Year: 1859

J
pressed me with sense of humiliation. =
Inidelity is not the equal Of faith in any
sense. Light has no fellowship with dark.
ness, and Christ no concord with Belial-
Religion may entera pothouse as minister
of good, but it may not lay aside its digni-
ty to argue its rights aud claims there =
The moment that it does this it is shorn of
its power. A man 10 whom Christianity
has become life knows that Christianity
is verity-knows that no argument un-
der heaven can convince him of its false
hood He knows that the highest claims
of Christianity are not based in argument
He knows that he was not intellectually
argued into religion, that he is not kept in
it by force of argument or logic, and that
the highest demonstration of the truth of
Christianity which be possesses-his own
individual experiences precisely that
which he cannot bring forward in any dis
pute with an in6del. The moment, there
fore, that be comes down from the position
Of positive knowledge, and admits that
there is room for argument, he surrenders
the CITADEL and the couaict is TO be decid-
ed simply by personal prowess. The truth
of Christianity admitted between two op-
ponents, there is, Of course, legitimate
thater of discussion opened for questions
connected with it but until that be ad-
mitted, there can be no discussion that does
not compromise the position and the power
of him who enters as the champion of Chris
tianity.


say that in idelity is not the equal of
faith, because, while nfdelity abides in,
aud relies upon, pure, faith with reason
abundantly satisfied, relies upon the dem
onstrations of an experience which in6del-
ity will reject us a matter of course. l
say that faith and infdelty eau never meet
on ground common TO argue the truth or
falsehood of Christianity, because faith,
as its first step, must strengthen his strong
hold, and yield the question to the arbi-
tration Of reason by which it can never be
settled, say further that no Christian
man has a right to do this, aud that
he cannot do it without weakening him
self, and damaging his cause may
be willing, and should be willing, to give
my reasons for my belief in Christianity,
but should not be willing to surrender
question to the Judgment of reason which
know and feel to be mainly out of its
realm There is nothing that in6delity
more thoroughly delights in than argument,
because in argument it brings faith down
to its own level, and takes it at disadvan-
tage. 1t is lifted into Importance and re-
spectabity by the consent of faith to meet
it on common ground-ground where none
but weak minds will ever meet it-minds
that will be mastered 10 battle of reason
almost as matter of course.


Many of the best things received into
the belief and faith of the hest men-things
relating to the heart of the indiyidual and
the life of society-demand that they shall
never be submitted to the combats aud con-
clusions of reason on a common ground
with error. A gentleman will not fight a
duel with churl simply because the churl
is not his equal. He could gain no victory
that would compensate for the social dis
grace involved in meeting an inferior on a
footing of equality. Men of the world
who will scout my reasoning upon the m an
agement of a certain class of moral ques-
tions, will understand this illustration, and
find it somewhat difficult, | amagne, to
get away from it. 1t is recognized as
rule of law, based on fundamental prin-
|
by his peers,-a body of men capable Of
apprecating all the circumstances and
evidence of his case, and dispossessed of
those prejudices of class & condition which
would have tendency to mislead them
The same principles demand that all those
questions which relate to things aboSe the
realm of pure reason shall be judged by
those who are capable of appreciating, and
willing to accept, the evidence that lies in
that realm. AS there is no confession of
cowardice on the part of gentleman who
refuses to fight churl, and no selfconVic-
tion of guilt in him who declines to be
tried by other than his peers, so there is no
admission of weakness on the part Of him
who refuses to place his faith on the foot
ing of another mans infdelity and to sub
nit the questions touching his highest life
to the Judgment of those who are incapable
of understanding, and unwilling"to admit,
the evidence relating to them.


The power of Christianity before the
world, as a system Of religion, no less than
the power OF all those objects and subjects
of faith and belief which lie above the do
main of pure reason, abides In assertion
bold, broad, direct, confident and persist
cut assertion. If man were to deny that
the rose is beautiful, and challnege me to
the proof of its beauty, what more could /
do than to hold the rose before his eyes,
and say that it is beautiful I? II the rose
could speak, would it thank me for admit
ting that its beauty is matter Of argu-
ment The settlement Of the question of
it's beauty is utterly beyond the power Of
reason. ! know it is beautiful feel that
it is beautiful its beauty thrills me with
the most delicious pleasure. That is enough
for me, bnt that would not be enough for
him who denies its beauty. l arrive at a
knowledge of its beauty by no process of
reasoning, and can maintain the fact of
its beauty by no power of argument, be-
cause the determination of its quality and
character is without the realm of reason.


In my judgment great mistake has
been made by well meaning and jealous
men through treating error and in6delity
with altogether too much respect. be-
| leve that it is safe to say that Christianity
is indebted for none Of its progress in the