Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker volume 3.djvu/201

188 thing, failing when we rely on it most, and, beside that, falling upon our heads.

But what can stand against the spirit of mankind? Chain the wind! Let me see yon! It bloweth where it listeth. In the sixteenth century the free-thinkers of Europe, who were only the head of a column of doubt which reached across the dark ages, attacked the infallibility of the Romish church. Down went the outer wall, and through its wide breach all North Germany, Scandinavia, Anglo-Saxondom, with half Holland and Switzerland, marched forth to new fields. In vain did atheistic Rome let off her mock lightnings and stage thunders at Luther and Calvin; the Latin herd of bulls went down before the terrible charge of Teutonic horse, led by such champions as Gustavus and Cromwell. The whole camp of Christian theology was in confusion.

Other free-thinkers followed; the Socinians, with their coadjutors, attacked the Trinity. " God is one," said they, "not triple; Jesus is not Jehovah; the Son not the Father. God cannot be born, be a baby, a boy, a man, and then die. It is not in the Bible ; if it were, we would believe it; we renounce the Trinity "So there rose up the Unitarians—not very numerous, but powerful through their arguments and character. In turn the Trinitarians screamed their maledictions. "You are no followers of Jesus, not Christians; you have denied the Lord that bought you. God not die! Did not God the Father make bare his red right arm, and on Calvary stab through and kill his only begotten Son?' Without God manifested in Christ, we should not know any God at all. You are Atheists!" But a new breach was made in the mediaeval wall of Christendom, and other men marched forth. The whole citadel of theology was again in peril.

Then kind-hearted men, free-thinking further yet, said, "There can be no such thing as eternal damnation; God is not a devil, He is a Father; there is no future torment at all, or if any, it is correction in love, not revenge in hate. Listen to all these blessed beatitudes of Old Testament and New; eternal hell is not in the Bible: if it were we should believe it." A great outcry was made against these lovers of mankind. " What I give up hell;