The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-08-30
able to conquer the lion, able to conquer

yet conquered by this delusIon, this halluci.
nation, this great swindle Of the ages. so
when they find him dead they find him on
his knees. William E. Gladstone, the
strongest intellect In England, unable to
resist this chimera, this fallacy, this de-
lusion of the Christian religion, went 20
the house OF God every Sabbath and often,
at the invitation Of the rector. read the
prayers to the people. II those mighty in
teIlects are overborne by this deIusIon,
what chance Is there for you and for me?
Besides that, have noticed that first
rate inf1dels cannot be depended on for
steadiastness In the proclamation Of their
sentim ents. Goethe, leading skeptic,
was so wrought upon by this Christianity
that In wenk moment he cried out, "My
belief In the Bible has saved me in my lit
erary and moral life." Rousseau, one OF
the most eloquent champions Of infdelity,
spending his whole life warning against
Christianity, cries out, "The majesty Of
the Scriptures amazes me-" Altemon
the notorious infdel, one would think ta
OF the Christian religion. Oh, mol After
talking against Christianity all his days.
In his last hours he cried out, ooh, Thou
blasphemed but most indulgent Lord God,
hell itself is refuge II 1t hide me from Thy
irownl" Voltaire, the most talented infidel
the world ever saw, writing $50 .publica-
tions, and the most Of them spiteful against
Christianity, himself the most notorious
libertine OF the century-one would have
thought he could have been depended
upon for steadfastness in the advocacy Of
inf1delity and in the war against this terri.
BILE chimera, this delusion Of the Gospel.
But no; In his last hour he asks fol
Christian burial, and asks that they
give him the sacrament OF the Lord
Jesus Christ. Why, YOU cannot de.
pend upon these first rate infidels; you
cannot depend upon their power to resist
this great 6elusion OF Christianity. Thomas
Paine, the god OF modern skeptics, his
birthday celebrated in New York and Bos.
ton with great enthusiasm-Thomas Paine,
the paragon Of Bible haters-Thomas
Paine, about whom his brother inadel,
William Carver, wrote In letter which !
have ut my house, saying that he drank 9
quart OF rum day and was too mean and
too dishonest to pay for it-Thomas Paine,
the adored of modern n1delity-Thomas
Paine, who stole another mans wife in
England and brought her to this country
Thomas Paine, who was SO squalld and
so loathsome and so drunken and SO prof.
ligate and 30 beastly In his habits, some
times picked out OF the ditch, sometimes
too filthy to be picked out-Thomas Paine,
one who would have thought that he
could have been depended on for stead
iastness against this great delusion.
But no. In his dying hour he begs the
Lord ;esus Christ for mercy. Powerful
delusion, all conquering delusion, earth
quaking deluston Of the Christian religion;
Yea, 1t goes on. It Is so impertinent, and
1t Is so oYerbearing, this chimera OF the
Gospel, that, having conquered the great
picture galleries Of the world, the old mas.
ters and the young masters, 1t Is not satis-
fed until 1t has conquered the music OF the
world. Look over the programme OF any
magnificent musical festival and see what
ere the great performances and learn that
the greatest OF all the subjects are religious
subjects.
Deluded lawyers-Lord Cairns, the high
est legal authority In England, the e1-ad-
visor OF the throne, spending his vacation
In preaching the Gospel OF Jesus Christ to
the Door people of.Scotland. Frederick T.
Frelinghu ysen, Of New Jersey, once Secre-
tary ofState, an old-fashioned Evangelical
Christian, an elder in the Reformed
Church. John Bright, deluded Quaker.
Henry Wilson, the Vice-President Of the
United States, dying q deluded Methodist
or Congregationalist. Earl OF Kintore dy-
Ing q deluded Presbyterian.
Yes, this delusion Of the Christian re-
ligion shows itself In the fact that 1t goes
to those who are in trouble. Now, it is
bad enough to cheat O man when he Is well
and when he is prosperous. but this re.
ligion comes to man when he Is sick and
says: "You will be we'll again after awhile.
You are going into land where there are
no coughs, and no pleurisies, and no con-
sumptions, and no languishing. Take
courage and bear up" Yea. this awful
chimera OF the Gospel comes to the poor,
and 1t says to them, "You are on your
way to vast estates and to dividends al
WAYS declarable." This delusion OF Chris.
tianity comes 10 the bereft, and 1t talks OF
reunion before the throne and OF the cessa.
tion OF oil sorrow. And then, to show that
this delusion will stop at absolutely moth
ing, 1t goes to the dying bed and hl.s the
man with anticipations. How much better
1t would be to have him die without any
more hope than swine and rats and snakes!
Shovel him underl 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 dis
integratel. Annihilatton, vacancy, ever
lasting blank, obliteration. Why not pres
ent oil that beautiful doctrine to the dying
instead OF coming with this hoax, this
swindle OF the Christian religion, and fill
ing 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
nave been 30 overwrought with Joy that
they could only look ecstatic2 Palace
gates opening, they thouRht-diamond
coronets flashing, hands beckoning, Or
chestras 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 o paroxysm OF
rapture uncomfortable they spranC to their
feet and shouted, Mother, catch me;
am coming"
Aud to show the immensity Of this delu-
sion, this awful swindle Of the Gospel OF
Jesus Christ, open hospital, and bring
into that hospital the deathbeds OF great
many Christian people, and I take you by
the hand, and I walk up aEd down the
wards of that hospital, and I ask few
have you to say2'' Lord, Jesus, receive
my spirit" dying John Wesley, what
hive you to say?'' ",The best Of all is God is
with u.s." "Dying Edward Payson, what
have you to say?" "I float In q sen Of
glory" Dying John Bradford, what have
you to say?" "If there be any way Of 60
Ing to heaven on horseback, or In fiery
chariot, it is this" Dying Neander, what
have you to say?" "In am going to sleep
now. Good night" "Dying Mrs. Flor
ence Foster, what have you to say?" "a
pilgrim in the valley, but the mountain
tops are oil agleam from peak to peak"
o my Lord, my God, what delusion,
what glorious delusionl Submerge me
With it, fill my eyes and ears with it, put it
under my head for pillow-this delusion
spread 1t over me for canopy, put 1t nm.
derneath me for IN outspread wing, roll 1t
over ma in ocenn surces 10 600 fathomS