Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1812-11-30

controversy With inhdsi philosophy
nut the parents and guardians Of virtue
were brought into suspicion and distrusti
not because they were found to be IN.
competent to the task, or had betrayed
their trust. but under an assumption OF
the sufaciency of human nature 70 disco
yer truth and virtue, and to fellow them
vithoat adyentitioas aid or instruction.
To the practical and habitual neglect OF
the infant mind, & it's moral blindness 9.
very where observable, nay be placed all
the rnoral psculisri,iesot the presentsges'
A Child may grow up in the m':st OF ci'
viization and religion, and without eau
catiop, nay remain ina savage and hea-
then ignorance. Fat the same time ne
is made TO believe Gas he easily nay bsl
that he is the very heir OF wisdom itssit'
he will probably treat every BODY 9ao
differs from hirs in opinion or offers hl'a
advice as a fool, or tyrant seeking to
enslays his mind.
The primitive teachers OF religion,
while they acted up to the obllgs'lon OF
obedience to God, duly appreciated sub
ordinate human authorities, and the ne
cesshv of obedience to them IN every
case which was consistent with con-
science void of oGsnce towards God
Hence they have left US such precePts
=, ,be following 4" Children obey your
parents IL the Lord, for this Is right. =
= sbev magistrates, Sc" At length, al
ter a long and severe conflict, the pro-
Tossing christians succeeded in en,isting
the pa,ernal and legal authorities ID their
favor ; but it soon appeared that mar
tyrdom aad miracles had not Supplied
the want of education, which in a long
ne,iod of spiritual warfare must have
been greatly restricted. A miracle
might be a sufficient evidence to those
who saw it that he by whom it was
wrought was a tsachsr sent from Gcd
But what unheard Of miracle could trans
nit the knowledge and experience OF
christians to unhora generations, or to
multitudes of the cotemporary genera
ton who could neither hear the preach
er nor see lis miracles. When all that
Part Of Asia minor which lay contiguous
to Ephesus, heard the word from st.
Paul, during his three years ministry IN
those parts, We u@y sa'eiy AFFIRM
that none of the infant children coa!d
have been directly and immediately be
u. fitted, and but a few Indirectly except
those hose parents we're c"nveited. and
had the means ard disposition to teach
them the principle, o!rr!'slon. Do we
not impose upen OURSELVES by a false as
societion Of ideas when - '?kiHT OF the
" oarrup.ions Of religion = When we
are told OF the corruptions Of christiani'
ty in anv age, may not the TACT be ad-
mitted and be accounted Tor without sup
posing the agency Of false ssshers, &c.
Nothing is more necessary 10 produce
such an effect than to allow tine for a
religious order Of men !e die, and ano.
Their TO succeed to :heir place who bad
not been educated in the same pr.ncl-
pies. or formed to the same habits.
Only let the original ignorance OF hu-
man nature be admitted, ard n'thing
mere will be wanted to prove hat the
religion efthe middle ages. and the con
dition of the church must have been
Just such, as history assures 1t was.
How often las the progress of religious
education been suspended by long and
blood, wars by political commissions
and revolutions, and by conqucsts which
have exterminatcd civilized men, ard
transplaute1 barbarians i,.to their place
destitute Of the know!s sc OF letters,
&C.? But while review Of the past,
constrains us to ;1epierc the fatal effects
of original ignorance, which from uaa-
voidsb!e events or false maxims. has
prevailed in every age and eountcrac:cd
the influence Of the Gospel. My we
not derive hope from this nelsnchoiY
review II is trpc that ages have pass
ed away and the church has realized
more Of those glorious things spoken of
the CITY Of Gcd It's true that the eyes
of The faithful baye become weary with
looking for tho accomplishment CT the
ancient oracles but it is ns less true,
that those mcans necessary to bring d.
bout those ends have not yet gene into
operation : and 1t is alse true, that the
causes which have prevented their ope
ration have all been foreign from the
gospel. Had there ever been time
when a fair experiment Of Christianity
vas made, a time when the whole Cos
pei was un;eI stood, hot only by its mi
nisters, bst BY parents and Legislators,
and they had all conspired net only to
teach and enforce subsection to the di.
vine viii, but to use every proper means
to dissipate the original and universal
ignorance Of the infant mind, and to
promste and confirm the habits of o.
bedience had 20 foreign and cruel Toe
broken in upon this course of expert
msnt, and had it failed in the attainment
of any Of the ends and objects OF the
prophecies, then indeed might the hopes
of Christians be much depressed; then