The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-02-18
lC0MMrNICArfD.!
JcfersOn's Religious Principles.
No, 81

II' 49,
IKE Socrates ana Epictctus. he wrote
nothing himself. But he had not. like
them, Il NcnOpliOn or an Arrian To write
tor him | name not Plato, who only
used the name Of Socrates to cover the
WITNESSES Oi his own brain. On the con
trary. all the learned OF his country. en-
,rcnrhrd IN It's power and riches. were OPP
posed 10 him. lest his laDOrs should under
mine their advantages; and the commit
ing to writing of his life and doctrines
icil ON unicttcrrd and ignorant men, who
wrote. too, from memory, aud not I'LL long
altcrtIc transactions had pissed.
According to the ordinary fate OF those
who attempt 10 ~enli2iitcn and reform wan
Kind. he fell an early victim to the jcal-
ou.y aud combination OF the altar ana the
throne, at about tllirty-tirrc years Of age,
his reason having not yet attained the
maximum Of It's energy. nor the course OF
his preaching. which was but OF three
years ut most, presented occasions FOR u"-
yclOpiGg "A complete ~ stem OF morals.
silence the doctrines which he really
delivered were defective rs a whole. and
fragments only of what he did deliver
have come to us INITIATED, misstated, and
often unintclliGiblc.
They have been still more ~dishgured
by the cOrrIptions Of sclismatizing fol-
Io,v ers, who have found an interest in so.
phislicating and pclvcrting the simple
doctrines he taught by ENGRAVING on
tl'e,m l!e "Sse,u''i ;nIo " onhtis,,.u , ,vp%, Oh
srnriny chem with iargou, until tlcv have
caused good men b. reject the whole In
disgust ana 10 view Jesus himself ~ al
impostor.
"Notw outstanding these disadvantages,
a system of morals is presented to us,
which, if filed up in the style and spirit
OF the rtch fragments ne lelt u, wo"'a w.
,lr l'os, P'rieut a'u '''''''
"To tie corrnptions of Christianity |
am indeed opposed; but not TO the gcnn-
ing plcr"pts OF Jesus himself ! am u
"lrL',,an ~ u'I 70 J hn: ioncroIv attnrhcG
,ohis Io]rlTjnes, in preference to- ali others:
ascribing to himself every hvman excel
%'ence; and believing no never claimed
amy o'"er' , ,..
ms letlct, IKE III o D!r' oeno'
son $ lettcrs on tle suoJec' OF
was strictly conhaenl'al' Ills o""
'am'iy' IL seems, o'o n"' hn'" ~"
tneoiog'ca' oP''''onS' n'' NV 10
death nearly ~. u ms 'o..c'' "a
Dcei Duollshe"' iro" "n'cn " "pp."'s
'nat nc ga not oc"e'e ~ 'no "'''H,
o' CnT's'' AM '"al n'' ,o"S.""' '.
more c'"oe.' VIII" '""'o
lhe UnItafIan5 t""" oi a", o'oe. "''
nomila|loh III 'his county ii i tii'' ',,he'
SlilI, he was not a meniocr OF d Gn.'
tarlan Chnrc'', nor OF any o''er' IL Is
true there were Dlt lew u shy oh,ta'
ran Churches ID virginia curing us
day but there Is no reason 10 suppose
that he would nave joined IL, " lhere
had been one IN ms helShporhoou'
Yet, he all that he was Il ChriSl'an
sincerely attached to the doctrines o,
Christ. bnl what ana nc UNDERSTAND
those doctrines to bef WHAT were
"tlIe genuine preccpls OF Jesus MN
SELF in his oplnlon' Ii he lh"ugh'
that all the religious denominations o.
bis day were teaching the people TIT
doctrines Of Plato instead OF the doc
lrines OF Christ, was it not his duty t.
have pointed out their prroIs, anC
warned his countrymen against them
But if he had done so, what woul'
have been the consequence Would h,
not have created Il host OF bitter AM
yiodictive enemies, and would not Their
prejudice have seriously affected hi
power to benefit his countrymcu in
civil capaciLvl Who can doubt tina
this would have been the result. What
I then. was he TO do Devote the ener
pies of his life to the separation ol
Church and Stale, establishment OF rc.
lipious f eedom. and promotion Of To.
TEMPORAL welfare of his country, leav
inu the reformation of religion to iu
,ure generations? Was this the wisest
course for him to pursue under ali the
circumstances! Evidently he thought
q, ~ we have no positive testimony
CONCERNING what he believed ''the gen.
uine vrecepts of Jesus himself" to be
There is cilcumstantial evidence, how
ever, which we will briefly notice. JET
rcr,on was not only an earnest SUDDEN
of the Bible, but he was acqualnte,
with The writings of the great thinker
of the aue in which he lived. Promi
nent among the master spirits OF tina
noe was G. +. Volnev. II Count an,
Peer of France. His work, %entitle,
:. The Ruins; or Meditation on til,
Revolutions Of Empires was pub,
lished in 1871, two years after Jctfcr
sons departure from Paris, and it i
posaible that Jeherson's notion Of 18th,
genuine precepls of Jesus himself
was the same MS that of this distin