The evening Republican., 1902-05-31
Tho AtIle'stic Fool.

1 ShaANAs ~A<hJ SCCAs lJoS.
Text: THE fool hath said in his
heart there is no God" Ps. AL.
We start tonight a series of ser
mons on Fools" The following
subjects are: The rich fool" the
self-deceived fool" ''the meddling
fool the garrulous fool" 1.-The
lazy fool" the self -trusting fool. :"
the wise fool To-nights sermon
is on the subject The Atheistic
| fool"
Robert Hall once said Atheism
is a ferecious system that leaves
nothing above us to excite awe nor
around us to awaken tenderness, :"
and Burns once sang ''au atheists
laugh poor exchange for Deity of
Tended" And David spoke of the
Atheist in the words of the even
lng's text when he said, the fool
hath said in his heart there is no
God" Atheism declares that rea-
son is the only guiding star for hu-
mainly in this life aud traces the
origin of religion to fear ignorance
and suffering. My lawyer friend of
Camden, N. j., Samuel w. Sparks,
III lecture on some mistakes of
lngersoll, says, Il accord to the ar
gument that reason is the most
beautiful flower that has ever grown
atop of the mound of human disap-
polntments, but it is at the same
time, the most lecherous and
treacherous few that has ever i'm
peeled the progress of mankind.
Reason was the originator of the
memorable reign of terror in France
when reason assembled the throne
and took hold Of the sceptre Of
government, and tried to unbur'en
itself OF a corrupt clergy. The de-
trees of reason were registered on
fences in such phrases as these,
| there is no God but reason. man
is responsible to himself alone"
there is no future punishment; all
there is is now. Brave men, ser
wants, suiturs and disciples of the
goddess reason. proclaimed their
| loyalty to the throne by carrying
pockets tllejl with human ears. or
wearing iufants fingers in their
hats. Female subjects proved their
loyalty by paying largessumS for
the CHASTITY privilege of Sitting be-
side the g1liIloliue with their knit
ting ANA witnessing the terrible
work of the rapid liuifeas it severed
heads from thousands Of the bodies
Of victims. They enjoyed the breeze
from the red river Of human blood
that flowed at their FEET Reason
exercised its power uutramneled
Men and women tied together We're
dropped into the sen and Tie act
dubbed Il "Republican Baptism, "
Boat loads Of lnnocent victims were
taken to sea and the vessel sunk to
satisfy this monarch. All thiS aud
more was enacted when Napoleon
took hold Of the rrins OF State and
brought the Infatuated beast Of i,,lr-
der to its launches, and held it
There until the church could again
he established with as much of this
simplicity Of the doctrines OF Christ
us humanity had ability to accept
This is II it'll" of the history Of Il
period when reason instead of con
science and christianity ruled ant
its success is the best possible proc
Of direct failure.
atheism, that am to speak to yol
tonight, but Of atheism Of Il very
practical and persistent sort, am
first:
!. The atheism Of indifference
Quaint old Matthew Henry has saiC
there is something of practica
atheism at the bottom Of all sin
And it may be that without callne
it Il translation, a positive gaii
might come to us to-day by a mod
ern paraphraSlng of a very III
Scripture, causing it to read He
that knowelh t. do good and loetl
it not, to him it is atheism. Indif
ference to divine things is eouiva
lent to human denial 1t is not SUI
iirient not to oppose the truth one
must actively aid it, il he would
clear himself Of the charge of oper
eulnity to God.
TO shut ones ear to earth's sal
story and fast lock the inner cham
hvr oi human charity; to stand s.
near the whitened harvest field,
that one, lace is famed by the
oyer-paSsing breeze. yet thrustinG
in no ii 'klc for the Lord OF all the
harvest: to neglect the means OF
grace and the cultivation Of the
Christian spirit to admit the awful
ness OF the curse of liquor drinking
and the liquor trat1i". lifting not $,
much as u little finger to stay the
course Of lllm,s ravages: to confess
! the weakness aud wicke,lnesS O
ones personal life, while remaining
Indifferent to a THOUSAND gOspe
helps and privileges is to be guilty
i'll the first degree Of practical athe
ism. And atheism o! this sort is Of
the dangerous character.
Indifference to the laws Of physi-
cal health results in Il deformed o.
half-formed manhood; Indifference
to the cultivation of the intellectual
self makes an ignorant self inditler
ence to the law of labor means lazi
ness and failure; Indifference to tn,
requirements Of social life beget
unworthy sclfshness; and indifler
cnCe to the persistent demands 0
the spilital nature results in practi
cal atheism.
Great is the worlds need an,
the worlds weakness. and great i
the Indifference of Christians. Abov
the surging sea Of human life, hu
man hands go up in mute appea