<-No. LXXXV.j THE TABLET No. LXXXV. " From annexing different ideas to words, men muji always be at variance in their speculative reason- ings." A LITERARY correspondent has favored the editor with the following Eflay refpedling the use of certain terms as applied by some reli gious fedts. The learning and good sense it dis covers, induce us thus early to lay it before the public. FOR THE TABLET. "TT is laid that the inanichean system of The- X ology, excluding a few absurdities, forms a part of our orthodox creed. The principal dif ference in the two systems is this—that the Ma nicheans believe the evil principle to be co-equal with the good principle ; and both supreme in their refpe<flive departments ; one the sovereign author of good ; the other, of evil. The chris tian scheme places this point on a confident foot ing, by informing us that there is but one supreme ; but at the fame time, it makes the devil, afubor dinate being, the immediate author of evil. It informs us that the firft fin in paradise was caused by the instigation of this evil spirit or principle, and the whole tenor of scripture proves that he has ftilla material influence over human adlions. The heathen systems of mythology all supposed a number of created inferior deities, or demons,* both good and bad spirits, which were inftru lnentalin executingtne purposes of the Supreme Being. The scripture declares this tobe a faift— the angels are minillering spirits, and the devil and his fellow apoftatesmay be permitted to ex ecute the decrees of heaven upon the wicked. All nations feein to have had some notions of a chaos, prior to the creation. The scripture fays the earth was without form and void, and dark r ess was upon the face of the deep ? The Edda, ■)■ which contains the opinions of our Gothic ances tors, fays, " Before creation, all was one vast " abyss." The scripture tells us that the " world and all " things that are in it shall be deftroyedby fire." The Kdda fays, " Surtur, the blacks, shall come tl at the end of the Vvorld—vanquish the Gods, " and give up the universe a prey to the flames." '1 he bible informs us, that woman was made out of the man's fide or rib. The Edda, repre sents, that " Ymer, the firft man or giant, slept " and fell into a sweat, and from the pit of his " leftarin were born male and female." The scripture gives us a particular account of a deluge that deltroyed the whole human race, except tight persons. The Edda fays, " the ions " or Bore flew the giant Ymer, and all the giants " of the froft were drowned, except Bergelmer, " who was saved in his bark." In all tliefe par ticulars, we can fee a striking analogy of ideas ; and a strong proof of some briginal revelations, from which these notions were derived. The ancient northern nations believed in one fnprenie being ; but they supposed that in the Agdrdor divine abode, he had twelve names, of which Allfadcr\ was the firft or molt considera ble. They had likewise foine idea of a place of misery, as oppoled to the Agard, the abode of the Gods. This they called Hela, which fignifies, Death, and is the origin of our word hell. The English therefore, like the Latins, who used infe ri or imus, for the inhabitants of the lower re gions, as well as for the regions themfelvea, have no word for he/1 which fignifies any thing more than th£ place of the dead. The opinions which nations had of a Deity may he collected from the names which they used to denote his exiitence. The Greek word Tbeot is derived from a verb that flgnifies to run, to move-, ones sets- —a term that proves they considered hiin as a setf -moving power ; but it is said this ■word was originally appropriated to the stars which they worshiped as deities. The Latin word Dens is perhaps a derivative of Theos ; the Romans however did notufe ittoexprefsthe One Supreme ; but generally to denote one God of many. It was equivalent to le Dteu in French, or the Co J ; and it implied a plurality of Gods. The * The word dxtnon originally fignified a good spirit as well as cad one. So it is used by Herodotus, Book 7, ("peaking of the Grecian oracle, he fays " Such was the will of the Daemon." + This is said to have been written in Teutonic or Scandanavian language, by Snorro Sturlefon, an Icelander, -who lived in the J.uli century. It was trail(lated into French by Mon. Mallet. + I his void may be a compound of all-father, that is father oj . like rlu? Jupiter of the Greeks ; or it may be a Hebrew-Gothic word, from el and Jaier\ elfignii'ying the beneficent. NOTES. WEDNESDAY February 3, 1790. Greeks and Romans seem to have had some idea ot afupreme, independent, felf-exifting power ; but their Theoi, Dei,Divi and Demotict, were con sidered as spirits merely superior to man, and having an influence over their a&ions and the e vents of the natural world. Were the English to found their theological creed upon the literal meaning of the two words Cod and Devil, they must all be Manicheans ; for originally God was the fame word as good, and Devil it but the contrallion of the evil, or de evil. Our northern ancestors therefore made use of the word good, to convey their idea of the cause of all good ;&oftheword<?i>//,to exprefstheir belief of the existence of a malignant spirit or principle. They were not indebted to christianity for the names, nor the ideas exprefled by the names ; for both existed among the ancient Scandanavians, long before their knowledge of the christian religion.* Christianity has corrected our ideas of those be ings, and the appropriations of the names—for we do not use the word Cod by way of eminence, merely to express an idea of superior excellence ; but we use it to express the scripture ideas of Je hovah,the fupreine felf-exillent being. The word devil, or the evil one we use to denote the demons or bad spirits mentioned in scripture, and parti cularly to denote the chief of the apostate angels. Much depends on the copioufnefsof a language. The Ethiopeans had but one word for nature and person ; consequently were not capable, on the promulgation of christianity, of comprehending the dodtrine of Christ's incarnation. The Chi nese, it is said, have no word for Deity but that which Signifies sky Mr. Heviot, who was oils that attempted a fet tleinent in Virginia, under Sirßicliard Grenville, in 1585, observes that in explaining the christi an religion to the savages, he found their curiosity excited, but he could not make them understand the scheme, on account of the poverty of their language. Hence the absurdity of an attempt to christianize the savages, before their languages are enlarged and rendered capable of exprefling metaphifical ideas. It is doubtless impoflible to convert rude nations into rational chrjftians, till their minds are in some degree improved by sci ence, and their languages enriched with words for expreffingabftra(stideas."j- * The ward food was originally fpclt Gtd, and varied in the Saxon form. Norn. god. Gen. godis, &c. See Hicke's Saxon Grammar. In the German, the name of the Supreme Being is Cell; d being changed into t after the usual manner. + I.anauagrs, in their infant ftatc, contain few words but names of sensible objects. THE OBSERVER—No. XV AN aflumption of the State debts, is an event which many think must eventually take place : there may be doubts, and difficulties to obviate, which will occasion a delay ; but the ef forts of the Union, and of the States, to systema tize their treasuries, will probably ultimate in this measure. Doubtless there will be persons enouglito raise objections, and with an honest design ; for there needs much deliberation to fee the propriety of new measures, which will have so extenfire an ef fe<t. If any of the States should now think the measure againlt their interest, a short time will open their eyes, by the confufion which must en sue from a continuance in their present situation. I f the State debts should be aflumed,it will become a serious question, how shall funds be provided for the aggregate sum ? Every poflible revenue from trade will be inadequate, and the Treasury of the United States, must befurnifhed with other ways and means. The people will cheerfully pay what justice requires, for it must be as much their interest as it is their duty ; and a principal diffi culty will be in conciliating the public feelings to a system of uniform operation thro the whole.— I will mention the several propositions which have occuredtomy hearing. There yet remains a very small number, who tell us that the old me thod of requisition is best ; leaving every State to its own way of taxing and collecting the sum de manded—They fay further, that Congress now poflefles the power of coercion, and after a State hath proved delinquent, will be a proper time for the general government to exert its coercive authority, and enforce apayment. The very proposition appears to me to be fraught with evil, and must soon end in afubver fion, either of the general, or of the State govern ments, and probably of the latter. To make a requisition on the States will be easy ; but there is every reason to suppose sonic of them will prove delinquent, which must lead to universal NOTKS. £>uus. \_PubliJhec■ on IVedriefday and Saturday.] delinquency. In this cafe who is the fiibjeift of* coercion ? If it be the delinquent State in its cor porate capacity, it can be done only by levying war on the whole people, and fubvei ting their ex iltence as a State ; if the private citizens coniid ered as fubjetfts of the United States are to be coerced, the process will be loaded with a thou sand difficulties, for which an antidote cannot be provided. Perhaps the delinquent State has made a grant of the demanded sum ; part is collected and in the State treasury, part in the hands of fpecuiating collectors, over whom the gene ralgovernment hath no power, and part un paid in the hands of the people ; some di striCts have contributed their whole quota, and others no part of it; in this stage of the buftneis how lhall the general government take hold and coerce a collection ? and to new allefs the whole sum on the people, would be a manifeft inju llice by the operation of the two governments. Or suppose the delinquent State nejajleCts to make any grant of the requisition j will it not be an ungrateful business, and have a most powerful tendency to destroy all respeCt to State authority, for the United States to come in and tell the peo ple " we have made our demand on your Jegilla " ture, and they have not done their duty—they " have {hewn themselves to be either ignorant or " dishonest ; we are therefore under a necessity " of taxing you direCtly without their interven " tion, your fitter States have paid their propor " tion, and criminate your delay, blame not us " but your own aflembly." Will a measure of " this kind be pacific in its tendency ! Will it not looklikeakingdomdividedagainftitfelf? will it not be a source of contention, and either destroy the union, which I think cannot now be done, or annihilate all respeCt to the State government where it happens ? Ye friends to the dignity of your own States, be careful how you fprcad a snare to destroy their legislative reverence?— The doCtrine of requisition on the States, in every point of view, is a dangerous and impracticable one. Those who tells us, that it is become fea fible, since the general government have a power of coercion, either do not forefee consequences, or intend gradually to subvert the government of* individual States. That the general government poflefles a coercive power over an individual State, is allowed on all hands ; but the matter ought to be so conducted, that they may never have occafionto ufeit. In a conflict of this kind, we know that any one State mull ultimately bow to the joint decifionof all the others ; but I should consider such an event unpropitious. If we intend to preserve a refpec tablenefsto thefeparate States, we muftgive the United States, original and sole jurifdicftion and executive power of all matters in their nature na tional ; and a general system of finance, and pro viding for the payment of the whole debt, by whatever name called, is conceived to be such. If the general government mult ever use coercion, let it be to execute their own laws and grants ; and let individuals and not States be the fubjeits of it. These truths must lead every friend of the union and of the separate States to reject the idea of requisitions. If we defrgn to preserve a refpec tablenefs to the State legislature and executive, let us cordially, and in the firft instance give up all those matters,which may be better conducted, by a national aflembly and executive. I have also heard another proportion which is this. Let there be an apportionment to each State of its quotaof the sum needed ; letCongrefs directly tax the inhabitants, following in each State the mode of taxation and collection, which is used by their own government. This, it is said, will be more familiar and pleasing to the people than any other poflible method. On this I observe, that the proposition keeps up the idea of a previous apportionment on the States ; which ever hath been, and while continued must be a fourr.e of jealousy. By such jealousies nothing is gained and much endangered. This planpropofes as many modes of taxing and collecting, as there are States, for no two have a similar procedure—there must be thirteen, bodies compleatly organized with limbs, joined to one head, the treasury board of the United States—is It poflible for this head to preserve or der, cdntroul and give motion to so great a num ber of bodies ? Is it poflible for the treasury board to comprehend and a<ft on so complex a sy stem ? Is the general government to have a com pleat set of officers of their own appointment, ot to make use of those appointed by the States ? If the former, their number will be immense ; if the latter, they will feel no dependence on the union and cannot be brought to account. The operation of a taxing system is much more expeditions in some, than it is in other States; in some it often runs into an arrearage of years.
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