Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-21

alone regulates the general mOvemeu
Man could not and cannot, contentedI,
feel himself without personal an
present, protecting Deity. Only Ii
philosopher. and he only in theory,
. F5rnic an N,,sne deI ease Dsol eA'R nondo
Do ana aielite Immortal rsit0 non sid ~
makes chance a Deity, and deems tbs
no Eternal mind directs all things.
/ C.--When we feel the shades Of dout
falling upon our hearts, and waver
our faith as to the Divine authenticity {
the Gospel, we resort for light that sha
dispel those doubts, not 10 the letters q
/ PAUL, but 20 the teachings Of CHRIS
himself and the episties Of JOHN, th
/ Apostle OF that
/ Sweet Love, devoid Of vlnainy and III.
I AID pure and spOtless A. at 1rst be sprung
out of the AImighty's bosom, where he rests
The Gospel made its way a. the Gosps
OF Love. But chiefly, believe, it wa
I the death OF 'CRYsTE, Goodies Some
that songe to mankyBde soEges Of end
les love- which won to the new faiti
the hearts OF men, and made the Tree o
Christianity to put forth its wealth q
leaves. The faith was True, and Truti
ia the mightiest Of Forces. CHRIST diet
in order that it should prevail and tina
death could not, according to the laws o
the Universe, fail TO have its due effect
To ask in what way it acted on the Gen
tile mind is as absurd a. TO ask how
a Thought Of one influences the mind o
another. 1t was not difficult for a work
that deited EmperOrs to believe tina
CHRIST was divine. It exacted nOthinl
uncommon Of the understanding. Thl
Christian doctrine, as to the Deity, wa.
but the expression Of the general eOnvic
ton Of the human mind The claim &
inspiration, constantly preferred in Pa
ganism, was readily conceded to thI
Apostles. GOD was believed by all t
commune directly with the human
mind, which instinctively said, as Me
TAsTAsIO has expressed il:
Go beRsQpp iani, che Ia Dtriysd Essen-G
IN ciG tlini rtria7ao, a aoStre HenH
Aia del re-o d0H0 Ia cOH0scenza.
All thinking men believed that the Di.
vine Essence, in which all lived, moved
and had their being, revealed the divine
truth to the Human Mind.
P-I would much rather believe thai
the Deity revealed the most essential
truths TO the human mind every where
than that he did so only to very little
handful Of the better intellects, 10 an in
considerable part Of Palestine to the
intellectual few Of a small people, the
mass Of whom were always idolaters
and so, it is evident to me, he did.
Christ revealed no other new truth in
regard to the Deity, than that He is a
God Of Benetieeuce, To the Jews he had
always been God Of Terror.
C.-That truth alone was worthy Of a
divine mission. 1t is the great Truth,
on which all the others depend, the key
by which alone the mysterious secrets OF
the Universe are unlocked. Pity that
the Gospel Of Love ever became the
Gospel Of Persecution : and that the God
of Love appeared but for moment, to be
hidden again for so many ages behind the
dark frowniugclouds ofsuperstition. Did
1t ever occur TO you, that although PAUL
asserted the liberty Of those possessed
Of knowledge, to eat meats sacrificed to
idols, that John, il he indeed wrote the
apocalypse, represents GOD as saying to
the angels Of the church in Pergamos :
Thou hast there them that hold the
doctrine Of Balaam, who taught Ralak
to cast a STUN bling block before the chill
dren Of Israel, TO eat things sacrificed
unto idols and to the angel OF the
church in Thyatria, thou sufferest that
human Jezebel, which calleth herself a
prophecies, to teach my servants to eat
things sacrificed uUto idols John, of
whose preaching and services, for some
reason, no record has come down to US,
seems not to have appreciated that cas-
uistry, which held that it was lawful. ,
though it might not be 'expedient,J for
those who had knowledge to eat such
meat, especially when they bought it in
the market. These having other liber-
riad hagTAa ,boI - Iv-g 4
our liberty. Let the weak conseiences
take care Of themselves 8 The whole of
the first Epistle General Of John is a
condemnation Of PAUL's doctrine of sal
walton by faith without works.
The law Of merit and demerit, as CoU-
SIN well says, is Just as absolute in hu-
man nature, as the mathematical laws
are in their sphere. All humanity has
always agreedi even the sayages, that
certain things are right and e0mmenda-
bic, and others wrong, and to be con-
demned and there has, also, always
been the same universal consent that the
former deserved to be rewarded, and the
latter to be punished. The doctrine that
there Is no merit in good deeds, is repug-
nant to the just instincts Of humanity
in other words, is contrary to the unmis-
LhhEALAE 10 EleAAANlu VI AFhAts IL u Etl4dl-
ly contrary to the uniform teachings of
Christ himself, and well eonsorts with
the idea that to those who have kuoWl-
edge, all things are lawful, though they
may not be eXpedient a doctrine that,
Intentionally or not, strikes at the very
foundation Of morality. If your works
are useless, it is absurd to set value on
them. If, when it is asserted that par
FTuTTI ar have n, -, h.,
saved, it is not meant to assert that they
have been selected to so live as to deserve
salvation but 10 be saved by grace, with
out regard to their works, the plain i'm
port Of PauPs teachings to the christians
Of Rome and COrinth,) then no more de-
doctrine could be preach
J JOhn the Baptist, nor of the Redesmer;
both of whom insisted on refOr-
nation and virtuOus and upright life,
as the condition Of salvation, and as
earning and deserving it. And, in spite
Of any theory, such has always been the
practical creed Of every respectable sect
of Christians Some heretical sects have
carried out PAUL's principles TO their
legitimate conclusions and consequences,
and exercised their liberty by the
lbll III AoHlbn W. AAAE neAoEoA AUS II II AAlAG
evident that PAUL never imagined that
such use would be made of his theories
since he inculcates q rigid morality. 1t
can only be said that be erred, by that
fault Of pushing q legitimate
principle too far and in his zeal to prove
the uselessness Of mere ceremonial Obser-
vances, denying the utility of good Deeds
and the merit of a virtuOus life.
The Apostles were men, like POLYCARP,
AUGUSTINE, CYRIL and CYPRIAN. The
Holy Spirit fell on all who were convert
ed. CHRIST had taught the truth. They
added nothing to it. They were not
to add any thing to it.
The original Apostles often misunder-
stood him in his life time. They were
lften mistaken after his death. And it
IS absolutely certain that seets and dis
iensiOns will never cease as long as the
1lenary inspiration of the Scriptures is
an article Of faith; because, if all parts
ire Of equal authority, there are ineon-
,istencies and contradictions that cannot
)e reeoneiled; as, for example, the
Lection of part of mankind and the
eternal damnatiOn Of the rest on the one
hand, and the salvation of all men, on
he other, may be proved by equally
positive texts. When the Catholic |