Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-08-12
CHRIST'S TEACHINGS.
DR.. Talmage Depicts Triumphs Of
the Gospel
Victories of the Christisn ReiiEios
-Drunkards Are Reclaimed
and Thieves Made
RIEhteous.
Copyright. ISs0. BY Louis Klopsch)

the triumphs OF the Gospel arc depict
ed. The text II Ezekiel 2i:2l: He
made his arrows bright. ne consulted .
with images he looked in the liver"
Two modes OF divination bv which f
the king OF Baby Ion proposed 10 find ,
out the will OF God. He took bundle /
of arrows. put them together. mixed /
them up. then pulled forth one. and by /.
the inscription on "a decided what city 4
he should first assault. Then an ami .
NAL was slain. and 10y the lighter or
darker color OF the liver the brighter
or darker prospect Of success WAS in
ferred. That Is the meaning Of the
text: He made his arrows bright. he
consulted with images. he looked in
the liver" Stupid delusion' And yet
all the ages have been filled with delu-
sions. II seems as II the world loves
20 be hoodwinked. the deiusion = the
text only a specimen Of a vast number
of deceits practiced upon the human
race. In the latter part OF the last
century Johanna Southcote came forth
pretending 20 have Divine power. made
prophecies. had chapels built in her
honor. and 100. 900 disciples came for
ward 10 follow her. About five years
before the birth OF Christ Apollonius
was born. and ne came forth. aud after
ave years being speechless, accord
ing 20 the tradition. he healed the sick,
and raised the dead. and preached vir-
tue. and. according 20 the myth. having
deceased. was brought 10 resurrection.
The Delphic oracle deceived vast
multitudes OF people; the Pythoness
seated in the temple OF Apollo uttcring
u crazy jergon from which the people
guessed their individual or national
fortunes or misforsunes. The utter
snces were OF such a nature that you
could read them any way you wanted
10 read them.
So the ancient auguries deceived the
people. The priests of those augurics
by the fight OF birds or by the intona-
ton OF slain animals told the fortunes
or misfortunes OF individuals and OF ma
tions. The sibyls deceived the people.
The sibyss were supposed 10 be in
spired women who lived in caves aEd
who wrote the sibylline books after
ward purchased by Tarquin the Proud.
so late as the year 1929 a man arose in
New York. pretending 10 be n Divine
4 being. and played his part SO well that
wealthy merchants became HIS dis
ciples and threw their fortunes into his
Keeping. And so in all ages there
i have been necrOmancieS. incantations
witchcraftE. sorceTies. magical arts
enchantments. divinations and delu
sions. The one Of the text was only
specimen OF that which has been oc
curing In all ages of the world. Non,
OF these delusions accomplished any
good. They deceived. they pauperizeC
the people. they were as cruel as the,
were absurd. They opened no hospi
tails, they healed no wounds. they wipe,
away no tears. they emancipated M
serfdcm.
But there are those who say that al
these delusions combined are as moth
Ing compared with the delusion nov
abroad IN the world-the delusion o
the Christian religion. That delusio
has to-day 1900, 900 dupes. IL pre-
poses to encircle the earth with 1;
girdle. That which has been called
delusion has already overshadowed IN
Appalachian range on this side of III
sea, and il has overshadoweo the Ba
kan and Caucasian ranges on the othe
side OF the sea- II has conquered Ems
land and the United States. This chan
pion delusion. this hoax. this swind
of the ages, as a has been called. hs
: gone forth 70 conquer the islands
the Pacific. and Melanesia and Micr
nesia and Malayan Polynesia have a
ready surrendered TO the delusion. Ye
L. has conquered the Indian archipel
GO, and Borneo and Sumatra and &c
ebes and Java have fallen under
wiles. In the FL islands. where the
are 10000 people. 10000 have a
ready become the dupes Of this Chri
tian religion. and II things go on
they are now going on and IL the
nuence ef this great hallucination
the ages cannot be stopped 1t "
swallow the globe. SuppOsing, the
that Christianity Is the delusion OF
centuries, as some have pronounced
propose 60 show you what has be
accomplished by this chimera, II
fallacy. this hoax. this swindle of
ages
And. in the first place. remark n
this deiusion of the Christian religi
has made wonderful transformatic
of human character. will 60 down
aisle OF any church in Christendo
and I will End on either side that al
those who were once profigate. p
fame. unclean Of speech and unciean
action, drunken AID lost. But by
power Of this delusion OF the Christ
49, S~~n