Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-25

closer inspection and when the dust had been brushed off
its face Ii appeared inscription the dial itself
that Il had been built during the reign of Roman
emperor.
These facts clearly prove that II the books Of the Bible
had been found in forgotten corner and
had borne the name Of Plato Aristotle Seneca as
their author they might have stood chance with the
worlds punds, sages, and philosophers but, coming
to us as they do with the imprint OF Heaven, and teach
ing morality pure the source from which 1t emanates
aud speaking with authority as spake, they
have provoked hostility and encountered an opposition
which could have been greater better deserved if
instead Of bringing peace on earth and goodwill among
men, they had come to and curse tho race
In modern times it has become the fashion to repudate
what are called the collective facts' Of Holy Writ
distinguished from its subjective spirit" There are
those who profess be deeply penetrated by profound
sense Of the latter while they scout the teraities and
materalities Of the former They explode historical
gospel for the sake of developing from the depths of their
own consciousness symmetrical and philosophical
creedone in harmony, they think with the ideal
of consummate excellence These of ranscendentai
intellect are perpetualy talking about the living soul
in man with them it is, first, soul; and second, soul
and evermore sou They make mighty pother oversuch
bits Of speech unbelievabities, extinct trad-
tons worn-out symbolisms, "reminiscences and simu
highsoundpg ccutions "the supreme silences, the
world spirit" the destines," and immensites," and
eternities, and such like They say, more in sorrow
than in anger" they would have believe, "Adieu,
church thy road is that way, mine is this; in Gods
name, adieu!" They have fancy, they tell US, for
stealing into Heaven by sticking, ostrich like "a favor
ie comparison of Carlyes their heads into faaces on
earth."*
Now, we know not how such grandiloqusms sound to
our readers but they strike vastly amusing even
when they make stare and gasp" and We suspect
that Carlyle himself laughs like the gods in Homer over
the philosophical namby ypamby Of the small fry Of writer's
who been spawned by this great eviathan Of itera
ture the behemoth biggest born Of the modern itera
ry world Or perhaps, Mr. Rogers intimates ne may
have ashamed Of that ragged regiment Of most
shallow thinkers and obscure writer's and takers whose
parroke repetition Of his stereotyped phraseOlcgy
mingled with barbarous eusion Of haf-Anglicscd
German threatens to form odious cant as ever poll
luted the Of thought dsfgured the purity Of
language. "As in Byron's day. he adds there were
thousands to whom the world was blank at twenty
thereabouts and of whose dark imagnings rs Macau-
lay says, waste prodigious, now there are
hundreds of dettant pantheis myscs and skeptcs to
whom every thing is sham, 'unreality, who tell
us that the world stands in need Of great prophet
seer true priest large SOUL, god like soul,
who shall dive into the depths Of the human conscious
ness and whose 'utterances shall rouse the human
mind from the cheats and frauds which have hitherto
every where practised its simplicity They tell us in
relation to philosophy, religion and especially in relation
to christianity, that all that has been believed by man
kind has been believed only empirical grounds and
that the old answers to difficulties will do no longer.
They shake their heads at such as Clarke, Paey
Butler and declare that such arguments theirs will not
satisfy hem.' @
We respect sincere and profound conviction wherever
we meet with or however opposite may be to
opinions but for vague and dreamy specialists, who
love float in the hazy atmosphere of the cloud land
as they call it. of "poetic philosophy we have great
admiration or reverence. We could pity them perhaps
for the aching vod which they complain much about
if it void in the place Cowper's, in the
instead Of the head They who have sought to de-
sroy all for the Holy Book by giving to such
reverence the ill-sounding of bb,olay must not
complain after barterng away the comfort of faith they
have failed to receive in exchange the certainty of know
ledge Having put out eye Of the soul they should
not be surprised to find their understandings darkened
IT, with their hands full of truths they have contrary to
the teaching Of Fontenele relaxed their grasp and let
them slip to clutch at shadows they should not '"nar
TO nnd themselves empty-handed; they should have
known that the well in which religious truth lies hid at
the bottom is Deep and that has very short line
draw with.
In the work before the phases of modern infdety
considered under the six aspects Of Aheis Panhe
ism, Ndturasm Spriualsm,f Indigerentsm and Formal
ism and the special Of nfdeliy enumerated
under the heads of Speculative Philosophy Social Doec-
on the Couptos Of Chrisaniy, Religious Intolerance,
and Disunon Of the Church while the agencies it
poys for its dissemination said to be the Press the
Clubs the Schools and the Pulpit This chapter of
tents will enable readers to judge Of the aim and
scope Of Mr. Pearsons volume, which has already had
wide currency in this country and in Europe We need
scarcely remark that Mr. Pearson writes from
gelica and Protestant standpoint, circumstance
which may render unpalatabe to few Of readers
the chapters pntualsm and the Corrupons Of Chris
tianiy He uphods "the broad banner Of Athanasius"
banner broad for some, and yet, held by Mr..
Pearson not broad" enough for oil who say the
| I" Greed Of the Apostles"
may be asked why this discussion Of theologic evi
dences in the columns Of political journals What has
in the religious world! We answer, much every way.
1t was the nfdel and materalisc philosophy of Hobbies
that quoted with favor and appreciation amid the
reekng abominatons Of the Court Of Charles H. in Eng
land and it was the nfdel and sensational philosophy Of
dHolbach and voltaire which ushered in the "Reign
of Terror in France. They atheists who exclaimed
at Arras around the deahcart which tracking its
ters Field We do what pease there is no God "
Nous poupons aire que voulons pas de Dieu
They we're not Christians who made Of France acel