152 



ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



charactei of the man who assumes to himself the 

 name of a philosopher ; for, in doing so, he vio 

 lates the rules which guide him in all his other 

 researches, and acts inconsistently with the 

 maxim, that the most interesting and important 

 objects demand our first and chief attention. 



But the evil to which 1 have now adverted, is 

 not the only one of which we have reason to 

 complain. While the deductions of natural re 

 ligion are but slightly adverted to in physical 

 discussions, and in many instances altogether 

 overlooked, the truths of Christianity are virtu 

 ally set aside ; and it seems to he considered by 

 some as inconsistent with the dignity of science, 

 to make the slightest reference to the declara 

 tions of the sacred oracles. In many of our 

 grammar schools, academies, and colleges, where 

 the foolish a.nd immoral rites of pagan mytholo 

 gy are often detailed, no instructions are impart 

 ed, to counteract the baneful influence which 

 heathen maxims and idolatry may produce on 

 the youthful mind. The superior excellence of 

 the Christian religion, and the tendency of its 

 principles and precepts to produce happiness, 

 both here arid hereafter, are seldom exhibited ; 

 and in too many instances the recognition of 

 a Supreme Being, and of our continual depend 

 ence upon him, and the duty of imploring his 

 direction and assistance, are set aside, as incon- 

 bistent with the spirit of the age, and with the 

 mode of conducting a fashionable education. 

 The superintendents of mechanics institutions, 

 following the prevailing mode, have likewise 

 agreed to banish from their institutions and dis 

 cussions, all references to religion, and to the pe 

 culiarities of the Christian system. 



Now, we maintain, that Christianity in every 

 point of view in which its revelations may be 

 considered, is a subject of paramount importance. 

 It is every thing, or it is nothing. It must reign 

 supreme over every human pursuit, over every 

 department of science, over every passion and 

 affection, or be discarded altogether, as to its 

 authority over man. It will admit of no compro 

 mises ; for the authority with which it professes 

 to be invested, is nothing less than the will of the 

 Eternal, whose sovereign injunctions the inhabi 

 tants of earth and the hosts of heaven are bound 

 to obey. If its claims to a divine origin can be 

 disproved, then it may be set aside as unworthy 

 of our regard, and ranked along with the other 

 religions which have prevailed in th? world. 

 But, if it is admitted to be a revelation from the 

 Creator of the universe to man on earth, its c aims 

 are irresistible, it cannot be rejected with impu 

 nity, and its divine principles and maxims ought 

 to be interwoven with all our pursuits and asso 

 ciations. 



The importance of Christianity may be evin 

 ced by such considerations as the following: It 

 communicates to us the only certain information 

 we possess of the character, attributes, and pur 



poses of the Creator, to whose laws and i&amp;gt;orai 

 government we are all amenable. It discloses 

 to us our state and condition, as depraved crea 

 tures and violators of his righteous laws, and the 

 doom which awaits the finally impenitent in the 

 world to come. It informs us of the only method 

 by which we may obtain forgiveness of sin, and 

 complete deliverance from all the miseries and 

 moral evils to which we are exposed. It incul 

 cates those divine principles and moral precepts 

 which are calculated to unite the whole human 

 race in one harmonious and affectionate society, 

 and to promote the happiness of every individual, 

 both in &quot; the life that now is, and in that which is 

 to corne.&quot; It presents before us sources of con 

 solation, to cheer arid support the mind, amidst 

 the calamities and afflictions to which we are 

 subjected in this mortal state. It unfolds to us, 

 in part, the plan of God s moral government of 

 the world, and the reasons of certain dispensa 

 tions and moral phenomena, which would other 

 wise have remained inexplicable. In sjiort, it 

 proclaims the doctrine of a resurrection from the 

 dead, and sets in the clearest light the certainty 

 of a future state of punishments and rewards, sub 

 jects in which every individual of the human race 

 is deeply interested giving full assurance to all 

 who comply with its requisitions, that when their 

 corporeal frames are dissolved, they &quot; shall have 

 a building of God, an house not made with hands, 

 eternal in the heavens,&quot; where they shall inherit 

 &quot; fulness of joy and pleasures fcr evermore.&quot; 



These are only some of the important, revela 

 tions which Christianity unfolds. And, if it bo 

 a truth which cannot be denied, that we are na 

 turally ignorant of God, can we be happy without 

 being acquainted with his moral attributes, pur 

 poses, and laws? If we be guilty and depraved 

 which the whole history of our race clearly de 

 monstrates can we feel true enjoyment, if our 

 guilt is not cancelled, and our depravity not 

 counteracted? Is it a matter of indifference, 

 whether we acquire a knowledge of those moral 

 principles, which will guide us in the path to 

 wisdom and felicity, or be hurried along by heed 

 less passions, in the devious ways of vice and 

 follv ? fs it of no importance, whether we ob 

 tain information respecting our eternal destiny, 

 or remain in uncertainty whether death shall 

 transport us to another world, or finally terminate 

 our existence ? Can any man, who calls himself 

 a philosopher, maintain, with any show of rea 

 son, that it is wiphilosophical, or contrary to the 

 dictates of an enlightened understanding, that 

 such subjects should form one great object of out 

 attention hatlhey should be interwoven with all 

 our studies and active employments and that 

 they should constitute the basis of all those in 

 structions, which are intended for the melioration 

 and improvement of mankind ? To maintain 

 such a position, would he to degrade philosophy 

 in the eyes of every intelligent inquirer, and t 



