The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-07-26

uno t0uf OD1coEBO09 70 the JeWS8A O81l9tR-
tuition not more than four-which xrt
| definite enough to admit of an answer. =
These relate to the provisions OF the No
saie Law on the subject Of On Blaspheug
and Idolstry (9l War: (s1 Slavery: al
Pplygamy. In these respects be pronOances
the Jewish system not only anwise, bus
cfiminally uninst.n s.a 1.,iss
l appeal from this profane malediction
70 the consoiences of men who have rule
to judge by, First, he regards the pun-
ishments inflicted for blasphemy and IDOL
airy - being imm0derately cruel. Con
sidering them merely as religious offenses
las sins against God alone-I agree that
civiI law should notice them not at all
But sometimes they affect very injuriously
certain social rights which it is the duty
Of the State TO protect Wantonly to
shock the religions feelings of your neigh
bor Is grievous wrong To utter blas-
phemy - obscenity in the presence OF
Christian woman is hardly better than
TO strike her in the face. Still, neither
policy nor justioe requires them 70 be rank
ed among the highest crimes In govern
naent constituted like ours. But things
were wholly different under the Jewish
theocracy, where God was the personal
head of the State There blasphemy was
. breach of political allegiance; idolatry
was an overt act of treason; to worship
the gods of the hostile heather was de
serting to the public enemy and giving
him aid and comfort
IS GOD A TYRANT?
Mr. Ingersoll not only ignores these
considerations, but he goes the length of
calling God a religious prosecutor and a
tyrant because He does not encourage and
reward the services and devotion paid by
His enemies TO the false gods Of the pagan
world. he processes to believe that all
kinds of worship are equally meritOrious,
and should meet the same acceptance from
the true God 1t is almost incredible that
such drivei as this should be uttered by
anybody.
A CARNIvoROUs AMERICAN FULL OF
BEEF"
As to the sacrifcial solemnities of the
Jewish religion and their manner of max
ing war, e the killing of those ANIMALS
was" he says, "a terrible system" a
" shedding Of innocent blood, shocking
to refined and sensitive soul" There :
such depth of tenderness in this feeling
and such a splendor OF refinement that
give up without struggle to the superi
prity of the man who merely Processes it.
A carnivorous American full Of beef and
mutton, who mourns with indignant sor.
row because bulls and goats were killed
IN Judea three thousand years ago,
has reached the climax of sentimental
goodness and should be permitted to die
tate on all questions of peace and war
Let Grotius, Vattel and Puffendorf. as
well as Moses and the prophets, hide their
diminished heads But to show how in
eficacious, for all practical purposes, a
mere sentiment is when substituted for a
principle, it is only necessary to recollect
that Mr.. Ingersoll is himself a warrior
who stayed not behind the mighty men
OF his tribe when they gathered them
selves together for a war of conquest. He
took the lead of a regiment as eager as
himself to spoil the Philistines, and out
he went cOlOneling." How many Anal
ekltes and IIittites and Amorites he put
to the edge of the sword, how many
wives he widowed, or how many mothers
he unbabed" cannot now be told. /
do not even know how many droves of
innocent oxen he condemned TO the
slaughter. But it is certain that his re
fined and tender soul took great pleasure
in the terror, coDfagration, blood and
tears with which the war was attended
and in all the hard expressions which the
conquered people were made to suffer af
terward. If his own conduct (for which
he processes neither penitence nor shame)
was right, it was right on the grounds
which make it an inexcusable outrage TO
call the children of Israel savage criminals
for carrying on wars Of aggression to save
the life Of their government
AS TO SLAVERY.
As to slavery, Mr.. Ingersoll's objection
that Jehovah permitted his chosen people
to hold the captives they took in war or
purchased from the healhens as servants
for life, it is answered that the infallibIe
God in 50 doing proceeded upon good
grounds, and that when q Jew took a
neighboring savage for his bond-servant,
incorporated him into his family, trained
him, taught him to work and gave him q
knowledge Of the true God, he conferred
upon him a most benidcent boon Poly
gamy is another of his objections to the
Mosaic constitution. Strange to say, it is
not there It is neither commanded nor
prohibited; it is only discouraged If
Mr.. IngersoIl were statesman, instead of
mere politician, he would see good and
sufficient reason for the forbearance to
legislate directly upon the subject. He
knows probably that the isA9anee p< the
Christian Church alone, and without the
aid OF Ssate enzctments, has extirpated
his bad feature Of Asiatic manners wher-
ever its doctrines were carried
| will present some of the considerations
which would compel me, were Judge or
juror in the cause, (the acceptance Of
Christianity to decide it just Is it was
decided originally. First There is no
good reason to doubt that the sta9emerts
Of the eysngelisss, ~ we have them now,
are genuine The multiplication of copies
was . sufficient guarantee against any
material alteration Of the text. Mr.. In
gersoll speaks Of interpretations made BY
the fathers Of Che Church. All he knows
and all be has ever heard on thar atsubiect
10 that Eome Of che innumer~ble trans
cripes coatained errors which werc dis
covered and corTected. That aimply
proves the present integrity Of the deea-
meata. Second. / call these statements
depositioaa, because they are eaGitled 70
that kind Of credeace which We gise 70
declaratioDs made noder oafh--hut in .
mueh higher aeRree, Tor they are more