Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-25

EyASoELIcAL ALLIANCE Prize ESSAY ON ISTIDELIrY its
Aspects, Causes, and Agencies By the Rev. THoMas
PEARSON From the fortieth London edition. New
York: Robert Carter Brothers 1854.
This is a very able work, and as timely as II is
able More than fifty years ago that greatest of
modern pulpit orators, RoBT. HALL, commenced
his celebrated sermon on In6delity by observing
that as the Christian Ministry is established for the
instruction of men throughout every age in truth
and holiness il must adapt itself to the shift
ing scenes Of the moral world, and stand ready to
repel the attacks of impety and error, under what
ever form they may appear. And yet, in other OF
his matchess orations, this same divine has lett his
indignant protest against disposition manifested
by some to be perpetually mootng the evidences OF
Christianity. Archbishop Whateley has said that
there is probability in favor of any institution
which has been of ancient establishment in society
there is an antecedent presumption that It has
foundation in truth or right else it would have been
long ago exploded. Without attempting to push
this doctrine too far (and it may be used to prove
too much, and therefore fall to the ground we think
it may be safely applied to the institution of chris
tianty 1.-THE truth of christianity has not been
vndicated by the assaults of time, that wisest OF
powers, according to the old Greek philosopher be-
cause it reveals all things, are at loss to know
what new ordeal is still necessary in order to con-
u
maintained itself unimpaired and unharmed If
the church has been, as Hall compares her, like the
burning bush beheld by Moses in the land of Mi
dian, encompassed by flames but still unconsumed,
is it not that the church. like the bush has had the
diant and awful Shekna ever resting upon her, And
the foods have prevailed against her. is 1t not be-
cause she is founded upon rock while her Head as an
old Puritan quantity expresses it, has entered within the
vail, and must therefore be ever above the water?
But this learned and wise age that weslive in, and
"nfdelity said to abound, though can hardly be-
eve it. 1t is an age Of progress, Of general enghten-
ment Of penny encyclopedias and universal
knowledge societies People nowadays it is coppla
Gently inmated have been operated upon for the sim
pes and cut their eyeeeh great deal sooner than in
the days Of our slow grandathers aud grandmohers 1t
is limited that we have grown big TO the old
clo which fitted very comfortably the intellectual sta
ture Of fathers and mothers good enough sort Of
people in their way, but who, having commenced to live
before the steamboat and locomotive started have never
yet been able catch up with this goahead Of ours
What worth listening to could be expected from men who
heard of the .pure reason; who if they have
heard Of its discovery BY Kant content to jog along
with the head they born with? What better
could expect Of such than that they should be-
lieve in religion which is than eighteen centuries
old and which projects itself by type and shadow into
the dark ages beyond?
Poor paternal ancestors of ours! What did ye know
Of Masmersm, with its superlunar revelations? Would
you ye venerable but bgoted and deluded men, would
you have been prepared welcome the advent of pro-
phe like Joe Smith, would your minds have been large
enough to imbbe the mysteries in the Book Of Mormon
You who could believe in stables Of stone engraved with
precepts like those comprised in the decague and which
Goethe that great soul of the Fatherand has found
blundering you who could believe that auch tables
received by Moses amid thunderings and ghtnngs and
tempest what did you know Of wooden tables which
walk leg but can't sit still on four? Could you
talk with the spirits of the mighty dead and hold
with Bacon and Newton and Franklin at the
rataaf twenty-five cents per night? Did you have any
"meum through which hold free intercourse with the
spirit world? All the age Of illumination had not
yet dawned 1t remained for Of this nineteenth century
discard the this of creduous and infant age, and
naugurate in their stead the veracious predictions of Mil
lersm, the pure morality of the "Later-day Saints,
and the new theophany Of the Misses Fox. The mlen
MUM when many tables began e rHn nm t. and
ledge Of "spritualism" increases among u.s.
WELL to drop Of persage, which i'll BELTS the
soemnity of theme what is the wonder that men, in
their efforts to find something than the verities of
Holy Writ should give heed to seducing spirits until
the oraces of inspiration seem blind and dumb? What
wonder that Urim and Thummm g can more divine"
when the "old Jew stars Mr. Carlyle calls Moses
and David and Isaiah have long since paled the eye
Of some before the new lights Of spiritualism There
those among who profess to have outved and
grown the simple faith by which the elders gained good
report and by which they said to have subdued king
doms, worked righteousness, obtained promises stopped
the mouths Of ions quenched the violence Of fire. and
escaped the edge Of the sword Theoogsns like Strauss
and Newman, essay to PROFOUND philosophy Of re
gon," developed ab int0 and strip christianity Of her
miracles in order to array her in the rags and aers Of
apolemcal theology Naturaliss, like Oxen and the
author Of the Vestiges of Creation" have sought
legate the Creator the verge of time and
space If not actually to compliment Him out Of the uni
verse; though forsooth the creation and providence
Of worms and insects afford but vulgar and degrading
idea Of the invisible Spirit" Men of science have sought
to array the records Of the "stony book unfolded by
geology against the records Of the Hebrew law and
historian.
Now, We are not among those who "tremble for the
ark every development of German neocgy every
thrust Of the geologts spade The pusilanimous faith
which starts in alright from Egyptian mummy that
about to be unswsthed from Its cerements by poygot
who can read hierogyphs like book" is too puny and
scky deserve any efforts towards its confirmation
for the dreaded mummy, all written over with those
terrible hierogyphs should turn out after oil to be NOT
what it predctedas, for instance sacred goat
stead Of sacred virgnyet still these disciples
will be stricken with alarm by this same temerarious po
iygot the very next time he forth from his retreat