WHAT DOES INFIDELITY PROPOSE TO DO?
By M. Hull
Or late I have learned a lesson by conversing with infidels. I once thought infidelity was a system, doctrine, creed or theory, adopted and set forth in due form. But this is not the case. It is not a system, it affirms nothing, believes nothing, promises nothing—is nothing. A negative can be prefixed to almost any truth and they will believe it. They believe in no-theory, no-creed, no-organization, no-principles, no-conditions of initiation into their fellowship, no-law, no-Bible, no-Devil, no-Saviour, no-God. It consists of negatives, it neglects all law, all system, all testimony and all promises. It builds up nothing, it ignores all authority and government, it does not regard consistency, morals, character or anything of the kind. Its object is to deny all truth. Every argument advocated by an opponent is met with, "I don't believe;" as though their unbelief would destroy all evidence! Infidels do not propose to build anything; their object is not to show "a more excellent way," "a high-way of holiness," but to turn us out of "the old paths." Their mission is to pull down. They never organize, but always disorganize. They come not to save, but to destroy. Their work is easily done, because it is all tearing down, disorganizing and deranging. The reason why they are so hard to discomfit is because they have nothing to defend. Their work is simply to stand off and throw fire-brands into the camp of the saints. They object to the Bible, 1. Because it teaches the immortality of the soul, and 2. Because it does not teach the immortality of the soul. Thus they fire in from every quarter. Their work is to spread destruction as wide as possible, and then tantalize the servant of God with "I can tear down faster than you can build up." This is true. "One sinner destroyeth much good." One incendiary can burn buildings faster than ten men can build them—tear up more Rail-Road track than one hundred men can put down. One enemy can sow more tares than twenty farmers can pull up. As before stated, their business is not to build up, but to pull down. They attack the Bible, the church, and consequently morals, peace, happiness &c. Their commission says, Go and make war upon the Bible and its truths, religion and its friends. There is no "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to men," in their mission. Theirs is a message of hatred toward the Bible and all it contains. Their object is to spread desolation among other men's labors, and lay their work in ruins, leaving nothing but wrecks behind them. Their appeal is to the lukewarm, backslidden or apostate,—not to rescue him, but to bid him God-speed in his downward course. To destroy his confidence in his brethren, his religion, his Bible, and his GOD. To intimidate and discourage him from all good forever. Infidelity never has enlightened, civilized nor ennobled a nation or people in the world. That is not its business. Here I assert that it is impossible to point to any good that can possibly grow out of infidelity. Have infidels ever organized society, established peace and order, civil institutions, or a system of morals? Never. They deny everything, and prove nothing. They doubt this, dispute that, and don't believe the other, and in nine cases out of ten cannot give a reason for their doubts and fears. It requires no talent or learning to be an infidel; all that is required is to know how to deny everything. The most illiterate blockhead under the sun can deny as stoutly as the man of education and ability. I have heard persons who never read the Bible through in their lives (and I doubt whether some of them had ever read the Elementary Spelling-book), talk of inconsistencies, incongruities and absurdities in the Bible as learnedly as if they had committed the whole Bible to memory. Any blockhead can deny the Bible, and take a leap into the dark; but I cannot see what should cause him to do it. He risks all, loses everything, without the possibility of gaining anything in this world or the world to come. They do not pretend that the world would be any better for embracing their denials of truth than they would be for rejecting them. They say they oppose the Bible because it is a fable. But why do they not pitch into other fables? Uncle Tom's Cabin is a fictitious work which has an extensive circulation, why do not infidels spend a part of their time fighting it? "How can ye believe that receive honor one of another," is the true ground of infidel objections. But I cannot tell how they intend to benefit the world by their doctrines. M. HULL.
Fairfield, Iowa.