Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-16
Reason versus Revelation.
BENSON. Oct. 7.

bkNSON, OCI. -
Editor Rutland Herald My eye light
upon piece taken from your paper en-
titled "Reaaon versus Revelation" upor
which would like to comment briefly.
The writer would defend reason by
dissertation from all alliance with infinite
reason. aud claims that pure christianity
puts aside human reason, with which
! ignorance we do not wish to credit him
He must know better. In regard tC
things entirely out of the bound of rea.
son, we would be assisted by Infuite
knowledge, and would not st any time
presume to compete with Infnite God
God asks us to reason with him. We are
called to "think on our ways and be wise
The Bible is constantly trying to insPire
thought whence come these onward
prOmptings" 50 often repeated. How
many do men have when completely iso-
lated from the influence of the Bible
! Another false position is taken, viz: The
| christian religion forces man to "w8it''
for 'revelation" The exact opposite is
| the truth. We urge upon men to use the
faintest light-to accept "now." Man,
by instinct, knows God is right and
should be obeyed. The Bible takes it for
granted that man knows his duty, when his
eyes are opened. Again, we hit against
these inward promptings, and it is
asked "would it not be better to obey
these inward promptings P" BY all
means; for if they are worthy of the
name, they have come from God, obey
what you have and pray to God for more.
But he adds, call reform must come from
within" We have read the same from
Mr.. Theo. Parker's writings. But did the
writer ever know man reformed without
any outward influence? No! all comes
from without. All onward promptings"
are first outward promptings, and from
God. When a man is in dead earnest for
that trnth which may save his soul, does
he seek within to read it from the tablet
of polluted heart ?. The very first indi-
cation of reform will be distrust Of his
old self But, says the writer, disputing
himself, these onward promptings' may
as we'll come from any other source as
from the Bible-from what source we are
not told-we were referred to onward
promptings" to adjust everything, and if
80, where is truth to be found Then
anything is truth which man may con-
iure with never so bad heart and life, and
the worst mans standard is just as good
and safe as the wisest and best mans
truth, there being no standard of truth.
Run this out into all of life's relations
and what would the world become
Promising to be brief, we will not ex-
tend but what profundity and aptness of
thought these infidel and free thinkers
presume to have above the believers of
gospel truth when the real fact is that
the mass hang upon a certain set of men
on purpose to ag05d thought upon these
matters of the immortal soul and its des-
tiny; and for the bright and profound
thoughts of those who are called gifted
writers, all are indebted to the Bible
which they affect to despise. We would
have these men try their philosophy and
free religion upon cannibals and bring
them up to the standard now attained by
thousands of them under the light of this
despised gospel, and if not one has been
raised to manhood In these centuries of
free religion, l would show a little more
modesty and little less boastinS.
We would be glad to hear from this
writer again, stating, if he please, what
this religion Of reason has done during it's
long history, and what it is to-day doing,
where it cannot hang to the skirts of the
current christianity of the times. And,