The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-08-07

going? To destroy Christians. He wants
no better play spell than to stand and
watch the hats md coats OF the murder
ers who are maBsacring Gods children.
There goes the same man. This time he
Is Afoot. Where Is he going now2 Go
ing on the road to Ostia to die for Christ.
They tried to whip 1t out of him. they
tried to scare 1t out Of him, they thought
they would give him enough of it by put
ting him Into windowless dungeon, and
keeping him on small diet, and denying
him a cloak, and condemning him as a
criminal, and bowling at him through the
street, but they could not sweat it out of
him, and they could not pound 1t out Of
him, so they tried the surgery Of the
sword, and one summer day in 60 he was
decapitated-perhaps the mightiest in
existence hoodwinked, cheated, cajoled,
duped by the Christian religion.
Ah that is the remarkable thing about
this delusion Of Christianity 1t overpow-
ers the strongest intelIects. Gather the
critics, secular and religious. of this GEN.
fury together and put vote to them as
to 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
Franklin surrendered to this delusion, il
you may judge from the letter that he
wrote to Thomas Paine begging him to
destroy the cage of Reason" in manu-
script and never let 1t 80 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 are the best things
the world has ever seen or Is likely to
see;" Patrick Henry, the electric cham
pion Of liberty, enslaved by this delusion,
30 that he says, 1.-THE book worth all 9th
er books put together is the Bible" Ben
jamin Rush, the leading psychologist and
aRatomist 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,
surrendering to this dclusion Of the Chris
tian religion, crying out, "The sublimest
philosophy on earth Is the philosophy of
the gospel" David Brewster, at the pro-
nunciation Of whose name every scientist
the world over uncOvers his head, Da-
vid Brewster saying, ''Oh, this religion
has been great light to me, very great
light all my days" President Theirs, the
great French statesman, acknowledging
that he prayed when he said, II invoke
the Lord God, in whom am glad to be-
lieve." David Livingstone, able to con-
quer the lion, able to conquer the panther,
able to conquer the savage, yet conquered
by this delusion, this hallucination, this
great swindle of the ages, SO when they
find him dead they find him on his knees.
William e. Gladstone, the strongest in
tellect In England, unable to resist this
chimera, this fallacy, this delusiOn Of the
Christian religion, went to the house of
God every Sabbath and often at the invi-
tation of the rector read the prayers to
the people. If those mighty intellects are
overborne by this delusion, whit chance
Is there for you and for me?
instability of UnbeIievers.
Besides that, l have noticed that first
rate infdels cannot be depended on for
stcadfastness in the proclamation of their
sentiments. Goethe a leading sceptic,
was SO wrought upon by this Christani-
ty that in Il weak moment he cried out,
'NIy 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 mai
esty of the Scriptures amazes me-" Alte-
mont, the notorious infidel, one would
think he would have been safe against
this delusion of the Christian religion.
Oh, mol After talking against Christian
lily all his days, in his last hours he cried
out, ''Oh, thou blasphemed but most in
dulgent Lord God, hell itself is a refuge
IL 1t hide me from thy frown." Voltaire,
the most talented infdel the world ever
saw, writing $50 publications. and the
most Of them spiteful against Christiani-
ty, himself the most notorious libertine Of
the century, one woId have thought he
could have been depended upon for stead
fastncss in the advocacy of intidelity and
In the war against this terrible chimera,
this delusion of the Gospel. But no. In
his last hour he asks for Christian burial
and asks that they give him the sacra-
ment of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why, you
cannot depend upon these first rate in
fidels; you cannot depend upon their
power to resist this great delusion
Of Christianity. Thomas Paine, the
god of modern skeptics, 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
infdel, William Carver, wrote in a letter
which have at my house, saying that he
drank quart of rum Il day and was too
Itch IN
Thomas Paine, the adored of modern in
fidelity; Thomas Paine, who stole anoth-
or mans wife in England and brought
her to this country; Thomas Paine, who
was so squalid and so loathesome and SO
drunken, and so prof4gntc and so bcastly
n his habits, sometimes picked out Of the
fitch, sometimes too filthy to be picked
out; Thomas Paine, one would have
thought that he could have been depend
ed on for steadfastness against this great
delusion.
But no. In his dying hour he begs the
Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. Powerful
delusion, all conquering deluson, earth
quaking delusion Of the Christian re-
ligion. Yea, it goes on. 1t is so imperti-
nent and 1t is so overbearing, this
chilnera Of the gospel, that, having con-
quered 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 gee what are the
great performances and learn that the
greatest Of all the subjects are religious
subjects. What was 1t when 5000 voices
were accompanied with vast number
of Instruments? Israel in Egypt"
Yes, Beethoven deluded until he wrote
the high mass in ID major. Haydn de-
luded with this religion until he wrote
the Creation" Handel deluded until
he wrote the oratories Of "Jephthah"
and Esther" and saul" and Israel In
Egypt" and the messiah" Three thou
sand deuded people singing of a delusion
to 5000 deluded hearers.
Permanently of the Gospel.
Yes, this chimera of the gospel is not
satisfied until it goes on and builds itself
into the most permanent architecture, so
1t seems as If the world is never to get
rid of it. What are some of the finest
buildings in the world? St. Puul's, st.
Peters and the churches and cathcdrals
of all Christendom. Yes, this imperti-
hence Of the gospel. this vast delusion, is
not satisfied until it projects itself and
In ouo ,,iynp fri Ct on mn