The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-08-11

chimera, this delusion of the Gospel
But no; in his last hour he asks for
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 re-
sist this great delusion of Christianity.
Thomas Paine, the god of modern
skeptics, his birthday celebrated in
New York and Boston with great en-
thusiasm-Thomas Paine, the paragon
of Bible haters-Thomas Paine. about
whom his brother infdel, William
Carver, wrote in letter which [ have
at my house, saying that he drank a
quart of rum day and was too mean
and too dishonest to pay for it-Thom-
as Paine, the adored of modern inf
delity-Thomas Paine, who stole an
other mans wife in England and
brought her to this country-Thomas
Paine, who was so squalid and so
loathsome and so drunken and so prof
Iigate and so beastly in his habits,
sometimes picked out of the ditch,
sometimes too filthy to be picked out
| Thomas Paine, one would have thought
that he could have been depended on
for steadfastness against this great de-
| fusion.
But no. In his dying hour he begs
| the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. Pow
erful delusion, all conquering delusior,
earthquaking delusion of the Christian
religion. Yea, it goes on. 1t is so i'm
pertinent, and it is so overbear1ng, this
conquered the great picture galleries
of the world, the old masters and the
young masters, it is not satisfied until
it has conquered the music of the
world. Look over the programme of
any magnificent musical festival and
see what are the great performances
and learn that the greatest of all the
subjects are religious subjects.
Yes, this chimera of the Gospel is not
satisfied until it goes on and builds it.
self into the most permanent architec-
ture, so it seems as if the world is nev-
er to get rid of it. What are some of
the finest buildings in the world? St.
dul >, OF. elcI anu the
and cathedrals of all Christendom.
Yes, this impertinence of the Gospel,
this vast delusion, is not satisfied until
it projects itself, and in one year gives,
contributes, $6,25O,OOO to foreign mis-
sions, the work of which is to make
ounces and fools on the other side of
the world-people we have never seen.
Deluded doctors-22O physicians meet
ing week by week in London in the
Union Medical prayer circle to wor-
ship God.
Deluded doctors-Lord Cairns, the
highest legal authority in England,
the eX-adviser of the throne, spending
his vacation in preaching the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to the poor people of
Scotland. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen,
of New Jersey, once secretary of state, |
an old fashioned Evangelical Christian,
an elder in the Reformed church. JOnI |
Bright, a deluded Quaker. Henry Will |
son, the vice president of the United |
States, dying a deluded Methodist or
Congregationalist. Earl of Kintore |
dying a deluded Presbyterian.
The cannibals in South sea- the |
bushmen of TERRA del Fuego, the wild
men of Australia, putting down the
knives of their cruelty and clothing |
themselves in decent apparel-all I'M
der the power of this delusion. Judson
and Doty and Abeel and Campbell and
Williams and the 5000 missionaries
of the cross turning their backs on
home and civilization and comfort and
going out amid squalor of heather
ism to relieve it, to save it, to help it,
toiling until they dropped into their
graves, dying with no earthly comfort
about them, and going into graves
with inappropriate epitaph, when they
might have lived in this country and
lived for themselves and lived luxuri-
ously and been at last put into brilliant
What a delusion!
Yes, this delusion of the Christian re-
ligion shows itself in the fact that it
goes to those who are in trouble. Now,
it is bad enough to cheat a man when
he is well and when he is prosperous,
but this religion comes TO a man when
he is sick and says: you will do we'll
again after awhile. You are going into
a land where there are no coughs, and
no pleurisies, and no consumptions, and
no languishing. Take courage and bear
up" Yea, this awful chimera of the
Gospel comes to the poor, and it says TO
them: You are on your way to vast
estates and to dividends always deelara-
ble." This delusion of Christianity
comes to the bereft, and it talks of re-
union before the throne and of the
cessation OF all sorrow. And then, to
show that this delusion will stop at
absolutely nothing, it goes to the dying
bed and fills the man with anticipa-
lions. How much better it would be
to have him die without any more hope
than swine and rats and snakes! Shovel
him under! That is all. Nothing more
eft of him. He will never know any
hing again. Shovel him under! The
soul is only superior part of the body,
md when the body disintegrates the
,oul disintegrates. Annihilation, va ,
,ancy, everlasting blank obliteration.
My not present all that beautiful doc /
rine to tie dying instead of coming I
With this hoax this swindle of The