The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-02-16

by the coming OF our Lord JESUS
Christ, and by our gathering together
unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken
in mind, or be troubled. neither by
spirit. nor by word, nor by letter as
from us, as that the day of Christ is
at hand. Let no man deceive you by
any means: for that day shall not
come, EXCEPT THERE COME A
FALLING AWAY FIRST, and that
MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED THE
SON OF PERDITION; Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is
God" And so on. This is not the fall
ing away of the world, for that is al
ready fallen; but has distinct and pos
five reference to the processing church
And here is the crux of the whole situ-
alton. Were Christian ministers to
see this, and then preach it, there
would he less unbelief manifest among
processing Christians, and no doubt
there would be fewer infidels. But so
long as they are teaching that the
world is growing better and better,
just so long will the Scriptures appear
to an intelligent hearer as contradic-
tory.
Post-Millenialism is making infdels:
that is our serious and settled convic-
ton. The doctrines of Pre-Millenian-
ism would strengthen the faith of be-
levers and close the mouths of blatant
infidels.
However, there is a great conflict
now in progress, and many of the
ablest students of the Bible think that
it is the last great decisive battle of
the ages. The criticism of the Sacred
Word is growing bolder in its assaults
upon it, and now asserts, with all self
assurance, that it is merely a human
production, not whit more inspired
than Shakespeare or Homer, and that
men should be governed by reason.
The infidel Renan once said that
Reason is capable of judging all
things, but is itself judged by moth
ing" That is a false dictum, and will
not bear honest criticism, for it is an
empty definition when once its char
acter is really noticed. One has said:
God has given reason to man, so that,
in his customary way of planting and
building, buying and selling, he may
make a practical use of created nature
by which he is surrounded But is
reason, even as respects matters of
this life, in accord with itself? By no
means. For, if that were so, whence
comes all the strife and contention OF
men at home and abroad, in their
places of business and their public as
semblies, in art and in science, in leg
islation, religion and philosophy? Does
it not all proceed fro mthe conflicts
of reason? The entire history of our
race is the history of millions of men
gifted with reason who have been in
perpetual conflict one with another.
1t is with such reason, then, that SEN
tence is to be pronounced upon de-
vinely given book? A purely rational
revelation would certainly be a contra
diction of terms; besides, it would be
wholly superfuous. But when reason
undertakes to speak of things entirely
supernatural, invisible and eternal, it
talks as blind man about colors, dis
coursing of matters concerning which
it neither knows nor can know any
thing and thus it makes itself ridicu-
lous. 1t has not ascended up to hea-
ven, neither has it descended into the
deep; and therefore a purely rational
religion is no religion at all.
The French Revolution is a flaming
testimony as to the fallacy of depend
ing on reason for direction or guidance
in either civic or individual matters.
The brilliant nfidel writer's of France,
the men who declaimed eloquently
with voice and pen in behalf of free
dom from the tyranny of superstition |
and religion, sowed dragons teeth that |
brought forth fearful harvest And
more than an hundred years
nave come and gone, yet the gaping
wounds made then are not yet healed
What a horrible elimination there
vas to that harvestage of infidel seed
'owingi The bloody guilotine, the
lreadful crimes committed in the name
II Liberty and Reason; the awful
action of the blood-craz-
ID multitude that carried notorious
larlot in a chair of state into the
Jhurch of Madelaine, and there wor-
hipped her as the Goddess of Rea-
on" This and many other similar