The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-01-29

~'''y =" 'S"c 10 '"Sy SS"'i"eVe W o~ VI
their present creed. will il not have a
natural tendency To make them shut
their eyes To every side Of the question,
bat the giIded one 7 Truth will no Ion
ger be the object Of their search. They
will be supinely coo,ent with their pres
cut degree of religious knowledge and
will be far from having any desire of
knowing more aud of improving less if
'heir eyes should be opened and they
SHOULD have honesty and strength Of
mind enough TO come out and avow their
change of opnious, they should be pun
ished as it were for their honesty, 10y To-
sing the benefits they had before enjoy
cd from tins sort Of donations.
These donations operate as bribe Ell
ther to make those enjoying their bene-
fits satisfied with their present religious
attainnen,s and to take away from them
all ambition for intellectual and moral
progress, and thus re,ard the intellectul
advancement Of society or in the sec
ond place, as a briSe for hypocrisy, to
make men outwardly profess opinions
they do not at hear, believe, and thus
injur, the moral character Of the indi-
yiduals, and lower the standard of moral
feeling in lie community.
To take another view. IL is n distin-
gushing feature of the christian from all
other religious systems which have eth
or preceded or followed it, and which IL
lustrates The wisdom Of its founder rs
far beyond the reach Of the grontest hu-
man foresight, that it consists Of few
great moral principles, true alike in all
time and every place, and not depend
ing for their support upon the strength
of mere national prejudiccs or local Oh.
servanccs. AS time has advanced, aud
the human mind with it, the principle
49, .~"ss'.. ..~ .~---- - .,o--
and more expensive adaptation to the
welfare of the world and we know moi
but that to succeeding generations they
shall be discovered to be capable of con-
ferring benefits, and producing good, o
which we cannot have tho most remote
idea.
This system was so much in advance
of the age in which i, was brought Il
light, that it seems even those m ore in
innate with it's founder, could only will
difficulty, and after a long intercour''
understand its spirit. And it has beet
the occupation and the delight of the ig
no-ant, the weak minded, and the inter
es,ed and designing, 10 succeeding age
10 pervert and corrupt the celestial trut
it conveys, to substitute, instead thereof
their own 5igo,,sd Gogmas and vain CO
remonies, until, in some of the system
Of the present day, as well Mt the man
Of times past, there is little resemblance
bu, in name, to the original revelalio
o. the Son Of God. Hundreds Of thes
+ supersiitious dogmas have already hn
, their day. The fashion Of them ha
passed, and we now never recur TO then
, but with wonder at the folly Of ,hos
who could believe such things, and ,h
criminal fannticism which could lea
men TO involve nations in wars m
/ bloodshed, in support Of opinions, som
3 of them so utterly a, variance with RET
. son, and others go triiiing as to be be
r meath the notice Of reasonable being
: And is it not therefore rational to SUI
= pose that "a future generation, as muc
/ more enlightened than we, as we tina
our forefathers, will look upon many I
= the opinions and crecds of our day
: erroneous, and perhaps to be as 'rratioI
S al as we consider the exploded system
: of times past.
e Believing that christianity is undo
i going a process OF publication, and
gradually by an energy inherent in
o self, thro wing of what is extraneous
e counterfeit, and returning to that prin
10 tive simplicity, in which j, existed in Il
= mind Of its inspired author, your col
ir mi,,ce see an additional reason wi
q. funds ought no, to be devoted to The su
.u .a., .f nnu ~ the transient sYstems