The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-08-09

IOr Steau1ustneSs against tnls great DC
lusion.
But no. In his dying hour he begs
the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. Pow
erful delusion, all conquering delusior,
earthquaking delusion of the Christian
religion. Yea, it goes on. 1t is so inn
pertinent, and it is so overE caring, this
chimera of the Gospel, that, having
conquered the great picture galleries
of the world, the old masters and the
young masters, it is not satisfied until
it has conquered the music of the
world. Look over the programme of
any magnificent musical festival and
see what are the great performances
and learn that the greatest of all the
subjects are religious subjects.
Yes, this chimera of the Gospel is not
satisfied until it goes ON and builds it,
self into the most permanent architec-
ture, so it seems as if the world is new
er to get rid of it. What are some of
the finest buildings in the world? st.
Paul's, St. Peters and the churches
and cathedrals of all Christendom.
Yes, this impertinence of the Gospel,
this vast delusion, is not satisfied until
it projects itself, and in one year gives,
contributes, S6,2jO,0OO to foreign mis-
sions, the work of which is to make
ounces and fools on the other side of
the world-people we have never seen.
Deluded doctors-22O physicians meet
ing week by week in London in the
Union Medical prayer circle to wor-
ship God.
Deluded doctors-Lord Cairns, the
highest legal authority in England,
the cX-adviser of the throne, spending
his vacation in preaching the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to the poor people of
Scotland. Frederick r. Frelinghuysen,
of New Jersey, once secretary Of state,
an old fashioned Evangelical Christian,
an elder in the Reformed church. John
Bright. deluded Quaker. Henry Will
son, the vice president of the United
States, dying deluded Methodist or
Congregationalst. Earl of Kintore
dying a deluded Presbyterian.
The cannibals in South sea, the
bushmcn of TERRA del Fuego, the wild
men of Australia, putting down the
knives of their cruelty and clothing
themselves in decent apparel-all un-
der the power of this delusion. Judson
and Doty and Abeel and Campbell and
Williams and the 1900 missionaries
of the cross turning their backs on
home and civilization and comfort and
going out amid squalor of heathen-
ism to relieve it, to save it, to help it,
toiling until they dropped into their
graves, dying with no earthly comfort
about them, and going into graves
withnoappropriate epitaph, when they
might have lived in this country and
lived for themselves and lived luxuri-
ously and been at last put into brilliant
sepulchers. What a delusion!
Yes, this delusion of the Christian re-
ligion shows itself in the fact that it
goes to those who are in trouble. Now,
it is bad enough TO cheat a man when
he is well and when he is prosperous,
but this religion comes TO a man when
he is sick and says: You will do well
again after awhile. You are going into
land where there are no coughs, and
no pleurisies, and no consumptions, and
no languishing. Take courage and bear
up" Yea, this awful chimera Of the
Gospel comes to the poor, and it says to
them: "You are on your way to vast
estates and to dividends always declara-
ble." This delusion of Christianity
comes to the bereft, and it talks of re-
union before the throne and of the
cessation of all sorrow. And then, to
show that this deiusion will stop at
absolutely nothing, it goes to the dying
bed and fills the man with anticipa-
tions. How much better it would be
to have him die without any more hope
than swine and rats and snakes! Shovel
him under! That is all. Nothing more
left of him. He will never know any
thing again. Shovel him under! The
soul is only superior part of the body,
and when the body disintegrates the
soul disintegrates. Annihilation, va
cancy, everlasting blank obliteration.
Why not present all that beautiful doc
trne to the dying instead of coming
with this hoax, this swindle of the
m riytiD ~ rn1in;nr opJ film or tho n win cr
man with anticipations of another life
until some in the last hour have clapped
their hands, and some have shouted,
and some have sung, and some have
been so overwrought with joy that they
could only look ecstatic? Palace gates
opening, they thought-diamond coro-
nets flashing, hands beckoning, or
chestras sounding. Little children dy-
ing actually believing they saw their
departed parents, so that although the
little children had been so weak and
feeble and sick for weeks they could
not turn on their dying pillow at tho
last, in a paroXysm of rapture uncon'
trollable they sprang to their feet and
shouted: Mother, catch me; l am
coming"
And to show the immcnsity of this
delusion, this awful swindle of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, / open hospi-
tai, and | bring into that hospital the
deathbcds of a great many Christian
people, and | take you by the hand,
and | walk up and down the wards
of that hospital, and | ask few ques,
tions. ask: Dying Stephen, what
have you to say?" ''Lord, Jesus, re-
ceive my spirit" Dying John Wesley,
what have you to say?" THE best of
all is God is with us" Dying Edward
Payson, what have you to say?" II
float in Il sea of glory" dying John
Bradford, what have you 10 say?" IF
there be any way of going to Heaven
on horseback, or in fiery chariot, it is
this" Dying Neander, what have
you to say?" 81 am going TO sleep now.
Goodnight" Dying Mrs. Florence
Foster, what have you TO say?" "A
pilgrim in the valley, but the mountain
tops are all agleam from peak to peak"