New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-09
Nem1lark daily G1ibm9
fAas-r,isrnsg. ]
THE REASON or RELIGION

To GyPRIT SsirH-Ms Dear y" Tour No,
,Ss, sight columns in Tar TRlBvsZ ofJay - sssis
Orthodoxy" and in favor OF what you Tsssa
80 the Religion Of RI ,scI, call for an eqIA spao- q
r.yiss Blu. an not able to pay Tor 80 maehs s
that. and can ony throw cut few HATS aud cros
examine your Reason by a fsv questions.
Won .s.um, that thcs, whe disagree with you
Theology bsvr. Of course Ps''ea 'o'npan! N'a "e>
40 ard need TO DO couvireed that they should HAYES
reasonable religion. This Is cool IL may Dc sss
yeoieut. But shall I secep.h a. sample OF the lib
a-aI,v the logic the reasooableness, !eo s9 con-
c,5;,g. How do YOU prove thai tie Theo.osy yos
have tSus characterized ard pronourcei insane,
a, abared Reason Has It presented 10 seooos
Of the faith" cherisses reasons va, 'eln.u .s
sws-ed ard which for the most part, GO msa a< ~
,s,,,.aJ to answer Whs; Il II shAl sppeA, n
or 6e inquiry that no other Theology has 80 inPr.g<
nablv irtrercceti ,sef in the deep foandatoo' OF ~
.u7e ard Reason! Let me cite you 70 OIL ON; as
hundreds of yolumss--But.eis Analogy. And .et ms
.nyoes, that the man who in the sadle spru via as
the ssms calm, clear, candid. dign neo, Pn.ySp'cS
reasoning could ooufuts the arguments OF tla. ook
fcr ,ryes ed re zion ard It's Distinguishing 0ocahes,
mid 40 moe toward overturnipg "o,.ocdofy aa
budirg up is rival thar ali tina; has been dene n sas
80 s.y6,,er ceu,uries II It DO jons. Nhy al
/ CT done -
OF EEAsON AND NATURE.
yo. dsusnd religion Of Resson Bu'whs a. Rs,.
son. What il as proper prov.Ece "nS' are tas
corditiors 0. its successful exercise
You define Reason to be 1.-The process Oh ra1co"s-
zion With the results Of IT, Rsticcinaaon. sccocd
inc "a webster Is "the act or process of dedcoas Goa
sequepces from premises
+, Reason. as thus defined. tho only faculty yoa
would employ in Religion Is 1t the only faculty 1t
u,m.p Nsture7 Would you ignore Conscience. the
mor,l serse, which claims power TO revise, anc al
,;we 10 reverse the decisions of mere Ratlocina-
lion ON moral questions! Would you igi,te ala,
the facrlty Of Human Nature that Is sooner deveop
shan ratocr ation" bidding the infant to look up
COZ tdpgiy ito The face Of it's mother, ana .neh a.
;empt walking without the bidding aud without .as
mower of ratiocils,i - Whist II tecuses iks
these should be compelled TO see ue1 'So, anu "
hear God. voice in the revelation. OF his Nerd, say'
mo "This il the way, walk ye IN It - must tas
man throttle the promptngs Of these two godnke tsou
tes merely because MS Rsticcinston 10 the Use u
only " such books as tue sun sha Stars a1d saiu
the mere outward ana visible, ard tsng'blensy hev'
.een and heard nothipg Are the revelations OF Ia,
eve or Of the ear TO be set aside because they ooma
not through the sense Of touch DO you feel comps-
tent 20 tell ,our Maker that 1t only by one faculty of
through ou'v one channel that he hall COMMUNICATES
with You II such your Religion Of Reason W
has Tie by special revelation assured you tnet no.
himself has ordained this supremacy OF heason
IL a. your own 'Ratocnation and its results, iuso-
much that you say mo voice, not even tnst Oh "a,
great God has right to be heard IN the sanctuary
the soul except through the Influence OF such v0o'
"on that resson1'
human nature Has il but the one only faculty Of
"RatiocinatlOn INV,
f. xoud seem. Sir that there are two Religions u
Nature the one embracing but one OF lls nun ~,
faculties" rs,iocinstion-the other including ths
whole Of them, not desplsing, but freely using rat
ocr aticu ard its results, with such books As tbs
sun AMI stsrs and earth, yet not conhIed 70 ,oem
great and glorious as they are, but reaching onward
and upward, in the Of all It's other powers snd
gratefully receiving all the manifestations, wnetaH
internal or external by which the Father oil SpInt
may zee ft to hold communion with hls creatures
fhe one with no data but material objects, ara ~
Int leaves its 0i5Cple5 IN 1OIv
whether they are heirs of Immortality, but peers
the beasts that perish. The other rePosing WITH Con-
fderce on the spiritual, receives the revelation q
"a building of God, house not made with naads'
" eternal in the heavens.
The one with no process but I" Istocnation' ron
oply physca data furnish no rules or motives oil
moral conduct but by the calculation OF chances tls
probabilities Of advantage or disadvantage o. pI0ht
or loss in the scales OF visible and tangible human
intercourse. The other, holding communion with tn {,
Lvisble, hes meat that the world knows not OIL AMI
motives and rules OF action commensurate WITH IA
| lifetime of the Almighty
And now my dear Sir, let me ask You, that IN "a,
use of your higher your better, your nober, your
more Godhke reason, (which | will not charge you
with having yet suocated by your theoresD that you
will compare these two diverse Religions Of Nature
| and Reason" and decide reasonably between them.
Which OF them is most rational and comprehensive,
most elevated, most ennoblngi Which Is most honor
able to human nature end its Creator! Which lays tho
| broadest basis for theology deserving the zane
Which best hsrnonzes with the teachings Of Jesus
with the hottest aspirations OF good men, with t1o wor
chip Of God, who Spirit Which OF them saggesa
the highest tone Of ethcs the purest and most unoo
promising morality
Do we then make void Reason through Faith God
| forbid Yea, we ard establish Reason. Reason
teaches that all the human faculties should be duly
honored each in its place. the not supp.anted by
| the other. In reasoning, you say truly, we procee
from the known to the unknown" There Is no REQ
soniug then without data. This defines and circum
scrbes reason. Reason itself teaches that mas
its limits Are you certain that such books a. sun
and stars and earth" exhaust all the data that God
has in store for you Are you certain that you have
| all the data that is requisite and desirable 10
| your knowledge so comprehensive that not ever the
Divinity could furnish you anything you reed, Which
lies beyond the range of your vision IL spirits OF the
unseen world you seem to hope, may yet add 70 the
stock of your reasoning respecting your uurs
existence through the Intervention Of earthly mediums,
to whose testimony your may allow you TO give
credit who knows that the Father Of Spirits may no.
already have furnished you the desirable intor nation,
ard much more, through human messengers better at
| tested, and more trustworthy. Your reason,
assuredy cannot spurn the testimony because recorded
in "a book which you call ''the precious Bible, that
" most eloquent defender next to Nature of both d.
" vine and human rights" Nor can You object that
the general laws Of the universe would DO arrested
| in the one case and not in the other In your own
language "The provision from eternity, that posi-
bic given copuDcture shal serve to arrest one VI
those laws s, from eternity, part Of that Law, and
" the actual copuncture does not change the law.
How do you know that miracles and "plenary in
spraton' any more than prayer" violations Of
| general laws, as thus defined
And there moral conditions to the sutciency
Of reason You have admitted that there are. You
ak But is sufficient for all these things ?"
And your answer st IL. Not, however, unless the
Divine influence upon it be increasing. Man, ..
4 - - l. x..z4o