The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-07-06

! phatlcaliy the Bihie-lIiE DOOk-tlat
they contain the law of life by which God
would have man abidc-we agree with
you that its fundamental principles are
the Same in all times and ages. But not
so with our conceptions Of these principles
they arc continually varying. As these
conceptions change, the Bible cho"geS to
US, ana as Holmes says, we dissolve some
thing new and precipitatc something once
held in solution. You will not deny that
the Biblo has been and is "divining
book"-mado so in all honesty of heart.
Yo2 admit all that is claimed when you
say that, 'Good men have often imbibed
and practiced doctrines ard errors, and
justified them by the BSble. Christians
used to horribly murder poor old women
and others in Massachusetts, and justified
it from the Bible. No man believes to-
day the Bible justified those actions
What hes changed? Is it the Bible, or is
it as Holmes says, that our better eiyiIiza-
ton has given to it a truor Interpretation?
To-day Christian masters buy and sell
like cattle christian men in our own coun-
try, and justify Meir actions by tie Bible.
Do you believe the Bible justilies this
thing? Do you believe that all these men
arc hypocrtcs? No, sir; you believe
with Holmes that it is your better dppre-
citation of the Bible which makes it to you,
condemn the system of slavery, while
your southern brother in the same volume
finds an endorsement Of it.
Let lis illustrate our meaning in anoth-
or way. The child hears the play Of
HAMLET read. His interest is awakened
and his childish fancy is pleased with the
plot and incident, and to him, Shaksr care
is a pleasant story tellor--no more. But
when he becomes man,-with powerful
mind, ripe cultivation, and intimate knowl-
edge of the human soul, he again peruses
the play and discovers what he did not
discern before-wisdom that enlightens
and beauty that enchants. Just SO the
Bible at first was read by man in his in
fancy, and it is better understood-mccts
with q new Interpretation in every adyau-
chg state OF civilization. Believing it to
be divine, we have no fears that man will
ever grow beyond ii, or that it will cease
to be . Lamp for the f7et and o Light for
the path Of all who chose to follow Its
teachings. Adopting your own language,
we Ielioyo the Bible is deep mine and
all its treasures have not yet been exbaus-
ted, which is just what we understand DR..
Holmes to mean by the paragraph quo
ted. You speak Of the exceeding plain
ness Of its essential truths. We know
not what you &c I'm essential, but if you
or |, sir, we've to-day tue property OF a
christian STAKEHOLDER, we should doubtless
deem it highly essential, to us at least,
that he better understood the teachings
of the Bible.
5th. Your talk on wichcraft is a suffi-
Gent answer to itself. You set up man
of straw to take great pains and pleasure
in his successful overthrow. You make
the almost ridiculous assertion that the
Professor meant to say that all the clergy,
every minister favored the murder Of
witches, which is something that he in
no,vise affirms or i'm. lies; and then you
show that three ministers were opposed
from the first, and two others after awhile,
one after his wife was accused. Now
what does all this amount t.! Nothing !.
The facts asserted by the Professor are
historical. The great mass of both cler-
cy and la;ty believed the delusion and up
held it by the Bible, and if the Professor
WISHES 10 Call tucil -NitI~hSo iOOiSt
s'reyefend Aztecs and FJians," all we
have to say is. they de.e~ve the tile.
You call on us as the Professors en-
dcrs n to point out some OF he barbarl8ms
still lingering among us especially coun-
teAanced and upheld by the clergy. With
the greatest respect for that body Of men
we will give you few examples.
On the 2Sth of last May, the General
Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyte-
rian Church met at Evansville, Ind
Probably tie majority of the members
were clergy, and the theirs pillars Of the
church." and intrusted with its most pre-
cious interests. One Brother Davis, the
late Treasurer of the Assembly, had I'M
fortunately died and in his hasty exit from
this world had forgotten to leave money
enough to pay what he had in trust for
the Assembly. In this dilemma the As
sembly levied on some negroes belonging
to the late Bro. Davis estate sold them,
and very piously devoted the money 10
the m ss;of1ry cause. Docs this need