Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-04-26
on THE DiBr.E AND ITS rEAcfHNG5.
f...nmuucated to the New York Tribune.
LETTER Y.
ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 1871.

on THE BIBLE AND TEACHINGS.
f.ommuncaied to the New FORK Tribune.
LETTER V.
ST. PETERSBURG, Sept. 1911.
=, tho nromiso will, which my last lot
=, ~ vou upon tho Bible Was conc.aded,
/ undertook task from tho performance
n which havo been hitherto deferred BY
4. very magnitude and importance; tho
,ncye / reflected upon the subject, the
,noro sensibIy did feel my incomPn:ency
"a do it Justice, aud by n weakness 50 cont
mon in tho worii from The apprehension Of
inability 10 accomplish as much as ought.
have hitherto been withheld from tho at
temp, 10 accomplish any thing a.a!'. Thus
moro than a wear has elapsed, leaving me
ailI burdcnod with tho load Of my pro-
mise: and in now undertaking 10 discharge
il, | must promise Tia, yoa are only 10 ex-
pcct the dcsul,ory and indigasicd thoughts
which have not the means Of combining
in.o a regular and systematic work.
shaII no: cn,anglc mysclfIn the controversy
which has sometimes been discussed with
temper no. very congcniai either /, the
nature Of the question itself or tho nm
doubted principles Of Christianity, whether
tho Bible, like all oihor systems Of NOR
Atty lays the ultimate basis Of human
Duties in scLt-iorc, or whether il cnioln-
duties on the system Of perfect, anI dis
Interested beH"rolcHce. W bcthcr tho Oh
i,gations are sanctioned By promise Of
reward or n menace Of punishment, the
ultimate motive for lis fulG mcnt may lust
~ be attributed TO the selfish considerations.
RI, If obedience To tho will Of God be the
universal aud only foundation Of all NOR
al duty, special IpJunciions may be bud
mo uuon the coascicnccS OF men, u Though
,i,rir performanco should not be secured
either by the impulse Of hope or fear. the
hw given from Sinai was a civil as well
as a moral and religious code; il contained
many statutes adapted 10 thGt timo only.
and TO tho particular circumstances OF the
nation 10 whom 1t was givon; they could ut
course be b!adinI EpoH them, an lonly upon
,henl. until abrogn,cd a. the same authorl-
~ which cnactcd them, as they nf,crwhfd
we're by the Christian iispsnsaton: bat
many others were 81 uHivcrsri arp,ica-
uon.-iawa essential 10 tho existence u.
men in sociciv, and N s. Of which have
been cnac!ed by every nation. which! ever
pfofcsseJ nnS co 10 of laws. Bat tho Lev
l.lcai was gwen b. Col i,nsclf; i, cx,cnd-
I'd 10 q grca, VARSITY Of objects Of iafinjt i
Importance 10 tho welfare Of men, bat
which could not cone within tho roach o!
human legislation; il combined tic temper
al and spiritual authorities together, and
regulated not only the ac,iona, but Tie pas
SONS of those ~ whom i. was givon.-
Human legislation can undertake. only 70
prescribe The actions Of NOR; they cknow--
isdgc their inability - govern auI direct
tho sentiments of tho heart; the very law
itself is a rulc of civil conduct, no, of IN
formal principles, AMI there IS no crime in
the power Of an inGiviIual TO porpntra,c
which no may no. dosi IN. project and fully
intend without iGcUrring guilt III the owe
Of human law. Ii is ono Of tho creates.
marks Of Divine favcr bestowed upon Tie
children of Israel, that tho legislator gave
thom rules not only of action bu. for the
government Of tho heart. There wcro &c.
casicnaliy few shor, sontcniiois princi-
pies of morality issued from the oraclcs
at Greece; among them, and undoubtedly
tho most excellent OF them, was that of
sell knowledge, which ono Of the purcsi
moralisis and fines, poets of Rome cx-
pressly says came from Heaven. Ba. il
you would remark tho distinguishing
characteristics between true and false re-
l'gion, compare tho manner in which the
tho VOICE Of tho Almighty God, from
Mount Sinai. with thunder and lightning.
and earthquake. by Tho sound of the tram
pct, and in the hearing of six thousand
souls, with tho studied secrecy ard mvs-
tory ard mummery with which the D3l-
pho and other oracies OF the Grccian gods
Woro delivered. Tho miraculous in,cr-
positions II Divine power recorded in every
part of the Bible, arc invariably marked
with grandeur and sublim,v worthy the
Creator Of tho world. and before which
the Gods OF Homer, not excepting his Jupi-
ter, dwindo Into tho most contemplate
pigmics; but on no occasion was the mani
fcstation Of the Deity so solemn so aw ful,
80 calculated 10 make indolio lc impressions
upon tho imaginations and souls of tho
Inortals to whom tle revealed himself. as
when ho appeared in tho character Of their
Lawgiror.-Thc law thus dispensed was,
however. imperfect; II was destined 10 be
partly suspended and improved into abso-
lutte perfection many nges afierward BY
tho appearance Of Jesus Christ upon earth
But to Judge Of its excellence rs system
Of laws, II must be compared with human
codes which existed or we're promulgated
at nearly tho same ago of tho world in
other nations. Remember. that tho Law
was given I 400 years before Chris, was
born. at tho time The Assyrian and Egyp-
tian mcnarchics existed: but Of their gov
crnment and laws we know scarcely any
thing save what is collected from Ink
Bible. OF the Phyrgian. Ly dian, and
Ircan stasesa the same period. little moro
Is Known. The President Gorge,, in n
very elaborate and ingenious work on the
origin OF letters, arts and sciences among
tne ancient nations, says ,tha,"lhc maXins
mo CIV" ana political laws of these people
are absolutely unknown: ,ha, no, even an
idea Of them can be formed. with tho sin.
gle exception Of tho Lydians, Of whom
Herodo,us asserts. that their laws wer,
the Same as the Greeks" The same au
thor contrasts tho total darkness and obi
won into which all tho institutions of ,hes,
mluhtv CmpircS hrvo f,it,c H. C,tf