Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-06-14
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REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
(OrlginalJ.
SKEPTICISM,

REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[orignalJ.
SKEPTICISM.
IN every quarter of the globe there seems
to be, at the present time, determined ef-
fort on the part of not few, to thrust the
Bible and the Christian religion out of the
world. This undertaking is surely both
wicked and foolish. Whether the religion
of the Bible is from heaven or not, it has
been honestly professed and conscientiously
practiced since the world began. History
does not inform US ola period in the worlds
existence, when the Bible was not to any one
a rule of faith and practice. There is moth
ing on earth older than the Bible, and the
religion of the Bible. The fundamental
principles of that much despised book ante
date all the records of time. Not all the
Bible as it now is, but parts of it. No mat
ter how far the human family may be traced
back or to whom, some part of the Bible had
an existence at that time.
It is admitted that for long time the
Bible was confined exclusively to the Jews.
It is further admitted that until the time Of
Moses no part of the Bible was written, but
was preserved and transmitted by tradition.
Admitting all this, the whole of the Bible
has been in existence for near nineteen hun-
dred years, and large part of it for more
than three Thousand years The Bible is
certainly the oldest book in the world.
If it has no other claim, it's great antiquity
merits for it some respect. The man who
would treat the works of Xenophon, of Ho-
mer, of Cicero, of Horace, of Virgil or Of
Juvenal, as many treat the Bible, would
forfeit every claim to the respect of his fel-
low men. The works Of all these men have
done a great deal good, and in certain di-
rections they will continue to do good, per-
haps as long as the world lasts. TO attempt
to Danish the works of Horace from the
world would be wicked and it would be e.l-
ceedingly foolish. In no point of view will
the Bible suffer by comparing it with Hor-
ace, or the works of any man, either Of
modern or ancient times. There is better
poetry in the Bible than can be found in any
other book in the world. In literary as
pect, the Bible stands first among the first
Would it not be wicked and foolish to con-
sign the old book to utter destruction?
But the human family cannot live ard
prosper withouta well digested code of laws
If the Bible is banished from the world,
where is such code to be found? The code
of laws contained in the Bible is beyond all
comparison. Nothing like it can be found
anywhere. Run the pen over all the legal
principles which are contained in the law
books of civilized nations which are de-
rived from the Bible, and the remainder
would not be worth anything. They would
be worse than nothing. All the perfection
that is about the laws of England and Amer
lea is due to the fact that the trainers OF
those laws had perfect modelAthe Bible.
If the Bible is to be banished from the
school house, it is but fair to demand that it
be banished also from the court house.
Whenever that day comes the world may
bid liberty and justice farewell, and hail
anarchy and injustice. Intact, without the
Bible the human mind is unable to attach a
proper meaning to the words liberty and
justice.
Before the Bible is banished from the
world something as good or better should be
provided to take its place. 1t has always
been held, and is generally held at present,
that man is a religious being. TO steal from
man his instructive inclination to worship
something, which, no matter what it is, he
regards as Supreme Being, Is to take from
him everything which makes him superior
to the OK or ass. If man is a religious being
and worships, in some way, some being,
where are we to find God superior to the
God who is revealed in the Bible, and where
are we to find system of religion better
than that, which is contained in that book
which it is proposed to Danish from the
world? Some god is better than no god,
and some religion is better than no religion.
The man who worships stones and billets OF
wood isa better man than he is who has no
God at all, but condemns all forms of reli-
gion. When we are asked to give up the
God of the Bible and the religion of the
Bible, is it expected that we will become
brutes, or that we will adopt some one or all
of the pagan divinities, or that each and ev-
cry individual will make his own god and
formulate his own mode Of worship? The
prospects surely are not very encouraging.
Whenever the enemies of the Bible get
up something better than the Bible in every
respect, then it will be wise to thrust the
old Bible out of the world. Until that is ac-
cOmplished it will be safe to retain the Bible
as a rule Of faith and practice. Those who
oppose the Bible and are anxious to have its
principles trampled in the dust, have never
Seriously considered what would be the con-
sequence to man universally, in the event
their schemes were accomplished. Suppose
that the inhabitants of America would,
with one consent, vote the God of the Bible
out of the world and consign all the Bibles
to the flames. Suppose the fifty millions OF
people in the United States would suddenly
W dUdlll1Ou oil blUlO 1OliAAc VI ~
ligion and rise up in open rebellion against
the God of the Bible. Would that be bet
ter state of things than is at present? Who
can believe it? The people of the United
States cannot instantly become pagans.
They cannot convert their churches into pa
gan temples. The thing is too absurd. They
would laugh at the idea. If the God that is
worshiped in these churches and around the
many firesides in this land of ours is ban
ished, what will be done with the church :?
Shall they be turned into private dwellings
or into houses of business? Let those who
labor to Danish from the world the Bible and
the Christian religion, contemplate the train
of circumstances which must inevitably
precede and follow such an event, and then
say whether or not they are willing to pro-
ceed in their opposition.
Two GREAT EvILs.-The following from
Joseph Cooks late lecture applies chiefly to
city life:
1.-THE two worst evils of our time inside
the domain of Christendom are probably
luxurious living among church members
and loose thinking among religious teach
ers. And when the two 60 together and we
have a religious club, instead of a church, a
club in which, of course, it would be uncOur-
teOus to suppose that there are any sinners,
a club that has forgotten that all men are
brethren and that the business Of the Church
is to stand between the livingand the dead !:
,rbap ,va hoyn q numhar of SIrh churches