The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-04-08

string Of the air brake and stopped the
train at the most dangerous point of the
journey. But the lightning train, not
knowing there was any impedlment in
the way, came down crushing out of the
mangled victims the immortal souls that
went speeding instantly to God and
Judgment 1t was only joke. He
thought 1t would be such fun TO stop the
train. He stopped i'll And so Inhdelity
is chiefly anxious to stop the long train
Of the Bible and the long train
of the churches, and the long train of
Christian influences, while coming down
upon us are death, Judgment and eter-
nifty, coming n thousand miles min
ute, coming with more force than all
the avalanches that every slipped from
the Alps, coming with more strength
than all the lightning express trains
that ever whistled, or shrieked, or
thundered across the continent
Now, in this sentiment OF infidel
thinkers l can not join. and propose to
give you some reasons why can not be
an infidcl, and SO I will try to help out
of this present condition any who may
have been struck with the awful plague
of skepticism.
First, / can not be an infidel because
in6delity has no good substitute for the
consolation It proposes to take away.
You know there are millions of people
who get their chief consolation from
this book. What would you thi k of a
crusade of this sortP Suppose man
should resolve that he would organize
conspiracy to destroy all the medicines
from all the apothecaries and from all
the hospitals of the earth. The work
is done. The medicines are taken and
they are thrown into the river, or the
lake, or the sea. A patient wakes up at
midnight in paroxyism Of Distress and
wants an anodyne. 60" says the nurse,
'the anodynes are all destroyed; we
have no drops to give you, but instead
Of that I'll read you book on the alb
surdities of morphine, and on the alb
surdities of all remedies" But the man
continues to writhe in pain, and the
nurse says: "I'll continue TO read you
some discourses on anodynes, the cruel
ties Of anodynes, the indecencies of ano-
dynes, the absurdities of anodynes For
your groan, I'll give you laugh" Here
in the hospital is a patient having q
gangrened limb amputated. He says:
80, for ether; oh, for chloroform." The
doctors say: "Wy, they are all de-
stroyed; we don't have any more chic
roform, or ether; but have got some
thing a great deal better. I'll read you
a pamphlet against James Y. Simpson,
the discover of chloroform as an an@s-
thetic, and against Doctors Agnew and
Hamilton, and Hosack, and Mott, and
Harvey and Abcrnethy." "But," says
the man, 81 must have some anas-
thetics." mo" says the doctors, they
are all destroyed; but we have got
something a great deal better" what
is that?" Fun" Fun about medi-
cines. Lie down, all ye patients in
Bellevue hospital and stop your groan-
ing-all ye broken-heartcd of all the
cities, and quit your crying; VIC have
the catholicon at last! Here is dose of
wit, here is strengthening plaster OF
sarcasm, here is a bottle Of ribaldry
that You are TO keep well shaken up
and take n spoonful Of it after each
meal; and IL that does not cure you,
here is a solution Of blasphemy in
which you may bathe, and here Is a
tincture Of derision. Tickle the sl,ele-
ton of death with repartee! Make the
King Of Terrors caclSle! For all the
agonies of all the ages, joke! Millions
of people willing with uplifted hands
toward heaven to affirm that the gos-
pei Of Jesus Christ is full OF consolation
for them, and yet infdelity proposes TO
take II away, giving nothing, absolute
ly nothing. except fun. Is there any
greater, height, or depth, or length, or
immensity of meanncss in all Gods
universe?
Infidelity is n religion OF Don't
know" Is there a God? Don't know!
Is the soul immortal? Don't know! II
we should meet each other in the future
world will we recognize each other?
Don't know! A religion of don't
know" for the religion of "I know" II
know in whom ! have believed" ~
know that my Redeemcr liveth." In
fidelity proposes TO substitute religion
of awful negatives for our religion OF
glorious positives showing right before
us world of reunion and ecstasy, and
high companionship, and glorious
worship, and n stupcndous victory; the
mightiest Joy Of earth not high enough
TO reach the base OF Himalaya of up
lifted splendor awaiting all those who
on wing Of Christian faith will soar TO-
ward It.
Have you heard Of the conspiracy to
put out all the lighthouses on the coast?
DO you know that on a certain night Of
next month, Eddystone Lighthouse,
Bell Rock Lighthouse, Sherryvore
thouse, Montsuk Lighthouse, Hat
Lighthouse, New London Light
house, Barnegat Lighthouse and the $40
lighthouses on the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts are to be extinguished? 90"
you say, what will become of the ships
on that night? What will be the fate
Of the one million sailors following the
sea? What will be the doom of the
millions Of passengers? Who will arise
TO put down such aconspiracy?" Every
man, woman and child in America and
the world. But that is only fable.
That is what infdelity is trying to do,
put out all the lighthouses on the coast
Of eternity, letting the soul go up the
''narrows" Of death with no light, no
comfort, no peace-all that coast COW
cred with the blackness Of darkness.
Instead Of the great lighthouse, a
glowworm OF wit, a freely Of