The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-08-04
HE FIRST ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
Christian RpIIcIoN

| IHE FIRST ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
| No conformity of circumstances can &C
count for the origin of Christianity.
A pelng, known to the world only as
jewish peasant, delivered system Of doc
trlne which overthrow not merely some fee
BILE philosophy, or some harsh and unpopu
lar superstition, but both the theory and es
tabllsPment of the state of religion guarded
and fought for by the armed strength of the
most powerful government of the creates
of al empires. Thousands and tens O
thousands owed their daily bread to theil
connection with that religion. Millions or
millions have identified it with all their con.
cepuons of life, of enjoyment, and of tha
obscure hope in which the heather saw {
life to come. The noble families owed tc
it large portion of their rank and influence
The emperor himself was the high priest
Old tradition, invigorated into living belief
made it the pledge of safety to the empire
a sacred protector, without which the Clio.
ries of Roman dominion were destined tc
inevitable ruin. Yet against the colossal
and naughty erection-the consummate
work of subtlety and strength-stood forth
- SOhbulI DCIuGS dAu at Ills worn Tue WUOlG
pile, the great fortress that lowered up 10
heaven came, wall and gate to the ground
And by what means had this been done
BY nothing that can find parallel in the
history ofhuman impulse. Signal austerity,
enthusiasm, military genius, the promise OF
splendid success, visionary doctrines, the
displays of a sensual paradise, have made
proselytes in barbarous ages, or among the
loose creeds of contending heresies. But
the founder of Christianity cast away all
those weapons of our lower nature. He
shrunk from no declaration of the most I'M
palateable truth. He told the Jew that his
spiritual pride was deadly crime. He de-
clared that the cherished impurity of the
Gentiles was deadly crime. He plucked
up the temporal ambition of his followers by
the roots, and told them that if they were to
be great, it must be through the grave. In
the view of unpopularity, desertion and
death, he pronounced to the Jews the ex-
tnction of their national existence; to the
disciples, their lives of persecution. At the
time Of his death his name had scarcely
passed beyond his despised province ard
when it at length reached Rome, it was
known, only in contemptuous connexion with
that Of a crowd of unfortunate men con-
demned to the rack and the fame. Yet,
within the life of man his religion consti-
tuted the worship of emperor and people,
his doctrines were acknowledged as inspi-
ration, and the civilized world bowed down
before him as the God whom the heaven and
the heaven of heavens cannot contain.
Those s .iiiiss9dsrs are familiar to the Chris
lest phenomena on which the spirit OF man mai
can gazette stars of our mortal twilight,
and worthy of our Hottest admiration, till
the gates of the grave shall be unbarred,
and the vision of glory shall spread before
US without cloud.-ReU. G.. CroLy.
TIE FAITHFUL MINISTER. A portion
of the preface of new work called The
LiUing and the Dead, in speaking of DIR.
Sumner. the present Bishop of Winchester,
contains the following interesting and well
known fact :-"These last mentioned names
must always excite no common degree Of
interest and attention. Two brothers, at
such an early period of life, seated on the
bench at one and the same time, is an I'M
usual spectacle in our hierarchy. In point
of interest, the younger brother takes pre-
cedence of the elder. Towards the Bishop
of Winchester, whether he be regarded as
a prelate raised with almost unexampled
rapidity-as presiding, at such compare
lively early age, over the third see in the
kingdom-or as, till very recently, the spir-
itual monitor of the highest parsonage in
the realm-many an inquiring eye has been
anxiously directed. What opinions does
he hold? What "manner of spirit' is he
Of? Is such unusual advancement the need
of unusual merit? A few facts which have
been circulated in the higher ecclesiastical
circles respecting him, place his character
in very peculiar light. The first few SER
mons addressed by him to the Royal ear,
were sermons not written, as is almost inva-
riably the case, expressly for the occasion,
but plain, simple, faithful expositions of SOL
emn duties which had been previously de-
livered during the course of his ministerial
career, it is stated, at Highclere. 81 well
knew" was his manly observation, "the
force of the temptation that awaited me.
was Jealous, and afraid of myself. Con-
cious that were to sit down to write for
such an auditor, feelings, unsupported even
by myself, might influence apprehensive
that | might, unconsciously, perhaps, but
effectually, omit or soften down what was
scnptural, solemn, or tue, l determined
though the alternative was not pleasant
one, to deliver, without addition or altera-
ton, that which had been written under
tranquil and ordinary circumstances, and
had approved itself to my own conscience
That ministerial efforts, regulated by such
noble motives, should be successful, should
be permitted to acquire influence, and to in
spire confidence, is natural, nay, unavoida-
bic. 81 am beset on all sides," was the
Monarch's playful observation. "One asks
me for this, another wishes for that. In
point of suitors, believe could even match
the Lord Chancellor; yet Summer, | never
meet with any request from you. How is
this" "May it please your Majesty" was
the reply. 81 too am like others. have
a certain object at heart, private request
of my own to make, and l have been anx-
iously waiting to introduce it." "Let me
L. kaI