Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-08

which the Republic was founded, and on
the 18th day of May those national rep
resentatives who had so recently pros
trated themselves before the Goddess of
Reason, voted by reclamation that the
French people acknowledged the exist
ence of a Supreme Being and the inn
mortality of the soul. This is the ex-
perience and testimony of France who
tried so hard to deny God, and yet who
was forced from motives of self-preser-
walton to acknowledge Him.
Turning from the sad experience of a
nation, let us hear the testimony of an
individual who has rejected the belief
in God Prof. Clifford, the ablest.
most scholarly and most lauded atheist
of this century, says: 1T cannot be
doubted that the belief in God is
comfort and solace to those who hold
it, and that the loss of it is very
painful loss. 1t cannot be doubted, at
least by many of us who have parted
from it with such searching trouble as
only cradle faith can cause. We have
seen the spring sunshine out of an
empty heaven to light up a soulless
EARTH we have felt with utter loneli-
ness that the Great Companion is dead,
know that sorrow only by the reflex
light of wondering compassion" What
a doleful confession this, 1t is char
acterized with such expressions as IAN
empty heaven" 'soulless EARTH cut
ter loneliess" In these very express
ions the heart confesses that it cannot
give up what the lips deny-the reality
of the living God. Atheism is, there
nj oh hn
Of a man or nation. And he who be-
lieves in an absurdity is a fool
The man who knows the truth and
yet refuses to live by it, is a foolish
man. There are men who deliberately
shut their eyes against the truth that
God exists. Instead of reading books
on theism they Ct aually read books
on atheism. Instead of studying the
word of God they read the blasphem
les of Ingersoll or Paine. Instead of
reading noble, inspiring philosophy,
like that of Emmanuel Kant, DR.. Harris,
or DR.. McKosh, they read the material
istic, skeptical philosophy of Comte,
Herbert Spencer, or Lester F. Ward.
They try to read God out of their
hearts and minds. For every man has
the truth that God exists in his heart
to begin with; yes, after man has
spent years in declaring himself to be
an atheist he finds that he does believe
in God After all there is no such
thing as an absolute atheist in the
world. The belief really slumbers in
their hearts, but death and danger
arouses that belief.
The innate furnishing Of the human
soul prevents a man from being an alb
solute atheist. He may say in his
heart There is no God" but saying
it does not settle the question, even in
his own heart. He still unconsciously
believes. and there are times when that
belief will out.
Edward Bulwer Lytton has strongly
declared. in a poem, that There is no
unbelief" He says:
There is no unbelief:
Whoever plants a seed beneath the 500,
Ana waits TO see ii push away the clod,
He trusts in God.
Whoever says when clouds are in the sky;
BE patient heart, light breaketh by and
Trusts the Most High.
Whoever sees meath winters field of snow
The silent harvest of he future glow,
Gods power mu know.
Whoever lies down his couch to sleep.
Content to lock eac1 sense in slumber
deep,
Knows God will keep.
Whoever says. Tomorrow, the unknown,
THE Future" trusts that power alone
He dares disown
The heart that looks on when the eyelids
close
And dares to live when life has only woes,
Gods comfort knows.
There is no unbelief:
And day by day and night unconsciously.
The heart lives by the faith the lips deny,
God knoweth why.