New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-07-23

be-, of men, because the most Natural OF meh-ot-
cause the truest a. bis nature. .
IxiIi say nothing here Of special proviiences
except that # they DO they must be the result "l
the uuchsr g.sbe and eternal laws Of the unchanee-
abe and eternal God
few words more in regard 10 these general laws.
There il view Of them which mult.piss nfdels with
n fesiful rspidity IL ia that view which puts them
IN the place OF personal God, by representing
Him ss having set them IN motion, and then turning
hi back upon them But these laws are not Col.
They are only the modes by which He works, and they
have no power only He constantly energies them,
and 10 existence only as He constantly breathes ms
own into them.
Tore,uru again TO the line of argument in this dis
course-l was speaking Of the true re.igon ~ spur,
Of u,ce and goodness aRc alo of IL proper service
toward God. now pass on 10 speak OF It's proper and
more in pOrtart service toward man. More important,
saw s ce It's iruest service toward il also It's
truest service toward God. More important, too,
since only a small part o our time should be consumed
with direct duties 10 God and nearly al Of It with d.
rect du'ies To man. Paul says that al the law IS
fulfilled in our duties 10 man.
Alas bow wanting IN the characteristics OF the true
religion have the prevailing religions If the word
always proved themselves To be by their unhappy
bearing ID human nature Conclusive witnesses ot
this are those deep wrongs done to man ever ami every
where. that cOItemptuOus disregard OF ms rights;
that heartless indifference 10 the essential wants ard
urgent demands of bis high and sacred nature. What
Overwhelming testimony sganst these religions have
We in Poly gamv. Land Monopoly, War Slavery, and
the snnihilation Of the Rights If Woman
Thee crimes prevail because conventional anu iase
religions prevail: ard never shall we md rehei irom
them ard remedy for the ruin they nave wrought,
until we shall find II IN religion harmo 1Zlng WIN hl-
man nature ami growing ont Of ia religion IN short,
which shall allow human nature to be law unto seIi
and TO be i,s own religion That emiue ntly profound
observer Madame de Stael, justly accords To the
Christian phil ,sophv the high honor of seeking To
harrnouize re gion with human nature ree qW cher
che FOHolOgic dc la religion 0cec la nature humdH
atd that We can never learn what is the true religion
Ix,. VOL ~ li
Hitherto religions altogether alien and revolving to
human nature have been forced upon it-reigIons
whose slanderous song Il:
Nature must count her gold but dro.s
If she would gaia The heavenly and >
religions that have impudeLtly and ylngy asserted
their superiority 20 human nature. and that nave
thereby succeeded in bringing It under their tfrannca
and crushing sway religions that under the pea OF
saving human nature, have gone about TO Xiii 1t. Is
this idea Of having nature our law, and our re-
ligon startling and offensive to you Goodness, am
aware is well nigh universally regarded 81 external
Injunction upon, rather than law OF, our nature. But
10 be truly good and truly religious is not to be in
bondage to foreign authority. IL IL, on the contrary
10 enjoy the freedom living out good nature
and being ourselves. He who made us bids be
what He u ade us-biis us live out ourselves.
know that this doctrine of the goodness of human
nature must shock some of my hearers-for they AMI,
Indeed, nearly all of u.s. trained up 10 believe IN
IFS total depravity. Would that men universally had
To lit up their lives to the high level of their nature.
On the other hand their degrac ing submission 10 the
doctrine Of their total depravity goes very far toward
accounting for their false morality, base spirit, and
dw a. fed meohood. So long dc they believe III this
doctrine they will be easy prey 10 the priesthood
For go long they will feel themselves 10 be incapable
Of distinguishing right from wrong, and compelled 10
90 ouisde of then selves to supply the deficiency
This deficiency the priesthood stands ever ready 10
supply either by of it, Interpretation of
books or simply its own dcta. Herce men receive
this right and reject that wrong not because they
see them 10 be SO, but because of their being told
that they are co. Hence is il explained that many
worthy people admit that even Slavery is right. In-
satly would they condemn II were their moral sense
allowed 10 pass upon it. But their moral sense the
theologsps Tell them il SO buned and blinded by their
total depravity to make it necessary 10 superscde il
hy a reyela,ion-by book. II is by thus denying to
men the ability, and therefore the right, TO judge for
enselves in the painest of moral matters; it
il BY thus overriding then with 6ut lOrty, and reducing
them to puppets that they largely characterized
by sense of responsibility, by ignorance, weak
uess, superstition, cowardce. 1t is, In word,
by this means thai they are brought TO live a
life which il sunk so far below their nature.
A natural religion il, as We have already substan-
italy SAID the only one for which reason calls. Men
study books TO learn religion. Bot while readily
admit that rome book and especially the precious
Bible THAT most eloquent defender next Ia Nature, Of
both Divine and human rights we joynlly see Il to
be when welded by such mighty man of God as
Cheever useful to this end, must nevertheless
So far a. the Nedss Koran may be record of the
teachings OF nature, or may be in harmony with those
teachings, they valuable and only by the same
rule If the value of the Bible 10 be judged. 1t is by
meal. of books and their own imagnatons that men
couure up these crazy religions that make such fright
fu and rulDOus war On human Misunderstanding and
.hriveirg it with the terrors of their hond hes and
debasDg ana beiUong Il with their superstitiOus and
puerile pictures of heaven. But only let be
ODE yed AMI natural relg on be allowed to take the
place Of these artificial fancul, and insane religions
and the abuses Of human nature will cease, and the
deep wounds they have made upon II will be quickly
healed, Its fair proportions be all recovered and its
union with the Divine nature be retstablished.
spoke Of the mistake of studying religion in books
rata than in nature. remark. incidentally that in
this mistake i to be found the fruitful Of
tananism. Were the natrre-religon substituted for
the book religion there could be 10 sect. Nearly all
cultivated men read nature substantially alike and
would all men but for the authority which they allow
10 certain boo k. Take away from he thousand Chris
tiaD sects their empeton to quarrel about few words
IN the Bible, and their occupation would be gone and
their death would be certain Bat this temptation
will all disappear the moment they shall that
ture, and not 4 book is authority in religion.
II j. duty To be refonners. But reformers we
sha not be unless make ourselves aware ana keep
ourselves of the spurousness of the popular
lglJD Frequent the occasions which reveal that
tpuriousness and II may be- profitable for all if
bring into review at this time some Of these revela
tons.
The Governments Of Massachusetts and New York
were recently called TO provide proe ton for fugi
tive slaves. But they refused. Why did they T!
Government in it, true is simply the collective
people charged with the duty OF projecting each of
the people The plea for their refusal was, that Mas
.schusetts and New-York under a promise not to
protect this class Of persons. Admit that they are
Though every endeavor 10 show that they are must
be IN contempt and defiance Of the canon of legal in
tcrpehiioD nevertheless ought not the protection -
have been afforded first and the promise to have been
considered afterward! The duty of the protection
could not be conditional on any thing. At all times,