The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-07-22

1nndellty has always been apol ogetic
for self-immolation After Tom Paine's
"Age of Reason" was published and
widely read there was a marked in
crease of self-slaughter.
l have sometimes heard it discussed
whether the great dramatist was a
Christian or not. He was Christian.
In his last will and testament he COM
mends his soul to God through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. l know that
he considered appreciation of a future
existence the mightiest hindrance tC
self-destruction.
For who would bear the whips and scorns OF
time;
The oppressOr's wrong, tho proud mans con-
tumely:
The pangs OF despised love, the laws delay
The insolence of ONCE, and the spurns
That patient merit Of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quetus make
With bare bod5in? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death
The undiscovered country from whose bourne
No traveller returns-puzzles the will:
Have nothing to do with an infidelity
SO cruel, so debasing. Come out of that
bad company into the company of those
who believe the Bible. Benjamin
Franklin wrote: ''Of this Jesus of
Nazareth l have to say that the system
of morals He left and the religion He
has given us are the best things the
world has ever seen or likely to see. :"
Patrick Henry the electric champion
of liberty, says: 1.-The book worth all
other books put together is the Il iblc. :"
Benjamin Rush, the leading physiolo-
gist and anatomist of his day, the
great medical scientist-what did he
say?" The only true and perfect
religion is Christianity" Isaac New
ton, the leading philosopher of his
time-what did he say? 1.-The subliIn-
est philosophy on earth is the philoso-
ply of the Gospel" David rewSter,
at the pronunciation of whose name
every scientist the world over bows his
head; David Brewster, saying: ''Oh,
this religion has been a great light to
Inc, very great light all my days"
President Theirs, the great French
statesman, acknowledging that he
prayed when he said: 81 invoke the
Lord God, in whom | am glad to be-
ieve." David Livingstone, able to con-
quer the lion, able to conquer the
panther, able to conquer the savage,
yet conquered by this religion, SO when
they find him dead they find him on
his knees.
Salmon P. Chase, chief justice of the
supreme court of the United States, APP
pointed by President Lincoln, will take
the witness stand. "Chief Justice
Chase, please to state what you have to
say about the book commonly called
the Bible" The witness replies:
"There came time in my life when |
doubted the divinity of the Scriptures,
and l resolved, as IL lawyer and judge,
l would try the book as L would try
anything in the courtroom, taking
evidence for and against. was a long
and serious and profound study, and
using the same principles of evil
dence in this religious matter as
L always do in secular matters, l
have come to the decision that the
Bible is a supernatural book, that it
has come from God, and that the only
safety for the human race is to follow
its teachings" Judge, that will do.
Go back again to your pillow of dust
on the banks of the Ohio" Next L put
upon the witness stand president of
the United States John Quincy
Adams. president Adams what have
you to say about the Bible and Chris
tianity?" The president replies: Il
have for many years made it a practice
to read through the Bible once year.
My custom is to read four or five chap
tiers every morning Immediately
after rising from my bed. 1t employs
about an hour of my time, and
seems to me the most suitable manner
of beginning the day. In what light
soever we regard the Bible whether
with reference to revelation, to history
or to morality, it is an invaluable and
inexhaustible mine of knowledge and
virtue" Chancellor Kent, what do
you think of the Bible?7 Answer: mo
other book ever addressed itself so au-
thoritatively and SO pathetically to the
Judgment and moral sense of man
kind" Edmund Burke, what do you
think of the Bible?" Answer: 81
have read the Bible, morning, noon
and night, and have ever since been
happier and the better man for such
reading"
Young men of America, come out of
the circle of infidels-mostly made up
of cranks and imbeciles-into the com
pany of intellectual giants, and turn
your back on an infidelity which de-
stroys body and soul.
All! Intidelity, stand up and take
thy sentence! In the presence of God.
angels and men, stand up, thou mon
ster! Thy lip blasted with blasphemy,
thy cheek SCARED with uncleanness,
thy breath foul with the corruption of
the ages! Stand up, Satyr, filthy goat,
ouzzard of the nations, leper of the
Stand up, thou monster,
Infdelity! Part man, part panther,
part reptile, part dragon, stand up
and take thy sentence! Thy hands
red with the blood in which
thou hast washed, thy feet Grim
son with the human gore through
which thou hast waded, stand up and
take thy sentence! Down with thee to
the pit, and sup on the sobs and groaDs
of those thou hast DESTROYED, and let
thy music be the everlasting miserere
of those whom thou hast damned!
brand the forehead of infdelity with
all the crimes of self-immolation for
the last century on the part of those
who had their reason.
There is a sorrowlcss world, and it
is so radiant that the monday sun is
only the lowest doorstep, and the au-
rora that lights up our northern heav- |
ems, confouuding astronomers as to |
what it can be, is the waving of the |
banners of the procession come to take |
the conquerors home from church mill |
tant to church triumphant, and you and |
| have 10000 reasons for wanting to go |
there, but we will never get there |
either by self-immolation or impeni- |