Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1835-10-22

JUDGE shall not resist or cvadc. Re-
move the prejudice, and Tho proof ap
pears invincib!c. WHY, Have the
virtues changed: has the proof been
strengthened; No. But the power
OF perceiving truth is increased: or.
which IS The same thing, the impede
ment TO perceiving IL is taken away.
II, then. there are bad passions among
men: and il the object of Divine re-
violation is 10 control and rcc.iiy them
1T follows, that u man Il whom the re-
violation Is proposed, will be blind 10
ITS evidence. IN exact proportion TO the
pcrverting influence of those passions.
And were the human mind free from
corruption, there Is no reason wha,ev-
or TO think that moral argument
would not be as conclusive as a math-
cmatical argument is now: and that
the principles of moral and religious
science would not command an assent
as instantaneous and pcrcmp,ory as that
which Is commanded by mathematical
axioms.
Alter short pause, in which no re-
ply was made by the officer, and the
looks of the company revealed their
sentiments, the clergyman proceeded /:
But what will you say, SIR, should
| endcavor 10 turn the tables upon YOU.
by showing that the evidence of your
physical science is not without It's Diff
culties; and that objections can be urr
ed against mathematical demons ration
more puzzling and unanswcrable than
any objections against moral evidence
Il shall yield the cause bu, am
sure that the condition is impossible
Let us try, said the other.
i begin with Il common case. The
Newtonian system of the world is so
perfectly settled, that no scholar pre-
sumes TO question il. Go, then, TO a
peasant who never heard of New'on.
nor Copernicious, nor the solar system:
and tell him that the earth moves round
It's axis, and round the sun. lie will
stare at you, To- sec whether YOU be
not jccring him, and when he sees
you are IN earnest, he will laugh AT
you for fool. Ply him, now, with
your mathematical and astronomical
reasoning. lie will answer YOU, that
he believes his own eyesight more
than your learning; and his cycsight
tells HIM the sun moves round tho
earth. And as for the earth'S turning
round upon her axis, he will saw. that
he has often hung a kettle over the
kitchen fire at night, and when he
came back IN the morning. it was hang
ing there still, but, had the Garth turn
ed round, the kettle would have been
turned over and the mash spilled over
the floor You are amused with the
PEASANTS simplicity, but YOU cannot
convince him. His objection is, in
his own eyes, inSurmountablc he will
tell the affair To his neighbours as a
good story; and they will agree that he
fairly shut the philosophers mouth
You may reply, that !the peasant was
introduced into the middle of matur-
ed science, and that, not having learn
ed ITS clements, he was unsupplicd with
The principles of correct judgment. =
True; but your solution has overthrown
yourself. A Frecthinkcr, when he
hears some great doctrine of Christi.
anity, lets of small objection, and
runs away laughing at the folly, or rail-
ing at the impos,ure of all who ven
ture to defend Divine revelation
he gathers his brother unbcIieyers. and
they unite with him in WONDERING At
the weakness or the Impotence of
Christians. He is in the very situation
OF the peasant. He bolts into the heart
OF a grand religious system. he has
never adverted 10 its frs; principles.
and then he complains that the evil
dencc is bad. But the fault IN neither
case hes in the evidence: IT lies in the
ignorance or obsiinacy Of the obiccior.
The peasants ground j. rs firm as the
InhdeIs. The proof Of the Ncwtonian
system IS TO the former as distant, sub.
tie, and cloudy. as the proof Of rcyc-
lailon can be 10 the latter: and the
objection oF the one. a. good as the
objection Of the other. II the dcpra.
,iiy Of men had a. much interest IN
them that the Garth l. not
globullr, and docs not move round The
sun, as II has ~ pcruaIing them that
inc Bible - not true, a mathematical
demonstration would fail Of converting
them, although the demonstration were
an angel Of God
But with respect 20 The other point.
VIZ: that there are objections 10 nath
nmaiical evidence more pulling and
nnanswerable than can be- alleged
against moral reasoning, take the two
'uilov Ing instances:
IL Is automatically demonstrated
hat matter IS iafqHely d,ri,ijk: that
Is, has al infinite Humier II g,rfs:
inc. then of bali an inch long. ha. an
n6niie number Of parts. Who doc
iot sec the absurdity q on ieflie hqiC .
nob' Try the difficulty another way
L requires some portion of time 10 pas
particle Of matter. Then atyour half
nch has an infinite numbered parts. II
IA infinite number of poftions
y time for a moving point 81 PAS .,
hc infinite number OF parts. bot an in.
initc number 81 portions ~ time. b. an