The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-04-15
LBTTRRe
FROM HON. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS To HIS SUN
On the bible and It's Teachings.

FROM HON. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS TO HIS SON
| On the Bible and lts Teachings
/ rrtrrs " II
| We were considering The Bible IN IT, historical |
character and as the history OF family fronthe
moment when the universal history hnishes' ,ue'
of Abraham begins, and theneefortht rs me ms
tory of family of which Abraham u inc nsot
and Ius,Is Christ the last person; and rom the h's'
appearance of Abraham, the whole history appears
10 have been ordered from age 10 age expressly VI
prepare for the appearance OF Christ upon ea,n-
The history begins with the irst and nildest uias
Of Abraham obedience, and the promise as reward
of his fidelity that in chin all the families Oh ne
earth should be blessed" The second trial winch
required the sacrifice OF his son, was many years al
| teIvsrJ, and the promise was more exPncH, anu
more precisely assigned as the reward OF ms ooedt
eaee There were between these periods two inter-
mediate occasions, recorded in the 18th and iStn
chapters OF Concession the hrstof which me woio
Of The Lord TO Abraham IN vision anc prom
ised him he should have child, from W nom sfea'
| and mighty nation should proceed, which, aitei pc
ing in servitnde 400 years in strange land, should
| become The possessors of the land OF Canaan from
! that Of Egypt to the river EuPhrites; On me Sc
4 cond, the lord appeared TO him ana ms VIE, &c
peated the promise that they should have a
Child. that Abraham should surely become great
nation, and that call the nations OF the EARN snouc
s. be blessed in him, "for know inn saltn me Lo'u
bat he will command his household alter hun, and
d that they will keep the way OF the LORD, 10 90
< Justice and iugdment, that the Lord may bring
/, upon Abrsham that which He hath spoken Oh nli;
from all which il is obvious that the hfst Oh me
T. PROMISES was made subseI lent and instrument
ltal 10 the secOnd-that the great and mighty naton
was TO be raised the means in the ways oil Uod :
ie providence for producing the sacred person VI
he Jesus Christ through whom the perfect sacnhce
a. of atonement for the original transgression Oh man
y should be consummated, and by which '.aii the
nc families of the earth should be blessed. am 81
little versed in controversial divinity that know
not whether this xvith chapter OF Genesls mas eve
nc been adduced ia support OF the doctrine Oh IIny
there l. at least in II an alteration OF those DIVINE
persons and of one not little remarkable which
| know NOT how to exp ain: II taken IN connecuoi
=" with the 18TH IL would seem that one oil the mel
ne entertained by Abraham, was God himself, an
he the other two were angels, sent TO destroy ooao
er Leaving this however, let me ask your pa
in. attention to the reason assigned oy uu ", =.
:" slowing such extraordinary blessings upon ADis
In ham IL unfolds to u,s the first and most lmPo
)se tant part of the superscture OF moral pnnclp'
nc erected upon the foundation OF obedience 10 IN
will of God The rigorous tnals oil Abraham 5 oo'
nc dience mentioned in this and my last letter, wei
he only tests TO ascertain bis character IN reference
the the single, and may say abstract point oil oo
for dience here we have precious CLEAN Oh ngh
=, disclosing what the nature OF this Will Oh uoo
-u- vas. that he should command his children az
his household after him; by which the parental
thoritv to instruct and direct his descendants
the way OF the Lord was given him as an authe
ity and enioined upon him as a duty; and tine ls
sons which he was then empowered and requlI
TO teach his postenty were, ''to Golustce anu JUG
ment." Thus, Obedience TO the WIN oil God
the first and all comprehensive virtue taught
the Bible. so the second is Justice and Judgme
toward Mankind; and this is exhibited as the
suit naturally following from the other In
same chapter is related the lnieIcesslon OF ADJ
ham with God for the preservation OF Sodom ir(
destruction: the city was destroyed iof It's enn'
but the Lord promised Abraham 1t should
spared # only ten righteous should be iouhd IN
the principle of mercy was therefore sanction
lin immediate connectionwith that Of lust
Abraham had several children; but the gr'
promise OF God was 10 be performed throu
Isaac alone; and OF the two sons OF Isaac, Jac'
the youngest-was selected Tor the foundation
the second family and nation; IT was from az
that the multiplication Of the family began,
his twelve sons were all included IN the geneale
of the tribes which afteTwap constituted the u
lsh people Ishmael, the children Of ketur
- and Esau, the eldest son oi Isaac, were all
parents OF considerable families, which aiterw
spresd into nations; but they formed no par
the chosen people, and their history, with tina
the neghbonng nations, Is only incidentally
ticed in the Bible, 50 lar a. they hal relation
intercourse or hostility with the people OF
The history of Abraham and his descendants
the close Of the book Of Genesis u blOgraph!
individuals; the incidents related OF them are
of the class belonging TO domestic life. Jose
indeed, became g. highly distinguished pull
character in the Ia nd OF Egypt, and it was thro
hun that his father and all his brothers wen
naily settled there-whieh was necessary 10
pare for the existence OF their postenty as a
,o.,d ton, and to fulfill the purpose which God had
nOunced 10 Abraham, that they should be
hundred years jewellers IN strange land - In
lives ofAbraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, m
miraculous events are recorded, but all u
which are spoken Of as happening IN the ordin
course of human affairs have an ar OF res
about them, which no invention could INIT
o, In some Of the transactions related, the CONF
of the patriarchs is highly blamable; circums
ces fdeep depIayity are particularly told OF
ben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, upon which
necessary to remark that their actions are m
spoken Of with appreciation, but always '
strong marks of censure, and generally Wit
"; minute account of the punishment which
lowed upon their transgressions The v
and crimes of the patriarchs are sometimes
eyed as objections against the belief that
sons guilty of them should ever have beer
pecially favored Of God; but, vicious as
were. there is every reason TO be convinced
they were less so than their contemporaries:
vices appear to US at this day gross, DISCUS
and atrocious; but the written law was not
gwen the boundanes between night and W
were not defined with the same precision as II
tables gwen afterwad TO Moses; the law of
tuTe was the only rule Of morality by which
could be governed, and the sins Of intempera
Of every kind recorded in Holy Writ, were al
early ages, ages because they were in great measure
. as of ignorance. From the time when the soI
{ the DO G anT haodrsa Iiua which COD
Of its oretold to Abraham that his family should
may there, there IS ehssm IN me sacred nis,oyi
see which came into Ervps' were three score and
that it is said then that Joseph died, as did all that
aor. Grafton; after which nothing farther is relat