Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-12-16

come mere occasions Of increasing bewiderment Our
principles unsettled, reasoning is without guide
the sentiments disordercd. discourse il warm but
hcke aud unmeaning, moral and practical uncertainty
regns in which double, and scared by shai
oSs and chmeras. Tho generality vet mean well but
their faculties clouded their darkened by the
steaming vapors Of unbelieying visionary and mprac
ticabe philosophy they cannot take observation and
the winds and setting them uDon the roc
Slavery the terrific spectre of the Storm IL scares them
from all their natural propreies and still more from
Divine guidance and reliance and they resort to all man
of sprituaistc sHbtletes aud eonurations seeking
deverance where they only plunge into greater conf
sions and more formidable dangers.
The true account OF these alarming irregularities in
my Judgment, is this, viz that above the eonsutiop
aud the laws, and independent OF the Bible and exne
rience, and now, great extent the conceted inter
prefer OF both, dreamy, speculative faacy a higher
law fiction Of the imaginary universal reason an ultra
Divine instinct insensby gains possession of the com.
mon mind. We owe il mainly to your own Jefferson
Tor who's" sake you should bear long possible with
our inhrmitc-. lie caught by the Ilum;u;s,n .nd
Cosmopolitan of his tmes and embodied bis chimera n
the "yiiHerisg gsHsraiifisS OF the Declaration Of
Independence That glded ialaebOod has BETRAYED us
our inherited slavery, whatever evils NAV attend
H. mrreiful antidote to the athec poisop ubi,b
has crcp through all veins II virtually cntbrones
Humanity. IL makes every child 4 man. every man
great, and every great man God. IL i Wilneiy iguo.
rant of our common fall and ruin the eniaiIed sefsb
tendencies of every individual mind and the
y disturbed relations of the social IL perceiyes
not that God has given essential personal character.
sc equality to no two creatures of his hand or organic
relations Of his constituted orders that no rights of fall
en- men are absolute but dependent his good behay-
Tor III society; and that happiness il not his legitimate
end and aim but the honor of the Creator-not an
dained consequence Of folio wing a selEd,termiued will
but OF faith in the Divine word and obedience TO the
Divine commands; that society has no inherent moral
ris rifr TO evolve itself into perfect state by natu.
raj process of development, but waits in the use of the
appointed means OF probationry the restitution
promised by the Spirit; that the outward ordinances of
government, and law and christianity can only give
passing fertility to the superficial soil but renovation
comes only by breaking up the fAllow ground of the
inner man. that any other view Of or of society in
the present state produce nothing but spiritual in
hation swelling with sesuiciency and firing Us with
ambition, reducing us TO competitors and strug-
glers for an ideal good, and length exploding all our
gaudy visions of mienial Commonwealth Ii i This
speculative fiction, of Puritan but our reyolu
uonary fathers, whom we blame however not for revo-
lutonzing society but for re-constructirg il on false
philosophical idea; it is this humanitarian pantheistc
image-the unknown God which we ignoranty worship
that insensbly weakens hold the Divine reali
ties, and consequently unsettles foundations IL has
already in the second class above described turneI
liberty into centousnes aud some foul tongues
IN basphemy setting on fire the course of nature and
set on fire OF hell"
However self-eydent the fundamental ayion of orr
Declaration may have seemed its illuminated trainers
or however true would be If were Divine and eK
listed as community of Gods as DEVELOPMENTS of the
Divine essence in present actual world IL can work
out only confusion and arrangement. 1t has in fact
done so wherever experience has tried history has
described IT, Yet il is the political Gospel OF New Eng
land True, 1t is contradicted and countervailed TO
great extent by the Constitution and the laws and all
the necessities of social state and could not be other
wise IT would have social state at all But vet the
fantastic image figures in the common mind. Ii cap
uVates the common fancy Ii eKpounds so far as it can
al will the literal statutes and DEGREES which are for the
government of life. IL works in oar speculative
theology and shapes that ductile science to the Vi
sionary idea of the ability the capiby aud the perfec
u6iity OF man. and inects it with sentimental univer-
saisc element that deprves IL Of its former mower II ~
ducss ethics TO the level of expedency and pro-
poses utility and happiness the end and cunning
policy "a its rule 1t degrades our politics 10 eager sub
servency, not righteous and benevolent ordering of
affairs, but the securing of spos intriguing and fac
tous PIrtizans. The pulpit extensively sccuarized bv
the press and the press encouraged by the pulpit il
often, indeed, from generous instinct but for the
ends Of ephemeral popularity among the undiscerpin
portions OF society under the desecrated names of patr
osm, philanthropy, and religion. 1t is idol The
painted goddess Of Liberty hlunts high places
We do her reverence and go away drunk with the wine
of her spiritual forncaton. Without return TO the
first principles of natural and revealed religion we could
not long survive the unperceved destructive influence
of this latterday sophry and chicane Its conseouep
ces unchecked could only be the deterioration of one of
the best people OF the earh the loss Of their national
freedom and probably last demonstration to the universe
OF the folly OF human wisdom and the weakness of hu
man strength
This Is not cheerful prophecyng. But from nv point
OF view, can nothing better in the distant Iu
ture Effects will follow their natural causes We have
gone on swapping cords for fifty years and settling
into successive stages Of spiritual doary The elements
OF dscord active heyare at present and AS
10 any earthly recovering power who locate or define
it, see tnot in the people who every increasing
their conusons see it not in the leaders who are more
ambitious and unscrpulous their conscious power a
cumuates see ought be our re eprcsenta
tive institutions Ot learning and religion for they grad
ally yield here te and there little, 10 the outside
pressure and under pecious prCteuce accommodate their
measures the spirit OF the times Ths current swecn
along. What hope for when not revelation bnt
philosophy is the guide OF life and her profesSsd aim l.
not the humblne hut the gorfyng o; humanity and her
pathway l. Illuminated not by the light Of Christ but the
qncS tdfin which have lured antecedent nations 10 the
abyssy FoNery il IS and beautiful We are captivated
by delights every stage and imagine that tonor-
row will be this day aud abundant though ey
perence utters voice but that of warning which we
heed not and Scripture retelie its thrcatenings but TO
he scorned.
But our time is not yet. look for esioppas and re-.
actions. The ebhs sud flows during its appointed
time. Neither the North the South are vet ready
for dissolution. They could effect II now There is
too much At stake for both for ALL admit Of anv ,o-
lent disruption, and nothing bu violence could part ~
There Is too much in jeopardy not only Of principle
which are losing sight Of but Of property which We
bold in account and OF safety and happiness which
are above all price. We start back when look into
the chasm Of disunon The holdest quail before it un.
imaginable Harpcrs Ferry providential omen
enough to all but the hopeesy insane Those be-
widered men who have played consciously or uncon-
sciousy into the hand Of fanatics and driven such men
Brown to the gallovs and Gerrt Smith 10 the Asy.
um will retreat, with much grace possible from
their false positions They will, indeed shoot back
their harmless arrows they hy, and persuade
whom they can that nAt> they but their adycrstrcs
have been at fault for the nurdcrous foray But
their zeal will slacken and many will 20 back TO
End the only cectual remedy fo social evils in the old
Gospel rather than the specifics. The people vet
too wise and virtuous or least too calculating 90
encounter the crisis Of revolution The present furry
like that Of Southampton, will soon be over Perhaps
few more Presidential campaigns will pass without VIC.
lent disturbance Bot the popular idol is not broken
The groves not cut down. The high places yet
smoke with unhlllowcd incense. New temptations will
consequently arise and the dcmoascd forces Of society
will Weld to seductive influences or Overwhelming
onscts. Every successive fever Of weakens more
The constitution and the fatal paroVysm comes nc last
The same law j. upon nations indviduals-"ashes TO
ashe dust 20 dust The wise and good may defer the cat
astrophc, but cannot aud they will have their
reward. But to the empires who cling and stimu.
late and the patient through a his stages ti the
silver cord Is oosed, and the golden bowl is brokcn-
Would to God that might have the balr, Of Giead
aud the Physician who Is there But he comes not 70
reluctant homes lie administers not Hn uuhaIloved
specifics rcnounced. There is fellowship between
Christ and Bes whose children cruelty their Redeem.
er, and make Birrabbas--the robber-the murderer
their hero, their Saviour and their God
Bot whenever dissolution IL viii be general not
between the South and North only but the confcdcri
ton. For it i not supposible that IN such an Issue al
classes viii br equally rccrcaut TO fret principles or TO
the old covenants which have bound s 80 long togeth.
or. The hwrss aud Indignant passions which should