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

| Moody at tnat tune Hastor OF the First
church in Boston, "was from the first OBJ
posed to tho prosecution for witchcraft.
and regarded that sad deltlsion in the same
light in which we now view it," Through
his influence, "Philip English, an omi-
nent merchant of Salem, and his wife,
who were imprisoned in Boston on the
charge of Witchcraft, because the iail in
Salem was full" wero induced to flee to
| N. I ork, and there remain until the storm
was over. Rev. Samuel Willard, Col
league Pastor of the Old South Church
i'll Boston, 'manfully rcsis.ssl the unhap-
Ply delusion, to his own hazard and dis
comfort" thus showing that he was in
advance Of his supporters and the commu-
nifty. Rev. John Hale at first favored the
prosecutions, but his wife being accused,
he was convinced of his error, and wrote
| and published book which seems to have
had IN zach influence in setting the minds
OF the community right on that subject.
Rev. George Burroughs, was accused Of
witchcraft, condemned and executed.-
These facts arc gathered from Sprague's
Annals Of the American Pulpit, have ref
erence only to Trinitarian Congregational
ministers, were not manufactured for the
OCCASION, but this subject is mentioned in
cldentally in order to assist us in forming
an estimate OF their character. Respect
ing most Of the ministers of that age, we
are not told what their views were, and it
is supposed that they were not very prom
inent OH either side, but of six ministers
who were Of sufficient notoriet to be
noticed in that work of DR.. Spraguo's one
decidedly favored the dei,4sion probably
till the end of his life, not being set right
even by layman; one, favored for
while but was convinced of his error, not
by a layman, but by the evident innocence
of his wife and used his influence offectu-
ally to stay the horrid proceedings, ore,
suffered himself rs victim, and three
decidedly opposed from the first.
So much for the implication thai, chose
wrctchod fools, reverend divines," were
all engaged in ''strangling men and wo-
men" till they ''wore set right by lay
man." While we admit that too many
ministers and church members favored
those atrocities, we should remember too
as some alienation of their follies and
crimes, that they saw their errors and re-
pented of them even in advance of the
public sentiment in the country where
some Of them had been educated and up
on which they all looked with respect aud
reverence.
Whether it is in good taste for the Pro
tcssor to compare such mon as Jonathan
Edwards, to "Babbage's calculating ma
chine | will not attempt to decide. He
says "Tho commentary of the laymon (of
Northampton on the preaching of iona
than Edwards was, that, after twenty
three years Of endurance, they turned him
out by q vote OF twenty to one, and pass
cd a resolve that he should never preach
TO them again" Whether the vote stood
precisely twenty to one, do not know,
but there was very respectable minority
in favor of retaining him, who, after his
dismissi IN, wished to organize a new Soci-
ETY. and make him their pastor, to which he
would not consent, because it would cause
division in the Society; and some of his
opposers finally saw that they were wrong.
Zone individual particularly, lawyer of
great ominence, and one Of the leading
civilians in the colony, several years after,
became deeply sensible that he had been
in an error, and acknowledged it to Mr..
Edwards in q letter still extant, which is
full of the strongest expressions of self
condemnation No matter how many
were opposed to Mr.. Edwards. 1t was
one of those cases where he was right and
his opposers wrong; and however much
the Professor may attempt to fasten obi
um upon Mr.. Edwards, the name Of jon
athan Edwards will be held Ia everlastipq
remembrance when the name of the Pro
fossor shall be covered with oblivion or
remembered only in the maledctions of
those whom he has led astray.
After all the leading thoughts of this
article had been arranged, received the
n. I. Independent, from which | learn
that [ am not alone in my estimation of
the Professors talents, or of the object and
tendency of the article in question. The
Independent prouounces it ain the highest
degree Objectionable; soothing in its tenn
per-" The Editor of the Courier and
Enquirer, not religious paper, as quo
ted by the independent says, "What we
intend to do is to enter our emphatic pro-
test against this mans employment of
popular magazine, rs vehicle to diffuse
his hooking, skeptical spirit among the
youth of our land" These are merely
specimen of the remarks of the Indepen-
dent and the Courier and Enquirer. |
would be glad to make farther extracts
but my article is already much too long.
All the favor that ask is, either that you
will publish the article entire, or pay no
attention To it. l am really to meet what
| have written but am not willing to be
responsible for any representation of it
given by another. If you publish it, of
course you will accompany it with such
criticism as you see fit. Do not say, as
the boys do sometimes, 81 would knock
you down, were itnot for your grey hairs"
but lay on your blows as heavy as you
please. Ifyou take the advantage of me,
may ask the privilege Of defending my
self.
RHO.