Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-04-19

ken Of with npprob,,ion. bu, always with
strong marks Of censurc. and generally
with minute account Of tho puiishmon
which followed upon their trhnsgression
| The vices and crimes Of the patrla rch. r.
sometimes alleged as objections inst Tho
/ belief that persons guilty Of them Should
ever have been especially favored Of God
but vicious as they were lhcro Is every req
son to be convinced that they were less Sc
thnn their contemporaries; their vices ap
pear TO Us ut this day gross, disgusting and
1trocious; but tho written Jaw was not then
giycn, tho boundaries between right and
wrong were not defined with the same pre-
cision rs in tho tables given afterward &c
/ Moses; tho law Of nature was tho only rule
Of morality by which they could be gov.
erned, and tho sins Of iniemperancc, oil
every kind recorded in Holy Writ. were
at thu, period less Aggravated than they
I have been in after ages, because they were
in groa; measure sins of ignorance.--From
Mo tine when tho sons Of Jacob were set
tied 10 Egypt until the completion OF tho
/ four hundred years. during which God had
+ forc,old to Abraham that his family should
dwoll there. thcro is a chasm in the sacred
/ history. We arc expressly told that a II
tho house of jacob which came into Egypt,
were thrccscoro and ten: it is said then
that Joseph died, rs did all that generation;
(,er which nothing farther is rcIatcd of
/ their pos,crity than TINT "thoy were faith
full and multiplied abundanily, and wnxed
exceeding mighty. and tho lard was filled
with them, until there arose n new king
who know not Joseph" On his first ar.
rival in Egypt, jacob had obtained n grant
| from Pharaoh Of the land of Goshen, n
pInco particularly suited TO tho paslurnge
of flocks: Jacob and his family wcre shep-
herds. and this circumstance was in the
first instance tho occasion upon which that
scpa rated spot was assigned 10 them, and i.
sccondarly. he was the mems provided by
God for keeping separate two nations thus
residing together: every shepherd was an
,bomination to tho Egyptians. and the
I IsrneIitcs wero shepherds although dwell
ing in tho land Of Egypt; therefore, the
Isracli,cs wero sojourners and strangers;
and by mutual an,ipa,hy towards each
other. originating from their respective
conditions, they were prevented from in.
tcrminghng by marriage. and losing their
distinctive characters. This wns the cause
which had been reserved BY tho Supreme
Creator. during the space Of throe genera
tons and moro than four centuries. as the
occasion for eventually bringing them out
Of the land: for. in proportion as they null
-tip!ied. it had the tendency 10 excite the
jcalousics md fears Of tho Egyptian king
as actually happened. Those jealonsics
and fears, suggested to him a policy Of the
most intolcrnblc oppression and tho most
cxecrablo cruelty toward tho lsraclites:
con,cnted with reducing them to the most
dcgraded condition Of scrvi.udc, md max
ing thoir lives bitter with hard bondage.
ho conceived the project Of destroying the
whole race. by ordering Ill The male child
ron 70 be murdered rs soon as they were
born. In tho wisdom Of Providence, this
very command was tho means Of prcpa-
ring this famiI when thoy had multiple
ed into a nntion-for their issue from
Egypt. and from their conquest Of the land
which had been promised to Abraham; and
it was at tho same time tho immediate &C.
casion Of raising up the great Warrior.
Legislator and Prophet, who was to be
their deIiycrcr and leader. Thenceforth.
they arc to be considered as a people, and
their history is that Of n nation. During
period Of moro than n thousand years.
tho Biblo gives us a particular account Of
their des,inics: IN outline Of their consti-
tuition, civil. military and religious, with
tho codc of laws presented to them by the
Deity, is contained in tho books Of Moses,
and will afford US copous mcsorials for
future consideration. Their subsequent
revolutions Of government undor Joshua.
fifteen successive chiefs dcmomina,ed
Judges, and n succession Of kings, until
they wcro first dlsmembcred into two Sc
Paratc kingdoms. and after lapse Of some
centuries both conquered by the Assyrians
and Babylonians, and at tho end Of seven
~ years partially restored to their country
and their temple, constitute tho remaining
historical books of tho Old Testament
every part Of which is full Of instruction.
But my present purpose is only to point
your attention to their general historical
character. My next will contain few
remarks on the Bible as System Of Morals.
In the meantime,
remain your affcctionato Father.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.