The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-09-23

i
tinns. there Is IA inward spnft Which bears
,estimony ef Us truth, and he Who l.els
This evidence nould sill be christian we're
YOU IA bloG the Bible from esi-tenc..--
Mould you enndemu the morality "i III"
nrcalnfnc, nerr vsu srti sfed il sas writ.
Zen hy an iiop"s,nr ? The docIflnes Of ~.
! Paul would not be- the less tI1e, were lac
proved iu h. mad u,an yon believe
| ib.m, mi because he wtate them. Such,
! | auprrhrnd, j. the case With the frlruds OF
the Baron aud the advocates of the New
Church Doctrines. When we read the
history az TN cit wars ofEurop., or ofthr
horrors of the French Resolution, we be
!e,c them on the authority ofthe historian,
j by whom they are fclsLd. As there is
nmhng Ia thrlr motive To carry conviction
nf their truth, when you destroy the Gre
dibiEly of the historian, they become nero
fables Truth is immutnble, aud although
i il may derive splrndor from the unClonded
source from which Teammates, the pure and
unsulied medium through which II passes,
still IL is truth. Light j. still light, how
ear dark the cloud through which II comes.
hope yuu viii not consider these re-
marks AS indicating dltlidenee in the
strength of the PROOFS IN favor 81 Sweden
horg's Mission. The whole tenor of your
letter in,,resses ne with belief that you
are slacrrc Seeker after ruth and that
If some serious and obstinate difficulties"
are removed you will heeoue II recipient
al the doctrines of the New Church. II IL
should be- nay good fortune 10 re,no,e one
of these serious aud obstinate difficulties
which ob-trucI Your admission 10 The holy
city, | shall feel myself rewarded for TIN.
labor have undertaken.
When IA pursuit of truth, II Is important
by a sill examination To ascertain whether
nc arr Iba conditioned mind y affections II
discern X receive il when Ia our reach. Be
fore we complain al want Of lights We
should ascertain mat our visual organs are
IN y condition toreceiYc il ; that there are on
cataracis on fhe eye To prevent It's admis
sion. To make an Impartial enquiry into
particular tenets of l.sion, we must begin
with shaking oiiall pre- JUDGE of education or
oi general opinion, aud suppose ourselves
destitute of and unbiased by any fixed
opinions on the subject. We should not
content ourselves Wit, u partial and impcr-
lect view" with reading some Of the wri'
tings" on the suliect,--bu We ought Ia
90 through the whole of uha, is Ia BIZ ex-
amined. Nor sh0tlld we ugSh To find the
doctrine, the subject Of enquiry, false and
mchrlstlan.
This is the rule you would prescribe to
the enquirer inio the truth of the christian
religion, and il is equally suitable in every
Investigation.
You say you have read some Of the wri
tngs of SwcdcDtorg, aud ale not able TO
receive his doctrines. Would you expect ia
convert Infidelily 10 Observation-Disclosures an
lnhdel would ground his arms aud bow Ia
the sceptre of the Most High, in consc-
qHcuce of reading some of the books of tho
Bible 10y reading the books of Genesis
Exodus, Ezekiel, Revelation, or nlauy
Of thcmY Although, there are sone M.
stances of conversion produced by this
slight examination, yet such success is
not Ia b" alwa,s expected. Would you
not be disposed Ia complain of your pupil
who, after reading these books, +" or some
OF the books" should close the Bible, and
say | cannot believe IN the christian reli-
glon Would he not by this course ol
reading lose the force OF argument, arising
from The mutual support of the Old g. New
Testament, aud theinlernal evidence of the
truth al both, in support of the christian
religion Reasoning from analogy, the
mcmbcrsof the New Church would expect
slnllar results FROM similar examination
OF their doctrines. II we enter upon the
examination, having previously determined
that the doctrines are false "a practice tn
winch the opposers of these doctrines AZ,
peculiarly addicted, we can scarce expect
Without much labor to come 10 u correct
conClnsen. Toycondcmn and then examine
~ to reverse the order of things : 10 examine
and then decide Is the more rational aud
the most profitable mode of proceeding
Il the Latte. Is Your mode, rlf YOU are even
cWtRg that the doctrines of the New
Church should he true, doubt not that il
due time, the scales viii be taken frou
your eyes, and YOU will look back with
breathless horror upon the dark abyss, up.
on whose trembling brink, you once stood
with dtlusi,e confidence.
Bm la my purpose. bclicfin the divine
superintendent of both the moral an,
natural world Is ms ancient as the belief "a
the divine existence. II is too long sanct
lied by time and approving ages to requir,
proof even were you NOW to deny it. Ia
King this for granted, it follows that Goo
will in;erpose his div Inc providence when
ever II Is necessary for the good order anc
welfare oIthe moral world. His interposi
ton IN former times having been by reve
latlon, II is reasonable To expect that by
similar means God viii pyoduce similar
results. | shall offer some consideration.
Ia shew that there was necessity for a
leveation at the time it is asserted 10 have
been made through the Baron Swrdenbore
that his character aud llf we s'ch
probably to render him sutabIe inslru.
ment IN the hands of the Lefty 70,
this pnrPosr-and finally to offer some
proofs that Swedenbotg was the nslru-