Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-12-01

out of 352. In many other CO Olleges the
! proportions are still more favo rable to
The prospects of Christianity. 1t ccr-
rainly appears as if our ssculturcd"
friends gave too much credit to ''the
Intelligent common sense Of the mass of
mankind"
Third. The third point asserted
without proof is, that morality is en-
tirely independent of religious opinion,
and will survive without impairment
when all positive opinion Oh religious
questions is abandoned. 1t is obvious
that such question cannot be debated
in the limits afforded for this discussion.
1t will be sufficient if the following
points are noted in rebuttal the abso.
Inte'v unsupported assertion of our re-
spondent.
o. The contention, as determined
by our respondent himself, relates to
the independence of morals (not only
its idea, but its practical realization in
the mass of civilized community of
all the postulates of natural as well as
of revealed religion. I%t
.(2.) We OH our side, instead of de-
nying, affirm that man is essentially a
moral being. That "the law written
Oh his heart" and "the light of nature"
render him q moral agent, capable of
doing right in many relations and re-
sponsible in all known relations, irres-
pective of any supernatural revelation
whatsoever.
(3.) The burden OF proof rests upon
our respondents, and they labor
against the presumption created by the
whole unqualified mass Of human ex-
perience i'll tile past. Morality, as
practicable of any community of man.
kind, never has been separated from
religious dogmas and practices. The
buddhists of Siam, Burmah, and China
have low form of religion to which
the morality of those communities cor
responds. The princes of heathen
morals, Seneca, Epictetus. Marcus
Aurelius, Plutarch "a. d. 5O-125,, all
based their morality upon their theol-
ogy. The latter states the sum Of hu-
man experience, ancient and modern,
when he says: "There has never been
Il state of atheists. You NAV travel
over the world, and you may find
cities without walls, WITHOUT king,
without mint, without theater or GYM
nasltlm, but you aill never find a city
without God, without prayer, without
oracle, without sacrifice. Sooner NAV
a city stand without foundations than a
state without belief in the gods. This
is the bond of all society, the pillar of
! legislation" We do not deny the
existence, in this day, of exceptionally
lovely characters who are skeptical.
often most sadly so-as to all religious
truth, natural and revealed. We deny,
however, that these prove that morali-
ty is independent of religion. Morality
in them, as in all others, has its root i'm
theology, and their cases are easily ex-
piainable on the scientific principles of
heredity, education, and environment.
The examples sofprominente elnancipated
moralists, male and female,-as John
Stuart Mill and George Eliot, etc. do
not re-assure u.s., The experiments
made by communities of atheists m the
Reign of Terror and in the Commune
in Paris, and the proclaimed principles
of the International Societyd of Com
munists, who declare at once the aboli-
ton OF God, Of marriage, and Of prop
srty, do not re-assure us. The "cul-
tured" must give US proof, not asser-
tlon, Tor their contention that morality
is independent Of religion.
(4.) Morality is, as to its essence, au-
thoritative. 1t is the categorical i'm
perative. 1t is ultimate, incapable of
analysis. There has been no success
in the attempt to confound it with
utility, nor in the more recent and
more pretentious attempts to trace its
genesis out OF associated sensations or
animal impulses. 1t is sovereign over
all these and dominates them from
above. 1t necessarily presupposes per-
sonaiity, moral intuitions, and rational
and responsible spontaneity 1t has
existed, as an ultimate fact, just as we
find it, throughout all stages of human
history. Hence, it is as spiritual and
transcendental as religion itself. The
same paralysis of faith which tends to
render Intellectual the abundant evil
dences OF religion, natural and reveal
ed, would necessarily tend equally to
render obscure and Intellectual genuine
moral distinctions and obligations.
(5.) Even natural religion, much
more the facts and doctrines of the
Christian revelation, beyond all con-
troversy re-enforce the moral element
in human nature. They supply the
sublime authority of an infinite, eter-
nal, absolutely perfect moral governor:
the clear revelation of His will in ali
relations and under all conditions: the
sanctions Of future re-
wards and punishment; the effective
exhibition of our Heavenly Fathers
absolute righteousness and infinite
love; the utterly unparalleled ideal of
wisdom and moral perfection in human
form exhibited in Jesus Christ; the
all-penetraing, all-informing inspira-
ton of the Holy Ghost; the cloud of
the fellowship of the saints;
and the ordinances Of the holy Sabbath
and of the Christian church.
If revelation is fase, its influence
cannot be morally good. But if true.
it evidently renders the most sufficient
support to morality. If it be with
Drawn, we have every reason to an
prehend the most serious loss to the
moral character and habits Of the fol-
lowing generations. If untrue, relip-
on must be immoral; hence, if its i'll
duence is moral, it follows th..t il must
be true. This fact, 80 obvious and
vital, is strong corroborating evil
1ence of the truth of Christianity, and
he burden Of proof lies wholly on the
)ther side.
(6.) Science, devoid of theism,is is uni
pessimistic. The worlds all
end to darkness and death. The
struggle for life and the survival of the
fittest often involves the
survival OF the morally monstrous.
Nature is proved to be, as over against
Ill human interests and agencies, fatal
site, mechanical, unsympathetic to all
.gony, impassive to all struggle, and
leaf to all prayer. Take away all
heistic intention, and there is no basis
or hope. Take away hope, and there
9 no basis for morals.
a. Given theism, Christianity fol-
ows. Theistic science leads to Chris.
ianity.
(S.) Even if morality could survive
eligion, our destructive critics will
AVE to prove that morality alone will
'e sufficient for human needs. What
man be sinner, as the human con-
cience has testified in infinite variety
# forms, but with absolute identity of
ense through all history2 What if
nan needs expiation and a moral
hange of essential character !? This
We continue to believe. This is what
ur respondents have yet to disprove.
n All Thy Gettings. Get Strength.
II the skin be yellow and the bowels const,pa-
ID; If you have ringing In your ears and dull
aims in the side, sick headache sour