Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

242 INFLUENCE OF SCRIPTUREaggressive than the p;reat majority of profe^i.sed Christians? Who havobeen more actuated by cupidity ? Yet these votaries have been, for themost part, vociferous in their professions of devotedness to Christ, makinghim the Son of God as well as their teacher, and too often cruellymaltreating those who have denied his divinity.1265. Both on the part of the ancient Jews, or on that of modern Christians,religion has been made an excuse or a plea for despoiling unbelieversof their patrimony. In the contention respecting the right to Oregon,the great question, on which judgment was to turn, was, which of all of theChristian potentates claiming it, was the first to lay his longing eyes uponthe object of contention ? It has been shown that the massacre of wholenations involved no criminality, provided they were pagans.the sword the pagan communities, man, woman, and child,David put toduring whichtime Jehovah was with him. The pagans being mere vermin in the estimationof the Jewish deity, the wrongs done to them were not cited asamong David's misdoings. No Nathan came to call him to account forhis flagitious conduct to them, or to Achish, (1 Sam. xxvii. 8 to 12.)1266. In his correspondence with the British minister, respecting territorialrights granted to the English by the Mosquito king, Mr. Claytonurged that theaborigines never had been admitted to have any rights totheir own lands, which could interfere with Christian claimants.Aitachs upon the aiitlicnticifi/ of Scripture cannot endanger the prevalentmorality Jichichj while it is superior to that of the Old Testament^ indicatesa reclclessness of the precepts of Christ, excepting so far as theymake faith a counterpoise for sin.1267. In the preceding pages, I have endeavoured to show that the existingmorality of Christendom does not owe its existence to Christianity.My object has been to do away the apprehension that this morality wouldbe deprived of its foundation were Spiritualism or any other innovation tobe accredited which would be inconsistent with revelation. But I hopeI have shown that whatever merit may be possessed by the existing stateof morals, it cannot be ascribed to any influence exercised by those preceptsof Christ which are not only neglected, but acted in diametric oppositionto.1268. Another cause of alarm has been that it would weaken that beliefin a future state of rewards and punishments which is so essential to encouragevirtue and repress vice.But it has been pointed out that the authorityof Moses is against the existence of a future state, not merely negatively,but positively, so far as any authority is given to him as inspired by God.For what stronger argument need there be that there is no state of existencebeyond the grave, than the fact that the being who of all mankindsolely had immediate converse with the Deity, should not have learnedfrom him the all-important fact? If, as now held generally among Chris-