The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-11-14

SION to say that am only influenced Dy Tue
love of the truth and not therefore cy my
d;snos;t;on to do them injustice or wound their
sensibilities. Still, ] insist that it is my pre-
roeatiye to be intrepid in reasoning; and hence
if a train of sound argument places them IN
the wrong the blame attaches to then. position
and not TO my exposition oft
Now, sir, the position tPstI intend TO take !.
is this: That the Discipline Of the Church OIL
the Northern Methodists isinfidel in two inn
portant regards--in which regards they con-
cur in sentiment with voltaire and David
Hume. Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson
being the main pillars of their systems.
1 expect to make these positions good, or
would not have the hardihood to utter them
We must bear in mind that the Discipline
of the Methodist Church is simply an eecle-
siastical Interpretation Ofthe Bible IN certain
particulars. It is merely the utterance Of
their faith and practice which they regard as
coincident in uttefance with that Of the Book
of God.
If it is, they are in the right, Tor deier 10
the authority Of that book.
:. Let us now proceed to the argument.
In the first place, we are all agreed on the
fact that as a method of moral Regeneration,
the gospel is slow cooperation. This grows out
of the fact that its progress is irnpcded by the
obstinacy of the human character and It's re-
pugnancy to its teachings. To remove there
fore. the barrier that alone hinders the success
Of the gospel, we have maniiestiy to snbdue
the repugnancy-the hostility existing be-
tween our natural feelings and the truths OF
the gospel. IA. ~ III.
To overcome human opposition to truth
to reconcile men to abandon their own feelings
in order to obey the truth and right, as these
latter prevail in the several relations of life, is
the object of all phiIanthropists and hence was
the object of Voltaire and David Hume,
Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, on the
one hand, and is the object Of the Gospel Of
Christ on the other.
Now, what is the great dividing line be-
tween the teachings of Christ and the lessons
incuicated by these other philosophers
rhold it to be this; Christ taught hisfol
lowers to apait on tie gospel,
These other teachers to resort to remedies
4 that are more Immediately at hand, and whose
results are more striking to the senses
How can we depart from the teachings o
Christ? Simply by refusing to wait on the
gospel; or, what is precisely the same thing
by resorting to action on the sensational or,
ganization-on mans pride and ambition--or
his susceptibility to pain Of body, on bis love
of temporal pleasure his disposition to en-.
JOY natural satisfaction-on his shamefaced
ness.
The penalty Of the gospels eternal; where.
as, the penalty of conformity with th,
teachings of infidelity, are loss OF caste loss 0
pride, loss of temporal advantages. loss Of sen
sational enjoyment, wealth, honor, station
| &c. The question then is, to which Of thes,
schools do the teachings Of the Church OF tn,
Northern Methodlsts belong2
viii any man have the hardihood to sa.
that they belong to the system that teache
l..us to aoaa on the gospel for moral improve
1 pent to tho exclusion of natural agencies tina
have more ine1aediate results
What is-impled by waiting on the gospel
ManiEstly that we must not become impa
tent, and especially must not permit that i'm
patience to betray us into the adoption Of an.
rule that will exclsie entire dependence oil
the gospel as the remedy for the evils Of tn
several relations of life--in other words +
to wait on human opposition !?
In this regard how does the church Mort
Astand? affirm that they act with the nj
most intolerance Of the gospel, as the remed
for the ills Of the station in life in which Go
has cast my lot.
I Waiting on the gospel implies that we mus
exercise tie most unlaltering patience wit
evils that came by way Of Gods judgmentso
the relations Of social life, until those evils ca
be ameliorated by Cbrfsps method, by media
y "a Z, -. k-s