The Woodstock age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1844-1845, 1844-05-30


and Christian Religions, is, that all the
disorder and confusion, privation and
pain, misery and death, which make this
world Hospital, rocked with storms and
resounding with groans, are attributable
to mans transgressions. TO Adams Vi
olation of his Makers command, is as
cribed not only all the corporeal suffer-
ing and mental agony which has fallen OF
may fall upon him and his race until
flames envelope the earth, but the pain
and death of the entire brute creation,
and even all the disorders of the physical
world. Yes, the first principle of the
Bible is, that one mans trangression OF
the moral law, not only brought suffering
and death upon the myriads of unofiend-
ing mnocents which have sprung from
his loins, but upon the beast of the field,
the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea,
the creeping thing however minute, the
stalking monster however gigantic, on all
the elements of creation and on. nature
herself
1t is now considered monstrous by a
portion of our press, to speak OF the
death of unofending individuals, as a
providential dispensation, connected in
some inscrutablc way with the moral con-
duct of others. To such we put the ques-
ton in all seriousness, what had Adams
descendants of this day, to do with his
original transgression! Why should the
gentle dove and innocent lamb suffer and
die because Adam sinned? Why should
mans moral conduct bring the Eagle
from his heights or Leviathan from his
depths, decaying carcase upon the
plain or on the shore' Why should the
deprivation and arrangement of man s
moral faculties, change the zephyr into
a tornado, charge the clouds with thun-
der and let loose the lightning to shatter
and kill, breathe malaria through the air
and mix poison in the food of man and
beast, cover the earth with blackncss and
shake the earth in all its cavcrns, lift up
the ocean and fling down the mountains Z
Can we answer this, We arrogant men l.,
who charge your ncighbor with maligni-
ty, hypocrisy and talsehood, because he
tells you, that your own moral delinquent
cics and the sins of nation, nay have
spread warning signs around you, and
brought disappointment, suffering and
death upon those who were innocent of
your crimes?
But let us look forward in the good
book and trace this principle in the deal
ings of God with men.
In the 9th and 9th Chapters of Gene
sis, we are informed that on account of
the corruption and violence with which
the earth was filled, the Lord brought a
flood Of water upon it the result of which
is thus stated in the 18th Chapter:
Yer. 90. "And every living substance
was destroyed which was upon the face
of the ground, both man, and cattle, and
the creeping things, and the fowl Of the
heaven; and Noah only remained alive
and they that were with him in the ark. i"
What had the cutie, or the beasts, or
the fopis Of hcacen, or the creeping things
to do with the corruption and violence
which induced the Ruler of the Universe
to destroy every thing Sin whose nostrils
was the breath of liic?" What offence
had the millions Of drowning infants COM
mitted who were not yet old enough to
breath prayer or lisp CURSE Yet, in
consequence of mans corruptons and
"the fountains of the great deep
were broken up" and the innocent and
the guilty, "every living substance on
earth's broad surface, persisted in the
overwhelming food.
Christian, is it not so'
Every reader is familiar with the signs,
and omens, and the plaques which terri
fed and afflicted ancient Egypt on ac-
count ofthe refusal of Pharaoh to let the
of Israel go. The rod Of Aaron
became serpent, the river was turned
into blood, frogs filled the houses of the
myrads of lice covered man
and beast, grievous -swarms of flies APP
pcared, all the cattle Of Egypt died, boils
were made to break forth on man and
beast, thunder and rain mingled with
fire, smotc man, beast, herb, and tree,
devouring Locusts then covered the land,
by three days of total darkness.
But all these signs, and omens, and
were insufficient to cytort
obedience from the iaiihlcss and obdu-
rate monarch. As last blow, all the
first born of Egypt were destroyed in
one awful night.
Erodus, CHIP. -, Yer. 90. "And it !
came to pass, that at midnight the Lord
,motc all the first born in the land of
Egypt from the first born of Pharaoh that
sat on his throne unto the first born of
he captive that was in the dungeon, and
he first born of cattle.
80. "And Pharaoh rose up in the night,
,c and all his servants, and all the f.
yyptans, and there was IA great cry in
Egypt; for there was not house where
here was not one dead"
What had the "captivc in the dun
yeon." the newborn infant or the mother
hat bore it to do with Pharaoh's trans
preston which brought on them this aw-
Iul calamity Nothing whatsoever. 1t
5 all directly imputed to the disobedienc