Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-03
HOW TO ANSWER BLAsPHEMY.

-Eiunklin Johnson, in Chicago Standard.
~ -
HOW TO ANSWER BLASPHEMY.
cent Statements of n Noted Infidel Lect-
urer-Nhat tho World Wants
Rev. P. S. Henson, ID. D., preached
on a recent Sunday evening at the First
Baptist Church, Chicago, on The
Best Answer to Blasphemy." He not
only, says the Inter- Ocean,. reviewed
some of Mr.. Ingersoll's latest state
ments, but also considered the question
in its broadcast bearings. His text was:
For so is the will of God. that with we'll
doing We may put to silence the ignorance of
foolish men.-I Peter ii, Is.
Christian men are apt to think that these
are peculiarly evil line upon which they
have fallen; times in which Il goddess philoso-
ply dominates the schools; when blatant
blasphemy is vociferously applauded; when
the very foundations are being shaken;
when dim eclipse" of our ancient faith
disastrous twilight sheds and with fear Of
change %perplexes' all our ministers and
churches. And yet men in all the ages have
been 5eessas Pal inauising WHY the former
have been true OF other days we verify be-
love that these are the very best that the
world has ever seen, but not the best it is des-
the distinguishing characteristic Of the nine
teenth century. 1t is as old as the affairs Of
Cain and Abel; In every age the Lords peo-
pie nave been hated and bounded. And when
incarnate goodness and truth walked the
earth in tho person of the Son OF God, even
He was hunted to Calvary and subjected to a
not content, with such Il bloody sacrifice to
111human rage-if,: indeed, that rage can be
called 1nhulnan, which i'll every age has char
inmate utterly all those who lovingly cher
1shed the memory and Loyalty followed the
lead OF the despised Nazarene; ana so the
with blood and lighted with fires that were
kindlcd at,thc stake. And in lands and ages
s I@sni as ours, where persecution is no more al
shallow and sophistical device is eugerly EN-.
ploycd to put to shame the Christians faith,
and to bring religion into contempt. Let US
not Oe alarmed or distressed as ii some new
and strange thing had happened to us. This
venom is as old as the old serpent himself,
anu every age has echoed the serpent's hiss
every, age has heard the blasphemous boast
that the Bible was destined to be speedily
f 6nla ,e,a AND its system OF religion would only
pc remembered as a progressing delusion
chat had its day and went its way Our age.
IN this regard. is not behind the ages that
f faYe b gonS heefere' but Nth has its its brood OF boast
mouthed and just as foul-mouthed us any of
tne,r ungodly progenitors. The apostle in the
torrance of these same proud and pre-
sumptuous defamers Of the truth of God, and
suggests the wisest of all possible ways by
foollshncss is evident from the fact that they
evidently think they can eradicate Christian
NY n9s sfom t me earth 4sh4 Nobody but a fool could
some hope OF the success OF such an effort
When Christianity was in its infancy. Then
was tho time to strangle it, if ut all. Its ad-
0ClentS Wnrn fow and moor 11itarntn o,l Oh
sscure. The whole Of them could be collected
N a single upper room. But now, when
Sh n1stt mtg has encompassed the globe, and
the worlds greatest civilization, when it is
lmbedded in the foundations OF the worlds
n no6 ; literature and grandest governments,
ana Yields q sceptor OF wider power than ever
before in human history, to suppose that it
can now be subyerted by sneers OF scorn and
KIN to midsummer madness. That men
should wish to overthrow it, even if thew
could. IS a mark OF folly more monstrous still.
abom1Iably bad; it the tendency of its teach
ing was to poison the fountains OF all public
morality; II wherever it came it brought a
and bright. in human life, then mans violent
intolerance OF it would exhibit at least some
1ttle show, OF renson. That the opposite Of ali
candid and thoughtful man. That there are
di1hcultles In the Bible we do. not for Il mo-
men, pretend to deny, That there are diff.
w navy ul lIlOSl painful knOWl-
edge, ana that without the Bible these diff
cnltles aye . t~housand-fold greater than they
t tain w aun nne J. nible, we are prepared to maiii-
Ihere are some things OF. which no sane
tnan can ever quite divest himself. one Of
i ings tb o. y sle offe fod %ith ;E and oyer-master-
ONT 1t, in Christian or in heathon lands. there
Is the: 1neradicablc conviction OF q God over
al and aGod after all,
Another thing from which, no living man
Cau lulte escape is the consciousness Of sin.
WIN. us consequent apprehension OF Judy,
s sans = ~, come; Another Thing, and yetin some
reason OF which We are all our, lifetime s,HH.
9ect to bondage.
rc Me% {; considering thdt the g1raeieue and glorious
neaynlng upon us, rs He. does with inHnito,
ssaLagime IS. IN the face Of Jesus Christ; CON
So ses Sovea the the a @orld tGat th Ha. it brings that Gods
gotten son, that whatsoever haIieveth in Him
snouia not perish, but have; everlasting liza;
SoIhsii o u snat ms same hoax opens to man
our poor, humanity. has oyar Seen: cons NIX
I ihge one glad d. that it bnIaas to chase away
sets SETS the In io wt1 ofe o. and how it everywhere.
T. transforms character, bow it lifts I'm he
lperene lhto morality and the slave infta iib.
INTO clearer light, and nobler life; considnrins
Whnl u mas Gone for our own land in MI thee
s spd aI e1asi5ies it has founded and fosserea.
ger whose protecting shadow we renosa in
Reuce, Che man who could wish to dcstrov Mn
tnese ny destroying religion is not onlv = ~ &c
Oouou 1ooA, Dut Il monster OF deprnTitv sm"I,
US our Lord described when lie said. ..ve M.
o1 your rather the: devil, and the wo,.Ls IS.
our father We Mildo." N 'o'A VIC
Bu these men are not only fDo,s. 49,,
ramuseas 10Y SO cir text expliciIy declSrss
them. They possibly are not inyariablv % %
ts retNiner sS ~ 1h his seem to be. a lawSep with
70 plead may not indeed. be ms iannrsnS a 81
won n d 9is spse, 10 and sophistica1 pleading
great deal more law than 1t would serve his
41a = 70 quote, and q good, MANY more
11ots than1t wonld be polits.for him to ra'
NSnk ANA yet we would non unwittinylv 10 =,
ga1ustce to infdels' motives or their mor u1
yhhractes, ana SO we are driven in charitv -
tDe ~snRpOsitioE that their IGNORANCE ~ ~ -
dense. wy As@ una very
They are ignorant of the past, and 81 +,,o,,
Iepresent themselves as the hcrnlds of y my
era, the leaders Of q liberal crlsa1e ~ ~ Hew
the disposition Of a degrading snne"s sI.hs&
whose prepostcrOus prctcnsions have 'n'
Deon seriously attacked till now. T.hev ncNfer
Htnsrly ignorant OF CELSIUS and PornhvSs Gem
Sulan ana Holisgbroke, and ShafIa:s and
ana the French aeademicians. and a 'soury.
lMnuel Anakim. ia comparison will. .Aoes OF
our modern retailers Of lnrid whom
IRE the veriest miputians. S.o,an rhetoric
NOT az aA leaders as they wnn1I9S are
US imagine but tho leebiest ~ or!I nave
sno With most unequal pac1s. Iod9wers,
/ of0 ignorant of the nI,csapt - Auu C00y