The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1848-07-05
lF'on ne New YORK. Trisu4e)
- LETTERS
From tic Hon. J0isn q. Adams
... 70 his SON:

. Lii ~ lis ..-..
From tic Hon. JOHN q. Adams
70 Ai9 SON:
ON THE BIBLE AND IFS TEACHINGS.
LETTER W. ~.s...
] promised you. in my last letter. To
stats the particulars in which ! deemed
the Christian disprnsalion 10 be an linz
p,osenen, or perfection Of the law deliy.
cred al Ssnai, considered as including
system Of morality; but before | come 10
this point. II = proper 10 remark upon the
Character Of The books Of the Old Tesla.
menl subsequent 10 those Of Moses. Some
are historical. some pnpheiical, aud some
poeIieal; and two may he considered as
peculiarly Of The moral class--one being
an efecung dissertation on the vanity of
human life. aud another a collection of
nnral sentences under the name of Pro-
verbs. | have already observed tina, the
great immoyable and eternal foundation of
the superiority Of Scripture morals 10 all
oh morality, was the idea Of God dis.
closed IN them, and only in them; the uni
~ of God, Ills omnipolence, His righie,
BUSINESS. Ills mercy, and the ininity Of
his attributes, are marked IN every line OF
the Old Tcsiamrn, in characters which
nothing less than blindness can lail to dis
cern, and nothing less than fraud can mis-.
represent. This conception Of Tod serv-
ing rs a basis for The piety Of His wor.
shippers, was Of course ncomparahly more
rational and more profound than il was
possible that sentiment could be which a.
dnred Devils for deiiies, or even that Of
philosophers like Socrates. Plato and CT
cero, who, with purer and more exalted
ideas Of the Divine nature than The rahhle
0I the Poets. still considered the existence
Of any God al all as question upon
which they could form no derided opin-
ION. You have seen tina, even Cicero be-
lIeved the only solid foundation OF all I'M
man virtue 10 be piety and il was impos-
sible that piely so Tar transcending that
Of all other nations should no, contain in
IT'S consequences a system Of moral virtue
equally transcendent.
The iirstof the ten commandments was,
that The Jewish people should never adj
init the idea of any other God--the object
Of the second. third and fourth was mere
" 10 impress with greater force the obi.
CATION of The first, and to obviate the ten
denotes aud temptations whiclrmight arise
20 lis being neglected. or disregardcd.
Throughout the whole law The same in.
functions are continually renewed; all the
rites and ceremonies we're adapted tn root
deeper into The hearts and sauls of the
chosen people that the Lord Jehovah was
TO I've forever the sole and exclusive object
Of love. Reverence and alteration. un.
bounded as His own nature. was the prin-
clPie: every letter Of the Law, and the
whole Bible is but commentary upon 1t
aud eorollarv from il. The law was CIV
en- not merely in lhffaru ola command
nenI from God, bui in that Of . covenant
or compact hetweea1he Supreme Creator
and the Jewish people; il was sanctioned
by III" blessing and The cuise pronounced
upon Noun, Gerizim and Nom, Ebal, in
the presence Of The whole Jewish people,
and strangers, and by the solemn accep.
lance Of the whole people responding A.
men TO every one Of The curses dem unced
for violation on their part Of the Covenant.
From that day until the birth of G hris,. IA
period Of abaut 1900 years the historical
books of the Old Testament arc no more
than simple record Of the fnlflment al
The covenant, ia all lis blessings and cur
fes, exactly according 10 the fufllment or
lransgression Of ils duties BY the people.
The nation was first governetby Joshua,
tnder the express appointment of God
re- ~ sa'rsssi,g II j'it'sps, and after,
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