The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-15
A WORD TO TRUTH.

Are you seeker OF truth, or are you
cstechist of others. as if you had sill
truth, and in this personal embodiment
of the versciousness OF all life do you ask
questions merely to entrsp CREDo into
some controversy that you may show
your possession OF the absolute TRUTH
If the former, you will wait my own
time and occasion for full answer. n
the latter. you will be disappointed.
Whatever CBEDo has to say upon these
subjects will be from standpoint with
which he supposes You are not Ia
miliar. That standpoint is, that
there is not a general and Catholic doc
trine in our religion which has not its
counterpart in some law OF nature-even
atonement and Observation-Disclosures dop-
tion and baptism,-even the progressive
perfectIbility OF the geologic conditions
of the earth, the progressive education OF
mankind and its preparation for the
coming and the acceptance OF Christ, and
his actual appearance and lie, and the
growth of that lie in the life Of human
Ity. As this grows, rs this life suhuses
humanity, and We all grow to "the full
statue of men IN Christ Jesus" we will
find that AL nature is the solemn, and,
in the end, the joyous sacrament of the
Lord, our God.
You intimate that CREDo hints at the
eternal dsmna,ion of infants. Not n
word OF il. lie does not believe in any
such horrid nonsense. Ioa speak OF
their punishment; he did LOt say so.
The idea OF punishment seems to be one
familiar to your own mind; now will you
define Whist this mesns2 Will you look
10 the various conditions of mankind, the
dfots the infants in their manifold
states SO hard, so helpless, 80
hopel,ss, and, IN the best con-
da;iors OF them, their positive necessity
OF doing evil before they can possibly
know how to do good, and that great
hospital OF the savage and barbarian
peoples-view all these. and then say,
from any standpoint which you can take
b-,ide Jenuvsh. what is punish
men? In gll wise earthly
governments that which you will
call punishment is something done tor
the prevention of crime. There is no
vengeance in it, IN n wise and well or
dered government COMMITTEES Of Pub
lie Safety, as IN France, Vigilance Com
mittees, and mobs OF Lynch Law, and
kings who own territories and people, in
their punishments may be stained and
bIackcned by the dark spirit of ven
geaUce But the majesty OF Law is tree
IRON such hUmdH pollution. 1t is a law
and spirit OF TectiGcatiOn Tor the wei
tare Of society.
But Justice must be subserved2 Yes,
truly. But Mercy must not be kneaded
down III the blood, and sorrows, and sut.
tering>, neeulessly, through all the thou
sand generations that are past, and the
many that are To come. take 1t that
you are trinitarian, and that you have
less or more clear conception OF what are
the hapOStaSss IN, as you term
il, the God head, i prefer
the term God hood. We know
that our books are full of metaphysical
distinctions concerning attributes, and OF
the compouUding of these distinctions
into secondary attributes, called by vail
Gus names As the whims or fancies of our
authors may inCite-as If in the Person
al " OF God there was anythir G that is
secondary. To know God for aught 10
lis eternal GodhoOd, you must 90 back
Il creation and contemplate HIM in his
eternal 6eug. Now will you do 60, and
from oar or ysHr O1oH hypoStases OF his
trinity (lor tins IS my clear standpoint),
eliminate or bring forth our human ideas
OF Justice and Mercy. and co. ordinate
the Justice and Mercy so rs to preserve
the GodhOod in his infinite integrity
| would not "peryert the truth and
make an abuse Oi language but do
SAY vi lut tubytNiyC pl our IbtlSiOll, anu
uudcr the well settled laws OF scientific
physiology, verified by our observation
of daily lite that, II VISIT the SINS of the
fathers upon the children unto TIE third
aud fourth generation You may cal
this punishment, justice, mercy, or
what you will, | say that the states
OF the infants. the idiots, the savages,
the barbar'Hus, and OF so many Others,
need something, not the administration OF
our Justice except so far Ms IN the very
fuliness OF our mercy we can beStow upon
them truth and love-and these will car
~ with them the whole work OF benetic-
ence,-so lar, AS III these surroundings of
our lite, We can bestOw and they can
worlhily receive. On hirhe- plane OF
thought, there Is n rectiGcatiOn of evil
which eau only come in the Providence
OF Divine Father III the long line Of
historical movement, and in that line
lind the GOD of Moses, and the God in
Jesus. And rs there is but one God for
nil these manifestations doubt not that
science, philosophy and scripture Will
declare him. CREDo.