WHO IS THE GREATEST ENEMY?

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I remember at the beginning of the century, atheists were had in abhorrence, partly on account of the prominent part which they took in the French Revolution. But all this seems forgotten. To what are we to attribute the change of feeling?

It is sheer imbecility on our part. It is not want of zeal, for there is plenty of zeal in many ways, but an absurd and almost mean deference to intellect, as it is falsely termed a cowardly fear to speak out boldly in the face of the braggarts of a false liberalism.

Is

Now I wish to ask a plain question, which may perhaps place this matter on a right footing. Who is the greatest enemy a man can have? it he who robs him of his fortune and reduces him to beggary? Is it he who filches from him his good name by malicious slander? Is it he who ruins his domestic happiness? These things are hard for a man to bear, but they are not the worst. Is it he who insults him publicly, kicks him, spits in his face? No, these things may be borne by Christians. Is it the man who inflicts on him some grievous bodily harm, lames him for life, throws vitriol into his eyes and blinds him, sets fire to his house and burns him with all his family? No, there is a greater enemy than this. These are only temporal injuries. No, the worst enemy a man can have is the man who destroys

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INFIDELS OUR GREATEST ENEMIES.

his soul eternally, robs him of his faith in CHRIST, and so deprives him of his inheritance in heaven. All Christians know and believe this, if they would but speak out.

Again, who is the greatest enemy of his country? Surely he who spreads infidelity and atheism, renders men wicked and cruel, ready for every evil deed, free from the wholesome influence of the law of CHRIST, without restraint on their evil lusts and passions. Imagine for one moment, if you can, what would be the condition of England if the atheists had their way, if the masses of our people had no love of GoD, no regard for His laws, no fear of hell, no hope of heaven,

Again, who is the greatest enemy of the human race? Surely he who thwarts the merciful design of God's good providence for the amelioration and salvation of mankind-the man who, as far as his power extends, checks the progress of the Gospel of Truth, by promulgating infidel opinions, and so impedes the onward progress of God's kingdom upon earth.

We all know these things perfectly well, but we think it illiberal, or bigoted, or uncharitable to say so, as if truth ought not to be spoken at any rate.

Now I am addressing Christians. If, as our name imports, we verily believe that GOD sent His Only-begotten SoN into the world to seek

THE WORSE FOR THEIR SINCERITY.

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and to save those which were lost-that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life, surely there can be but one answer to the question, Who are the men who are doing the greatest injury to mankind? It is impossible to deny that the impugners of the Gospel of Truth are, next to Satan himself, the worst enemies of GOD and man.

Yet in the present day there is such a vile servile feeling abroad—such a weak vacillating spirit, that Christians are positively afraid to avow their sentiments, and maintain their convictions. Some will say, "We disapprove of these sceptics and infidels as much as you do, but they may be conscientious and sincere." I earnestly hope for their own sakes it may be so. But it is evident that their very conscientiousness and sincerity, if it be so, will only make them more mischievous, more likely to persuade men to reject the truth. We must not relax in our endeavours to maintain the truth, and save the unwary from ruin, because the impugners of the truth may be conscientious.

But they are clever, men of intellect, culture, and so forth. That I take the liberty to deny. Who is the most unwise man-(I will not use a less complimentary expression)—Who is the most unwise of men? Is it he who squanders his fortune in riotous living-or ruins himself by gam

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INFIDELS NOT REALLY SCIENTIFIC.

bling or horse-racing-or enters into ruinous speculations against the advice of all his friends

-or destroys his health by vicious excesses? These men are desperately unwise. But surely their folly is not to be compared with the folly of that man who misses the grand object of his existence-who, when he might be happy for ever, condemns himself to eternal misery by rejecting the gracious offer of salvation made to him in the blessed Gospel. And if, as it is too often the case, this man is the means of leading others to perdition, it is impossible to conceive a being more infatuated and mischievous, or one whom we should be more determined to resist with all our might.

But it will be said, what wonderful discoveries these men of science have made-how have they promoted arts and civilization-the discovery of the power of steam-gas-photography—electric telegraphs-surely men who have invented things like these are entitled to our respect and gratitude. Here is a great fallacy. The men who have made all these valuable discoveries are not the same men who blaspheme GOD, and deny His existence. Tell me of one person who has made any great practical discovery in art and science, and at the same time makes it his business to disseminate atheism. No. They are quite another sort of persons. The men who have bene

success.

TRUE CHARACTER OF ATHEISTS.

fited the world by their valuable discoveries are men who stick to their proper work-whose minds are set on scientific matters. Hence their skill and The scientific atheists-are men who leave their proper work undone and busy themselves about other matters-intruding their crude speculations into the department of religion. They are a totally different sort of persons from those to whom the world is really indebted for the advancement of civilization-altogether an inferior class. Nay, they have retarded civilization, by depreciating that which is the greatest help to civilization-the Christian Faith.

But again it will be said, these men are very clever, and agreeable, and give very amusing lectures; moreover, they have a great zeal for the doctrines which they teach; yes, and for these very reasons they are only the more dangerous. All their cleverness and earnestness does but tend to the deceiving of men's souls. They may be all that you say, clever, agreeable, zealous, but for all that they are doing more than any other class of men for the temporal and eternal ruin of individuals, and of the whole human family. Not the most blood-thirsty tyrant who ever lived, the aggressor in the most destructive war, has done one half or one tenth of the mischief which has been done by these deniers of GOD and depravers of Revealed Truth.