The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-15
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY IS. le49.


,NsI8fNF a NEW BOOK. ia WH4
Tlu HUI OF DwYicuLYY aud some experiences Of Life n
The Plains Of Ease with other cellaniea: by George
Gheessr, d. D. New York. John Wiley, May, isio
octave, Pr. 3ss. on safe by Jnyof and haHfs liesh
.ngiau.
DR.. Cheever writes with a deal Of force.
He abounds in common places, however, in
the use OF every day colloqnial phrases.
There is an extraordinary degree ofimagin-
alton about his thoughts. Has be good
thought forthwith he embodies it IN ale
gorical language. Allegory appears to be
his favorite mode Of writing. Even IN the
three more elevated discourses given at the
close Of this volume, and which are by far
the best part Of The book, his imagination has
triumphant sway.
We confess we are not admirers Of the
categorical mode Of treating moral and relgi-
Gus subjects. There is error enough now,
in the world, in regard 10 the science OF re-
ligon, without adding to i, and all this ex-
isting error, too, has been brought into play,
by writers and divines, who have examined
the subject through the medium Of their feel
inga and imagination, Religion is ascience
!. az much so as Geometry---ana until il is
understood as science, until il can be
brought to regulate our actions and thoughts
asa science, its yotares will ever be liable
to 60 astray and to fall into temptation and
evil. II is simple science, too one Of the
simplest that concerns humanity. Jesus
Christ taught il as science, and even
though he occasionally indnlged IN the allie
gorical mode Of speaking, il was only in IL
lustration Of his teachings He never sub
atituted parallels asa vehicle Of the truths Of
religious science Man had broken the bonds
which bound him to his God, by his act Of
diaobedence to the law ofthe Creator. Jesus
taught us, after the happening Of this terrible
event, how we could bend ourselves again to
Him, from whom we had separated our souls
and bodies, and when, in the fitness Of time,
He came in person upon earth, he offered to
the human mind the whole science Of re-f-
gioa or reminding ourselves to God. II isa
science consisting Of a few simple truths, q
few self-evident axioms. All that is required
Of US is to follow the directions Of these
truths, to do what we are told to do, With
ont stopping to inquire into the reason why;
and il we follow implicitly this command, I'VE
are told, that we shall quickly know that We
are doing right.
Now, tie too common practice of exciting
the imagination, while we are pursuing the
path indicated BY the great Teacher, is in
our opinion, highly injurious 10 the mind, to
its faculties, and is constantly apt to lead US
astray, Let any man attempt to teach the
geometrical truth conveyed in the forty-sev-
enth proposition Of the first book Of Euclid,
by embodying it in allegory similarto Chez
ver's HillofDifliculty or Bunyan's Pilgrims
Progress, and he will find himself at the end
Of his labor, with very incomplete idea Of
the truth Of that proposition, and the pupil
would be even in a worse situation. So It
is, in our opinion with every attempt at
teaching By allegory, any Of the great truths
conveyed in the gospel Of the Son Of God.
Who wants an allegory 10 teach us how TO
love our neighbor as oursef, --or TO pray
without ceasing, or to do unto others as
we wish to be done by,--or 10 forgive those
who do us an injury II is. demonstration,
rigid, scientific, unimaginative demonstra-
tion, Of the application Of these great truths,
that the mind Graves after. This is the Hill
Difficulty in every mans life, that must be
climbed. II DR.. Cheever had subjected the
points in q Christians life, which he endea-
vors to illustrate by the 6ctons Of the imagi-
nation, TO the analytic process, he would
have achieved much more good, in our hum
bic opinion. The youthful mind is every
where suffering for want Of teachers Of religi-
ons science, for want Of scientific ,lemonstra-
tion Of the application Of reigions truths, for
want Of religious training It is too much
under the influence Of the errors ofimagina-
ton. Il needs the wholesome pabulum Of
elementary teaching and training,
The last three discourses Of DR.. Cheever's
hook, as we have already said, are the best
portion Of the volume They are worth eve
ry mans study. Perhaps they are morere-
markable for a lelicitous enunciation Of every
Christians thoughts and differences, than for
my originality Of conception. Still, they are
worth reading. They will serve 10 establish
and strengthen us in the truth Of the dcdnc-
tions Of our own Christian knowledge
T-TThe Nep York Ersning Post brings The
following evidence In support Of It's position that
the titlng OF the wife of Capnin Sir JonN FRaNE-
LIN Lody JANE FRANKLIN, Is an error. II may be,