The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-11-16
From he Charleston Courier.
STATISTICS OF CRIME.

1
as was his coudion in Paradise, is certain that he
could never have attained either that higher excellence
Of which his is capable, or have rendered hlnse
worthy, by this merely passive merit OF that alter HE
OF beauttude and immortality, which Is the reward OF
| virtue or Of a victorious struggle with our own evil
propenstes, and the temptations Of the world we
accordingly find inlmatlon gwen IN the scripture
account Of this first happy, superapsay state, that
he was destined for any higher sphere Of existence
than that which he enjoyed IN the earthly Eden, which
was assigned him by the Creator, upon the single
condition that no should {" dress aud keep IT," and
strictly obey one only command For not only does
virtue form higher grade Of moral merit than mere
innocence, but we are taught from the highest autho
ty that repentance the darkest ansgressions
/ If thoroughly sincere and abiding is more accepta-
bic in the eyes Of the Creator, than an unned mmacu-
lacy or mere OF evil this consoling doctrine
being plainly terrible have seen from the history
Of the fall while il expressly revealed, and Affect
ingy incucated in the parable OF the prodigal SON.
In this beautiful parable, in which the light Of DIVINE
mercy beams as from the face Of benehccnt Creator
upon his errng falling Children father welcomes back
with extended AIMS aud plying tears, long lost out
rcpentant son--presscs him once more to his bosom,
instas him anew the paeIna mansion, and spreads
the banquet TO celebrate grateful to hts
heart Than the duliul love, and Underwriting
obedience Of the less fra members OF his now happy
| household
1t is doctrine that not only mercfully provides or
makes allowance for the moral weakness OF mans ma
ture, out affoTus MIN the means OF dUlenonS MS Weah
ness, and of participating In that sublime Perogratse
of the divine mind Of being acquainted with evil, with
out being degraded or sullied by the knowledge we
are indeed gwen TO understand that his knowledge,
the first instance after the commission o his
original offence, not regarded by the Almighty as
casting any stain upon his purity or as forming any
ear, OF his guilt which consisted merely in his dlsobe-
dence aud violation Of the command given him. not TO
eat Of the fruit Of the tree OF knowledge.
This was the head and front Of his offending, for
God in passing judgment on his ransgression says IN
language, the import OF which is sufficiently pain be-
hold man has become like Of u.s. knowing good and
evil.
Some commentators, we aware, contend that
these expressions of the text which are repetition Of
the language of the Tempter TO his Victims that on
the day they OF the forbidden tree they should be-
come as Gods knowing good and evil" used lron-
cally taunt to Adam, who thus made to see
that the knowledge he had amblonsly sought only
led his downfall and TO his expulsion from the Happy
| Garden.
II is surely however, an idea wholly at variance with
reason If it do not involve an towards the
Divine Being to suppose, that at the very moment oil
pronouncng upon the fallen pair the awful Judgment ny
which they driven from his presence and consgn-
ed to reprobaon, misery, and death; he should, az
such moment, have mingled the bitter sentence with
a banter upon the weakness and creduny by which
they had been deluded and seduced into rum II is
also certain, that the Knowledge of good and evil,
having been acquired subsequently to The commission
Of the offence by which they had incurred the divine
dispeasure cannot be considered having formed a
part Of that offence, but rather one OF It's conse-
quences, aud certain degree OF the penal re-
suits by which followed as the guilty pair must
have experienced in the FIRST instance nothing but hu-
mutation aud misery at having their eyes opened 10
their condition, and the extent Of their tansgres-
sion II would be confoundng the penalties of Crime
with Crime ITSELF to consider the text above quoted, az
conveying intimaton, that the knowledge OF good
and evil which was acquired by after the fall, was
intended 10 be repfoyed or aggravated his guilt IN the
eyes Of the Creator On the contrary punishment
even sn the beginning, tempered with mercya mercy,
BY which the rod Of aillIclon made to last, like
the wand Of the Jewish Leader, to burst into flowers,
and " the shadows Of death converted into the lights Of
the morning" For at the very moment when man thus
forfeited the favor Of his Maker, and by his dsobedi
ence, plunged himself and his posteny in misery, a,
that moment also, the light Of knowledge broke upon
his eyes, knowledge by which they were opened and
the rugr d. but heaven lumned path that led back to
happiness, made plain before him. Thus, we repeat,
was the Judgment rigdly pronounced yet made to
fall lightly upon the offender, being mingled with ale
viations and operating like the corrections OF paren,
towards rebeons child not merely punishment,
but as an Acknowledgement merely as a mark oil his
parental anger, but means Of guarding him from
further error, and bringing hun back TO obedience
The Tree Of Life grew fast by the Tree Of knowledge
aud it minated that but for the angry nterposton
OF his offended maker, Adam might have reached forth
his hand and paaken Of that also, and thereby attain
ed TO eternal life. But this would have anticipated the
designs rather would have reversed the arrangement
OF Providence, by which knowledge was made both the
punishment OF his offence, and the means oil his saliva
lion The fruit Of the tree Of knowledge was falrer
and more tempting to the sight than that OF the Tree
oil Lle-in the same manner, as knowledge IS more
ouwardly pleasing, and more attractive to the mind
than Religion the Of life, whose fruits alone
give that Immortality, which they were from the hrs
designed TO confer on those who worthly partake o
them. Hence the serpent tempted him not to Partak'
of the tree OF he because of that he had been for
hidden to cat. The object Of the empler being to SO
.duce him into rebellion against God, and inracior
OF his command We have thus sought TO ylndicate thu
cause of knowledge and education, by showing, tina
the ono the hand maid Of virtue, and the oher Thu
best ally of Relgon-tha where either appear, arr
enormously supposed to produce opposite results, Z
those looked for by the phanhropst and philosopher
the anomaly is TO be attributed TO partially disturbing
causes-as the dist andnent Of large armies, demordl
izlng.
Examples among the higher orders OF society, o
mistaken and podantlc systems Of Instruction. hll thu
mind with the dry husks OF learning aud science
while they leave its moral powers uncul,ivated and
run to waste. The argument may perhaps appear su
perhuous, aud should not have thought OF entering
to but for the serious and authoritative manner II
which The statements Of the writers, whose absurd map
and tables are ostentatiousy paraded before tn
world, have been put forth and sought 10 be pame
upon the publIc as afordng data by which the mora
nature oil man may be more successfully studied ant
better understood than it has hitherto been. Wecon
cciye the whole SCIENCE IN word, TO be fantastica
its principles and absurd in its results which remin
strongly Of and appear TO us equally nconsequen,a
as, those grayely deduced by Addison the parable
which he SO humorously draws between Mr. Is. an
Mr.. r., in which no one circumstance Of resem
bance israced out between them either in their history