Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."Bradlaugh, Charles
Religion
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."
Bradlaugh, Charles
Rationalists -- Biography
"That table is a snare, that cup is deadly poison that bread shall
send thy soul to Hell. Well, then! try again, believer: perhaps you had
better join the Missionary Society, and subscribe to send these glad
tidings of these blessed privileges, and this jolly eating and drinking,
to the Heathen. Why, then; you have Christ's own assurance, that when
you shall have made one proselyte, you shall just have done him the
kindness of making him twofold more the child of Hell than yourself.
Mat. xxiii. 15. Is the believer liable to the ordinary gusts of passion,
and in a passion shall he drop the hasty word, 'thou fool!' for that one
word 'he shall be in danger of Hell fire.' Mat. v. 22. Nay, Sirs! this
isn't the worst of the believer's danger. Would he but keep his legs and
arms together, and spare his own eyes and limbs; he doth by that very
mercy to himself damn his eyes and limbs--and hath Christ's assurance
that it would have been profitable for him rather to have plucked out
his eyes, and chopt off his limbs, and so to have wriggled and groped
his way through the 'Straight gate and the narrow way that leadeth unto
life,' than having two eyes and two arms, or two legs, to be cast into
Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their 'worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.' Mark ix. 43. Well, then! will
the believer say, what were all the miracles and prophecies of both
the Old and the New Testament for those unquestionable miracles, and
clearly-accomplished prophecies, if it were not that men should believe?
Why, absolutely, they were the very arguments appointed by God himself
to show us that men should not believe, but that damnation should be
their punishment if they did believe. 'To the law and the testimony.'"
Sirs! These are the very words:--'Of miracles, saith God's word, 'They
are the spirits of devils, that work miracles.' Rev. xvi. 14. And it
is the Devil who 'deceiveih them which dwell on the earth, by means of
those miracles which he hath power to do.' Rev. xiii. 14. So much for
miracles. Is it on the score of prophets and of prophecies, then, that
you will take believing to be the safe side? Then 'thus saith the Lord
of Hosts, the God of Israel, the prophets prophesy falsely and the
priests bear rule by their means.' Jer. v. 31. 'The prophet is a fool:
the spiritual man is mad.' Hosea i. 7. 'Thus saith the Lord of Hosts:
hearken not unto the prophets.' Jer. xxiii. 15. 'O Israel, thy prophets
are like the foxes of the desert.' Ezekiel xiii. 4. 'They lie unto
thee.' Jerem. xiv. 14. 'And they shall be tormented day and night
forever and ever.' Rev. xx. 10. 'And the punishment of the prophet shall
be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him.' Ezekiel xiv.
10. Nay more, then, it is, when God hath determined to damn men, that
he, in every instance, causeth them to become believers, and to have
faith in divine Revelation, in order that they may be damned. Believers,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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