Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-08-05
e~vyrsAa isss. ,, N. trSssr o.usi' Co clas,aa.e

mircd men of the American navy. early
hccamc victim of this Christian dclu-
sion. and. seated not long before his
death mt Long Branch he was giving
some friends an account al his early life,
He said: My father went down in he-
half of the United States government ~
rat an end Ia Aaron Burr's rebellion. |
was a cabin hoy AMI went along with
him | could swear like ar old salt.
could gamble in every style of gambling.
I | knew all the wickcdncSS there was nj
7 that time abroad. One day my father
cleared everybody out of the cabin cx-
crpt myself and locked the door. lie said:
David. what are you going To- do? What
are you going To be- Well. said. Ia
Their. am going To- follow the sea Fol
low the sea and hc poor. miserable.
drunken sailor. kicked aud cufIcd about
( the world aud die of fever in foreign
hospital" oh. mo- said Father.
I will not b. that ! will tread the quar-
ter deck and command ~ you do. No.
/ David my father said Ne. David. \
person that has your principles and your
had habits viii never tread the quarter
deck or command. My father went out
and shut the door after him. and said
"a him: I viii change. will never
swear again. I will never drink again.
/ ! will never gamble again. and. gentle
men, 10y the help of God. | have kept
those three vows 10 this time. | soon
after that became Christian. and that
decided my fate for time and for ctcr-
nifty"
The DcIusion of saul.
Another captive of this great Christian
I hclusion. There goes Saul of TarSus on
+ horseback nj full gallop. Where Is he
going? To destroy Christians. lie wants
no better play spell than To- stand aud
watch the hats aud coats of the murder.
crs who are massacring Gods children.
/ There goes the same man. This time he
Is nfnot. Where is h. going now? Ga
ing an the road to Osiia to die for Christ
/ They tried to whip il out Of him. they
/ tried 10 scare Il ont 1T him. they thought
+ they would give him enough of il by pu,.
ting him into windowlcss dungeon. and
keeping him on small diet and denying
him n cloak. and condcmning him ns a
criminal. aud bowling NJ him through the
street. but they could not sweat II ont Of
him. and they could not pound IL out Of
him, 50 they tried the surgery of the
sword. aud one summer day in i6 he was
dccapitatcd perhaps the mighsicSt in
icllect of the 5000 years Of tnc worlds
existence hoodwinked. cheated. cajolcd
dupcd 10y the Christian religion
I All, that j. the remarkable thing about
this dclusion of Christianity: il ovcrpow-
crs the strongest intcllccts Gather the
critics. secular and religious. of this cen.
fury together and put n vote Ia them as
90 which is the greatest book ever writ
/ ten. and by large majority they will say
Paradise Lost" Who wrote Paradise
LOST One of the fools who believed in
/ this Bible. John Milton. BENJAMIN
I Franklin surrendered To- this delusion. if
you may judge from the letter that he
wrote 10 Thomas Paine begging him To
/ destroy the Age Of Reason" in mann
script and never let il 90 into type and
writing afterward in his old days. "Of
this Jesus OF Nazareth | have to say that
the system of morals he left and the reli-
gion he has given us arc the best things
the world has ever seen or is likely To-
see" Patrick Henry. the electric cham
pion of liberty. enslaved 10y this dclnsion.
81 that he says. The book worth all 9th
er books put together is the Bible" Ben
jamin Rush. the leading Psychologist and
anat"mist of his day. the great medical
scientist. what did he say? The only
true and perfect religion is Christianity.
Isaac Newton. the leading philosopher OF
his time. what did he say? That man.
surrendeiin. To- this dcluson of the Chris
tian religion. CRYING OUT. '''rhc sublmcst
philosophy on earth is the philosophy Of
the gospel" David Brewster. NJ the pro
nunciation Of Who's, name every scientist
the world over uncovcrs his head. Da-
vid Brewster saying. oh. this religion
has been - great light tn me. a very great
light all my days President Theirs. the
great French statesman. acknowledging
that he prayed when hc said. Il invoke
the Lord God in whom | am glad 10 be-
licve. David Livingstone. able Ia CON
qner the lion. able Ia conquer the panther.
able Ia conquer the savage. vet conquered
10y this dclusion. this Authorization. this
great Swindl" Of the ages. 81 when they
find him dead they find him on his knees.
/ William T.. Gladstone. the strongest in.
. tcllcct in England. unable To- resist this
chimera. this fallacy. this dcluSon of the
Christian religion. went Ia the house Of
God every Sabbath and often nj the invi-
tation 81 the rector read the prayers tn
the people. II those mighty intcllccts are
overhorne by this dcluSion. what chance
is there for you and for me:
Instability of UnbrIIcvers.
Besides that. | have noticed that first
rate infdcls cannot bc depended ON for
steadfastness in the proclamation of their
sentiments. Goethe. a leading sccptic.
( was 50 wrought upon 10y this christiani-
~ that in weak moment he cried out.
My belief in the Bible has saved me in
my literary and moral life" Rousseau,
one Of the most eloquent champions of in
fidelity. spending his whole life warning
against Christianity. cries out. The maj
esiy Of the Scriptures amazes me-" Alte-
mont the notorious intidcl. one would
think he would have been safe against
this dclusion ~ the Christian religion.
oh. no. After talking against Tristan
iy all his days. in his last hours he cried
ont. "Oh. thou hlasphcmed hut most in
dulgent Lord God. he'll itself is refuge
If il hide me from thy frown" Noltaire.
the most talented intidcl the world ever
saw. writing 80 publications.. and the
most ~ them Spitcful against Christiani-
~. himself the most notorious lihcrtinc Of
the century. one would have thought he
could have been depended upon for stead
fastncsS in the advocacy Of niidelity and
in the war against this terrible chimcra.
this delusion Of the Gospel. but no. In
his last hour hc asks for Christian burial
and asks that they give him the sacra-
1 ment ot the fsprd Jesus Y hfiSt. W ny. you
cannot depend upon these first rate in
tidels: You cannot depend upon their
power to resist this great delusion
of Christianity. Thomas Paine. the
god Of modern skcpiics. his birth
day celebrated in New York and
Boston with great enthusiasm Thomas
Paine. the paragon Of Bible haters:
Thomas Paine about whom his brother
iufidcl. William Carver. wrote in letter
which | have m my house. saying that he
drank quart of rum day and was too
mean and too dishonest to pay for il:
Thomas Paine. the adored ~ modern in
fidelity: Thomas Paine. who stole anoth-
rr mans wife in England and brought
her To- this country: Thomas Paine. who
was So squalid and loafhesome aud SO
drunken. and profigate. and SO beastly
n his habits. sometimes picked out ~ the
Hitch. sometimes too filthy 10 be picked
,ut: Thomas Paine. one would have
! thought that he could have been depend