The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-03-25
OUT ON ORTHODOXY!
Concluded from Second Page.

principle of the lever. Are We to say
there is such a thing as special provi-
dence Where is the evidence of
God in saving the innocent ? In
what. age do we find that innocence
has been perfect shield? What aye
do we find that the innocent were
not placed In dungeons that the in
noceDt were not taken to the scaffOld,
and that innocent women and children
have not been sacrificed, and where is
your special providence q? We find
that people die according to the way
they have lived. We ficJ that they
are regulated by what they eat, and
We find that God in his special provi-
dence does not spare mems lives, but
that they are governed by natural
laws.
Tney tell story of man who was
in great poverty and all run do III,
with nothing to eat in the house, and
his wife said it is because you are not
in the church, and because you do
not pray. You must come back again
and pray, and see If the things won't
take turn. Well, be knew he conld
not make it any worse, so he took
down his Bible and he read and he
prayed. and as he got up he saw $40
bill between the leaves. Well, he
rushed out to the bakers, and the
butchers, and the grocer's, AMI they
went to work cooking a supper, and
the whole house was filled with the
perfume, and in few moments, the
wlfe's face was covered with smiles.
Just then there was a knock at the
door. and a constable came and ar
rested him for pas. ing counterfeit
bill. There is another argument the
church bad, that is the argument of
numbers. When Christianity COM
menced was it in majority I? No.
Was it just as near right when it was
in the majority as it is nows Yes
Then the argument of numbers is not
a good argument. There was a time
when then there were twice as many
Mohammedans as there were Chris
tians. Now they claim more Chris
tians than Mohammedans. Is it pos
sible that these things depend upon
the numbsr of people fooled by them I?
The next argumen. is the opinions of
great men. Whenever any great
truth has been discovered, it has been
discovered by one man, and when he
did discover it, the rest of the world
was wrong. Now We come to the
New Testament, and [ have the same
objection to that as [ had to the Old
Testament. L don't know who wrote
it nobody does, nobody ever will, in
all probability. No one knows any,
thing about it. The first objection l
have to that book is the doctrine that
you must love your enemeis. | can
not do it. nave all can do to love
my friends. / have al I can do to
forgive my friends, and | presume my
friends have all they can do to forgive
me. don't believe in making any
distinction between men, deny that
a man can do me some great wrong
and that [ should love him notwith-
standing that injury, tits contrary
to human nature. The doctrine that
we must love our enemies founded the
inquisition. Let's look at this doc
triDe a moment. They say | am
bound to love my enemies. Why
does not God forgive his I? My enemy
oon borp, mn ond bic ooapoioc oonno+
hurt Him, and if he does not forgive
the enemies who cannot harm him,
how can he expect us to forgive our
enemies who can harm us 7 Itwon't
do. All these men don't live up to it.
There g story told of a farmer who
is dying and he sent for the minister,
who said Have you got any enc
mics IF so, you must be reconciled
with them. He said. Well, | have
only one enemy. My neighbor over
there. l hate him But, said the
minister, you must send for him and
forgive him. Do you think it is nec-
essary Oh yes. Well. L suppose
must. He sent for him. and :he went
and asked his forgiveness and shook
hands with him. The man started
out, when the old man suddenly
whispered Now, if L get we'll all
this goes for nothing. Another object
ion | have TO the New Testament is
the doctrine of the atonement. don't
know that any man can do wrong and
have it charged to me. 1 don't know
that any man can be good and i be
entitled to the credit. 1 object to
that kind of book keeping. To charge
me with the rascality of Adam and
then balance it with the virtues of
Christ. might just as we'll be left
out of the transaction. / don't wish