Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-08-16
! lawvers-Lord Cairns, the high
nRlnrd the ex-ad-

| in preaching szz--s-z-sgszs A.
:ho Door peopfe of Sco,,and- rrcdcrica =
Freling huysen. of New Jersey. once secre,
tary of State, an old-fashioned Evangelical
Christian, an elder in the Reformed
| Church. John Bright, a deluded Quaker.
Henry Wilson, the Vice-President OF the
United States, dying deluded Methodist
Dr. Congregationalist. Earl OF Kintore dy-
ing a deluded Presbyterian.
Yes, this delusion Of the Christian re-
.igion shows itself in the fact that it goes
20 those who are in trouble. Now, 1t Is
pad enough to cheat man when he IS veil
and when he is prosperous. but this re-
igion comes to a man when he Is sick and
says: "You will be well again after awhile.
You are going into land where there are
40 coughs, and no pleurisies, and no con-
,umptions, and no languishing. Take
courage and bear up" Yea. this awful
and 1t says to them, You are on your
way to vast estates and to dividends al
ways declarable."t This delusion Of Chris
:ianity comes to the bereft, and 1t talks OF
reunion before the thrope and OF the cessa-
lion Of all sorrow. And then, to show that
This delusion will stop at absolutely moth
ing, 1t goes to the dying bed and fills the
man with anticipations. How much better
It would be to have him die without any
more hope than swine and rats and snakesl
Shovel him underl That is all. Nothing
more left Of him. He will never know any
shing again. Shovel him under! The soul
g only q superior part OF the body, and
when the body disintegrates the soul dis
ntegrates. Annihilation, vacancy, ever
lasting blank, obliteration. Why not pres
.nt all that beautiful doctrine to the dying
instead of coming with this hoax, this
,windle Of the Christian religion, and fill
ng the dying 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
hay yyif IN
they could only look ecstatic? Palace
gates opening, they thouSht-diamond
coronets flashing, hands beck oning, or
rhestras sounding. Little children dying
actually believing they saw their departed
parents, SO that although the little chill
dren had been so weak and feeble and sick
for weeks they could not turn on their dy
ing pillow at the last, In n paroxysm OF
: rapture uncomfortable they sprang to their
'eet and shouted, Mother, catch me;
| Am coming"
And to show the immensity of this delu-
sion, this awful swindle Of the Gospel Of
Jesus Christ, open a hospital, and bring
lnto that hospital the deathbeds OF great
many Christian people, and take you by
The hand, and l walk up and down the
questions. ask, "Dying stephen. what
have you to say?' Lord, Jesus, receive
ny spirit" Dying John Wesley. what
have you to say2' 1.-The best Of all Is God is
| with u.s.. Dying EDWARD Payson, wnat
have you to say?" 81 float in a sea of
! glory" Dying John Bradford, what have
| you to say?'' "If there be any way Of go
ng to heaven on horseback, or in a fiery
.hariot, 1t Is this;
o my Lord, my God. what a delusion,
what glorious delusionl Submerge me
with it, I'LL my eyes and ears with 1t, put IL
under my head for a pillow-this delusion
spread it over me for canopy. put 1t un-
derneath me for an outspread wing, roll 1t
over me in ocean surges 10000 fathoms
deep. II infldelity, and II atheism, and IL
annihilation are reality and the Chris
tian religion is a delusion, give me the de-
lusion.
Well, we will soon understand it all
Your life and mine will soon be over. We
will come to the last bar OF the music, to
the last act Of the tragedy, to the last page
of the book-yea, to the last line and tc
the last word-and to you and me 1t will
either be midnoon or midnight