Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-09-07
Tnn REllaIors E.rgEETs y AoITATos.-II

free agent. FREQ 70 believe or disoeheVe, HSe
70 work out his temporal or eternal salvation, at
ter the fashion Of his own intellectual and.moTal
conceptions This no doubt is sound doctrine
when received with the proper qualifications
and notifications. Ono Of these qualifications,
which indeed seems to be the sum Of all others.
is the fortunate or unfortunate condition which.
attends person at the jnnctnre OF their aiight.
ing upon the evidences Of this world, !" and
which surrounds them for ten or fifteen years
afterwards. Is a man born Of orthodox parents,
that is, theoretically speaking, he is almost sure
to be theoretically orthodox afterwards. Is he
Of heretica ancestry, in politics or religion, then
all the chances greatly favor heretical- cast of
mind throughout life. Why circumstances of
such character so lastingy and often so fatally
affect mans we'll being, is not our province to
determine. We all know these things arc so.
We suspect that the great prevailing i'll is that
men give less Of their reason and judgement to
such subjects than they DO to the every day
business transactions in which they engage be-
cause they see particular need for that H'atl'e-
NAUTICAL weighing and balancing which the great
investments and operations Of trade require.
The late religious convention which has just
adjourned from Richmond, is suggestive of such
reflections as the foregoing. Some time ago,
our readers will recollect, that general assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church was held at
Cleveland, and Of course, while in session, that
question which comes up in all other conven-
tons must needs come uP in this So it did,
and the result was, that a., B & Co., entertain
ing opinions just as different as their names,
their coats. or any of the physical eircumstan'
COS WHICH, then, or ever before surrounded
them, split off in great variety Of opinions about
slavery, productive inuothing somuch as dispute
and bad feeling They finally agreed to disagree,
yet not with that peculiar suavity and genteness,
which might have been expected in christian
assembly, but parted with the appearance, at
least, of a good deal Of rancor and asperIty.-
Part Of tbesc-or the Seceeding delegates, adj
:, -,USng,ytIcrc south OF Mason d
Dixon's Line. under more congenial circumstan-
circumstances to deliberate upon the action oil
the Cleveland Convention. Well, they have
leliberated, and the result is just what every
body expected, viz: reputation. The conVen'
tion when assembled was Just as strong South
ern as the other was Observation-Disclosures
and accusations were freely put forth, touching
the action Of their brethren at Cleveland, and
this convention also adjourned. without effect
ing any other object than affixing andproclaim-
ing their disapprobatiou of what the first COM
vention did. 1t will be remembered that an al
most similar split occurred among the Baptists;
and still later that the same disunion, on the
same subject embarrassed and alienated the
Tract Society.
AN these disscnsions, aud dennnciations, pro
and ron form n very curious theme.for reflection
to the curious minded. At the same time is
a sorrowluI sight to see these chickering's, 1t
has, less,a sorrowfuI sight for hundreds OF years
past. Ever since the days the church ceased to
be a unit-Inore especially since the days oil
Luther and Wicklife, these ecclesiastical differ
enccs have been discussed, and have Distracted
and divided Empires, communities and families
We cannot expect the church to be ecclesiasti-
So,lv agreed t,pon what members differ as no.
lions of moral right or wrong in every day prac.
tice. 1T is too late day in the world, after so
much has been said and sung about liberty of
speech. through the mediums of Magma Chartas,
Declarations Of Independence, Marseillaise hymns
and the like, to attempt TO forestall or oppose
the freest deliberations either among clergy or
laity-in church or state. We Of America,
from, the force Of inbred habit, regard it as our
heaven descended right TO say Just what VIC
please upon any topic of morals or politics, and
these discussions, distractions and Off.shootings
all over the country, are just simply an evidence
that men differ and are bound to differ, come
what will.
1t seems very silly TO persons who have a sin
gle grain of that philosophy in their heads which
history and their experience is said to teach,
to. see newspapers and other organs Of opinion,
dcnouncing each other rtheir opinions. This
isexactly the old spirit of pcrsecution--the cold
ADAM as it is clerically termed, seeking to
prosslyte by force what we cannot effect through
reason. But it will not do, nor will it win. All
classes and characters must now have elbow
room for their opinions, be they orthodox or
herctical, and that which is the pure metal and
that which is drOss, time will determine.