The Heathen Inexcusable for Their Idolatry [pp. 427-448]

1860.] The Heathen inexcusable for their Idolatry.
men, magnifying their virtues and concealing their faults, until
they stand out as something more than human. We may, for
instance, in the laudation which we bestow on such men as
Washington, pave the way for idolatrous regard, even if it do
not terminate-which God forbid-in idolatrous worship. Con fucius was a mere man, and is never styled anything else, yet
he is considered in China as greater than any of their gods,
and he is worshipped in the same way, with the same forms
and ceremonies. There may be more reason than we allow
ourselves to suspect for the admonition of the apostle, "Little
children, keep yourselves from idols." We are to avoid its
beginnings, its tendencies-to take heed that when we know
God, we neglect not to glorify him as God; to take heed lest
we exalt the creature above or in the place of the Creator.
Error arises not merely from the darkness without, from the
want of evidence in the things that are made, but also from
the darkness within, from the disposition of the natural heart
to hide from God. Everywhere man is fighting against God;
the truth pouring into his soul, and he rejecting it. Written
or unwritten, be he Idolater, Pharisee, or Romanist, he seeks
to make void the truth of God by his traditions. He does not
like to retain God in his knowledge. The first Adam is still
manifest in all his posterity seeking to hide from God. The
voice of the Lord is heard, the sound of his steps echoes
through all his works; but man is naked-has no robe of
righteousness to cover himself-is afraid, and hides himself.
We have thus seen that the logical tendencies of the human
mind would lead most directly to the worship of one God,
instead of many. Again, we have seen that in actual experience in history, Monotheism has been the primary belief of
the more prominent heathen nations, and that they have departed by slow but sure steps from this fundamental truth.
We now wish to show that the testimony of revealed religion
is in the same direction; that the Bible regards men, independently of its pages, as having sufficient opportunity for
gaining a knowledge of the true God, and consequently as
without excuse for their idolatry. This testimony may be considered as both direct and indirect.
If we take the indirect testimony, we are at once struck with
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