, 1876-08-12

He says it we are to look anywhere
tor correct natural perception OF moral
rcctitude, it surely is to the little child
whose soul IS untarnishcd by actual sin"
Here Brother Thompson you do not
seem to look very deeply. You should
remember that little child is very much
undeveloped; his animal and selfish side
is first developed, his mental and moral
later; all his faculties are there at birth
inherent and more or less latent and are
all naturally developed in natural order
and in due time; and though the little
child may not at first be able to see in
full his just and proper relations, he will
see them when sufficiently developed but
not before; he will never know what his
proper moral relations are simply from
authority; he must know them from his
own natural and intuitive perceptions
and reason, or he will never know them
at all. Docs child or man know that
one and one are two simply on the au.
thority of another M. He must
know it from his own authority alone
through the train of his natural and in.
tuitive perceptions and reason. To be
sure n man or child, may be put upon
II train of thought by another SO that he
may arrive at certain conclusions sooner
than otherwise, but in all cases in rela-
ton to principles, he has to make the
discoveries of knowledge through his
own perceptions, or remain in ignorance.
In relation ito the smirching of .the
characters of the two free. thinkers,
Paine and Vo!taire he says; " II F. II,
NJ, sees fit to contradict these facts
hope he will be man enough to do so
over his full signature" &c. Well, per.
haps he has "got" me here; for certainly
l do not court martyrdom. l do esteem
good reputation while l live, as well as
after am dead and in that regard, to
he placed in the category with Paine and
Voltaire. confess to an instructive
shrinking; and as defamation of charac-
ter seems to be in the line of argument
with Brother Thompson. l am little
afraid that il he knows who / am, he
might tell as big falsehoods on me, as he
has on Paine, Voltaire and Juggernaut.
Do not let me be understood however as
wishing to say, or insinuate, that Brother
Thompson intentionally misrepresents,
but only that be ignorantly believes
what he states. If however, Brother
Thompson is anxious to know who F,
Fl. NJ, is, the editor of the NORTHERN
STAR is authorized to tell him, provided
he will promise that he will not use the
same line of argument on him, that he
has on Paine, voltairC and Juggcrnaut
As to Bro, Thompsons explanation OF
the cursing of the fig tree because it had
no fruit on it in mid winter, when its
timetor trnit had not yet come, he certain
ly makes very bungling illustration.
Think not thatI came to send peace on
oarth; came not to send peace but
sword" This has been literally full
filled, yet I suppose Bro. Thompson
would say that Christ or Christianity is
not at all responsible for it. "If any
man come TO me and hate not his father.
and mother, and wife, and childrens, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
life also, hc cannot be my disciple" /"
But Brother Thompson would say that
this rightly understood means directly
opposite what II says, which must be the
case If it is Of any utility or worth
whatever. But here allow me to ask,
who had the running of the especial
revelation y Was it God bimself2 II
80, We should reasonable expect that il
would be addressed to the common un-
derstanding of mankind. But how
many millions have been burned at the
stake, hung and otherwise killed-how
many millions have been destroyed in
Europe for the supposed crime Of witch
craft--and all on sccount of disagree
ment as to the meaning of that special
revelationT Has God made Brother
Thompson an exponent of that special
revelation II SO, he should have his
credentials to show, signed by God him
self.