Jenks's Portland gazette., 1802-06-28
20 tbs G;nitor Of tie ,3ortisun eG7etw.
ElM TREES, aob June. 1901,


SIX,
HAVE read, with very great pleafure, the
ordination iermon you were 10 kind as to fsnd
me. II is upon futjea lhave always wifhed
to lee treated more particularly, and explicitly
relative to the neesgty Of human lear6ing in a
teacher, than is uiually done in ordination fer
mons. The fuppofed dslicacy Of the fitua,icn
Of the clergy may have prevented thei- beng
70 explicit, on this topic, as they otherwile
might have been. Perhaps, toe, there yet re
mans. in The minds of lome, confufed mex
phcable notion of divine aid beng impaired TO
teachers of religion, different from the retult of
the ordinary means of gaining k owledge -
But if lea ning aud general Information in arts
and fciences be ufeful IN teacher. and il there
are, in theie times, no fatisfaetory evidence, or
AT moR but doubtful proof of the Deity's in
terpofng 10 illuminate the minds OF men TO
qualify them 10 dfpence divine truths 10 the
great body Of The people who have no more,
and perhaps lefs knowledge than thete teachers,
IT is high time for this delfcaey TO yield to a
more rational principle do not he!iiate. TO
acknowledge that, with all the natural means
of gaining knowledge, in divine things, the
world is now poheaed OF, do not fee any rea-
fon why We thould expea fpsoial aids in tbefe,
rather than information il our worldly affairs.
many of which, il is acknowledged, eates mott
etenrially to the general happinefs of mankind
When | confdcr the fituation man was pla.
ced in at his creation there IS no queltion il my
mind but the Deity inte pofed fri to teach him
what is Included II the arr of taxing care Of tie
5oay before be attempted TO lead the mind OF
this novne 10 fpiritual iubieas and it ieems
= t,L,an hal
taught his frtt man or lcDe of his defendants,
in an extraor binary manner, that IS, nairacu-
lou1y. The great priaciplcs, which revelation and
reaion now concuf in declaring to US, ought TO
regulate our fentmcnts ard affections towards
hnn, we never could have ditcovered them -
Hence what may be iaid to have been )uPsynafn.
raj 10 them may be conlidered as natu al to US.
DeiRs have fome correct notions OF religion,
bur they are all de ivsd from means, fome time
or other, of the extraord binary and miraculous
kind Chrihians fay, and fay truly, they have
the knowledge Of life and Immortality by the
g. fpel of Jefus Chrift Some deilts declare that
10 lar as ilis knowledge Includes belief OF
future RAte of exiaence, and OF rewards and
punilhments beyond the grave, they have and
believe it alfo but contend that they got it,
and all men may obtain it by what they call
the ordinary means of acquiring knowledge and
fcience. There is one ferie in which this IS
true for this knowledge being wrote IN the
fcrptures, what more is neoehary than for men
70 read, or have thefe books read 10 them 70
gain all the knowledge on ,his fnblstt, that de-
ITS have ? The error of eelHs commits 10 their
fuppoting they have got their knowledge, iuch
as i is. from Rudy and contemplation OF the
works Of nature and NOT out of theie books -
Here diiingu III between the .jmfe kneeDiedge,
or concs spton of the ideas OF life and immor-
ralitv, and an oper atiee belief OF that doefrne.
La this diliinaion will be found more fatal
error Of deiim and into which all antireUeiat'0n
;Rt fail Experience will demonGrate that IN
the fenfe here explained, the knowledge OF HE
aad immortality as admitted by deilts, has very
lite if any power over their lives a chriitian
teacher ought not only 10 have this knowledge
as unbelievers have il, but 10 be able TO exhibit
a rnoral amonfrntion. if | may be allowed the
phrafe, OF all the miraculous facts and circum-