honest
thought; who is not true to himself; who enslaves his fellow man; who
charges that God was once in favor of slavery. If there is any God,
that man is a blasphemer. They're afraid we'll injure God. How? Is
infinite goodness and mercy to become livid with wrath because a finite
being expresses an opinion? I cannot help the infinite. That man only
is the good man who helps his fellow man. I know then who would do
anything for God, who doesn't need it, but nothing for men, who do need
it. Why should God be so particular about my believing his book? It's
no more his work than the stars of gravitation. Yet I may declare that
the earth is flat, and he'll not damn me for that. But if I make a
mistake about that book I'm gone. I can blaspheme the multiplication
table and deify the power of the wedge--in fact, the less I know the
better my chance will be. I say that book is not inspired, and there
is no infinitely good God who will damn one human soul. At the
judgment, if I am mistaken I own up--I am here, I do not know where I
came from, nor where I am going--I'll be honest about it. I am on a
ship and not on speaking terms with the captain, but I propose to have
a happy voyage, and the best way is to do what you can to make your
fellow passengers happy. If we run into a good port, I'll be as happy
an angel as you'll meet that day. Blasphemy is the cry of a defeated
priest--the black flag of theology--it shows where argument stops and
slander and persecution begin. I am told by Mr. Talmage that whoever
contradicts this word is a fool, a howling wolf, one of the assassins
of God. I presume the gentleman is honest. Take Mr. Talmage, now, he
is a good man. Mr. Humboldt, he was another good man. What Humboldt
knew and what Talmage didn't know would make a library.

The next charge is that I have said the universe was made of nothing,
according to the bible. False in one thing, false in all, he says.
Think of that rule. Let us apply that to man. If the world was
created, what was it make of? and who made that? If the Lord created
it, what did He make it of? Nothing. That's all He had. No sides, no
top, nothing. Yet God had lived there forever. What did He think
about? What did He do? Nothing. Nothing had ever happened. All at
once He made something. What did He make it of? Mr. Talmage explains.

He says if I knew anything I would know that God made this world out of
His omnipotence. He might