Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-08-09
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h,'o skau OPINION OF Ii FIs..
LIS DIVINE book, The only on, vi -
dispeh>ahle 10 the Christian. need ,,r..
win rejection To inspire love for l.. .....
me most ardent desire 10 OBEY II.
never DID virtue speak so wee,
never whs the most profound 9isaor, 49,
ed with SO much energy and sls.t
on" can arise from its perussl with.
himself better than he was before
The majesty nj the scriptures stril ,..z.-.
asionishmrn', and the sanctiiv of de-.
dresses ITSELF TO my heart Look ~ .e,
oil Inc philosophers, with all Their conn
contemplate do they appear in oomps,.s#.
MS Ish possible thai a book, al a.
supple and sublime. cai. he thu work of ,-
Gan he Who Is the subject Of lis history ~,
himself mere man Was ms The tone n, =.
enthusiast, or OF an ambitious see.arv3 q.
sweetness What purity IN h., man,
What an affecting eraoetulne.s in his inss.
lions What sublimlty in his maxim. ".
profound wisdom in his discolrsesi Wba,n'
sence of mind. what sagDciiy and nron,,e,, y;
his answers How great Ire command az.
his passions Where is tue man, where ,t.
philosopher who could So iiyn suffer and a.,
wffh"W weakness ard u.sboui os,entatio
When Plato Described his imaginary good MAJ
covered with all The disgrace Of crime -,
worthy OF all the rewards of yiffuc. he desef,h,
ed exactly the character of Jssus Christ. Tho
resemblance was so striking = cmiId moi no
mistaken, and II the Fathers 81 T.. churc55,sr
celved il. Nhar PROPOSES ION, what br,5.tnes
must u be, 10 rp9re The son al 5ophr,uis,us
TO the son of MARY Nhat an mmoa.urabl.
distance between them $50 craies, d,,pys,,b.
out pam, and wIthnuf tsdomint, easily .npp,r
ted his character 10 the last: aud II i dfath
however, crowned his life, il might lave been
doubted whether oocrates, ~ al his Wisdom
was any thing more than q 49, snphis. He
Invented, it is said, the theory q moral srIpnr,
Others, however. had before him put il ipf,ac.
ice and he had nothing to do bat to al VIVA,
they had done, aud to re luce their eyac#H...,o
precept. aristides had been lust, before So
crates had defined what justice was: Lpopi.
das had died for his country. before Socrates
had made it duty to love ones connfry
sparta had heen temperate. before Socrates
had snlogsed sobrlely; aud before he ctrhra
ted the praises of vrtne, Greece had ahonn,,eh
with virtuous men. But from whom of all bis
countrymen could jesus have derived thar sub.
lime and pure morality, of which he only has
given us both he pIecept and example In
the midst OF the most llcentous fanaticism. the
vnice 1T the sublimest. dom was heard and
the simplicity of The most heroic vir,pe
crowned Que OF the humbest of all ths mul,
tude
Tue death Of Socrates, peaceabv philo,o.
ahisng VIII his tr,nfhs. IS the mast plea,aut
that could be desf.i That Of Jesus. tap,r.
Ing ia fOrmenlS, outraged. reviie4. aud execra.
ted by whole nation, is the most horrible
that could be feared. Socrates, in RECEIVING
the cop of poison, blessed the weeping eAecu.
toner ho present d II out Jesus, IN the M 5.
OF e1crucianng torture, prayed for his nefclless
totnl ntors. Yes ifthe life add DEAN OF 80.
crates were those OF a sage, the HE aud death
Of jesus were those OF God. Shall we say
thar the evangelical history is a mere fe.i5n
Il los not bear the stamp OF fctor, bai tie
contrary. TIE histofy OF Socrates winch nobDtg
doubts. is not so well attested as thai Of Jesus
Christ. Such an assertion in fact orl, shifts
The difficulty. without removing il II Is nlote
incunceivahle that a number oi persons shrni
have agreed 10 tarriohte this book. tada that
one only should have furnished the SUBJECT OF
il.
The Jewish authors are incapable Of The c-
iinn, and STRANGERS t. the muIalit, c utaiutG m
the gospel. the marks Of whose truths are SO
striking. 80 perfectly inmitabe, ih,t The N.
ventOr would DC more astonishing man than
the hero.