World's cresset. [volume] (JAH-ville [Colony], Fowler, Mo.) 1891-19??, 1905-04-13
The lJnreason-
ableness Of
Infidelity
ctn,ihn. d irtm last week.

OF mockery. Your eyes, says the
voice Of the lcmpior, instead Of
closing In death. will be, for the
first time, truly opened. Here !,
IL to be remarked that the hour
when nnbeIief 10 born 10 imedentely
the birth.hour Of superstition.
The serpent would have the wo-
man believe, that on eating OF that
fruit shc wonld become woupder.
fully enlightened, and, at tho snmc
time, raised to divine glory, or
DO as wise " God. And 30, ~
like manner, - every sin a senseless
and supera'inons belief in the salu
tary effects Of sin, IN" promise
of tho tempters voice is first re-.
gurdcd for its own sake, and then
as q complaint against God. A.
gainst Tho Immediate deadly effect
IT scts the immediate pIeasnrnblc
effect, whilst, at the same. it re.
presents the condition OF man
hitherto a. u laincntabIe one--as
nm existsnce with closed eyes.
Against the fearful threatening. TO
! dic the death. IL sets the opened
eyes, and the being like God, VS. a
caricaturing, as II were, pf that
promise which had appointcd men
70 the image Of God. TIE know.
ledge, however, OF good and OWL,
rs the words are employed by sa-
tan. mnst here denote not merely
o condition Of higher intelligence,
but rather a state of perfect indie.
pendence Of God. They would
then know OF themselves what was
good and evil, aud wonld no longer
need the divine direction. To the
same effect the assurance: tor God
doth know. etc. This mus! mean:
He seeks to keep back our happi-
ness, and he is cnvlous because he
Is weak in opposition 10 nature,
becausc the fruit OF tho forbidden
tree will make you independent Of
Him, Ind because He is tyrsnni.
cal and withon, love in his deal.
ings with you. 10 this distorting
Of tho Divine immage, there is re-
aec,cd tho darkening Of tho divine
consciousness which tho temptation
tends to call ont in the woman,
and actually does call out, In all
this II must be noted, that the
temptation hero ia already at work
with these crafty lies which II has
employed through the whole
course Of the worlds history--that
is, with lies containing elements OF
the truth, but misplaced AMI dis.
torted. Already that first question
OF the serpent contains q truth, 30
far as man ought to become con-
scions 10 himself OF the certainty
! and divine sritahleness OF Gods
commands. The doubt, however,
which tends to life, is to be dist.
ingnished from that which tends &c
death, by its dcsign and direction.
Tie tendency OF the devil is to
/ skepnc,sm. Temptation holds y
parable and analogue course with
Inspiration. 1t ia simply s,imn-
lus, coming from whater u may,
applied TO faculty, or to classes
OF faculties, in the human mind =
faculties OF which mon have, or
should have, might have, full con.
troll, Temptation never works out
any thing. II merely gives i'm.
pulse suggestion, or stimulus. II
any evil is wrought ont through
you, you work II out wholly and
absolutely yovrscli. No yirtrc 10
wrought out by the divine MAD,
and then deposited 10 tho human
soul. No conception ia pic,orlally
drawn. and then Gid into the
knowledge chamber ri tho human
mind already formed. The divine
inhncnce simply viviiies and i'm
pcls the natural organism, BY
which God governs, and On which
government stands. And 90 pre-.
cisely ISL, with the converse, or
with the cpron,c, Malign inhu.
sncs Is simply suggestive, " stim.
nlative, II merely imprls. And
liz, being impclled, men DO evil, n
when, being ,mpellsd. they d.
fright, The right Or the wrong !,
\ their own cot, TOR which they are
rc.ponsibIe. For although they