Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-03-26

CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATH AN.
(Origlnal.l

:
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[orgna.l
IGNORANCE.
The boast of the nineteenth century is
that it has far outstripped all preceding cen
turies in the eaequisition of knowledge. The
means of acquiring knowledge have been
wonderfully multiplied, and it is true that
in some respects, the nineteenth century. Is
remarkable for intellectual and moral de-
velopment. On the other hand, there is IN
some respects degradation. The multi
pication of the means for acquiring knoWl-
edge has had a tendency, direct and potent,
to foster ignorance. The tendency OF the
age, and especially of the American people,
is to get something for nothing. Thas IS
true in every department of life, an9REith
respect to every class in society. Mggh OF
the legitimate business of the cotRTT is
either degraded into gambling, or cohHeted
on principles which have direct tendency
to gambling. There is strain to reach the
end, to accomplish purpose, and, at the
same time, an aversion to using the proper
means to accomplish that purpose. School
boys and school girls, school masters ana
school mstresses, and even ministers OF the
gospel, have caught the spirit, and the cry
is heard all over the land that royal road
has actually been found to geometry and
heaven. This principle of overriding all
established principles of the past has invad-
ed the family circle, and the fifth command
ment is regarded as an old repealed enact
ment-a mere relic of patriarchal system,
which existed only in the past. In spite OF
all these prodigfous intellectual develop
ments there is a vast amount OF startling
ignorance in the church and in the world.
1t is scarcely conceivable how some men,
bers of the church have been so successful
in accumulating so much and 80 profound
ignorance.
This is the case in every Christian denom-
ination. There is scarcely congregation
of respectable size, in which there cannot
be found individuals who are either igno-
rant of the Bible plan of salvation, or If
they understand it, they certainly are very
successful in concealing their knowledge.
They know nothing about the history, or
doctrines, or practices of their own denomi-
nation Worse than this, they do not care
to know. Any creed, or no creed, any re-
ligion, or no religion, is good enough for
them. This they think is charitable. 1t is
no such thing. 1t is simply glaring igno"
rance. Worse than this, they know nothing
about the Bible. No doubt they have read
the Bible. But how? Disconnectedly and
at intervals so long apart as not to be recall
ed by the memory. They are too profound
ly ignorant to profit by the preaching of the
gospel. Not ignorant of secular things, not
ignorant, it may be, of school text books,
but ignorant of the teachings of the Bible.
This state of things is to be deplored. 1t
must be attended with serious results, both
for timeand eternity. God says "my people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge" "
There are some truths which we must know
| in order to be saved, and these truths are
contained in no book in the world except
the Bible. Without knowledge of these
truths we not only never can be saved, Dut
we are utterly unfit for making proper use
of the most common of the means of grace.
Without knowledge of these truths, as
they are revealed in the Bible, we cannot
believe in Jesus Christ. We may do some
thing, which we may, in our ignorance, call
believing, but it is destitute of all the prin-
ciples of true saving faith. The object OF
| faith is truth--revealed truth-Bible truth.
The truth must be known, or we are sure to
| be lost 1t is vain to trust in the mere mer-
CIV of God, or, to make it even stronger, it is
vain to trust in the mercy of God in Christ
Jesus unless we trust in that mercy in the
way in which God himself commands us to
trust.
The truths, at least some of them, which
we must know, are the being and character
of God as he is revealed in the Scriptures
the trinity, the nature and official work OF
Jesus Christ the mediator, the work of the
Holy Spirit, and we must know that we are
sinners. These are subjects about which we
must have correct knowledge, that is, we
must know them as they are made known
to US in the Scriptures. In our ignorance
we may be very devout, heathenishly de-
vout, and spend our days in worshiping, in
some sort of way, a god of our own crea'
tion, which has not trace of resemblance
to the God of the Bible STEPPED in moral
stupidity we may spend our days in trust
ing in a creature Of our imagination, which
we have had the hardihood to call Jesus
Christ, but it has no more resemblance tc
the Jesus Christ of the Bible than the golden
calf made by Aaron to the God who envel'
oped Mount Sinai in clouds and darkness
and smoke and thunder and lightning.
be feared. "Foolsgo on" the Bible teaches
US, "and are punished" 1t is fearfu
thing to think of a human being taking
passage for the port of Heaven and landing
on account Of sheer ignorance, at the port
despair.
The causes of ignorance are many. A
few only can be mentioned. One cause O.
ignorance-that is ignorance of divine things
and things necessary to salvation-is spirit
ual laziness. There are some people who
really seem to be spiritually stupid. They
allow any one, or no one to read the Bible
for them, and think about its teachings fol
them. They are not destitute Of mental
ability, but they are averse to the labor
mental labor-necessary to gain knowledge
of the plan of salvation. Another reason
Of so much Bible ignorance among professec
Christians is that there are 50 many in the
church whose minds are set, and wholly sci
on the things of this world. They are Sc
engrossed with the cares of this world thai
they have no time to think about the saliva
ton of their immortal souls. This is a dis
tressing state of things. Such persons are
dilligent in business and fervent in spirit
not in serving the Lord, but in serving the
world. They make that first which God
has made last, and that last which God has
made first. They may grow in wealth but
not in grace. They may become wise IN
things of this world, but their minds will
become dwarfed into idiocy with regard tc
the things which pertain to eternal life:
| Many persons labor under the fatal delu-
sion that ignorance is valid excuse in eve
ry court, while, in fact. it is a valid excuse
in no court. 1t may, with show of plausi-
bility, be urged as a mitigating circum-
stance connected with the guilt of an indi-
vidual, but never as a valid excuse. That
servant who knew MOTHS masters will and
did it not was beaten with few stripes, but
| that servant who knew his masters will or