Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-05-03

man VINO ate, and drank, and vanished in
10 smoke that he gave counsels today
and the opposite tomorrow that he VIC
lated his own laws, apgry,and was only
dissuaded by mortal man from destroy
ing at once whole nation mil lions ofmer
who rebelled against their leader In mo
ment OF anguish. Questions in philoso.
ply, questions in the Christian religion
have been settled by an appeal TO thai
book. The inspiration of It's authors has
been assumed as infaliible. Every fact in
the early Jewish history has been taken
as type of some analogous fact ia Chris.
llAn history. The most distant events,
even such as are still in the arms OF time,
were supposed to be clearly foresen and
fore!old by pious Hebrews several centu
RIGS before Christ. Ii has been assumed
at the outset, with no shadow of evidence,
that those writer's held miraculous COM
munlcation with God, such as he has
granted 10 no other man. What was
originally presumption of bigoted Jews
became an article of faith, which Christ
ians were burned for not believing. This
has been for centuries the general opin
ion Of the Christian church, both Calho-
lie ana Protestant, though the former
never accepted the Bible as the only
source OF religious truth. 1t has been so.
StIll worse, 1t is now the general opinion
of religious sects DIT this day. Hence the
attempt, which always fails, to reconcile
the philosophy Of our times with the po-
ems N Genesis writ thousand years be-
fore Christ; hence the attempt to conceal
the contradictions in the record Itself
Matters have come TO such a pass that
even now he is deemed an in6de, if not
by implication an atheist, whose rever-
ence for the Most FL h forbids him to be.
lleve that God commanded Abraham TO
sacrifice his Son, thought at which the
flesh creeps with horror; 10 believe it
solely on The authority Of an oriental story,
written down nobody knows when or by
whom, or for what purpose: which may
be poem, bat cannot be the record of a
fact, unless God is the author of confusion
and lie. .....
Now this idoIatry of The Old Tes.amen:
has not always existed. Jesus says that
hone born of woman is greater than
John the Baptist, yet the least 10 the king
dom Of heaven was greater than JOHN
Paul tells US the Law-the very crown
olihe old Hebrew revelation-is a shad-
CIV Of good things, which have now
come: only schoolmaster to bring US
TO Christ, and when faith has come, that
we are no longer under the scboolmaster ::
4 hat L & nd
which we are made free BY the Law of
the spirit of Life. Christian teachers
themselves have differed so widely in their
notion of the doctrines and meaning of
those books, that it makes one weep to
think of the follies deduced therefrom-
But modern Criticism is fast breaking to
pieces this idol which men have made out
Of the Scriptures. II has shown, that
here are the most different works thrown
together. That their authors, wise as
they sometimes We're; pious as we feel
often their spirit to have been, had only
that inspiration which is common TO other
men equally pious and wise; that they
were by no means infallible; bat were
mistaken in facts or in reasoning; uttered
/
men who in some measure partook OF the
darkness and limited notions of their age,
and were not always above Its mistakes
or It's corruptions.
The history of opinions on the New
! Testament is quite similar. 1t has been
assumed al the outset, 1t would seem with
no sufficient reason, without the small"s
/ hat al nj n
authors were infalIiblv and mirac ulous J
Inspired, so that they could commit no er
ror of doctrine or fact. Men have beer
bid 10 close their eyes at the obvious dlf
ference between Luke and John; the Sc
rlous disagreement between Paul aud Pc
ter; 10 believe, on the smallest evidence
accounts which shock the moral sens
and revolt the reason, and tend TO plac
Jesus in the same series with Hercule;
and Apolonius of Tyana accounts whlc
Paul in the Epislles never mentions
d Though be also had vein Ct the mlracu
,ous running quite through him. Me-
have been told that all these things mus
; be taxed as part of Christianity, and
they accepted the religion, they must TAX
all these accessories alOng Will III th'
tnc living spirit could not be had withot
: the killing letter. All the books, who
caprice or accident had brought togethe
between TIE lids Of the Bible, were Of
: clared to be the infal.ible word OF GoC
the only certain rule Of religious faith an
practice. Thus the Bible was made NJ
y single channel, but the only certain ruI
: Of religious faith and practice. To dI
! believe any of its statements, or even Ii
{ common Interpretation put upon thos
J. statements by the particular age or chure
/ in which The man belonged. was held
Q be infidelity if not atheism. ln the nan
e of him who forbid US to judge our brolhe
e good men and pious men have apple
e these terms TO others, good and plous