New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-04-07

that train OF Argument; and either oonfu.s 4,
or maniuy coDfess his inability 10 do "a
before asking my help q second time. Wh,,
transparent trick Of cowsrdice and dishonestv
20 cry ous "Celsss. Tom Paine and Satan" q,
burytDg ones foolish head In the mud of sectaYisr
prejudice instead OF manfally meeting purely
rational assault by purely rational defenssf
However. let that pa's. Mr. Lewis will admj,
thst Dr. Charming suo Cmsar Borgia are eousll.
Gods crestutes. Ne will admit that neither -
them has the slightest power 10 think a thousht
speak a word, or 90 deed underived from Deitv
II, then, such be their attitude OF equal depepj.
eDce upon Deity, If neither possess any particle
Of selfdefived poSer, With what rational propri.
ETY. can Geo bOld one amersble TO his praise ths
other 10 HE censorel Clearly the fact Of thsI,
precisely equal crtssufeship to Him entities them
to precisely equal regard from Him. THIS 10.
ference 10 az PLAN as day. There is but one wsy
of evsoing i, which if Mr. Lewis be o good Cal
whist Re will adopt, and that 10 to ASSERT tue doc
trine Of election. or Gods arbitrary grace. Bat
then this IL sssib to deny that God cares VIII,
for moral distinctions among men Unhappy Mr..
Lewis To intend the damage Of mere exabersnt
here,ic like myself, ard find too late that he wa
all the while undermining q consolidated g. ola
salt " like John Calvin
But my letter 10 growing much too lorg for your
columns, ard | must therefore postpone many
things, urgent 20 be- said Especially had INTENDED
to enlarge upon that fact which Mr.. Lewis somehow
manages TO overlook in his Scripture reading.
namely, that the sole curse Of man Is represented
az wing In bis moral eS perience, or the advent OF
knowledge o. good and evil l know Mr.. Lewis
will reply. for such 10 the sectaian tradition that
il was the violation of a positive statute OF God
which led to the curse that God pointed drbi.
trarslv TO certain tree of the Garden, absolutely
forbddipg the man TO eat OF it at all and that
the violation Of this statute brought upon the
man the kno Wedge of good and evil. Bat the
Scripture utterly repudiates such q gloss. IL
names the tree itself the tree Of tie knoricfge Of
good and eViI. and il does not represent the sons
Of the INJUNCTION with respect to IL as absolute,
but only as prudential "Of every tree Of the
Garden" says the divine voice, "thoa mayeu
freele eat: bot of the tree of knowledge Of good
and evil thou shalt not eat OF It why =" Be.
CAUSE in the Gay thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die" Or course. 20 one divorced from
sectarian prejudices regards this transaction as
literal history, regards r as anything bat perfect
SYMBOL of mans spiritual development; because
no one nationally conceiyes of moral life a
having vegetable origin, or deems an apple
though sometimes productive OF slight stomachic
disquiets, really capable Of generating conscience
Spiritually or scien tidcally viewed, the passage
runs thus: :" OF all the knowledge which nature
Yields to you, you may partake with nntire In
punitv But moral mo Wedge, the knowledge Of
GOOD and evil the knowledge which aienates
man from man, which divides the one great
Brotherhood Of man into two warning classes, and
40 denies the unity of God do not feed upon that
knowledge. or cherish it as divine, for 1t will be
TO YOU constant death in.liie, the source Of end
less and innumerable woes.
But must stop. am ever, most gratefully
Neto- York Ap,il5, 1851.