Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-07-07

world and that access is had to it through
prayer: Men pray either because they OBJ
tam what they ask for or because the act
IS blessing in itself. The Sioux Indians
U.S." The Zulus of Africa pray to their
ancestors-"P People of our house, people of
our house; cattle. People of our house,
good luck and health'' A Delaware In
dian prayed thus-'O Great Spirit above!
have mercy on my children and my wife.
Let them not mourn for me. Let me sue
ceed IN this enterprise, slay my enemy, re-
turn IN safety to my family and friends,
that we may. rejoice together. Have pity
on me and protect my lfe'' The negro
on the gold coast prayed-"God give me
to-day rice and yams, give me slaves, riches
and wealth. Let me be brisk and swift"
The Karens of Burmah pray to the harvest
goddess thus" Grandmother! thou guard
est my field look out sharp for thieves.
Ii they come bind them with this rope.'s
Insplration implies that man must have
capacity to be inspired, which makes it
a human faculty and therefore common
to all. Inspiration in it's largest sense is
the sight OF inward truth, truth which is
seen within the mind. A thought will
reading or meditating. It is a kind Of
inspiration: Poets have been inspired to
write poetry. Scientists have been in
splred to formulate the sciences, musicians
to compose music, Columbus to discover,
Newton and Edison to both discover and
and quality, religious being the highest.
The Vedas and Zend Avesta are considered
inspired by their cult. The Mohammedans
believe the Koran is inspired of God and
therefore infallible, and Christians make
the same contentious fo1 the Scriptures.
There is low and crude form of inspira-
ton among the undeveloped races, which
IS not committed to writing. The Samoieds
OF Siberia have OWNERS who work them
selves into frenzy before delivering ora
cles.. The notion of inspiration appeared
in the insanity of the Pythian priestess
and the Greek OWNERS who fell into
frances. In the religion of Greece it ap-
peared as an alien element. The wild
dances OF the Bacchantes, the shrieks and
self-lacerations of the Corybtantes were
considered CO. forms Of inspiration: In the
Hindu religion it appears in the Yoga,
that is one who seeks God by withdrawing
from the things of sense. Painful posi-
tlons are assumed, contortions of the limbs,
suppression of breath and other incred-
ible notifications. The Greenlander has
his prophets, who abandon the converse of
thought until they hear and see the spirits.
Balaam was compelled to utter an invol-
untary prophecy, and the priests of Baal
cut themselves with lances. Sometimes in
our own country, at protracted meetings,
men have the Jerks" The Shakers dance,
the -Mohammedans whirl. These seem alb
surd to us, but they disclose this, that all
mankind would ascertain the viii Of God.
From time 1mn1emorial the human race
has had some intimation of an endless
life. The most degraded savages and the
most enlightened philosophers share the
conviction that death does not end all.
The Hottentot and the FIJI Islander agree
with Plato and Aristotle. The Esquimaux
in the Arctic circle, the native of Siberia,
the Australians, the Patagonians believe
that the grave is the cradle of another
life. All the religions of antiquity believe
| in Immortality, Egypt, China, India, Per-
STA, Greece, Rome, Mexico, Peru, the Tar
tar tribes of Central Asia, the negroes of
Central and Western Africa and the ISL
ands Of the Pacific, all contend that while
the body returns to dust, the spirit goes
ican Indian believes in duplicate souls.
departing during g sleep. ice f, Il has has been been
claimed by some that Buddhism is an ex-
ception, but it is not. The teaching of
buddhism is to annihilate by the destruc-
ton Of desire. It is not claimed that this
| IS successful, but that the spirit becomes
| incarnate in one form or another until 1T
rests in Nirvana. The transmigration of
souls was taught by the religion of Egypt,
hence they embalmed their dead It is
| found in Brahmanism, among the Greek
| Observation-Disclosures, Empedocles and
Plato. By ,theo, Neo;Platonists, Jewish
other church fathers. Also by the Gnos-
ties, Manicheans, Druids and in more re-
cent times by Fourier. Christianity be-
lieves in eternal life, and that Jesus be-
came flesh, not only to disclose God, but
to bring life and Immortality to light.
Man is moral being, because he has a
moral nature. He has moral sentiment,
moral sentiment is the sense Of right and
wrong, which produces feeling of duty
and obligation. Moral ideas consist in the
belief that certain acts are right, others
wrong. Moral power is the ability to do
the right and not the wrong Feeling,
thought and will cannot be elimin-
mated from any moral test. Even
of right and wrong, though often very
much below the Christian standard
enough, however, to be classed among
those who are not without God But
few, if any, have been discovered without
enough moral ability to say yes to the
right and no to the wrong. It is not de-
MED that the moral standard is different
in each system, and that what may bt
right in one may be wrong in another
The temples of India and China encourage
/ vices which are too low to mention. Th.
underlying principle of Brahmanism is tt
crafty every desire. The test of Chris
tianity is the type of life it produces. Tn,
liberal, consistent, devoted business man
father, brother, son, the position O
mother, sister, daughter, the Christian
home, school, hospital and the Nationa
flag. They are the result of the code O
ethics-the Bible. One has only to reat
any of the standard works on the life o
: the nations in order to be convinced tha
) Christianity is capable of producing tn
ideal life. That while every system con
, tains some truth, Christianity is the truth
! The religious world is passing through
great change. To just what we are com
, ing no one is confident, though the indi
: cations are that Christianity is destinet
to encircle the globe.
l. Christianity is the one system tina
J is making civilization. We lament the in
, difference and apathy on the part of Chris
tians, but it is not to be compared witt
the lethargy of heathenism.
g. Christianity is destined to spread
, because it has the Bible, church, Sabbath
t and has produced type of civilization
5 that satisfies the enlightened mind an
: renewed heart.
g. All the aggressive systems have tn
4 | inspiration of an inspired prophet. w
l | have the greatest of them ALL. Christ
/ seeking the nations, end they are seekin
: Him.
: Christianity not onlv contains Al