Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1839-07-18

government. lfhe knew the possibility
Of forgiveness, heis unucquaintrd with tht
manner in which il can he effected. he
is ignnrant Of whaI will constitute an adc.
quare sacrifice. Ifhe were fully int"rmed
on this point. he is wholly incapable of ma
kim il. He cannot, therefore, either
devise or offer what The law requires, Or its
author will accept.
Furthermore. il is moi his province tu
prescribe the plan of his recovery. This
is the prerngative of Cod alone. You well
know, thai if any of us were to murder a
fellow creature, and be condemned for it,
it would not be in The power of The crimi-
nal TO evade the sentence of the law, ex-
cept by force. The Governor mi ght par
don the criminal; but if he did, il would be
of his own will. Ii would not belong to
the transsressor to prescribe the mode
He could indeed tlo nothing TO obtain his
pardon. bur beg for it. ltwould resi- en-
tirely with the Executive, to show mercy
or NOT.
From this familiar illustration. you will
clearly see. that guilty man cannot origin
ate The plan of his saIvatipn: on this sLb-
ject we can appeal 10 facts, which furnish
us with demonstration. For four thous-
and years after mans aposiacy, The xord,
with the exception Of The Jews, was left
in moral darkness. The opportunity was
thus given TO The human mind, TO dovise
the way Of recovery Tor lost man. And
what was the result? Trace the annals
Of history, and see what ligbl has been
struck out OH this momenrous subject, by
The accumulated experience and effort OF
revolving ages. After successive but
lruilless exerlions, by The best and wisest
of the heather TO effect renovation in the
earth; Socrares. The most enlightened of
them all declared that it was indispensa-
bly, necessary for "A Divine Teacher to
come down from Heaven 10 instruct man
kind.
In examining the history Of the two
enlightened nations of the world, anterior
To the era of The christian dispensalion.you
will find 20 or 81, QUO Gods enrolled in the
calendar of their Deilies. You will he
shocked with the rites performed in honor
of Them. Tile delicate and feeling mind
will turn with horror from the vices prac-
tised by their most celebrated characters:
vices, which the decency of this audience
forhiis me 10 mention, before them. So
far, therefore from mans originating the
plan of his recovery, he became more and
more alienated from God. His foolish
heart was darkened and lie loved and serv-
ell The creature more than the CreatDr.-
Perhaps Jehovah permitted this lapse of
ages to roll OD, before he revealed the true
light from Heaven, for the purpose Of CIV
ing 10 man an Opportunity of trying his
own strength in the mighty concern Of his
salvation, which has proven to be hut
weakness. The result ought To prove sat-
Islaclory 10 every mind, as aff;rding un-
answerable proof Of mans imbecility in
The great work of elfecling his own sal
walton.
Bul for further evidence. let us see if,
since The Introduction of christianity, man
has acquired any more ability to devise a
way OF escape from the wrath to come
To what result have those attained. who
have rejected that light, which, like flood
has poured lis streams GU our worldl The
Deis has denied Revelalion, as contained
in The Bible, and with it. Gods plan of
salvation. What has he given in its place?
Nothing that shows the possibility Of the
forgiveness of sin, much less its certainty.
The Deislical system has been reduced to
practice by one whole nation Of people.-
France, in her revolutionary strusgle.was
guided by men, who rejected the Bible,
dressed up s,rumpet, carried her in tri-
umph 10 the temple, and worshippcd her
Us the Goddess of reason. They abol-
ished The Sabbath and instituted in its
place the tenth day, which was devoted to
amuscmenls. And what was The con-
sequence of all This! France bled at every
pore. The blood OF her best citizens
srreamcd in floods through the land. An
archy ruled until BuonaparIe put an end
to rbe conflct by eIevating himself to sl-
preme authority. Here you see the scheme
which man devises in the rel tion of
Heavenly light, reduced TO practice. ltis
no more than fine spun plausible theory.
1t is reduced 10 demonstralion,andits weak
ueSS duu WlChcuuCSSl ShpOScVs = <1ii, bOW
incapable is man of originating the plan Of
salvation
Let us examine this matter a little more
closely, as sitpresenfs itselfto Us in another
shape. A character, more refined than
the Deisi. has undertaken onthe authority
of the Bible to give us way of5restora-
ton tot3od. That characlerist The Uniia-
rian. Aud wherein. does his scheme diff
fer from the Deistical? Hn:nothing maie-
rally ,bu, the name. sItis only Deism.in a
refined form. II is truethat The UHitarian
acknowledges thescriptnres as the s.rtl Of
God but in his explanation Of them, he
puts out rhe light which they contain; he
rejects the true and proper Divinity Of
Christ, and consequently his aonsment tas
sacrifice for. SIN. Hehas taken a,edy the
Lord, and ,ue (kno,O not ,Ohere he has laid
him.
From the experience of four thousand
years without the. light OF the Gospel; from