| Show OPPOSITION If we Wf look back bick ullOn the early lurl his ie I II toP IMI I of Ot the church one j Ing InK turA among amon others Is le sure aura to flu itt our attention and nl that Is I that Ihal the tIu objections to the th Christian religion i then urged by b the philosophers are es Ill the mo as A advanced tn in our day hy h the tha opponents of af the th luti I as fl 8 preached by hI h the tho Latter da las lio mints There Is ta nothing new newt t under the sun iUn un Ien the arguments nf or infidelity ore are the thc same I mr In every eer IK 1 The writings writing of or the theu u 11 I nn en Illustration of or this ill 1 I M i 1 probably lived lIed In the middle if r f to t I century Christianity had F thin Ih i lIen bean In n the world longer than thans whitt s hit In II I coiled l M has hac hn been heen In III our age I e Tho The world had had ample opportunity to understand i Its he doctrines and arid observe Its Ill II fruits In Inthe Inthe the live nf fir f men and women lInt Hut It would not see Mee N It refused to believe boll w WId WeeM s tt philosopher probably I or of the school chool Hn HJ WAS trained to 10 thinking and possess poeM possessed ed d great critical power One of or hi hili objections Is Ic I that the believe blindly without research or nr reason He lie Ir quotes them thus Ho to tint not Investigate only he Hove lieve faith saves C es you ou Ho lie o represents them further ns oc saying a So No educated ed cl no wise person Ir on may nicy mR come om but bul If it I anyone anonA Is II Ignorant uneducated as CM ni a achild ahlI achild child ho may flay na voile come me In 11 nil all ni confidence concerning the Christian sects he het t 4 ly H In the tho beginning when the Christians were few lew they worn worA united bill hl when they the Increased In number they divided Into Inlo that contradict tEl til each other and had only tho Ihu th name In ir common teIsU would of o course tint not take the trouble or of Investigating the Ih claims of or the various arlou divisions It I Itta ta 11 enough for tr or him to find a 1 point nf or attack His II next charge Watt that the tle th Christians had har nothing of or o the ac ne accessories of ot o other religions no tent tem temples i ples I no pictures no attars He lie le hem I em a miserable generation cling clinging clingI t I lag ing to anti and loving losing sensualities s Ing to accept anything but what they c can recognize by hy the aid alI of ot their 3 f Jk semes In other words hn he h accuse I b j ji them of or using being gross Irol materialists anti and all antiI I iI reminds them that God cnn only on bo be beti ti t seen c i by b the eye eP 1 of o the spirit Another accusation la ht i that the 4 I Christians have hae ha changed their Hible I He HI says Aaa Many Man of the th believers wilt who ho I have hae come rome to themselves as aM from an ani i intoxicated condition change the tho ij gospel 1011 narrative threefold fourfold the original In Ink if Mid ani mn k I older to he be able HIlie to deny that which tir they the are aro accused of or it H 1 lie nho brings ti 1 it forth UH as ni 1 a folly toll of o Christianity that l j the ti Christians Invite sinners Ht lie H sae Into the I i Those Thoe who Issue Invitations I I mysteries of ot other religions religion make lake It itI I I known beforehand b 0 11 that th they tho y may mA 4 come who lire clean dean of all al spots who lire ro conscious of or no evil wl anti who ht I hue have lived a K good 1000 and righteous life Irl J This they th proclaim beforehand who vio j promise cleansing from sin Min Hut lot let lotus letu I i us u i hear what hat the other oilier ithe the Chris Christians hrie I thins tans say 1 Whoever Is hi I a n sinner u II aI I fool a n youngster In n R word who whoever 4 I 1 ever vr er Is III miserable him hll the tho kingdom of ot oth h h Ii h God iI will wili wi receive Anti And then Ihen i he ht n asks ks Iff Il I not Christ sent rent lent for those A P I r who tire Ire without sin Celsus know t U jJ nothing thing of ot the tho regenerating force Corce of the tilt It 1 Gospel GOStI Ho lie knew not rIot that even Iven an ant c t r lr can cnn be b redeemed and made malle en entirely eni 7 i It new nw creature through II faith baptism and the tho gift ti r rJ I t ance i Celsus It U I II il Ghoul says I the th lie Holy CI 1 1 J l clear to nil ni that nobody cnn can one on onI I I L I I whose nature and Ind habit has b become bom come I J t I Ir If sinful even oven by b punishment how ho much h i r I I Ill i b by b compassion ilce It I Is hi most mOil r t V I difficult to 10 change what shat has ha become f I f I f nature lature Hut Dut those thoe who Are without sin sinare j l i 1 t i tj are bettor better companions for life lre I 0 1 i r p Celsus naturally became n a scoffer I t hi when he ho treated on the tho Christian dot doc doctrines doti o i ti trines trifles of or the atonement and resurrection I t tint tion ton Ho Ic it denied the tho story ItOI of or tho resurrection I Ii I i I f of o Christ and Ills II appearance 11 I r 1 jitter after Cor tho the crucifixion and classed that thet I t I i story with nUh tho thit h fables o concerning o ghosts h hI I t I t i apparitions I 0 I for the ii i I i 1 philosophers of ot his hil time 1 lt and give geM us I Ii usI I s I An nn Idea Ido of af the spirit which the r i S q of the Ih Master hAd to corn cam It U I hat In Jewish Jewl h circles the folly rol of 1 r e t the th gospel must mut have hae appeared still stillI I j f noro Inre pronounced l ns as a tho th Christian 1 i I proclaimed 1 that He lie H who was w slain on oni i Char en Be I n a malefactor was W as the theLI Son Sn SnIt of nt God Go and the Ih of or their dream LI I U It f ji and BS es they th offered ofIe a R new nw collection of 0 I J sacred writings In corroboration of or this Ihl IhlI ii I i Irrational statement A new I l Bible Dible An addition In to the his th Old Scrip Scriptures crp t 5 totes tures turl 4 11 l J The similarity of ot if the tho position of or L Christianity s 2 that age ae between wean the th philosophical schools of or the pagans und and 1 the theology tholo of o the Jews Jew and ant the th position pod I t tion ton of or the th Gosp l today tOA the IhA i I I various sects with wih more or le I less il WI leth tendencies U is Indeed striking The hf j I I claims w we moke for fr the th Prophet Joseph Josephi i 1 L and the nook Book of or Mormon Murmon apper aper alfr se sek s k foolish to the worldly wold I critics critic of or today as I did the claims of the th Ort first Chi Is I z 9 fh I Hans lan to tn Celsus Hut nut th Ih the y art are at true tr I I t I I nevertheless And the Ih Investigator i L 1 j I j must bear beai bar In mind that the foolish I I f I W rio 1 of God Oo Is I wiser Iciest than men and nil andt u t I t the th e weakness weB k ke of o God G 1 Is II stronger than I l I men en and that God hath bath chosen the things tIng of f the world to con confound confound found the thc We and God Oo hath halh cloen the weak thing thin of ot the tho world to con found fount the things aro are mighty nl ht philosophers t ton to o rt n failed t grasp this wonderful principle of o phi philosophy and Ind therefore ire failed to ap RI appreciate tI tho the precious truth of or Chris Christianity Philosophers of itt Ir our tur age aKe tile are lre apt to fall Into the th same error end and Ind re reject r jeet the tue the they full fall to lu recognize In lii II It 1 the principled principle of f unknown to human humal wisdom Hut it l I la In a n power for or salvation und and no one can an hinder It 1 from rom corn filling filing Its 18 mission |
