Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-09-15
NUMBER 81.

and in the war against this terrible
chimera, this delusion of the Gospel.
But no; in his last hour he asks for
Christian burial and asks that they
give him the sacrament OF the Lord
Jesus Christ, Why, you cannot de-
pend upon these first rate in6dels; you
cannot depend upon their power to re-
sist this great delusion OF Christianity.
Thomas Paine, the god of modern
skeptics, his birthday celebrated in
New York and Boston with great en-
husiasm-Thomas Paine, the paragon
of Bible haters-Thomas Paine, about
whom his brother infidel, William
Carver, wrote in letter which have
at my house, saying that he drank
quart of rum day and was too mean
and too dishonest to pay for it-Thom-
us Paine, the adored OF modern inf
delity-Thomas Paine, who stole an
other mans wife in England and
brought her to this country-Thomas
Paine, who was so squalid and so
loathsome and so drunken and so prof
ligate and so beastly in his habits,
sometimes picked out of the ditch,
sometimes too filthy TO be picked out
Thomas Paine, one would have thought
that he could have been depended on
for steadfastness against this great de-
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 i'm
pertinent and it is so overbearing, 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 IL the world is new
cr 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, $6,25O,00O 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-220 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 ex-adviser of the throne, spending
his vacation in preaching the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to the poor people OF
Scotland. Frederick 7. 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 a deluded Methodist or
Congregationalist Earl of Kintore
dying deluded Presbyterian.
The cannibals in South sea, the
bushmen 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 5000 missionaries
of the cross turning their backs on
home and civilization and comfort and
going out amid squalor of heather
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 anc
lived for themselves and lived luxuri
ously and been at last put into brilliant
sepulchers. What delusion!
Yes, this delusion of the Christian re-
ligion shows itself in the fact that il
goes to those who are in trouble. Now
it is bad enough to cheat man wher
ne is well and when he is prosperous
but this religion comes to man whcl
he is sick and says: "You will do wei
again after awhile. You are going int
a land where there arc no coughs, ant
no peursies, and no consumptions, ant
no languishing. Take courage and bea'
up" Yea, this awful chimera OF th'
Gospel comes to the poor, and it says Il
them You are on your way to vas
estates and to dividends always declara
= ble." This delusion of Christianit.
comes to the bercft, and it talks OF re
union before the throne ans of tn
= cessation Of all sorrow. And then, T.
: show that this deiusion will stop Il
5 absolutely nothing, it goes to the dyin
bed and fills the man with anticipa
tions. How much better il would b
to have him die without any more hop
| llldU SNlUG anu IdlS dlh obdhNS' i1hC'N
5 him underl That is all. Nothing NOR
t left Of him. He will never know any
thing again. Shovel him under! Th
t soul is only a superior part Of the bod,
4 and when the body disintcgrates tn
+ soul disintegrates. AnDihilalion, ';
a cancy, everlasting blank obliteratiol
n Why not present all that beautiful doc
k trne to the dying instead Of comm
e with this hoax, this swndle of I'll
d Christian religion, and filing the dyir
It man with anticipations Of another III
Z, until some in the last hour have rJappe
2 their hands, and some have shoutc'
9 and some have sung, and some ha'
" been so overwrought with joy that he
Q could only look ecstatic? Palace ear
e opening, they tEought~-dlamond corr
Il nets flashing, hands beckoning. C