Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-06


ers where Christ should have shown
forth signs and wonders. what was the
answer Jesus always gave when people
came to him seeking signf II was.
An evil ana adultoroua generation
seckcth after sign. and thcr shall
be no sign given IT, Matt xii. ~, 80;
Mark VIII. II. i2D. II " also recorded!
"But though he had done 10 many
miracles before them tphariscca and
Grcckal yet they believed not on him
tJohn KILL 80. ChriHt'a appearance to
his Apostles and afterwards 10 fvo
hundred Of His disciples was blcaslnL
to those who believed why should he
have appeared TO his cnomiosf why
should he have favored the hlgh
priest who unjustiy ana wicked
~ condemned Him t. dcathf
why should he In the purity Of
his spiritual existence mlngic with the
vile and corrupt2 ingcraoil says that
his appearance would have convinced
hundreds ~ thousands. Tha, ~ one %
the many notiona which the noted
sceptlc cntcrtaina that are entirely ar.
ercnt from the viown and doctrines Of
the great Nnznrcno. when Illustrating
the very point now IN question In dis
pute with the pharisfcs h. declared. IL
they hear not Moses and the prophets.
neither viii they be persuaded though
one rose from the dead" duke xvii
81.
ingcraoll remarks further.
Again ask. ~ the New Testament
truof Does ANYBODY now believe that NJ
the birth ~ christ there WIS celestial
Etocinri hat u star led the wise men ~
The knsi. that licrud slew the hahuf of
dsrf'
These questions may bc answered In
the Affirmative. Millions Of people be-
liovc that at the birth ~ Christ there
was "a celestial greeting. also that star
led the wise men of the East. and that
Horpd caused the babes ~ bethlehem
70 be slain, az narrated In the New
Testament II ~ easy to nsk questions.
ingcrsoil orcrr nothing to diaproVe
either of the statements on which he
cndeavofu TO cast doubt. hut sup
posing the majority ~ people In Chris
tendon doubted or dishelloved tho
stories In the New Testament OF occur
rciicca about the time OF the birth %
Christ. would that affect the truth Of
the history All the events described
~ the New Testament may have taken
place. even though all the wise men Of
the nineteenth century were N the
same mind 40 the great Interrogation
poiut-lnEcrHoil II II evident that the
testimony given by the shepherds. who.
while watching their iockH az night.
heard the angelic songh and the nn-
HNNINfNlihi ~ lffAit on fAfiNt was
believed by the followers NJ Jesus
Christ. and therefore Luke related the
circumstance nn part u the history 81
the advent ~ the Savior. The same
may be said concerning the star Ca
bethlehem. which some modern Az
tronomcrH declare has periodical np-
pcarancc In the armament. and was due
nj the time set forth In the New TcftH-
mcnt That lIcrOd caused the rlaugh-
ter ~ the babes ~ bethlehem. h quite
probable In Wow ~ his many cruolticr
ana Indifference tD human rights. The
cyClouUdla britannica, the American
cyclopadia. the Dictionary ~ the bible
By Or. William Smith. editor 1T thu
Dictionary OF Greek and Roman AN
tlqultien, and many other standard au-
thoritlcs. mention that mn-~iicrc. AMI
account Tor the failure Of Joncphur To-
record n by the fact that the Staying
~ babes In small village was very
Insignificant matter. when compared
with the harbnritica Of a king who
''hcsitated at po crime or cruelty TO
establish hia sovereignty" TO effect
his ends he had his own wife Marianne
and her two sons. with number OF her
nearest relatives. executed. ana also
ordered the execution OF his son Anti.
pas. Al the items OF history embodied
IN these question which lnRcrfoil raises
nrc believed la and have been believed
In for centuries. by men ana women en-,
lowed with common sense, N they can.
not be claHScd with such intellectual
giants and remarkable ioglciana ~ tho
doubling lnFcrHoll. II may be- added
that the great facts OF chriHt'H birth.
teachings, utuncmcnt. death and TpH.
direction might SIN be- true. even " u
could De- proved that these minor mat
tors were merely HtFtcmenta accepted
hy the writer's ~ correct without sum
HNWmN aHHHNNfFNHsH "a VHNWR.a fI4NN NNHNNh T.
yond question. ~ u h. the record
stands unlmpcachcd aud cannot be
shHkrp hy simply asking three or four
or any number of irrclc' int Quca-
tons
His following argument" II such It
may he called. IN this.
Docs any Intelligent man believe In
the oNiHtencc Of dtNilHf The winter ~
thf,o Of The ouHpels certainly did. John
devils, hut Matthew. Mark and Luke awe
"N tina, tine il was believed that patsy.
epilepsy, deafness. insanity and many
other diseases we're caused by devils, that
devils took Possession at and lived IN
ne bodies 81 men and Mom.n' christ be-
ana pretended 10 curr diseases by east
ms devils out Of the sick aud Insane.
We know now u We know anylhlng.
ptesencc uf drvilr. We know. n W. know
anN thing. that devils do moi reside Ia
the bodies Of men. ~ christ said and did
what the writer's OF the three Gospels SAY
liz ,nld and did then Christ Nhs mistaken IN
~ wa. miHlAk.n' certainly IL" was not
Tod And n lie WINS mistaken, certain
" He Nas not inspired.
is there anything In the literature Of
The world moro perfectly idioticY Intel.
lifent people no longer believe In witchrs
wizards, HpuukH ana devils and thpy an
peueclly satisfied that every word In the
New Testament about casting out devils
~ utterly false"
The modcsty exhibited In the forrgo-
ms paragraph ia ns admirabl. aa the
reasoning II contains IN astonishing and
convincing lngerroll dishelieyes cer-
tain things. ana virtually asserts that
no person In Intelligent who believes la
thein. liz asserts his knowledge OF
some other things, ana concludes that
those who do not know them, know
nothing lie has no hesitation In de
claflnK That Christ was mistaken, but
nppolfH 60 have no Idea that lngcraoll
may be- mistaken liut 10 reply. Yes,
there are many Intelligent men who be-
lleve W the existence of devils; that IL
To say they believe In the existence OF |
owl spirits, and that those spirits infiu- !
ence the minds, and sometimes the |
bodlon, OF men ANA women. that per- |
Sons who yield Ia their Influence may |
become subject To IL until they are Vlr- |
lually "posresscdi" that by the power
" God. exercised through faith IN the |
name ~ Jesus Christ, those evil intiu- |
'ncrH may be- overcome and tho eprits /
fast out. The people who believe an |
his are rejecting, practical. sober la.
NIklATUNU In en-