The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1824-03-29
No. 1902.


the very ag0ny of his exclamation upon
the cross, "FalheF f6rgiye them, they
know not what they do" He expressly
declares himself to be the prince of this
world, and the Son Of God. He spoke
as one having authority, not only to His
disciples, bu, to his mother, his Judges
to Plate the Roman governor, TO John
the Baptist, his precursor. Andthere is
not IN the four Gospels, one act, nor one
word recorded OF Except in his COM
munioD with Cody that was not direct
or implied assertion Of authority He
| said to his disciples fMatthew, xii. CO.,
"Learn- of me, FOR am meek and lowlv
in heart, andye shall find rest to your
souls" But where did he ever say,
learn Of me, For l am tame and abject.--.
There is certainly nothing more strongly
marked IN the pfecept ard example OF
Christ, than the principle OF stubborn and
1 iniexible resistance against the impulse
| of others to evil. He. taught his disci
Piles TO renounce every thing that is coun.
ted enjoymentupon. earth !; TO take up
their cross, and suffer all iIl-treatment,
| persecution and death for his sake.
What else is the Book of Acts, than a
record Of the faitbfulness with which,
these chosen ministers oft gospel car,
ried these injunctions of the gospel into
execution. In the conduct and speeches
of Stephen, and Peter, Of John, or of
Paul. is there any thing indicating
resemblance TO the second class of cha
racters into which DIR. paley divides all
mankind If there is character upon
historical record, distinguished by bold.
intrepid, tenacious and iBficxible spirit, ii
is that of st. Paul. 1t was to such cha
racters only, that the commission OF
teaching could be commilted with GER
tainty of success. Observe the expires
sion Of Christ to Peter, Matt. X. 49, sand
l say unto thee, thou art Peter, Ga rock
& upon this rock viii build my church.
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it,"
DIR. Paley's Christian is one of those
drivellers, who, to use a vulgar adage,
can never say oo, TO any body--The true
Christian is the "Jnstun et fenocem FRO
hositf'f of Horace. The combination Of
those qualities so essential to the heroic
character, with those of meekness, low
illness OF heart, and brotherly love, is what
constitutes that moral perfection, OF
which Christ gave an example in his own
iife,& to which he commanded his disci-
pies to aspire. Endeavor,my dear son,lo
discipline your own heart, and 10 govern
your conduct by these principles thus
combined. Be meek, be gentle, be
kindly affectionate to all mankind, not
excepting your own enemies. But never
be tame or abject, never give way to the
pushes ofimpudence, or show yourself
yielding and complying to prejudices,
wrong>headednesss or intractibiIi,y, (which
would lead or draw you astrsy from the
dictates of your own conscience, or sense
of right. "Fill you die, let not your in
tegrity depart from you" Build your
house upon rock; and then let the
rains descend and the foods come, and
be winds blow and Leaf upon that house;
it shall not fall, E,r it will be founded
upon rock. So promises your blessed
Lord and Savior, and prays your affec-
tionate father
] "The principles and rules of compo-
! sitioD, derived from Greek and Roman
schools, and the examples of their princi.
pal writer's, have been so generally a
dopted in modern literature, that the
style Of the scriptures, differing So
essentially from them, could be inflated
without great affectation. But for pathos
Of narrative, for the selection OF incidents
that go directly to the heart for the
picturesque Of character and manners !;
the selection of circumstances that marx
the individuality of persons for copi.
BUSINESS, grandeur, and sublimity Of ina
gerry Tor uDanswerable cogency and
C cseness OF seasoning for irresistible
force Of persuasion no book in The world
deserves 20 be so increasingly studied
and so profoundly meditated upon as the
| bibIe." g. BE careful not to let your
reading make you q f'edant, or bigot J,
nor to puff you uPs with coDceited OPT
5 mon of your own knowledge; or make
f you intolerant Of the opinions which otf,-
ers draw from the same source, however
different from your own. And may the
Mercilul Creator, who gave the Scrip.
; lures for our instruction, bless your study
of them, and make them to you fruilfnl
Of good works."
The aforgegoing are extracted from
eleven long letters, covering more than
seventy pages Of manuscript Such is
the man, the father, who is charged with
having passions uncontrolled, and aposta,
lizing from the religion Of his forefathers
IN this whole series or letters. there arr