Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-08-05
which should have been published by MI
Waah;n otop 2 IF 81 did ho 1ack comr.oa .

which should have been published by Mr..
Washington? Ifso, did he lack courage to
meet the issue and bequeath it to man
whose eacred Office might be thought to en-
sure immunity from censure, or whose grea-
ter hardihood might ct him for the taskf-
| do not say it; but Bishop Johns warrants
either inference; or. as an alternative. this
further imputation upon himself-that the
matters which had modified to some unknown
extent the previous unknown estimate in
which Mr.. Washington had held Mr.. JET.
ferfon were too trivial to be recorded: and 30
be attempts to injure Mr.. Jefferson By I'M.
founded lnsinuations as to the nature Of Mr.
Washington's disclosures. Whether he
chose to injure Mr.. Jefferson at the expense
Of his own fidelity. or at the sacrifice Of his
friends reputation; or whether, in his Ca
gerness to convict hereto, his zeal has
colored his statements, are positions leave
to his own election. One or the other of
them he shall occupy unless he spsaks out.
And he must speak out; for there are men
all over the country and several in the Epis-
copal Church who will not believe upon the
mere ipsc dirit Of Bishop Johns, that even
1.-THE dregs" Of MIR. Je&ersou's correspou-
dence could have Disguised Mr.. Washing
ton. To say nothing of their estimate Of
Mr.. Jefferson, they have better opinion of
MIR. Washington's sense than to think 50. 4,
To an assault ofso vague character, Mr..
Jeferson's friend can only reply BY general
remarks, and by challenge to Bishop John,
to prepare bill ofindictment, and prom.
Use to plead to its issues. What is meant By
the term ''moralist' / do not clearly appre-
bend in its present connection. If it aliude
to Mr.. Je6erson's system Of morals, would
remark that they were drawn from the New
Testament, which he read daily and dill
gently. @..1' "a -,
Of his religious opinions, which were bar.
ed upon the New Testament, am not the
defender. ! do not approve them but he
had clear title to than, and to the use he
made Of them. To say otherwise, would
be to deny freedom Of religion and the right
Of private Judgment. Claiming to submit
them to his own reason, he held them sub.
ject to the scrutiny Of God alone. Among
q few syn. pathizing friends only were they
ever mentioned. He never thought to dif.
fuse them even through his own family
If they were published after his death, the
responsibility for that the odium, II
any-rightly attaches to others, who will
cheerfully assume it. Even had he sought
to make converts by promulgaiion, bis doo-
trines would havo been q fair subject for
discussion, but not for vituperation and 10
far from arousing anger. should rather have
excited regret that SO great mind should
have gone SO far astray. More especially
would such feelings have been expected from
a minister, whose daily experience must
furnish instances Of daily occurring reli.
gious difficulties and from theologian,
whose researches must acquaint him with
so many sad phases Of heterodox belief in
the greatest intellects aud the best hearts. \
But even were it otherwise, rs it appears
to have been with Bishop Johns, cannot
think Mr.. Washington would have felt a.
version to the moral views of Mr.. Jefferson.
and by consequence, as Bishop, Johns in
sinuates, for Mr.. Jefferson himself. since
his own opinions were once very nearly, If
not quite, of the same character; and / oon-
ceive him to have been . gentleman of too
kindly a temper and too candid q mind to
have felt hatred for errors from which he
himself barely escaped, if be really did es-
cape. .s2 sa' qas9s sssaa1fs siias r.
What special motive can have operated
to draw Bishop Johns out OF his wav. =
not revealed. Whether he will not for give
the author Of the act for religious freedom.
and the opponent of Episcopal monopoly in
Virginia; whether it was his charitable pur-
pose to frighten heretics by impaline Mr..
Jefferson upon his pastoral staff or wheth.
er it was meant as display alike Of his DO
litical information and lucid style-which
really seem to be upon par-whetber one
or all of these, / cannot tell. But pre-
sumo to think. that from whatever motive.
it was unfortunate To majesty Of intel.
lect which not one of his contemporari rios
could approach, Mr.. Jefferson added 4 sweet.
ness and tenderness Of nature and . IRA.
ciousncss Of address still more remarkable
in their degree. 1t is not to be wondered
at that man thus gifted should have in
spired in his children-for such indeed his
grand children were-feelings Of profound
love and veneration, which man Of Bishop
Johns stamp-correct enough, but thor
oughly commonplace-can neither excite.
nor feel, nor appreciate. It would b
thought expedient by man Of God, who
would win such admirers from any supposed
error Of their exemplar, to abstain from soil.
ing his name by epithet and insinuation. and
to be careful not to aleniate, by such means.
those already within the fold Of the oh urch.
At least one would think so but for the
course of Bishop Johns in this regard. =
He must be Of a different opinion, or rather
he must have changed his opinion, for he
occupies position which compels him 81.
Their to know, or to be culpabiy ignorant Of
the fact, that Of Mr.. Jefferson's descendants
in Virginia, all who belong to any church
living or dead there are eighteen such
are Of the Episcopal communion, and Of
course partially under his charge What
inducement he can have had, whether Of an
ger or bigotry, or vanity, or malevolence to
outrage SO uselesslv and wantonly the feel
ings or prejudices The chooses of those mem
beers Of his church, leave it to him to ex-
plain to the public especially to that large
part of it who will be curious to know how
and why it is that he has become a politi.
clan. And whilst he is explaining, be may
tell us how it happens that Mr.. Jefferson, Is
always singled out for attack by the clergy,
when charges similar to those brought a.
oainst ohim have heen snrAfarred s0.insk