Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker volume 3.djvu/200

Rh vine," of "miraculous origin." The Catholic priest says, "The church is all glorious, not a spot or blemish on her," and "out of the church is no salvation." The Protestant minister says, "The Scriptures are all Divine, no human wrinkle in the Divine leaves, where inspiration yet flutters, and wherein revelation is written; out of the Bible there is no salvation! "It is easy to be mistaken; it is also not difficult to deceive others, at least to make the attempt. Is this innocent error, or pernicious deception? The clergy are the most learned body in Christendom; are they also the most stupid? Men will answer this question as they must. The church and the state are ruled by men tempted alike, perhaps equally honest. There is wicked legislation, wicked doctrinization—good also in both kinds.

These Ecclesiastical Institutions of Christendom contain much good; but their worst things rest on the same "Divine revelation," and claim the same "supernatural authority." The same "revelation" gives us God and the dreadful malignity of God; a little spot of heaven it gives us, and then crowds humanity down into its bottomless hell, roaring with that infernal sea's immeasurable taunt at our endless agony. The same fountain gives us a little brook of sweet fair water, enough for a household, and then drowns the world in a deluge of hell-fire.

A chain is no stronger than its weakest link; if the rest be of iron, and one joint only be of straw, when the weight is put on the chain snaps in its weakest part. With these notorious faults in it, the "miraculous communication from God," its "infallible revelation," the "authoritative rule," is good for nothing; its "hell" destroys its "heaven," and the malignant and foolish character it ascribes to God makes its testimony as to the existence of God utterly worthless. The chain which let down God to our sight breaks off at the link of devil. Allow me to take the chain to pieces, and use the good sound metal, either in its present form when thus serviceable, or as old iron to be heated afresh and wrought into new shapes for use or beauty, it is of great value. The links of sand and straw may go for what they are worth, the magazine of iron serves our purpose. But if we must use it as a chain, it is not only good for nothing, holding no weight, but still worse than no-