Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-08-12

brought her to this country-Thonas
Paine. who was so squalid and 80
loathsome and so drunken and 80 prof
ligate 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 steadfnstness against this great de-
fusion.
But no. In his dying hour be begs
the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy. Pow
erful delusion, NIL conquering delusIen,
earthquakIng delusion Of the Christian
religion. Yea, 1t goes on. 1t ls so i'm
pertinent, and 1t Is 50 overbearing, this
chimera Of the gospel. that. having
conquered the great picture galleries
Of the world, the old masters and the
young masters, 1t Is not satisfied until
1t 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 ali the
oQpJGSlo 1lS ouDJCSlO.
Gospel Structures.
Yes, this chimera Of the gospel Is not
satisfied until 1t goes on and builds It.
solf into the most permanent archltec-
ture so it seems rs the world is nev-
err to get rid Of II. What are same Of
the finest buildings In the world? St
Paurs, st. Peters and the churches
and cathedrals Of all ChristendOm.
Yes, this lmDertinence Of the gospel.
this vast delusion. is not satisfied until
it projects itself and III one year gives,
contributes, $0.230,000 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-220 physicians meet
ing week by week In London in the
Union Medical Prayer circle to wor-
ship God.
Dcludcd luwyers--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,
m elder in the Reformed church. John
J Bright. deluded Quaker Henry VII
son, the Vice president Of the United
States, dying deluded Methodist or
| Congrega tionalist. Earl Of KintOre
dying deluded Presbyterian.
The canplbals in South sea. the
bushmcn Of TERRA del Fuego, the wild
men of Australia. putting down the
knives Of their cruelty and clothing
themselves In decent apparel-all un-
der the power Of this deluson. 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 the sQualor OF henth6n-
ism to relieve 1t, to save 1t, to help II.
tollIng until they dropped into their
graves. dying with no earthly comfort
about them. and going Into graves
with no appropriate epitaph, when they
might have lived III this country and
lived for themselves and lived luxu-
riously and been at last put Into brill
liant sepulchers. What delusion!
Yes, this delusion Of the Christian
religion shows itself In the fact that
1t goes to those who are 10 trouble.
Now. it is bad enough to cheat a man
when he is well and when be IS pros
porous, but this religion comes to q
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 10 pleurlsles, and 40
consumptions, and no languishlng
Take courage and bear up" Yea, this
awful chlmera Of the gospel comes to
the poor, and it says to them, You
are on your way to vast estates and TO
dividends always declarable." This
delusion Of Christianity comes TO the
bereft, and it talks Of reunion before
the throne and Of the cessation OF ali
sorrow. And then, to show that this
deluslon will stop at absolutely moth
ing, 1t goes to the dying bed and fills
the man with antlcipations. How
much better 1t would be to have him
die without any more hope than swine
and rats and snakes! Shovel him IN
der! That is all. Nothing more left OF
him. He will never know anything
again. Shovel him under! The soul Is
only superior part Of the body. and
when the body dlsintegrates the soul
disintegrates. Annihilation, vacancy,
everlasting blank, obliteration. Why
not present all that beautiful doctrine
to the dying instead Of coming with
this hoax, this swindle Of the Christian
religion, and filing the dying man
with anticipatlons Of another life until
some in the last hour have clapped
their hands, and some have shouted.
and some have sung. and some have
been so overweight with Joy that
they could only look ecstatle? Palace
J gates OPENING they theugbt-d!amond
coroncts flashing. hands reckoning. or
,hcstras sounding Little children dy-
ing actually believing they saw their
| departed pH!Sil'" NO dint "i'"oueN
the ntrIe cnIiuren nau been so woaK
and feeble and sick FOR weeks they
could not turn on their dying pillow
at the last in q paroxysm Of rapture
uncomfortable they sprang to their
feet and shouted, Mother, catch me-;
l am coming"
More SwindIerg.
And to show the immensely Of this
deluson, this awful swindle of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, open hospi-
tai. and bring into that hospital the
deathbeds Of a great many shristian
people, and l take you by the haad, and
1 walk up and down the wards Of that
hospital, and ask few questions.
ask, dying Stephen, what have you to
sayT Lord, Jesus, receive my
spirit dying John Wesley, what
have you to say ~ 1.-The bes, Of NIL Is
God Is with US" Dying Edward
Payson, what have sou TO sayT i
float in q sea of glory" Dying John
Bradford, what have you to say? III
there be any way Of going to heaven