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!?. . il'H wl ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7. 1872. VOLUME XX LEE AND HUGH WILSON. BY W. A. CHRISTIANITY. An Address Delivered before tiie Auxiliary Bible Society of Ab beville District, at its Forty ninth Anniversary, on Wednes day, July 31st, 1S72, by GEN. SAMUEL Mc GO IF AX. JUr. President: I occupy this placc very reluctant]v. I feci that I am un /? v fit to treat properly the great subjcct of the Bible, its? value and the importance of its distribution. But approving the custom of having a yearly discourse upon the subject, and having been elec ted in turn to perform my part, I will do the best I can:?taking good care not to intrude into the sacred province of the pulpit, but standing afar off with reverential respect, give expression to the crude thoughts of one anxious to ar rive at truth, yet claiming to be in no way illuminated. Dr. Paley opens his natural theology with a remark ad felicitious as it is sim ple : "In crossing a heath suppose 1 pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there, I might possibly answer that for anything I know to the contrary, it had lain there forever; nor would it perhaps be very easv to show the absurdity of the answer. But suppose I had found a watch upou the ground and it should be inquired how the watch came in that place, I should hardly think of the answer I had before given, yet why should this answer not serve for the watch as well as the stone ? For this reason and no other. When we come to inspect the watch we perceive fhat its several parts are formed j and put together for a purpose, and we think the inference is irresistible that the watch must have had a maker who comprehended its construction and de signed its use." So says Dr. Paley. Man is born. Soon as his eyes open and his faculties sufficiently expand, he looktf around and finds himself in the world without agency or will of hi.s own. He beholds the beautiful face of nature, the earth, thesea andthestarrv heavens." He observes the rising and setting sun, the alternations of day and night, of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, lie soon perceives that the race from which he sprung is only a very small r>art of a maeuiticent system. He learns from the records of his ancestors that this stupendous structure as he finds it, lias certainly stood for centuries?that generation after generation have been born, lived and have died as he must die and, finding himself possessed of that strange something called reason, he most anxiously inquires whence is all this! whither going and to what end! We .think the first impression must be that the mechanism of the untch is as nothing, *ind that it is impossible to conclude that this sublime system camc by chancc, or "has lain here forever." These grand evidences of design prove the existence .of a designer?of a great First Cause, al 1 powerful and as benevolent aa powerful. "None but the fool lias said in his heart there is no God." Closely connected with the belief in a great First Cause,{without beginning and without end, conies the idea of the im mortality of the soul. Man, like other portions of the animal kingdom, comes into the world, lives his appointed time, dies, and the places which knew him know him no more forever. Does he turn to dust like the brute which perishes? Or does any part of him?his intellectual or immaterial nature?his ppirit live beyond the grave ? This is to him the most important of all questions. He is a religious animal. His first aspiration is for immortality, but this alone cannot establish the truth of a fu ture state of existence. He is not con tent with the idea of annihilation. He sees himself at the head of all created beings of which he has knowledge. He ia r?re>atjpA n litfIn lnivpr t.lian thp. nncrp.ls. He looks in upon himself and perceives how fearfully and wonderfully he is made. His span of life is short, restless! and soon to p;iss away. He lives, he j breathes, he has his existence and he <lics! . The thought is irrepressible and lias been from the beginning of the world, is this the end! Was it to end thus, that the great First Cause evoked order out of chaos ! Was it for this alone the magnificent system of worlds was i called into existence! Was it for this man | was created from the dust of the earth and ; a living soul breathed into his nostrils?! Is it all thus to live and thus to die ? No one has risen from the dead to tell us,! but something whispers that it cannot' * mt .. ?x _ m _ 1 i ' be so. mere is a monitor wmiiu wmcn teaches that it is not all of liie to live, nor all of death to die ! "We believe it is true as a historical fact that no people have ever been dis covered in any age .or part of the the world sunk so low in ignorance and barbarism as not to have a hope at least in the immortality of the soul, and a system of religion, involving the idea that after death there is to be a second existence, among spirits who control the world, whose approval is desired and whose worship is enjoined. The unlet tered Indian recognizes the Great Spirit and Governor in the thunder of the Ciuuu uuuu. xiiv ^la^ituxc uuu worshipers Bee him in the sun. Some ancient philosophers believed in metemp sychosis and jlie transmigration of the ?oul?:tbat after death it passed into other bodies and lived again in that T f in Vwil f fl?nf in nAtviA ^V>wm iUlXJLi* XI/ lO U^IICVCU Il_l OUJLUV7 IVJllll or other, all the peoples, of the earth, ex cept perhaps some small sects such as the Saduccecs among the Jews, entertain the opinion that Man has within him the germof immortality. The idea is beau tifully expressed- in Addison's Cato, when driven to the last extremity by the conquering legions of Cajsar, the old iiero, coiucxijpxubixi^ uuinuc, ic ??.j?vovu tocl with a drawn sword in one hand and Plato's little book upon the "Immortality of the Soul" in the other, soliloquizing thus: "Eternity ! Tliou pleasing, dreadulf thought! Through what variety of untried being, Through what new acenes and changes must we pass? The wide, the unbounded prospett lies before me: But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it." But whilst this opinion of immortal ex istence, drawn from the lights of nature, has existed in all ages and countries, there has not l>ecn, by any means, such uniform} ty of opinion as tc the character of the great Creator, the precise nature of the fu ture state or what is required of man to win his immortal crown. In these par ticulars the evidence from nature alone fails the weak intelfect of man. As old Cato expressed it clouds and darkness rest upon the future. If, as most moral philosophers contend, man is endowed by nature with the capacity to dis tinguish right from wrong and virtue from vice, or with what is sometimes called "an innate moral sense" it is most certainly true, that the exercise of that-si "sense" has been anything else than uni- 7 form. There is scarcely a single vice that in some age or country of the world has not been countenanced by public opinion. TTnrlnr tTinso pirpiimstfinops n. nrro.lt. number of religious systems have sprung up at different times among the differ ent nations and races of the earth. The God of nature has written His existence on all His works and His law in the heart of man, and to make plain this writing and enforce this law, has been the real or pretended aim of the prophets in every age. They saw, but "through a glass darkly." The ancients were, in the main, rank idolators. The! j most cultivated of them had systems of u Mythology. Their Pantheons were fill ed with an infinite number of divinities. Even the chosen people, the Israelites, set apart from the rest of mankind ironi the call of Abraham down, coiild with difficulty be restrained from idolatrous practices in the very presence of the Ark of the Covenant! Nor are the moderns in any way exempt from the delusions of superstition. Even at this 1 day, in the blaze of the latter part of the 19th Century, it is stated, upon what seems good authority, that of the 830 millions of people estimated to occupy the surface of the globe, only 260 mil lions are christians ; 130 millions Ro man Catholics, 02millions Greek Catho lics and 59 millions Protestants whilst the other 570 millions are either entire ly ignorant of Christianity or ridicule it >i? n fnhlc .in.l sunerstition. 4 millions i profess Judaism, 300 millions profess Buddhism aud Brahmanisni, whose male votaries, amidst the most obscene rites of heathen worship, throw themselves un der the wheels of the car of Juggernaut, whilst their wives seek to secure their immortal bliss by burning themselves an the dead bodies of their husbands. 120 millions are the fiery followers of Mahomet?Arabs, Turks and Saracens, who brandishing their flashingscimitars, shout Allah! and propagate the faith of the "True Prophet" with fire and sword! And 146 millions profess other miscel laneous creeds, not rising to the dignity of religion, including the different forms of Fetichism among the negro tribes of Africa, in Polynesia and in some parts of Asia and America?coming down to the miserable caricature of the "Latter Day Saints" the last if not the very lowest of the superstitions. At first view it would seem r trail ge? the light of nature vouchsafed to all being the same?that the world should he so full of different systems of re ligion?differing so widely from each other, and some so strange, so grotesque, so ridiculous and absurd. These reli gions are so far from being in accord, that the pious zeal of the different secta ries has caused more bitter wars upon each other and more bloodshed, than all other causes in the history of the world combined. To say nothing of the con flicts between different sects of the Christian religion, the Protestants and Greek Catholics and Roman Catholics; lor centuries the crescent and the cross have waved in fiercest opposition upon many fields of blood! To the honest inquirer after truth, this is a startling fact and sometimes a stumbling-block! When closely examined, however, it may not seem so strange. These differ ent systems of religion are the off spring of a natural anxiety to secure a i i i 1 iiaveu ui rest uuyunu uiu giuv^givnnig out of a belief in a future state and working in ignorance of the precise na ture of that future state and of what is required from man. These systems were constructed as Robinson Crusoe constructed his boat to escape from his solitary island, that is according to the destitute circumstances of the situation. In other words in want of a revelation of more light. It is very certain that all these differ cut systems, ol religion can not uc true, j The votaries of each believe their own | to be true, but the votaries of all others know it is .not. Assuming that the great Creator, the Author of so many systems of worlds, possesses unity in na ture and design?is unchangeable, the same yesterday, to-day and forever, (and no other idea is admissible^ it is impossi ble to believe that systems so essentially different and inconsistent?different in .. theory?different in form?different in their objects of worship and standards of: J1' conduct are all alike emanations from the same source, the great Creator and C1 beneficent Rvler of the universe ! As all cannot be true, there Ls danger that the skeptical mind may jump to the conclu- .. sion that all alike are vague, uncertain, 1(^ conjectural and doubtful?that the ? snliippf. is nt.Inst, but "shadows.!11 , clouds and darkness." It is perccived that upon the subject of the filial destiny of the soul of man, which relates entirely to the unknown future and is spiritual, invisible and in tangible in its nature, the claim of (r divine origin for a religion is not always ^ reliable. For we think it may be safely! w stated that no religion has ever been j ^ promulgated in the whole history of j man from Zoroaster to Joe Smith, with out a claim on the part of the believers, that their religion was originally estab lished by divine authority and is proved by miracles entirely satisfactory, at least to the faithful. Credulity performs the office of faith?fanaticism is permitted : 10 assume tne language oi uispu?uuu. and the effects of accident or contri vance arc ascribed to supernatural causes, as in the latest and most notable j example of the "golden plates and stone I spectacles" of the Book of Mormon. Nor is it safe to rely with implicit ' confidence upon the evidence afforded j by the zeal or number of the followers. ' In eternal, spiritual concerns there is something avoid vniloubtuirj faith that exalts and transports the believer, which ! is entirely independent of the truth or I falsehood of what is believed. Will ingness to suffer martyrdom affords the lighest evidence of the sincerity of the )cliever, but not of the truth of his treed. All history, profane and sacred, is iill of the most striking examples of vhat the fanatic can do and dare under he enthusiasm of his religion. Amidst his multiplicity of religions and con lict of opinion, in seeking for some safe aundation upon which to rest, we must ook for some other evidence less likely 0 mislead. As we have seen, the light of nature ad merely suggested?intimated the ubject and then left it in darkness, 'his state of things made it proper and 1 one sense necessary that there should e a revelation of further light, and in be fullness of time there was given to lie world this Book, the Book, TPIE >IBLE, which claims to be the written rord of God. Here is the whole story f the Christian religion given for the ispection, perusal and faith of man. Ve have been constrained to say that lost of the systems of religion which ave obtained can not be true, what shall *e my of this* Amidst all this confu on, doubt and error, the solemn thought nbidden will obtrude itself upon the ouest, truthful mind. Does this book ziiainly contain the true religion, or may e not be deceived like, the followers of te Grand Lama or of Mahomet, who arc ss sincere and confident as we arc? Let us advert most reverently to some f tlio minims of t.lw (Miristian mlirrion ) be considered superior to nil the other rstems referred to and to be in very uth the authentic revelation of God to lan:?saying nothing as to the evidences illcd internal, theproofs from prophecy, om inspiration, from supernatural inter osition and from miracles, which arc only ppreciated to their full extent by those ho are spiritually regenerated and hich pre-suppose the proofs complete ud the question alreaay settled. We mil only venture to touch such consid-1 \a ations as may occur to one somewhat r,K ^customed to consider the weight of , /idence upon matters of less importance nd anxious to arrive at truth upon the iost important subject ol" life, but clahu ig to be in 110 way spiritually enlightcn First: Considering the nature of the isc?that there is a great Creator?that ie soul of man is immortal, and that c had some vague and indefinite innate :nse of riglit and wrong, which could lly be satisfied with the theory of a fu irestate of rewards and punishments to >rrect the manifest wrongs of which this orld is full?that the moral world was roping in darkness dividing into a multi ide of religions inconsistent with each her?doctrine combating doctrine and ct fighting sect, a revelation of further yht was proper and, considered from our r'uit of view, absolutely necessary. This ying necessity for further light?if if >es not absolutely prove the truth of ie J>ii)ie, at least clears inc way, ana eparcs the miiul to rcceive without ejudice the evidences which may he Forded, that which in reason is expec d is more readily believed to be true, ich being the great need of revelation, the Christian religion could be proven be untrue, it would be the greale :t istortune wiiien coma Demi manKiuu. lie question is certainly ihis or no rc aled religion. Its destruction would take om frail, groping man the only Oasis the desert of doubt, the greatest sup >rt in the trials and toils of life, the eatest safeguard against vice and in lcement to \ irtuc, the greatest comfort affliction, and support in death, the eatest source of happiness here and ' hope hereafter. It would unchain all e wild and selfish passions of the savage an and throw the world back into the cln irk state of disgusting paganism, hich universally existed when the liristian religion was promulgated, and the moral world would be like blot ig the sun from the heavens. Second.? The conformity of ihe story the Bible to the constitution and courseqf iture makes it probable that they both ,me from the same source. It is legitimate to argue from what e know to what we do not know; om what is acknowledged to what is sputed; from that part of the divine tublishment which is exposed to our ew to that more important part which beyond it. We hold on to that hich is certain and reach out for that Li-i ? : i 1._ U1UI1 WU WISH IU 11JUKU CUJ UU1I. id ourselves possessed of some knowl Ige of the world around us and of our vii complex nature. We have already sumed it as established, by the evi ?nees of design, that no rational mind .n doubt the existence of a designer, and d now think we may add the reason )Ie probability is, that that revelation liich, beingsoniuch needed, appears and! in genera1 conformity with that design, [ mesjrom rue same wurcc. As well as we understand it, the re gion of the Bible is the mere supplc ent of natural religion and in full arniony with it; the two, taken togeth make one complete whole. The Bible, hen properly understood contradicts 11 othing which nature teachcs but goes irtlier. it connrms xne pre-existing | ~ lea of the immortality of the soul and j f one great First Cause, spiritual and i011 ?visible, and therefore denounces idola-1Vl1 y in all its forms. It makes clear I th hat was before dark and obscure, ex-j ^ lains the origin and eternal conflict of 'K ood ami evil, gives the specific laws oi il,v ice and virtue, declares that this world j t'1 i only a state of probation and the' pi reat doctrine that there is a judg-!*a lent beyond the grave, by which re ards and punishments are to be distri uted according to the deeds done in the ody; and gives the scheme of salvation irouofh a Redeemer, and thus provides solid resting-place amidst the quick mds of confusion, doubt and error?a avcn of rest beyond the grave for the oping, doubting, disturbed and dis racted spirit of man. This conformity with the constitution w ,nd course of nature, can not, as it ap >ears to us, he affirmed of any other w eligion of which we have knowledge. J)' jet us for a moment consider some of ' ban. TIE MYTHOLOGY OF THE GEEEK8 AXI> ROMANS. jit Tlie elaborate system of polytheism n: if the most cultivated nations of anti-joi [uity, was nothing but a collection of: a ables?sometimes beautiful and ingeni-|it ius but still fables. There was an im! y nense number of divinities. Pantheons1 fc tf the most exquisite architecture, were tl lied with Gods and Goddesses, Nymphs 'uries and Graces-all endowed with mor l1 passions and weaknesses, possessing inflicting powers and jurisdiction, the] ere constantly warring with each otlier apiter with his thunder ruled Olym as?Neptune with his trident the sea id Pluto the infernal regions. Ox-ey 1 Juno was the Empress of Heaven [inerva was the Symbol of learning anc! enus the matchless Queen of love and viuty! besides a host of lesser lights. 3ods partial, changeful, passionate, unjust, Those attributes were rage, revenge and luBt!'-' It requires but small capacity to sec ?n *u;., ,1: ai> iin iiiia mis in uii wu uuiitiuuii uuu the unity and consistency of nature, lie very number of their Gods is one conclusive evidence against the hole system. But besides most of these iities were immoral and vicious beyond e standard of their own worshipers, s Rosseau says, "the continence oi mocratcs was admired by those wlio lebrated the debaucheries of Jupiter. :ie chaste Lucretia adored tlie unchaste enus. The most intrepid Romans crificed to fear. The most contemptible vinities were served by the greatest en. The holy voice of nature, *An rvf> y? o r\ + hof nf tTio rir>f?a ninrlo elf heard, respected and obeyed on rth, and seemed to banish to the nfines of heaven guilt and the guilty." Indeed the Greeks and Romans did t believe the Polytheism, which, with was universal around them. But it is so dove-tailed into their shows and ectacles, their literature and fine arts, at it was convenient to tolerate, and safe to oppose it. Gibbon, in one of 3 grand antithetical sentences, charac rizes the whole fabric as follows: "The ricus modes of worship which pre iled in the Roman world, were all con lered by the people as equally true, by o philosophers as equally false?, and the magistrates as equally useful." -j- i....1 *".i:~. _i: illU UUU UUU ui WJ11 mitv to nature required ; awl Socratcs, lg before the birth of Christ, was eon nine:! to drink hemlock for corrupting c youth of Athens by teaching strange ctrines. THE BUDDHISM AND BRATIMANTSM the Asiatics and that whole family of ndred systems. As to these we need rdly say one word to show that they 2 not in accord with the constitution d course of nature. The three hun ed millions who profess these religions long to an inferior type of the human ;e, and their prevailing doctrine of jcessive transmigrations to higher de jes of being, culminating in the holy iddhas, is but one of the many forms of ;iun ) ; JUDAISM. Vv'e can not say that Judaism is cou ry to the constitution and course of hire, for so far as their Old Tcsta 'nt is concerned, it is identical with iristianity. But this we do say that daism, as wc now see it, not thstanding its great antiquity,' is imperfcct system?the foundation an edifice without the snperstruc pc?the preface of a great work lieh hicks completion. It appears ns that without their own prom d Messiah?the central character d pivot of the system -the whole eparatory fabric tumbles to pieces? iking the ceremonial law of Moses., eir types and figures, vain and ^anincless, if not positive!}' super tious. Does it not strike the most sual observer that Judaism without second coming is merely an anti atc-d fragment, like the huge foun tions of' some great temple, which is never built ? Look at it. Jud;\ li, as it is contained in tho Old stament, was not, as it seems to us, ;ended for all mankind. It does t profess to be catholic, but pre ely tho contrary. It is limited ictly to the Israelites, which ex esses more distinctly a rnce than a eel. It seems plain that the mission this people was to keep the oracles til "Shiloh come," and for this rpose?to prevent the contagion of rronnding superstitions?exclusion is the idea. That peculiarity made cm proper instruments to preserve c faith, bnt in no way fitted them, t on the contrary, made them unfit, propagate it. The original purpose is accomplished, but the Jews still Laiq the character of cxclusiveness st impressed upon ihcm. "We arc slined to think that now, as in the ys of the prophets, they arc so uud of their race as an ecclesiastical istocracy, because of the sacred ist confided to them, that they are much opposed to spreading their ligion as they are to mixing Uicir X)d with those who- have not de jnded from Abraham. In the olden nc one of their objections to jJ-esus iVio ATpeKinli ivnQ thnh lip th "publicans and sinners." They nsidcrcd it a violation of their rights an exclusive people, and of their ligion, superior to that of all others, "expose tiic sacred arcana of the ly living and truo God beforo the ilgar gaze of the motley nations oi e earth ; and denounced as impiouf c sublime mission of the great and iroic apostle to the Gentiles. And >\v in these days, they are still in e strongest sense an exclusive pco c. They make no converts, and sc r as wo ai-o informed, no effort tc oselyte, How rarely has any Gen le embraced as his faith Judaism hero aro none but hereditary Jews s somo classical writer has sait iout poets, they are not made, bui >rn. They possess their religion as ley do their peculiar features, b} jscent. The children of Israel I th< loson people of God, who, alont nidst the idolatry of the Pagai orld, preserved the spiritual wor lip of ono great invisible Jehovah ho kept the ark of the covenant ho toiled in Egypt, crosscd tho Iie( Jti, wuiiuvruu iII tnu wiiuuruusa, uiiv Dter smiting the Canaanites, hip am iigh, conquered the land flowinj ith milk and honey ! The Israel cs, who in the Old Testament fin ished the trunk, upon which wa ^grafted the Christian religion nd Jesus, its founder. The Israel es! who did all this, and much mor( et rejected both the building and it mndcr, and have been scattered t lie winds of heaven ! The history of the J'cws is allowed to furnish one of the most remarka Ulo proofs of the troth of prophesy, and of the divine character of their own Son, whom they crucified. With higher claims than any other peoplo to tho-.favor of Heaven, up to the time of Christ, they rejected him, and aro now, a peoplo without a home, without a country, and, wo had almost said, without a God. Wo look upon tho Jews with something of that sentiment with which we regard "a stranger in a strange land." More desolate and hopeless than when they hung their harps upon the willows by the waters of Babylon, they are scattered to all quarters of the globe, speaking every language known to man, in every latitudo, in evoiy clime, and ou every continent, watching, waiting and praying for the promiaed Restorer, " until ono would , thiuk, "that hopo deferred would make tho heart sick." The mission of this remarkable pcoplo is manifest ly accomplished. MAHOMETANISM. The religion of Moslem is more like Christianity than any of the other systems. It admits the Old and New Testament as part of the Sacred Writings, and even recognizes Christ as a groat apostle, but a mere ? ? _ ?. .1 4 A Ifn l^/> A 4- Tf lliau, UUU 1IILU11UL Iv HiiUlVIUUU. JLU teaches the immortality of the soul, and the existence of one invisible God, but discards tho idea of the Trinity. "There is bub one God and Mahomet is his prophet." Like Christianity, it teas founded by one person, Mahomet, who, though undoubtedly an impostor, was gifted with great endowments, beautiful in person, of a subtle wit, and agreeable behavior, showing liberality to the poor, courtesy to every one, fortitude against his enemies, and, above all, a lilgn reverence ror me jiuiiio ui \jruu. His religion spread, almost miracu lously, over a largo part of the globe, and lias to-day, as many followers as any branch of the Christian Church. This makes its doctrines and historj very interesting to Christians. We, have read the Koran with some care, and, at the risk of being thought presumptious, we venture the opinion that Mahometanism is not entitled to bo considered an original system. It is, in our judgment, a mere imitation and corrnption of Christianity 1 Ma homet did not livo until the scvonth century of the Christian era. The farao of Josus, His religion and His crucifixion, had gone abroad. His doct'-ines, very peculiar in themselves, and proclaimed by the indefatigable apostles, had permeated the whole couotry. civilizod and semi-civilized; and, in a pure cr corrupted form, had* certainly reached the wandering j Arabs. There happened to bo no es tablished religion at Mecca. Mahom etan ambitions, but poor member of the tribe of Koroish and family of Ilashcm, concoivcd the plan of estab lishing a now religion, and, seizing upon the leading doctrines of" the in visible nature and unity of God, and taking Christ as his model, he proclaimed Mahometanism. Ho de nounced idolatry, but changed the doctrinos of Christianity so as to suit his own peculiar views, and the cus toms, sentiments and passions of tho warriors of tho desert. Most of tho moral precepts of the Koran are taken, indeed almost copied, from tho gospels, and tho other portions of it are inspirations of the prophet as his needs or wishes sug gested, adapted to the condition and j character of his first followers. Christ :and Mahomet, the original and copy. I'-TTr-nfrinn to !i satrr." All the world admits that tho founder of Christianity was absolutely free from personal impurity; whilst Mahomet abandoned the character which he had assumed for the purpose of per sonal and liccntious indulgence. His avowed, claim of special permission from heaven for his unlimited sensu ality is known to every reader, as it is confessed by every writer of tho Mos lem story. His bible, tho Koran, refers to Moses and the prophets and denounces idolatry. It tolerates pol ygamy?indeed holds it out as one of the joys of heaven. It teaches the spiritual worship of one invisible (iod, but at the same time, it exhausts description in painting the carnal iovs of paradise. Ilis religion was framed with special reference to its own propagation. It requires of its followers, no other evidence than a declaration of belief in the Koran. It does not consider necessary an} spiritual change or conversion. It is aggressive, having sprung into exist ence full grown and a nued cap a pie, liko Minerva from the head of Jove. ! Its doctrines arc calculated to make 'warriors rather than saints. They i aro all unitarians, universalists, and fatalists. "The sword is the key of , heaven and hell?a drop of blood i shed in the cause of God, a night ! spent in arms, is more avail than two months fasting and prayer. Whoever i falls in battle, his sips are forgiven at I the day of judgment, his wounds i j shall be as resplendent as verinillion, i iand odoriferous as musk, and the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by the > wings of angels and chorubims." > The Moslem's famous war-cry has -jbeen heard with horror upon many a field of blood, when Moslem aim Christian?the crescent and the cross ?rose and fell in mortal struggle. 'Yo Christian dogs, yo know your option, tho Koran, tribute, or tho sword." Whilst there is in these systems no evidence of a divine origin, to be found from their conformity with the constitution and course of nature, which is the negative argument; there is abundant evidence that they are the productions of man, which is tho positive argument against tliem. The (lifFeront systcmp of religion con stitute one of tho most interesting of jail enquiries. They afford curious J and striking evidence of the charac ter of their producers. Upon a sub ject deemed by all of tho greatest ! conscQtienco, tho religious conceptions [of a people are but a reflex of them selves. .Reason turns back from the jproduction to tho producer. The character of a people appears iu their religion, when it is the creation of their hands, upon a principle some thing like that, which enables lis to judge of a peoplo by examining their literature. As for instance, who could fail to know the taste and learning of tho Athenians from read ing tho orations of Demosthenes, or tho history of Thucydides? Be sides, when the production is a sys tem of religion, commanding obedi- ] ence by the solemn sanotions of eter nal rewards and punishments, thero is a very strong reflex influenco back upon those who are not only the creators, but also tho worshippers; who first create, and then as follow ers, kneel and conform by the high est of all motives?the zeal which animates tho devout believer 1 The worshipper always assimilatos to tho character of the thing worshipped. Strange infatuation and absurdity of idolatry, which has been rife in the world since tho davs of Bel. whom Daniel exposed by sprinkling ashes on the floor. What a paradox that men should deliberately -set about cheating themselves! Those Gods owe their existence, form and attributes to the framing hand of man, and of courso are formed according to his highest conceptions; but these same awful Gods, as soon as made and installed, are worshipped, and in turn bend the nccks and mould the hearts of their creators. Some one has said let me write tho songs of a people and I care not who makes their laws. It could be Baid with more truth and force, "show mo the religion of & peo plo and I will tell you who they are." Thero is one test, which applied, will generally show whether a religion is the production of the people who profess it. When tho religion con forms to tho prevailing tastes, habits and vices of a pcoplo, we feel au ) liAin'orod frt cot' flmt-. t.hnfr. nnnnffi nrn the architects of their own religion. It may bo that it has a remote an tiquity?that it originated time out of mind. It may havo grown by grad ual accretion from year to year and from ago to ago, but it is nono the less certain that it is not of divine butjiuman origin. In the cold-and froz'en regions of Scandinavia the people aro illiterate, coarse and war liko, delighting in little elso than the stimulus of strong drink and the de lightful glow of battle: and accord ingly we see that same character displayed in the happiness of their heaven. Their highest conception of life waa the happy state of their war riors in spirit land, who hackcd each other to pieces all the day long in fearful combat, and then spent the long night with their companions whom they had been hacking in wassail?drinking strong drink or blood from the skulls of their enemies slain in battle, and in making the walls of blessed Walhalla ring with the most disgusting revelry. Was not that religion created by tiiat peo ple ? No doubt of it! In the warm climate of Arabia Felix the people are less inclined to strong drink, bat devoted to ease, luxury and grandeur: and hencc we see that Mahomet preparod for bis followers, particularly those fortunate ones who died in battle for the cause of tho prophet or his faith, tho most volupt uous paradise, with robes of silk, palaces of marble, rivers and shades, groves and couches, wines and dain ties, and more than all, and above all, black-ej-cd honries of resplendent beauty and eternal youth I Is there not as little doubt that that religion was made for that people ? The Mornionism of our day, reeking with foul, feculent corruption and im morality, tho principal doctrines of which arc community of goode and polygamy, is but the development of tho dishonest greed for gain and li centiousness which, in a pre-omiuent degree, disgrace this age and country! The community of goods is only a bungling contrivance of the prophets to cat the bread of others and live without work. Polygamy in this age and Christian country is a crying snamc: Will) mau ituu \jii\j nviuau were created and placed in the gar den of Eden, and statistics show that the sexes are born in about equal numbers. It is clear, without going into other considerations, that on this subject Christianity teaches the doc trine which is in unison with nature, aud is both expedient and right notwithstanding tho natural inclina tion towards polygamy as evinced by the practico of the patriarchs and prophets of old?by the peoplo of all Mohammedan countries, and lastly, by tho followers of this miserablo, contemptible caricature of religion, instituted by a vulgar impostor and horse thief, who found in a printing oftico Spaulding's manuscript of a crazy novel, considered unworthy of publication, and made of it the Mor mon Bible! Even this creature could get followers, when under the gtiiso of religion he gratified their sensual inclinations, and might with truth? I in imitation of another impostor, Mokana. tho veiled prophet of Ko | rassan, when he lifted the silver veil jand exposed his hideous deformity? exclaim with grinning mockery: ! "Here ye wise saints, behold your light, your star; Ye would be dupes and victims, and ye arc!" In all tho religions of which wo have knowledge, the subject of most solemn interest is the place of depart ed spirits, as that is tho very centro of tlae subject. In most of Hiem somo favorite hero is represented in prose op rrnntrv fin mnkincr the descent tO v,. r~ J that awful region, where opportunity is afforded of seeing and describing tbo locality, of recognizing the blessed and unblessed spirits, and of convers ing with departed saiuts and heroes. As the dead do not return to earth, jthedesiro to visit them seems to be irresistible. Of the Creeks, Ulysses is represented by Ilomcr as making the fearful descent to Hades, and talking with the long lino of Grecian heroes ! Of tlio liomans the pious Eneas, led by the Cumean Sibyl, J crossed the stygian pool, passed Ccr jbcrus at the gate and explored the horrors of Tartarus'! A^d the Koran represents that Mahomet, with his companion, Gabriel, successively as cended the seven heavens, and re ceived and repaid the salutations of the patriarchs, the prophets and the angels in their respective mansions. Beyond the seventh Heaven Mahomet alone wa3 permitted to proceed. He passed the veil of unity, approached within two bow-shots of the throne, and felt a cold chill that piorced him to tho heart! These accounts are all vory different from oach other, and are extremely characteristic of the peoplo who wore represented. If we had time it would bo interesting and instructive to compare these accounts and note the striking differences I and especially to remark how essentially different they are from "The Vision" of Dante, and tho sublime description of Milton's hell! Third. The teachings of the Bible arc not only in accord with what we know of the constitution and course of nature, but its morality is pure beyond anything in the history of man ! Tho ethics of no other religion is comparable to it. Christianity, in common with some other religions, teachos the existence of one great, eternal, invisible God, who is to bo worshipped in spirit and. in truth; but its distinguishing characteristic ?its grand central doctrine?is that this life is a mere probation for the ucxt?a preparation for the great judgment where rewards and punish ments are to bo distributed according to the deeds done in the body here! This is the great doctrine, and out of it grows me most important conse quences. The general effect is to dwarf all temporal affairs-?to miti gate the intensity of worldly strug gles by showing how trivial they are, comparatively?to'soften the inequal ities of life with the belief that the ordeal is short, and that there is to be a judgment, where the wrongs which abound in the world will be corrected by an infallible standard and an upright Judge! The effect of this must be most salutary, leading practically to repress selfishness, and to the great virtues of patience, hn inility and justice. "Where else can we find such a requirement as the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would they should do unto you?" This appreciation of the concerns of life at t heir true value, leads neces sarily to the restraint of the passions. Man is so constituted that most of the ills of life arise out of the excessive indulgence uf the passions, pride, am bition, hatred, revenge, envy, &o. These passions are natural,, but un doubtedly they were intended to be restrained, for their unrestrained in dulgence leads certainly to pain and evil. More pleasure, in the long run, is derived from the restraint than from the indulgence of the passions. The laws of the land require this re straint?the laws of society require it, and it is indispensiblo to the Chris tian character. The lessons of the Bible aro restraining. They regulate and repress, instead of giving a loose reign to the appetites, and in this they differ "toto crelo" from those of ail other religions! Is it likely that such dnt'.t,rinfts would be nronounded bv an impostor seeking only &is own pleas ure? A mere demagogue in religion as in politics is never satisfied with posthumous fame, especially if it is to be earned by self-denial and mortiri eation of the flesh. No conscious deceiver is willing to pay that price for the mere pleasuro of deceiving. Haring nothing abiding, he wants present onjoyment and living glory. That is his mission?biB only motive ?and if ho loses that, he is even in his own eyes a failure ! The obvious coursc to success with him is to conform to the prejudices and indulge the ap petites, instead of preaching a crusade against both. Another peculiarity of the doctrines of the Bible is this: they go to the fountain-head, and concern themselves with tho very thoughts?the will?the intentions, and undertake the hercu lean task of cleansing that unclean cage, the heart of man. Goodness is ? * ^ Ar. r]nnnn H nnnn ATI l.wdrH IJUO 41JUUU ?,v uw^vi.M circuinstances, on forms and ceremo nies, as prayers, ablutions, sacrifices and genuflections; but on the quiet, silent processes of the heart. What a magnificent doctrine ! It seems im possible that it could come from one who was himself an impostor. At ono swoop it levels all the inequalities of life?elevates and comforts the de spised of earth as well as the greatest favoritos of fortune. It reaches the humblo cottage of the poor as well as the palaces of kings. Indeed, it seems especially adapted to tho lowly and humble. This valo of tears is so full of sorrow that tho very thing needed was a comfortcr?a resource wbicn, under the most adverse circumstances, could confer something beyond the reach of the world?"a peaco above all earthly dignities, a still-and quiet conscience." It has been said that Christ knew man better than Socrates. "My son, keep thy heart with all dili gence, for out of it are the issues of life." There is no philosophy extant equal to the sermon on the mount. "Blessed are tho poor in spirit, for fV.<vva ic thn kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the oarth. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the puro in heart, for thoy shall see God, aud blossed are tho peace-makors," &c. Touching, as it docs, the very in ward springs of action, and its com mands being enforced by tho solemn sanctions of eternal life and death, Christianity is the greatest of all gov ernors?not only assisting in self-con trol, but in tho control of others. ' Thou fihalt not steal." ''Thou shalt not bear false "witness against thy neighbor." "Thou shalt not kill," have had more influence in restrain ing the commission of crimo, than ail the penal laws, judges and penitentia ries of tho world 1 Onewho lives up to tho doctrines of tho Eiblo will never bo a law-breaker or a- criminal. It not only contributes largely to govern, but to civilize men. What ever purifies .".rd softens tho hcart3 MB a direct effect in improving man ners and conduct, for gopd maimers ire bat the external expression of jood feeling ; and therefore, u we night suppose, Christianity is the rel igion of the highest^race^afid "the aost cultivated portion of mankind . Fourth. Considering the.time and aanner of its promulgation, the char* ctcr of its doctrines, and the bumble rigin of its founder, there is sOrae hing most remarkable in the estab* isbmcnt and spread of the Christian eligion, upon any other hypothesis ban that of a divine origin t The mere spread of a religion is not nough to prove its troth; False re gions have spread wonderfully under eeuliar circumstances,. But it does <' 3em that the Christian religion is_, i_ t_l. it!- . ?ML ^7 smariraDio in mis respect, ane orld was full of idolatty, which > >ems to bo the special weakness of' ar Dature. There were oractes andh imples and graven images almost* a every hilL All the sensual appe tes of man wer^gorged to their tmost capacity?indeed each, passion ad its divinity to supervise ami stim ate its exercise. This had existed^ om the beginning, and from the J iture of the case* was growing orse every day. This universal - olatry had become imbedded in th$ Eibits of the people, and in the laws T - the country. Each tolerated .the iher to be tolerated in tarn; token j new religion was preached by common iople, full of strange doctrines, which " as in its nature intolerant of all .olatry, and at war alike with the issions and creeds of men, which * jw religion overthrew the altars '* id temples of the Pagan world, and itablished itself nrton their rnins f This new religion being one purely faith and practice, and not of worldly - Dwer, did not at first connect itaejf* i any way with government, but mcorned about the soul and faturitjr, ave "onto Caesar the things that ere Caesar's." It had no empire to ttend it ofl the point of the sword, at pointed beyond the grave for iJe.v; nDgdom." Some one has said irmed prophets always establish leir claims" upon the game principle lat '-fortune always favors the heay-. ist battalions." The remark contains deep sarcasm. It might be sai<f ith entire truth of Mahomei and his iligion. Islamism fed the pridi^ rifishness and appetites of its vota* ies, and was borne upon the conquer ig arms of the Saracens "paripfimL,n ith the empire of the Kalif! Bat 10 Cnristian religion had jao such leans for its propagation.' At flnrt , had no followers bat humble, no* nown persons, and no oonnection ith cmvfirnmfint other than to feel s scorn, contempt and power in., 7ery conceivable form of persecution. ; had to succeed?if it succeeded at II?upon the inherent strength of its wn merits, the sublimity of its own Dctrines, against mountains of oblo ly, against the colossal power of the istress of the world, ana against the itablished hierarchy of the jeakws 3ws, who, seeing in it the destruction 'Judaism, opposed it with all the ran >r of religious hatred and desnai^aild dually assisted unconsciously in its tablishment by putting to death its under and many of his followers 1 We Have seen some wnere a iitue mday-school picture of Paal preack g at Athens, -which is foil of i&orst iblimity. How nmoh it oxprew! ow .many classic associations it achcs! Paul the heroic?the expo jot of the true spiritual religion then jw and strango. On Mar's hill. At thcns the classic, in sight of the cropolis and tne Jfartnenon, tne very ntro of Greece, "the famed land of ittle and of song," standing in tho )en air upon the pedestal' of a mag ficent marble column, under the ;ry caves of the Pantheon?a mere ranger and exile and wanderor, ithout power or authority, fearlessly caching the resurrection and the dgmont to come; and relying ex usively upon the truth of his doc inep, not only for success in bis ission of love, but for the poor priv )ge of being allowed to live I The idieuco is a motley throng of Greeks, sws and Gentiles, with here and UI'C ViOlUiC tiJC O^iuuvnuu xiviujvv v?. Roman soldier. Some are seated on e ground, some are standing, and I seem to bang npon the bold words ' him whom they called "the bab erwhen, inspired by the dronm (inccs aronnd him, the apostle to e Gentiles rises to the height of the oat snbjcct whioh stirs within m, and proclaims, "Ye men of Ath is ! I perceive that in all things ye o too suporstitioas, for as I passed r and boheld your devotions, I found i altar with this inscription, 'To the iknowr God,' whom therefore you. norantly worship him. declare I i to yon." In opposition to Judaism, in oppo? iion to polytheism, in opposition to e prejudices and passions of men, id in opposition to the political >wer of the nations, the Christian re tion proclaimed by the humble and ispised Nazarene, with its passive tctrines, denouncing violence and oodshcd, preaching restraint and U'UUUbiUl, ^HUUlttllUlu^ |jvavv. vu irtli and good will towards men " ado its silont, unassisted way in the iman heart and founded the Chris* z? Ckwch, which, surviving every iriety of persecution in its early his* ?ry, cortainly down to the cofever* nn of Constantino?surviving also the mflicts of innumerable sects god (isms which vexed and lacerated its ivn bosom?of Arians, Sabellians, ostoritfns, Collyrideans, JJazarenea, iomosians, Homousiaus and others* eatkered the dark tionnqf the midilfagu, lien she alone rode, amidst darkn^M 3d tempest, on the dsluge beneath bich all the great works of ancient ower and wisdom lay entombed, earing within her that feeble germ, om which a second and moro glori Lis civilization was to spring I Thai rand structure, the Christian Church, earing the unmistakable marks of ntiquity, of the storms of nearly two aousand 3*cars which have beat upon has como down to us, and purged f its corruptions and reformed of it* buses, is now the most venorabta