Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-02-06

a
philosophy have differed essentially from
nj Renau's?
If any man knows all Of nature aud laws,
he might decide that an alleged occur.
renee was truly supernatural How he
can so decide IN the absence of such
knowledge, do not understand.
Promising ouly that my conception Of a
meracle makes it an occurrence whereby
Gods direct and paipa5k interpostion in
mundane affairs is indicated, / proceed
briefly to recall an incident, within the
experiance of millions now living, which
seems to me clearly of that nature.
The declaration Of American Indepen.
dence vas signed, as is well known, ou the
4th of July, l776 The Two men mosl
prominent and influential in framing that
Declaration and procuring its adoption
were j Ohm Adams of Massachusetts aud
Thomas Jefferson of Virginia-men hav.
ing certain points Of similarity, but many
more of marked, emphatic contrast both
then in the prime ol life, one of them some
four years older than the other Each of
these men lived to represent their country
at leading European court; TO be for
twelve years either President or Vice Pre-.
ident Of the country they SO powerfully
aided to call into beiug; aud they both
died on the same day, aud that the fflleth
anniversary OF the great event which has
rendered their names immortal Aud,
tinally, the messengers bearing north aud
south the tidings OF their respective deaths
met III that city OF Philadelphia where the
Declaration aforesaid had been signed half
century beforel
Of course, NJ Renan could not deny
these facts, the evidence being too fresh,
too varied, too ample, too certain. More
than million persons now living can tesli.
| fy that the deaths occurred substantially
as have stated. Ask The mathematician
10 compute for you the chance that this
might have occurred in II goddess universe,
aud he will tell you that there is more
probability that a bushe of type thrown
out of a printing Office window should
chance 10 arrange themselves on alighling
so as to present on their faces sermon of
CbrysoStom or If Spurgeon.
Now, if these Two Simultaneous deaths
oi Two great men, hose threads of life had
SO eventually crossed each otheI, had taken
place TWO thousand years ago, would Dot
every Strauss or Renan of later ages have
said, The legend IS utterly Incredible; the
coucelt and vanity, the credulity aud super
stlton Of their counlrymeu, led them first
10 hope, ut length confidently to expecr,
that their Two lluslrous patrarchs rould
he taken away just fifty years utter the
most memorable act ot their lives; aud, as
they bolh did happen 10 die about this
time, the story was started that they had
each died GU the A h OF July. 1925; aud
since IT was generally regretted that they
did nat die as was expected, the priests
edlIors, aud Office seeking demagogues al
, leng eoncocted the story that they haG
deed as Was ioudiy autlclpa ted; aud, IT he
Ing every uue's interest aud desn e that .hi
story should prove true. they, by the hell
OF few judcious forgeres aud several sup
| pressIons OF documents, cont rived at leugtl
10 engrat. the pleasing falsehuod on th
stock Of our National history. But sens
hle persons smile at bis legend, aud emplo
II as an Illustration OF the pleasant fable
which bespuugle ancient chronology"
Why should not this be as rational ant
phlosoph.c as M Remains Reputation O
Miracles?