The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-07-27

been sin regard to true religion, that it con.
slsls in virtuous action, III doing good and
preventing evil" Why, your system and
Paley's are the same; religion and virtue.
in your judgment, being the same thing
Is not the end Or purpose Of your doing
good to mankind the everlasting happiness
to which it leads, and which the Bible holds
, out to you as the reward that awaits such
conduct? If YOU answer that your virtu-
Gus action has no reference to future reward
you leave out Of religion tie end and mo,
tive to which it pcrpetually directs our at
'ention; you deny, virtually, The usefulness
OF the doctrine Of future rewards and pun
'shments. If You admit that, in doirr
good, YOU desire to attain everlasting hap
r!ncss, i'll what DO you differ from PaIcv ?
Virtue, with you, then is to do good to man
kind for the sake. of everlasting happiness.
Even If you differ with him, in making the
Will OF God the rule for determining what
is' or is not, doing good, the difference will
not be insuperablc. If you agree with him
IN that point, yon agree entirely.
President Thornwell's definition os vir,uc
seems TO be, from your quotation, "to rejoice
in charity, and for the soul to tnrp on the
poles OF truth" If were obliged to explain
TINS sentence, | would suggest, that to re-
]olco in charity is TO do good to mankind,
and Tor the soul 10 turn Oh the poles Of
trniti, Is to act in obedience to the will of God
for TIE sake ofevcrlasting happiness: that the
Dean and the President are Of the same
mind; and that, # the system of Dean Palcv
can be so perverted as to make it teach the
happiness Of mere physical enjoyment, like
Scratching with the itch.n little ingenuity
may draw the same inference from that Of
President ThornwcIl.
Whether the Deans scheme Of etlics
be right Or wrong, is one question. Whether
he aprroximatcs to the Bible in his phiIos-
ophy, is another. is asserted that hc-is
less Christian in his views than Aristotle
that he approaches the sacred writings, to
whlcli'he pcrpetuallv refers, less nearly than
Pagan who never knew them at all. Pa
ley makes the object of Christian charity the
subject OF virtnc, the will of God rs revealed
IN holy scripture, the rule, the end and pur-
pose OF Christian life, the motive of viruous
conduct. BE tai:ns tl.at be has "copbincd
viii The conclusions of reason the decIara-
non OF scriptures, when they are to be had -
and that to set aside or ncglcc, the Bible
III system Of ethics, is the same defect, "as
it commentator on the lsws of England
should content himself with stating upon
each head tho common law of the land,
without taking any notice of the acts Of
Parliament" How he could more nearly
approximate to the Bible in treatise on
moral philosophy, is not easy to understand.
cannot treat the charge with the respect
that would be implied in a labored compar-
'son OF the moral teachings Of the Greek
and English writer, and am willing to
believe that the sentiment expressed in ref.
erence to Dean Palcy's Bible approximation.
is one Of those cxaggerations only into which
the spirit Of polep,ical discussion is very apt
to lead ardent or dogmaticrl deba.ers.
Very truly your friend and servant,
w T Cn.ysoS