The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1830-1834, 1834-02-01

} side where our interest appears 10 be-
: Now take a clergyman aud his church.
however much disposed to be honest, give
them buildido and funds for their sup
port, and let them know that they could
enjoy the benefit OF these only SO long as
they continued TO be oftheir present creed,
wi.l it not have a natural tendency 10
make them shut their eyes to every side
OF the question, but the gilded ono? Truth
will no longer be the object of their
search. They will be supnely content
with their present degree Of religious
knowledge and will be far from having
any desire ofknowing more and Of improv-
ing lest if their eyes should bo opened
and they should have honesty and strength
of mind enough 10 come out and ayow
their change OF opinions, they should be
punished as il were for their honesty, by
losing the benefits they had before enjoy
ed from this sort of donations.
These donations operate as bribe 81
ther to make those enjoying their benefits
satisfied with their present religious at
tainments and TO take away from them all
ambition for intellectual end moral pro-
gress, and thus retard the intellectual ad-
vancement Of society or in the second
place, as bribe for hypocrisy, to make
men -eutwardIy profess opinions they do
not at heart believe, and thus injure the
moral character Of the individuals, and
lower the standard of moral feeling in the
community
To take another view 1t is dlstir-
guishing feature Of the christian from all
other religious systems which have either
proceeded or followed it, and which illus-
trates the wisdom of lis founder as beyond
the reach Of the greatest human foresight,
that il consists Of a few great moral prin-
ciples, true alike in all time and every
place, xnd not depending for their sup
tport upon the strength Of mere national
tprejudices or local observsnces. Az time
has advanced, and the human mind with
ht, the principles ofthis religion are found
Ito have more and more extensive. adap-
Itation to the welfare of the world and we
know angt hut that to succeeding genera
|tions they shah be discovered to be capa-
BILE Of comforting benefits, and producing
lgood, Of which we cannot have the most
remote idea. a
This system was so much in advance
iof the age in which il was bresght TO
Hight, that il seems even those more inti-
laaie with Its founder, could only with
difficulty, ssd -aiier loag iRtescourss
understand its spirit. And i has been the
Occupation and the delight OF the ignor-
ant, rhe weak minded, and interested and
designing, in Succeeding sges to prevent
and corrupt the celestial truth it conveys,
TO Substitute instead .ther col, their own
bigotted dogmas and vain ceremonies,
until, in some Of the systems Of the pres
ent day, as we'll as the many Of times past,
there is little resemblance, but in nsme,
to the original revelation Of tho Son OF
God. Hundreds Of these superstitious
dogmas have already had their day. The
fashion OF them has passed, and now new
er recur to them, but with wonder at the
folly of those who could believe such
Things, and the criminal fanaticism which
could leud men to involve malone in wars
and bloodshed,in support OF opinions, some
of them so utterly at variance with reason,
and others so trihiDg as to be beneath the
notice of a reasonable being.
And is il not therefore rational TO sup
pose that future generation, as much
more enlightened than we, as we than
our forciathers, will look upon many OF
1.-THE opinions and creeds Of our day as er-
roneous, and perhaps to be as irrational
as we consider the exploded systems OF
times past.
Believing that christianity.is undergo
ing process Of purification, and is grad
uaily by IN energy inherent IN itself,
throwing off what is extraneous and coun-
terieit, and returning to that primitive SIM
plicity, in which il existed in the mind OF
It's inspired author, your committee see an
additional reason why funds ought not to
be devoted TO the support OF any Of the
transient systems Of the day. liza fund
given for the support OF particular
creed, and a century aiter more enlight-
! ened race discover this creed 10 be erro-
neous and it consequently loses ground,
what then is to become of the property
thus invested'
While your Committee do not think
that corporations ought to be deprived OF
the power ofholding property merely be-
cause theiI object happens to be religious,
they think this property ought always TO
be under the control ola majority OF the
corporation, without any regard TO what
may be their religious creed, aud they re-
nam firm in the conviction that iunds
ought never TO be given to the support OF
any opinion whatever.
Ii is the fashion of the time, for people
to join togctbef in largo bodies, Tor the
Accomplishment Of. some particular pur-
pose, and our country is covered with