Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-04-23
n rsE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.

may be considered almost out Of sea
to reply to Us last communication.
when he is informed ] am man that
2 in q measure to obtain my living by
+, sweat Of my brow, he will excuse my
:, ny, as not having time at all seasons
apply myself in this way. In looking
r. his last observe at least one truth
It is, that neel an instructor. am
y certain that without an instructor /
Md know but it'll. but l can assure
that l look not to books, neither do
,ook to man, for I am confident that
hat l know on this all important sub
] 1t received not Of man, but BY that
i, .;:it which is truth and no lie. He ap-
ears to think that l have lost sight of
'e subject-in this I may say he mis-
understood me; bat did and still do
think the quotations already made are
Sufficient, without maltplyin to confu.
lion. Let US FIRST endeavor to digest
those, and then, if more should be ne
c.ssary, they can be easily brought in
let US try the subject and see what may
be produced. He says Socrates had the
knowledge Of Gsd-I grant the fact as
andepiable, and male quotation from
the lip Of truth to show how he came by
that knowledge; although T. appears to
be of the mind that he had Iefated me
in the quotation, still will again repeat
the divine words" No man knoweth
the father but the son and He to whom
the son doth reveal him." I next quote
the words Of the apostle to prove that all
had. or could have, that knosledge, BY
mentioning Che innuenee Of that !" light
that deth enlishten every uan that
'cometo into the world" it appears to me
that the Redeemer and his holy apostle
must have been wrong, OF z must be
mistaken in the import of the quotations.
If all are enlightened, surely Socrates
was included; and / believe that the
apostle had as good information on the
subject IS either Of us-consequentIy |
join with him in opinion And as the
Redeemer says tina, He is the alone way
by which this information would be. eb-
tanned, expect He knew as much ABOUT
It as L.; so think il best rot to change
nv opinion upon the subject, except bet
ter authority can be p oauced BY him
than that I have already produced It
Is cestain fact that we can only come
to the knowledge Of thing but BY being
acquainted with that thing, 81 no man
can come to the knowledge Of God bn.
By the revelation of Gnd-so as the
psalmist must have obtained his know.
ledge in this way. SO Socrates, having a
spark Of the same light, must have re.
ceived his knowledge through that spark,
which being attended to BY him, it became
as hame Of light, by which he became
acquainted with the author Of that light,
which doth " enlighten every man that
cometh into the world.' If Socrates
neglected to follow this light, he was liza
BILE to wander in darkness as other men-
even a. the wise king Of Israel did. who,
Il is said, made many gods after witness
sing such divine favors-so might So
crates at his latter end bu an inform
ed that the Athenisns puthin to death
for contempt Of their gods--if this is true,
perhaps he hsd not entirely lost that
light; bu. I have no desire to exali him,
and st the same time want no, To Judge
him. We are such selfish creatures for
the most part, we are willing 10 think
ourselves the favorites Of Heaven, and
decry all others. In this way we con-
tinue to nourish that vile principle Of
sectarianism, that vile monster of party |
strife. which should be exploded, by eve.
~ believer. Se!fis It's motto, and self
its mative-willing to. cast all others to
destruction, but save itself-not consi-
derins that self is always at ennity with |
Sod. In my opinion this is the Christian |
warfare, to overcome self-to die under !!
the cross, that we may rise again into
Of life, aud then, whether Jew