The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-21

If very great folly. II he had really de-
gplsed his antagonist, he would not have
wasted time, temper ink. paper ana
hostage on him. Men despse God good
ness when they pay 10 attention 10 it,
do not concern themselves about it.
ignore il.
Voltaire did not despise the gospel
Had he despiseG it. he would never have
had the temper 20 say that twelve men
had set Christianity zap, but he would
show the world how one man would pun
IL down This was a clear case OF hatred.
II a poor drunken wretch meets high-
toned gentleman on the street and calls
him scountrel it is not at AN necessary
that the gentleman should fy into "a
passion and fight. Nor would it Doe in
place FOR him 20 lay up a grudge against
the poor drunkard and hate him here
after. The proper thing would bee to de-
spise the whole matter. and pass ON hts
way as II nothing had occurred Don
rob your mother tongue by using the
word "despise" in the sense of hate
The word reckon is another good
biblical term whose meaning has been
sadly perverted in our popular speech.
A Southerner says reckon when New
Englauder would say guess and one
OF these expressions is usually about as
correct as the other that U.s. not 40 all
correct. TO reckon Is not to suppose,
nor 10 imagine nor tO believe. II is
more exact and specific word than ls
any one OF these. When a man reckons
he does about the solidest and most
exact thing that the human mind Is
capable Of doing. When Paul says that
Do reckOus that the suferings of this
I.r. H...
pared with the glory that shall be rec
veaied in us. be is not guessing nor sup
posing. nor imagining, nor even believing
The word reckon IS a mathematical
term. 70 means go count. IL As properly
applied 20 the act Of footing mp column
of figures. ana setting down the "an-
swer," as the school-boys call a.
The English inn-keeper. when you are
about to leave his house. hands you
your reckoning" II IS a piece OF paper
containing an account OF an the items
with which You have been supplied dur
ing your stay: and the price of each
Item" is set down. and the total footed
up
There was nothing indefinite about
Paurs reckoning" It was "a case OF
straightforward counting The items
were I'm his own personal experience. lie
had experienced "the sunerings of this
present time" as few human beings have
ever done. He knew what they were.
They were no guess work. And then he
had been caught up in the third heavens.
and had revelations OF the divine glory
too grand for human utterance. And
thus be was prepared 10 reckon" lie
had the facts before him Suppositions
were not INDUCED. Improved hypO-
these had no place. Speculations were
nowhere. lie did not pass beyond The
boundary of the experimental evidence.
I'm order to discern" anything. lie simply
footed up the column. worked the
sum-" and calmly stated the answer"
IT is as solid as arithmetic. as certain
as the multiplication table. as safe as
the "rule OF three
To a sceptic. Ike John Stuart Mil the
glorious future Of the Christian was ~
the nature Of an unverihed hypothesis
"a "baseless fancy To Christian Ike
Paul, that future was a solid answer
10 an arithmetical problem sure and
safe reckoning"