The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-05-09

priest. At this funeral the God O.
consolation and salvation was ig.
nored, humanity was deifed,' and
made the onl ly religion, reason was
lauded as the only torch, while re-
velation was not recognized as with
in the scope of possibility.
:" But what of Auguste Comte's
philosophy, which Colonel Ingersoll's
friend, John Mills, accepted, and
which the colonel said enriches
poverty and enables US to bear
the sorrows of the saddest life? 1t
is but a revival, under the name OF
Positivism, Of the old dogma OF
Protagoras, a Greek philosopher
nearly 500 years B. c., that man is
the measure of the universe 1t ex-
cludes all recognition of divinity
from the universe, and was inaugu-
rated to 'renevate human society.
After Comte's love affair with Mad
anne de Vaux in 1845, his project
assumed more the form of an attempt
to institute new religion, which
Prof Huxley has described as Ca
thohcism minus Christianity and
in which Comte instead of the pope
was to be the sovereign pontiff. And
as Comte himself was not able to
imagine religion without some
sort of God, it became necessary
to furnish some kind of deity as the
source of the new religious impulse
Hence this new kind of deity called
humanity which we are to serve,
| and deserve well of The ethical
side of this conception of religion is
we'll enough, but the speculative
side is too ridiculous to be seriously
entertained. That the units of the
living race are separated y united by
death to this new divinity, and be-
come atomic consti ituents of the i'm
mortal essence, as one expresses it,
is too far in the past. Such a COM
plete deification of man, or complete
resolution of divinity into humani-
ty, is too ridiculous to command re-
spect.
This brings me now directly to
my subject as announced; The Ne
cessity of Revelation 1t is un-
questioned that there are certain
great and important problems to be
solved by us-problems insepara-
bly, connected with our well-being
and for the solution of which we
will seek in many languages, in
vain, the thoughts of men'-unas-
sisted reason is wholly inadequate
to the task, and hence the necessity
of a direct revelation from God to
man. He was not there, he said, tC
detract from reason, but he did say
unaided by revelation, reason car
not discover moral and religious
truth. When made known to US
reason may apprehend and recog
nize the truth, and canvass it's evi
dences, and elaborate it into formu
las of scientific thought; but to dis
cover it, never! Reason is not oul
only torch 'Thy word is. lamI
unto my feet, and light unto my
path.
The worlds first great problem
is, whether there be a God, and wha
is His true character But for tht
Bible we would not know. Men borr
blind, or deaf or reared up in th'
woods, have been found destitute o
all ideas of Supreme Being. Some
of the philosophers and sages o
Greece and Rome denied the exist
ence of a God, and there are mill
ions in China, Tartary and Japal
who dispute it vehemently. AnC
without the Bible how absurd tn
views Of men with regard to tn
character of God Aristotle believed
, that His nature is something lik
the principle which gives motion t.
a machine. Others maintained tina
God is a Being destitute of intelli
gence, remaining in profound repose
observing and caring for nothing
beyond Himself The stoics believ
ed God corporeal being, and sub
, iect to an immutable fate, while tn
New Zealanders contended that HI
is IAN invisible man eater
"Another important problem t,
solve, and lying at the very found
alton Of the well being of society, i
, true code of morals for the 9egu
lation of each others conduct. Blu
! for revelation man had never hac
t this. This was shown by the speak
? er by an examination of the Opin
: ions, errors and practices of some O
3 the worlds greatest intellects OF
the subjects Of murder, suicide, in
!. fautlcide, hatred, revenge, honesty
Q lying, divorce, adultery, prostitu
. ton, etc. Well may we blush 70
f human nature, for without revela
Q ton and cultivation it is everythin!
vile in principle and detestable il
: practice.
s And another important prob
: lem for solution is correct relig
e ious knowledge. Is there true re
r ligion? and what is it? We are s
q constituted that a religion of som
sort is a necessity of our nature
Mr.. Ingersoll & Co. accept human
f ity as their God. They worshi
}. the human race as Supreme Be
: ing 1t may be said, as rule, tina
J one great doctrine of all religions
t the immortality of the soul and
0 future state of rewards, etc. Blu
e wherever revelation has not gon
y this doctrine has always been eithe
: denied or diminished by being mix
q ed up with notions entirely subver
o sive of its moral effect. Some con
e tended for the souls transmigratior
r others for its absorption, while 9th
: ers again believed in its total ann
= hilation. Aristotle taught 'whe
n death is we are not, and Cicero bt
G lieved death an eternal sleep. Th
g torch of reason unassisted cannc
|. find out the truth, so we must tur
: to the Bible and learn what Go
w..Nr{ Ar