Polynesian., 1861-04-20
No. 81.

i
land shore, :" Behold the enemies of Jehovah! Be-
hold the men leagued with the foul spirits of the pit
to do battle against the Lord of Hosts War, then
War! Rise We up in force against them Up with
We, and down with Gods foes Down with the i'm
pious ones Down with themr'
Farther still, and yet strange, how is it that
we ind among the supporters Of all this cruel folly
men not destitute of intelligence, not in other mat
tiers devoid of the kinder feelings of humanity, not
wanting in tincture at least of liberal knowledge
and learning:
The phenomenon is assuredly one of the most sin
gular which the history of humanity presents. Its
srageness might well excite our highest curiosity,
were 1t not that this feeling is swallowed up and lost
in that of strong indignation at the long series of
banefu consequences which our eyes witness hay-
ing followed in its train. have hypothesis to
PROFOUND, which may perhaps serve in some meas
ure to explain it. and to show how it is that men
| can have been found to lend themselves agents
to lead train of events singularly and culpa-
| bly, disastrous. But in order that / may do so,
must mount to little higher ground. For this pur-
pose it is necessary to attend to of the pecuar
ties OF Protestant to speak more correctly, of
Puritanic doctrine.
l. Puritans affirm that their christianity rests
solely on the Bible and the preached word.
2. As seeming consequence of this that the
reading of the Bible and the hearing of the preached
word, are all the human means necessary to make
men Christians.
8. That Christianity is the parent of modern civ
ilization.
Z. mat moQern CIVILIZATION mas maze greaLer
progress in Protestant than in Catholic countries.
8. As q consequence of the two last, that thus
the superior excellence of their form of Christianity,
viz that which is built solely on the Bible and the
preached word is evnced.
1t seems to follow from these premises, as a neces-
sary consequence, that if you find nation in search
of religion you have only to send Puritanic preach
to expound the Bible them in their tongue,
to teach them read it in that tongue to scatter
prOfusely among them copies of it translated into
an1v " aka hriS-
tans, but bring them to state of very high cvza-
ton. Now all these, considered merely set of
Puritanic dogmas, are harmless enough. If they
who profess them choose to believe them, is
y worth the while of the rest of the world, unless
in the way of poemic controversy, to call them III
question. But it is different thing when they
assumed as the basis of action in our doings with
whole people. Before allowing them quietly to take
this position, it reasonable to inquire what
foundation they have in fact, or in the records of
history. The question is capable of being reduced
to narrow limits.
1t is undeniable that Christianity was first promul
gated verbally. The Redeemer himself left nothing
in writing. 1t the inspired word, issuing from
the lips of the Apostles and Disciples conjoined with
their miracles and martyrdoms, that began the con-
version of the Roman world. Thus Christianity ex-
isted for many ages before the scattered writings
which form the New Testament were collected. Both
the Old and New Testaments therefore, were regard
ed In the primitive ages not as being themselves
Christianity, but supplementary to Christianity.
1t was the miracles and martyrdoms, and the nspr-
ed eloquence of the Apostles. and their immediate
Disciples, that was the foundation of the hrm, un-
wavering faith of these ages. Now all faiths are
propagated from generation to generation. What
the father reverently believes, the son receives un-
inquiringy sacred truth. So the strong faith Of
the primitive church flowed down from age to age
till the period of the Reformation. When at that
time Protestants left the Catholic Church, they took
out of it with them two things Faith in the great
truths of Christianity. faith the Bible as the very
word of God. What was peculiar to them, and more
especially to the Puritanc sects, was the rejection
of all that IN the Church except the Bible, and
the belief that each capable of interpreting
that book for himself and had the right to do so.
Granting, then, that by special providence Of God,
all that is essential to Christianity has been preserved
in those once scattered writings which in the primary
ages regarded merely supplementary to it;
granting that the Bible is the foundation of modern
civilization knowledge and science even, one Of the
advocates of that system once had it in the Ponesd
of Political Economy ITSELF this further question
remains Whence is derived to Protestants their ex-
sting Of faith in the Bible the inspired word
of God? Does it proceed solely from examination Of
the Historical evidence and of the Book ITSELF having
convinced them that is verify the oracle OF the Su
preme Being is it partly at least traditional and
hereditary and ultimately derived them through the
Catholic church from the primitive ages?
If the former supposton be correct then there are
reasonable grounds to expect that the diffusion OF the
Bible among heather nation. and the preaching to
them, with the ordinary zeal and ability Of Protestant
clergynen. will be followed by their real conversion,
for they will have had all that Protestants have; and
what has made white Christians may be presumed
capable Of also making Christians of those of another
shade of color. But if the latter if the faith of Proes
tants in part Transmission from the primitive ages
through the Catholic church. then these have some
thing which is wanting to the heathen. and, until this
IS somehow supplied, we have reasonable grounds to
hope that their preaching the word and diusing the
scriptures will insure real conversion. Until this
point is settled, Protestant missions to any heathen
nation can only be regarded in the light Of expert
ment, which, among its other results will go far TO
prove whether not the puritanc dogma is correct
will illustrate my meaning BY reference to natural
philosophy Water, you tell me- and tell me truly. Is
composed Of oxygen and hydrogen. l assume, there
FORE that by putting these gasses in Just proportions
into bottle, and shaking them well together, shall
have water. But shake them how / will cannot
produce it. To bring the dissociate atoms into COM
bnation something more is wanted. They viii not
unite without heat Raise some of them to very high
temperature and then they will combine, and viii give
you power by which, you conduct the process Alright,
the seemingly discordant natures Of both the two shall
be completely blended into apparently simple ee
ment In the same way the Protestant missionary,
when he among the heather with the Bible brngs
near two very dscordant elements Within the boards
Of the Book which he holds in his hand truths which
If he could make them penetrate to, and be blended
WITH the hearts Of those around him would completely
change their nature-but, has he succeeded in doing
so. On the contrary has not the experiment hitherto
nearly altogether failed. Have not the Bible and the
heathen been shsken-not irreverenfly be Il spoken
been well shaken up together by aid of missionaries IN
every possible FORM and has not the result been n
next to nl7
Ought not, therefore, this result doubt o.
the truth Of the puritanc dogmas concerning the all
sucency of the Bible and the preached word and to
show u.s. that the heathen something more
requisite, something that may make up TO them for
that hereditary and reverentia faith which. perhaps,
unknown to him. is the of the missionary himself
,hershing the book Does il not in short require an
amount Of selfsacr6cing and fearless zea and disin-
erested love for the heahen which it is almost unfair
TO expect in Protestant missionary For the Pro-
estant clergy bound to the world in which they
i've. by ties which mingle them with it and make them
part Of it, They can scarcely be expected therefore,