Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-03-16

opposi,es whatever. That the credibiity of
Christianity rests solely upon miraculous at
tes,alion is mistake. The evidence from
prophecy is to many more striking; and
the Scriptures would seem to hold that it is
at least equally cogent, for, say they, eff
they believe not Moses and the prophets
neither will they be persuaded though one
rose from the dead." To assert that the
mystery which invests, necessarily, and for
the wisest purposes, portions of the sacred
narrative, is the result of ignorance and
fraud, and 10 insinua,e that there was not
in reality, immediate Divine interposition
where the Scriptures declare it to have been
and where the learned and believing of
every age have allowed it to be-certainly
savours of no little rashness, severity and
arrogancy. hope, therefore, your cores
pendent will "amend his dec!ara,ion.''
Now, sir, for the process by which he
would reduce the two miracles cited by him
into natural phenomena-explicsble by the
known principles Of natural science. The
miracle Of changing the bitter and nauseous
waters of Marah into pure and palatable
drink for furnishing Israel, by direct Divine
interposilion, and through the visible inslru-
mentality Of shrub indicated to Hoses by
God, and accordingly thrown into the wa
ters-(vide Exodus XIV; 23-25 verses -
first claims attention. These waters were
essentially "5iIer," as the Hebrew original
declares, and they were certainly changed
by the wisdom and power of God, III answer
to the prayer of Moses, ia,o pure and de-
sirable beverage The fact Of this change,
for which We are Indebted exclusively to
the sacred historian, yoar correspondent. adj
mls !; but he conjeciures the! because stag
nant and impure waters are often nrlfed
| by violent commetion and other natural
causes combined, so these were Invested ol
their "bitte7aesJ" by the motion occasioned
| by the branches of the tree. For sai,. he
'He probably twir!ed the tree swiftly about
iii them and produced vio!ea. ana removal
ing action" We answer that he ''probe5ly'
did no such thing. II is not IN evidence thai
he did. When natural commotion and the
tempest's direst phrensy shall diyest OLD
Ocean of all its sail, then may listen seri-
ously to the above philosophical esegesis
The self same authority which details the
facts of this wonderful transaction, claims
imme diate Dieine iatsrposition for it, and il
the latter be denied SO must the former
We submit, therefore, whether the language
Of your correspondent is either rational OF
pious in this connexion.
Next comes the miracle of raising tht
Summarizes child ''from the dsad'-vid'
the narrative in the 4,h chap. Of ed Kings
The Scriptures plainly tell as that the chile
1ras dead. The holy Elisha acknowledged
his inability 10 restore him to life, by spray
ing unto the Lord'' for his immediate inter
f Restitution Doubtless he was directed BY
narrative, and the result was his resurrec
, ton into life. Upon this very solemn an,
affecting incident your correspondent Oh
serves, that che once saw negro woman
AH q chicken almost instantly, by putin!
her mouth TO its mouth The process wa
by extracting the breath, suppose 1t wa
the action OF superior power in breathina
that absorbed the less power of breathing
Is there not inspiration as we'll as expira
'lon:" Is this mockery and derson a
things most sacred and true? If not, it il
certainly most pal pable sophist1y. |, direct
y challenges the fact Of the interposi,ion O
Jehovah in this matter, and insnua,es tina
as stronger lungs exhausted the breath o.
the chicken, Tin the example selected by
h'mself,) so stronger lungs in the Prophe
breathed the breath of life, and infused vital
warmth into the icy clay Of the Dung Shu-
Mantle. This, sir, is Ridiculous Yea. it is
impious. We will venture TO assure your
correspondent, that "when GOODNESS wraps
his suffering clay,'' and its immortal tenan,
abandons 1t, no power under the sun, and
no principles of natural science, will be
found to initiate his lungs with the breath OF
life, and to bring him back from ''lhal bourne
whence no traveller ere returns.n In con-
clusion, let me tell him, as a friend, tina, there
be such things as false philosophy and true ;
and let me beg him with ST. Paul, lst Tim.
VII and 2O0 "de uita profa'las vocum mouita-
les, ct oppositiones fazsi nominis sciemiee.' p
FAITH
WILLIAM-AND-MA PARISH, FEB. %.
MARYLAND LEGISLATURE.