Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1848-03-16
For the Port Tobacco Times.
tACLES OF SCRIPTURE.n

'hS'dh' appear ed al ditiCle uuuer The ABOVE
title, which, accidentally" as we say, ar
rested my attention bu. few days ago
and upon which | feel myself solemnly
bound 10 offer few amcabe structures.
DO not propose 10 enter your columns out
of love Of controversy; nor ye. because
] suppose that the article in question will
be very mischevous in its effects upon the
we'll Informed scrip,urist. But, sir, your
paper has by no means narrow circulation
in this vicinity; and the tendency of that
article is certainly to beguile the simple, tho
j. may be homes. mind, into notions and
suspicious directly prejud'cial to the whole
system of Divine Inspiration and Revealed
Religion. | crave therefore, from simple
love Of ,ra,h and justice, that my objections
70 your correspondents assertions may be
permitted to GO, at least, as far as they do.
lf this shall be granted me, allow me to de-
clare: in the outset, that do not for mo-
menl impeach the motives Of any one con-
cerned in the publication Of the remarks al
luded to. Blu. let me boldly say to the au-
thor Of this piece, that he has so freely dealt
out the Observation-Disclosures cunning"
priestcrah," and other hints and int:ma,ioas
agalns. the mysteries and miracles Of the
Sacred Record, tina. he has most probably
done great injustice TO himself and to his
mo,ives-by falling into the dialect Of deis-
teal infdeziy-and thus 1,he sacred and
imposing name of"Tru.h'' not outstanding
bringing himself into suspicion Of concord
with one of the most hopeless and infatuated
classes Of men who ever abused their own
faculties and corrupted their species. do
not deny that there are such things as pre-
tended mysteries, "lying wonders" or false
miracles, and "priestcra(i'' in connexion with
the sacred principles and attributes Of Chris
,ianity, but it will not do to alledge thai,
these have infused themselves into the plain
and holy word Of God himself. 1t is too
rash and injurious. And the sun in the
moral armament is too high for its general
acceptance. While do not impugn the
motives Of your correspondent, he will par
don me for disputing every inch Of ground
covered by his article. His oacn sen.entious
philosophy. by which the way is prepared
say, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. rw,' ,.,..---l---:-l.,
and, pari ratione, of all others, scarcely
need say, is involved in profound darkness
-,i---4---'~-7-' a. suspco
that II Is something more than Locke. Aber.
crombie, or Dugald Stewart, "ever dreamed
OF in their philosophy" We are told with
all the authority Of an "Isay they are" ".ha,
miracles (i.e. Divine miracles) are wrough,
ny rules of science''-'that the foundation
of all miracles is inteHgence''- ..sci-
ence is intelHgence"-tha s.intelligence is
Power,'-that",he intelligence of God consti-
'"'es his power"-that the mysteries which
hang around the two scripture miracles. in
stanced land possibly all o,hers) are only
me phantoms of an ignorant mind-,ha, "the
Devil Is 'gnorant," and at the same time a
compound OF ''cunning stupidity" This,
sir is 10 involve every thing like establish
Ell principle and definition in primitive chaos
and to tumble things perfectly dis,inc, and
incompatible in their very nature. denv.
OF course, every one of these assertions. and
appeal to any and every standard authority
Tor vIndlcation of my denial. If this au
thor mean tina, the sacred miracles were
wrought by any principles or rules of sci
ence, within the ken or power of mortal
man, and what else can he mean y it is
most manltestly not so. Then they would
cease to be miracles. He has not offered,
nor will ever be able TO offer, one shadow
ofproof for his assumption. That "lhe fouu-
da'lon of all (or of any, miracles is inteH
gence" IS certainly going ''beyond what is
wrlten," and hazardlng a dream. That,
"sctemce IS intelligence" is certainly very
mntechnicle and loose assertion, to saw the
least of it. 1t is ruled out of accurate and
dIdactlc style by "the books' Strictly
speaking they all regard science as KNOX,
/edge IN any department systematised and
d'gesfed, while 'inte7igence'' regards rather
the human understanding, and describes the
mental quality which is exercised in the in
vestlgailon, classification and discussion of
the principles Of knowledge The learned
Mr.. George Crabb, in his English Svnonv-
mes" supports, we conveive, this dis,inc-
ton "Sc.ence," says he, "is systematic
species Of knowledge which consists of rule
and order" "lntellect and intelligence are
derived from the same word, but intellect
describes the power itself and intelligence
the exercise" Il. e. the mental exerlion soft
that power" Intelligence and power do
belong to God in an infinite degree, bu, they
are distinct attributes, and we protest agains,
their being COMPOUNDED. That slhe Devil
is ignorant' have never before learned