ceit, who will produce, as their own, objections to religion as old as history; as unanswerable, objections refuted thousands of times; feeble, knock-kneed arguments, as destructive of that religion the saints professed and hosts of Christian martyrs defended with their lives! How many men there are, who, in the pride of their hearts — because, forsooth, they have delved deeply in science, literature, or art — who have learned everything except to recognize how little they know, do not hesitate to pass judgment on religion, as did Pontius Pilate on Our Saviour; and treat her as he treated Christ — as a fool or an impostor! Ignorant pride and human respect. Here is the second cause of irreligion. Pride and ignorance are mental defects, but human respect is a disease of the will, a lack of moral backbone; the misfortune of those who " are ashamed to profess the faith of Christ crucified." But it is not always the head that is at fault; more often it is the heart, and here we have the third and last cause of irreligion — human passion. There is no virtue religion does not inculcate, no vice she does not denounce; and sooner shall heaven and earth pass away than she forego one iota of her law for any man. Hence the sinner, unwilling to give up his darling devil, is, by consistency, forced body and soul into the ranks of unbelievers, according to Christ's own words: " No man can serve two masters," and "He that is not with Me is against Me."
Brethren, I would not tire you by rehearsing the arguments with which the irreligious seek to justify
