy, was captured by
this delusion. At Long Branch. giving an
account of his early life, he said: MY
father was sent down to New Orlaans with
the little navy We then had 10 look after
the treason OF Burr. accompanied him as
a cabin boy. had some qualities that
thought made a man OF me. could swear
like an old salt, could drink stiff glass Of
great at cards, and fond of gaming in every
shape. At the close OF dinner one day my
father turned everybody out Of the cabin,
locked tSe door and said 10 me: David,
what do you mean to be? 4 mean TO fol-
low the sea Follow the sea, Yes, 10 be a
poor, miserable, drunken sailo- before the
mast; kicked and cuiIed about the world,
and die in some fever hospital in foreign
cline No said, i will tread the quar-
ter deck and command as you do No,
David; no boy ever trod the quarter deck
with such principles as you have and such
habits as you exhibit You will have 20
change your whole course of life il you
ever become a man. ! was stunned by the
rebuke and overwhelmed with mortifica:.
ton. i said: Il will change my life, and
change at once will never utter another
oath. will never drink another drop, oi
Intoxicating liquors. will never gamble.
And as God is my witness have kept these
three vows to this hour. Shortly after
became Christian. That act settled my
temporal a. il settled my eternal destiny,
Yopder goes Saul Of Tarsus on horseback
at full gallop. Where is he going?
To Destroy Christians
Ii was play to him 10 take charge OF the
hats and coats Of the people while they
n,assacred believers in the gospel. Ion-