The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-04-08
LETTER lit.

LII ELK III.
The second general point Of view. IN al,
propose for yon 10 consider the Bible ION
that Il may Thoroughly furnish you unto I'M -,
works." is in the historical character -' s'od
To a man Of liberal education. the s,,5- on.
tory lie not only useful, and important. In, ~. NJ,
gether indispensable, and with regard IN fb 20
tory contained in the Bible, the Observable -,
Cicero makes respecting that Of his own r,,,.'
is mnch more emphatically app ieabl, ssth,t .N
not so much Praise-worthy 10 be aequa,ni.J -. -
a. il is shameful TO be ignorant Of H. re-
80 far as il relates 90 the actions and adyan,l
men, may be divided in i've different eI,.@..
First, the History OF the world. Otherwiss 49,.
Universal History; Second, that Of particular n.
tons: Third, that OF particular institution. -
that of single families: and Fifth, that of mar
a men. The last two OF these c asses are -
y distinguished by the name Of memoirs M -
graphy. All these classes OF history arr A..
found IN the Bible, and II may be worth va,
while 10 discriminate them one from sno,bs
The Universal History is short and all eoprs;ns5 !
the FIRST eleven chapters OF Genesis, tOgeibsr,s-
the first chapter Of the first book of Cbrnn;cfsD
which u little more than geneaica list OF nam
but Il IL OF great importance, not only a. IL neIs'
the history of the creation, OF the fall of Ins .
the antediuyan world and the food hy ,,bisl -. ..
whole human race, excepting Noah and MS To-.
N,) were destroy, but as II gives a very I'M
account of the time from the Creation uh,' -
Birth OF Abraham. This is the ionndation =. =,
hereafter, would advise yOn ALWAYS >, -,
upon their narratives with reference 10 !, viii,
spect 10 the chronology. AscOneCt jdaa 81 80:
10 necessary 10 understand all history aDa;--.
and modern, that may hereafter write you -,
thing farther concerning IL: for the present a.
only recommend " your particular atiepfio, =
fifth and eleventh chapters Of Genesis. 80
quest you 10 cast up and write me the ,ao,,, =.
the age Of the world when Albanian, "a, bol' =
| The remainder OF the book of Genesis, h-g.nD5,.
at the 18th chapter, is ahistOry Of one ipRv;
abraham, and ns iam,ly dpESs three ssasraoGs
odus commences with the HISTORY of the -
| family multiplied into a nation: this natioo,l -
family history i continued through ths 49, -
the Old Testament until that Of Job, which : 80
peculiar character, differing in many parricnl,I-
| from every other part oil lie Scripture Tb.r.a
no other history extsnI which can give so jnerss,
ing and correct view Of the rise and progress i,
human associations, as this account Of Abrsb,r
and his defendants, through all the vicisiud4s h,
which individuals, families, and nations are NJ.
Bile There u no other history where the OIgn OF
whole nation Is traced up 10 a single man an
| where a connected train Of events and a r.ytiq,
series OF persons from generation 10 generation -
preserved As the history of a family II i. in-
mately connected with our religious pripciDss
and opinions. for II Is the family from which I'm a.
human eharacten Jesus Christ descended t. y.
gins by relating the commands OF God 10 ABRAHAM
to abandon MS country, his kindred and his father
house; and Ia 60 10 Land which He would shoa
HIM This command was accompanied by two pro.
misses; from which, and hOm their fulfneni afoSe
/ the differences which have Just noticed betw,-f
the history OF the Jews and that Of every oth.r IA
| ton. The first of these promises was. cha
| God would make Abraham great nation and bleS.
| him. the second, and ineOmp2rsby the mo-.
important was, that Gin him all the families Of'f-
| earth should be blessed This promise. VA
made about two thousand years befOfc he bint o..
| Christ, and in Him had its iulfllmeni When
Abraham in obedience 10 the command Of CO
had gone into the land of Cansan the Lord appesret
unto him and made him third promise, which vs..
that he should give thai land 10 a nsiiOn Whc.
should descend from him, POSSESSION: ihis vs..
fulfilled between five and SIX hundred yeafs ai,r,
| ward. In reading all the historical books OF bon
/ the Old and New TesIaments, 3s well as the book
of the Prophets, you should always beer in mind
the reference which they have 10 the~r thee pro
misses OF God 10 Abraham. All the history IS ~
more than a narrative of The particular manusl
and the detail OF events by which those promise
were fulfilled
In the account of the Creation, and the Pa. @.
Man, have already remarked thar the mora. DOS
trine inculcaed by the Bible is that The great con
Summation of oil human virtue cOu ssts in Obef fence
10 the will Of God When We come hereafteI 10
speak of the Bible in its ethical el aFaceT, s1,i
endeavOr 10 show Won the intrinsic excellence o,
this principle; bnt ] shall now only remark how
strongly the principle itself il illustrated trsI
Abraham In the account Of the Creation, We are
informed that God, after having made the woyit
created the first human pair, and '-gaVe them O.
miniOn over every living thing that mOyeth upOl
the eartl." He gave them, also, "eyery her.
bearing seed and the fruit OF eXery tree loo mest
and all this, are told, ''tsod saw Xas very good
Thus the immediate procession Of even thIns
given them, and It's perpetual enjoyment secure.
10 their descendants, On condition of a5stsinn-
from the ''tTult OF me tree OF knowledge OF EO1c
and evil" II is altogether MINISTERIAL TO nv PIE.
ent remarks whether the narrative Is 70 be under
stood in a literal or aliegoriesl sense, not on,
the kHOWiedgs, but the possession Of created Foo-
was granted; the fruit OF the tIee, could COME.
upon them no knowledge but that Of EVIL, an TIE
command was nothing more than 10 abstain iIou
that knowledge-to forbeaT from rushing upon the.
own destruction. IL is not sufficient % say thai Ia
was a command in its own nature lsht and easy
il was a command 10 pursue the Only law Of thel
nature, TO keep the happiness that had been heaPet
J upon them without measure; but Ohserve-it cor
tanned the principle Of ObSdisHce-it WAS sssignet
TO them a duty-and the heaviest Of Penslues
was denounced upon its tIansgressiOn. They Wee
not 20 discuss the wisdom, OG Justice Of thIs CON
mand; they were not 10 inquire why II hal hcri
| enforced upon them, nor could they have u-
slightest possible motive Tor the enquiry un4Ia.
fied felicity and immortality were already their,
wretchedness and death were alone tOrbitce'
them, but placed within their reach Is merely ina
Of their obedience. They violated the law; tte'
forfeited their Joy and Immortality; they "hTOus'
. into the world, death, and all our woe" Here
then, Is an extreme case in which the mere PT'c
pie of obedience could be tined, and COMMAND O.
abstain from that from which eyery motive Of Tea
son and interest would have deteneS, had thr
command never been gIven-a command gwen o.
the easiest OF all possible fonn, requiring not 81
much action of any Kind, but merely ioI
bearance; and lis tIanSgression was 30 seveeA
punished, the only inference we can draw irom Il
is that the most aggravated of all crimes, and ha
which includes IN itself all others, is disObedlsn
To the will of God. Let us now consider how jhs
principle of obedience is inculcated IN the hlsor
Of Abraham, by a case in the opposite extreme -
God commanded Abraham to abandon forever h'
county, his kindred and his father house, 10 g.
he knew not where; promising, as a reward Of m
obedience, TO bless him and his posterty, thOugi
he was then ehildless he was required 10 renounc'
every thing that could most contribute 10 the hap
piness and comfort CT his life, and which wss D.
his actual enjoyment; to become a honse.eSs
friendless wanderer upon the earth, on the meT
faith OF the promise that land should be show
hun which his descendants should POsseSs-ihi
they should be a great nation-and that thIoue'
them all mankind should receive in future ages
blessing. The obedience required OF Adam, vs.
merely to retain all the blessings be enjoyed; ~
obedience of Abraham was TO sacrifice all that d
possessed for the vague and distant prospect Of
future compensation TO his posteriy: the seii-cOi
troll and seldenisl required of Adam, was IN Iise
the slightest that imagination can CONCEIVE -ot
its failure punished by the forfeiture Of al Ia
enioymenss; the self-dominion TO be exercised D
! Abraham was Of the most severe and painful SIn'
but its accomplishment will ultimately be r.
waded by the restoration OF all that was torielle
by Adam. This restoration, however, was 10 p
obtained BY no ordinary proof OF obedience u'
sacrifice of mere personal blessings, howeve
great could not lay the foundation for the Tedeihf
ton of mankind from death: the voluntary suom7
sion Of Jesus Christ TO his own death, in the mo-