The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-11-04
Mr.. Webster on the Evidences of Christi
anity.

The Congregational Journal contains the
following relation:
"a few evenings since, sitting by his own
Preside, after day of severe labor in the
Supreme Court, Mr.. Webster introduced the
last Sabbath's sermon, and discoursed in an
mated and glowing eloquence for an hour on
the great truths of the Gospel. | cannot
but regard the opinions of such man in
some sense as public property. This is my
apology forattempting to recall some of those
remarks which were uttered in the privacy
of fhe domestic circle.
Said Mr.. Webster: Last Sabbath lis
tened to an nblo and learned discourse upon
the evidences of Christianity The argu-
ments were drawn from prophecy, history,
with internal evidence They were stated
with logical accuracy and force; but, as it
seemed to me, the clergyman failed to draw
from them the right conclusion. He came
so near the truth that | was astonished that
he missed it, In summingup his arguments,
he said the only alternative presented by these
evidences is this Either Christianity is true,
or it is delusion produced by an excited I'M
agination. Such is not the alternative, said
the critic; but 1t is this: The gospel is Ell
Their true history, oritisa consummate fraud ;
it is either a reality or an imposition. Christ
was what he professed to be, or he was an
impostor. There is no other alternative
His spotless life in his earnest enforcement of
the truth, his suffering in its defence, forbids
us to suppose that he was suffering an illu-
sion of a heated brain. Every act of his
pure and holy life shows that he was the au-
thor of truth, the advocate of truth, the
earnest defender of truth, and the uncom-
planning sufferer for truth. Now, consider
ing the purity of his doctrine, the simplicity
of his life, and the sublimity of his death, is
it possible that he would have died for an il
fusion? In all his preaching the Saviour
made no popular appeals. His discourses
were all directed to the individual. Christ
and his apostles sought to impress upon eve
ry man the conviction that he must stand or
fall alone-he must live for himself and die
for himself, and give up his account to the
omniscicnt God, as though he were the only
dependent creature in the universe The
gospel leaves theindiyidual sinner alone with
himself and his God To his own master he
stands or falls He has nothing to hope from
the aid and sympathy of associates. To de
luded advocates of new doctrines do not 50
preach. Christ and his apostles, had they
been deceivcrs would not have so preached.
If clergymen in our days would return to the
simplicity of the gospel, and preach more to
individuals and less to the crowd, there would
not be so much complaint of the decline OF
true religion. Many of the ministers Of the
present day take their text from ST. Paul
and preach from the newspapers. When
they dose, | prefer to enjoy my own thoughts
rather than to listen. | want my pastor t,
come to me in the spirit of the gospel, say
ing, You are mortal; your probation Is
brief; your work must be done speedily
You are immortal, too You are Fastening
to the bar of God /; the Judge standeth be
fore the door, When am thus admonsh
ed, have no disposition to muse or to sleep
These topics (said Mr. Webster) have Otter
occupied my thoughts; and if had time,
would write on them myself
"The above remarks are but a meagrt
and imperfect abstract, from memory, of on,
of the most eloquent sermons to which l ev
Ter listened"