Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-12-14


principles tiled rexsyning I. without n guide
the sentiments disordered Discourse Is warm but
tickle and nnmeaning moral and practical uncertainty
regns In which double and are scared by shad
and chiIneras The generality vet mean well: bu,
their faculties clouded their sun darkened by the
steamng vapors Of unbelevng visionary and iprac.
ucabe philosophy they take an Observation and
the winds and currents setting them upon the rocks
Slavery IL the terrific spectre Of the Storm IL scares them
from all their natural propriees and still more from
Divine guidance aud reliance and they all
OF sprituastic snbteties and conjuraons seeking
deliveance where they only plunge into greater con
sions and more formidable dangers
The Of these alarming irregularities In
my Judgment this, viz that aboye the constitution
aud the laws, and independent OF tie Bible and expe.
renee and now, TO great extent the conceited inter
prefer OF both. dreamy. speculative fallaey higher
law hcuon OF the imaginary universal reason an ultra
Divine instinct insensby gains possession of the com.
mon mind. We owe il nainly To yonr own jefferson
for whose sake you should bear lorg possible with
our n6rmities. He caught by the IIluminisn and
Cosmopolitan OF his times and embodied his chmera in
the " giihtering QeHrrdiitisS Of the Declaration of
Independence That gidsd faisehood has betrayed us
our Inherited slavery whatever other evils NAV attend
H. merctul aniidoe the atheistic poison which
has crept through all veins Il virtually enthrones
humanity. IL makes every child man every mau
great, and every great God IL is Willingly igno-
rant of our common fall and ruin the entaiIed selfish
tendencies OF every individual mind and the
y disturbed relations of the social state IL perceiyes
not that God has given essential personal character
isc equality TO no two creatures Of his hand organic
relations of his constituted order that no rights of fall
en- men absolute but dependent on his good behay-
ior IN society; and that happiness not his legitimate
end aud ai but the honor OF the Creaor-not an Or
dained consequence Of following self-determiued will
but of faith in the Divine word and obedience to the
DIVINE commands; that society has inherent moral
rts rio TO evolve itself into perfect state by natu.
raj process of development but waits in the use of the
appointed ueans of probationary state for the
promised by the Spirt 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 falow ground of the
inner man, that any other view Of man of society In
the present state produce nothing but spiritual in
hation swelling with sesuihciencT and firing s with
AMBITION reducing us TO competitors and strug-
glers for an ideal good and length exploding all our
gaudy visions of millenli- Commonwealth IL is this
speculative hetion not of Puritan but revolu.
uonary fathers, whom blame however not for reyo.
uuonizng society but for re-construcing it on false
philosophical idea; IL Is this humanitarian pantheistc
imsge-the unknown God which we ignorantlv worsbin
that insensbly weakens hold the Divine rea-
ties aud consequently unsettles foundations IL has
already as In the second class above described turned
liberty into centonsness and ossened some foul tongues
in basphemy setting rc the course of nature and
set on fire of hell.r
However secevdent the fundamental axiom Of our
Declaration may have seemed 10 its Illuminated frames
or however true IL would be if Divine and eX
ised as community of God as DEVELOPMENTS of the
DIVINE essence IN our present actual world il work
out only confusion and arrangement IL has in fact
done 40 wherever experience has tried or history has
described IT, Yet IL il the political Gospel Of New Eng
land True, II Is contradicted and countervaied to
the necessities OF social state and could not be other
wise II we would have social state at ALL But vet the
fantastic image figures in the common mind il cap
uNaes the common fancy IL eNpounis far as il can
at WILL the literal and DEGREES which are for the
government of life Ii works unseen in our speculative
theology and shapes that ducte science TO the vi
sonay idea OF the ability the capabty aud the perfec-
ubility OF man, and nects il with sentimental univer-
alisiic element that deprves of its former power IL re-
duces our ethics to the level Of expedency pro-
poses utility and happiness the eud fife and cunning
i les Ol tn,a
serveney not TO righteous and benevolent ordering of
Affairs but the securing Of spoils intriguing and fac
tous pariizans The pulpit extensively secularzed by
e press and the press encouraged by the pulpit
often indeed from generous instinct more for the
ENDS OF an ephemera popularity among the undscernng
portions OF society under the desecated names of pat
otlsm philanthropy, and religion II Is our idol The
painted goddess of Liberty aaunts our high places
we do her reverence and go away drunk with the wine
OF her spiritual fornication. Without return 70 the
hrst principles of natural and revealed religion we could
not long survive the unperceived destructive influence
OF this atter-day sophtry and chcane Its conseouen.
ees unchecked could only be the deterioration of ono of
the best people Of the eerth 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 prophecying But from INV point
point OF view, nothing better in the distant .
ture. Effects will follow their natural causes We have
gone on swapping our cords for fifty years. and settling
into successive stages of spiritual idoairy The clements
OF dcord active theyare at present and S
to any earthly recovering power who can locate or define
NJ see not IN the people who every year increasing
their Commissions see not in the leaders who are more
ambitious and unscrupuOus as their conscious uoVer AZ
cumuates see not h ought to be incur representa-
tive institutions Of learning aud religion for they grad.
ally yield here little and there little To the outside
pressure and under pecions preences accommodate their
measures 20 the spirit of the times The current sweeus
along. What hope for when not revelation lint
philosophy Is the guide OF life, ana her professed aim
not the humbng hut the gorf,ing Of humanity and her
pathway i Illuminated not by the light Of Christ but the
'gne' Iai which have inrcd aniccedent nations the
abyssY flowefy it ia, and beautiful We are captvaied
10y new delights AZ every STAGE and imagine that
row will he IS this day aud more abundant though ex
perence utters voice but that Of warning which We
heed not and Scripture eteates its threatenng but to
be scorned.
But time is not vet look for estoppals and re-
actions. The Gibbs and flows during is annotated
time. Neither the North nor the South are vet ready
for dissolution. They could not effect n now There i
TOO much at stake for both, for ALL admit of any yo-
lent disruption and nothing bu violence could part rs
Ihefe Is too much in jeopardy, only Of pfincipe
which we are losing sight Of but Of property which We
hold IN more account and Of safety and happiness which
are above ell price. We start hack when we look into
the chAsm Of disuniou The boliest Quail before lie mn
imaginable terrors HarpeIs Ferryisa provdental omen
enough 70 scare all but the hopeesy insane Those be-
wIdered men who have PLAYED consciously or uncop.
sciousy into the hand OF fanatics and driven such men
as Brown TO the gaows and Gerrit Smith to the Asy
lum, will retreat with much grace as possl,le fro,,
their false positions They will indeed shoot hal
their harmless as they iy and persuade
whom they that not they but their alversaries
nave pccn ~ iault Tor the mutdCrous tOruv. But
their zeal will slacken and many will 20 back 10
hnd the only cecual remedy for social cvs In the old
Gospel rather than the specifics The people vet
are too wise and vruons az least too calculating 10
encounter the crisis Of revolution. The present furry
like that Of Southampton will soon be over Pcrhaps "a
few more Presidential campaigns will pass without yio
lent disturbance. But the popular idol b not broken
The groves are not cut down. The high places vet
smoke with unhaOwed incense. New temptations viii
consequently arise and the demolished forces of society
will Weld 90 seductive influences or overwhelming
ouscs Every successive fever Of course weakcus more
the constitution and the fatal paroxysm comes AZ last
The same law upon nations indviduas-"asbes 20
ashcs durt to dust Wise and good NAV defer tbe cat,
astruphe but cannot g. aud they viii have their
reward But voc to the empires who cling and s,mu.
late and sweat the patient through m hs stages d the
silver cord Is looscd, and the golden bowl Is broken
Would 70 God that might have the balm Of Gilc,d
aud the Physician who is there But he comes NOT 10
reluctant homes lie administers not Gn unhsroucd
specifics rensunced There is no fellowship between
Christ and Belal whose children cruelty their Redeem
er, aud make Bauabbas-thc robber-thc murdcrcr-
their hero, their Saviour and their God
Bot whenever dissolution comes u will be general not
between the South and North only but the conlcdera
ton. For Is not suIcrable that IN such an ssuc An
classes viii be equally first principles or 10
the old covenants which have bound u 20 long toectb