The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1852-11-17
By J. C. WELLS.

HAtliNY NNNH dS l1tIC SllHll Ut idlSt
i teachers among you, who priviIy shal
4 bring in damnable heresics, even denying
the Lord that brought them, and bring
i upon themselves swift destruction. And
many shall follow their pcrnicious ways
1 by reason of whom the way of truth shall
be evil spoken of"--St Peter vaea
I Mr. FRIRHDs:--The Book which hold in
my hands is entitled, "Relision, Natural
and Revealed; or the natural lheoigv, and
moral bearing of Phrenology, including the
doctrines taught, and duties inculcated there
by, compared with those cnioined in the
Scriptures; toy ether with chronological ex-
position of the doctrines Of future state,
Holiness. Fatalism, change Of Heart, De-
pravity, g." By 0. S. Fowler. .afe
And on page 9th, the Author makes start
ling assertion; !feren the Billie be found to
conflict wih Phsnology, then must the Bible
go byths board. For IL acould wa, ,uith tr,tth.
and must gfer defeat. But il IL Be found 10
harn,Onise acith PArenoiogy, Mrn is il fused
nponths rock Of truth &c. rt' as gl" aa
This is rather strange reversal Of the
| legitimate order of things According to
it, it would be of no avail to diSprove Pbre-
nology by the Scriptures; for ii the Billie
confick Herewith, it must itself be discar-
ded. PHRENoLoar MUST STAND "THoUGn
rnR HEAVENS FALL" And nerein' we see
a perfect unison between Fowler, De SITS,
and infdels of the blacklist dye. lie de-
clares that he would re]ect the Bible ifit
disagreed with his system of natural science.
They affirm thatrcason is an all sufficient
test of the truth of scriptural testimony,
and that we are not under obligation to re-
ceiye any thing which we cannot clearly
comprehend; and therefore they do reject
the scriptures, because they conf l.. with
their notions of the system of Nature. The
difference then between Fowler and Deisn,
is simply this, while the latter reject the
Bible, because Of a supposed disagreement
with natural science, The former receive it,
because Of a fitncicl harmony with his idle
conceis and fantasic'whims, ,profsssed byde-
livered in the name and by the authority of
tof science. And you perceire the principle
is the same in both cases. = NJ
This setting up Phenology as an infalli-
BE standard OF truth, to which even the
Bible must bow, is, in the highest degree,
ridiculous as well as blasphtm9us. 1t pres
ents The ludicrous pictmc of a feeble worm
OF the dust criticising upon the acknowledge
ed, direct testimony of Supreme, Unlimited
Wisdom, measuring inGni!y by his finite
understanding, and deciting upon the credi.
bhty of scriptural doctrine, with AN air,ol
the utmost self complaeency. He seems to
think that the whole field Of moral princi.
pie is open TO his scrulnizing vision, and
that, by a single glance, lie can dett ct error
and discern truth, with the gratcst degree
of certainty. Phrenology is an iufalIible
standard of truth, he says, and on page lth
he claims to be "thoroughy versed in phre-
nology." Therefore his science has invcs-
ted Fowler with the attributa Of InfalIihili,y!
But | feel disposed to demur here, and
shall eGdeavor to exhibit his error and in
consistency before leave this point. He
acknowledges the Bible te be direct Rev
e!ation from God, confirmed and established
BY miracle and prorhecy--two sources of
evidence, totally unavailable to natural
sciences. And on the ether hand, that
Phrenology rests solely upon the observa.
tion and testimony of man. Now is it not
supremely absurd to say thatathe observa-
ton and testimony of man is a criterion
whereby to Try the credibiity Of the tes-
timony of God; and that ii that which
has been previously y recognized as the tes-
timony Of God, be found inconsistent with
the testimony of man, it must be rejected?
Ii is impossible for God to lie or err, but it
is not impossible for man 20 be mistaken. 10
l do not say the Scriptures ought to be
received without evidence; but they present
evidence more full and ample than that
which sustains any other moral system
whatever For an ex ample; | refer YOU
to Leslie's Short method with Deists, a
work to which no iniide has even attempted
serious reply. And the superiority of the
evidence, which supports the authenticity OF
the Scriptures, nnanliests the superiority Of
their claims to be regarded as The standard
of truth. Even if Phrenology and the Bible
possessed each an equal amount of evidence,
TO try the latter by the former, would be to
subject the greater to the less. a m
Further; Ii Phrenology where to be the
Standard of truth, why was it not directly
revealed by God, instead of being entrusted
to the discovery OF man? Why was II hid
den from mankind until A. D. ITS. so that
the world, for nearly $500 years, was enti.
rely destitute of proper, appropriate stan
dard of morality and truth? Did not The
ancients need moral system as well as we?
And ifPhrenology is better adapted to the
nature of man than the Scriptures and is
even essential to an understanding of the
latter, as he elsewhere affirms, was it not
Phrenology which their necessities demand?
and therefore would not God, in his good
ness, have disclosed tito them? Accor-
ding to Fowler, although mankind, in all
ages, have needed moral system, to rule,
to guide, and enlighten them, yet God, iu-
goodness and wisdom, gave TO past gener-
aations a system which was not adapted 10
their intellectual nature, and which was
therefore useless; instead, of opening to
views that standard of right, that fountain
oflight and perfection Of knowledge, Phre-
nologyi .f 81, ,gg.,.- ,s y,
4 Page 3. Sooner or later wil The RELIGION
of Phrenosogy become The religion of mani
4. And why? Are its claims superior to
I those Of the religion # Jesus Christ? Is ii
Fbctter calculated to reform, mankind, to a,
tbolishs every species Of evil?. Yes, saws
I Fowler, tits. Wickedness fees abashed from
its presence, and truth basks in its effuloent
lbrightness Let US compare the effects
(which he tells us il is destined to produce.
with the results which weIe to be accomplish
led by the mission of Christ, and the estab-
4 L.. k..f - A ..