Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-05-12
PRAcT1cALNEss OF OUR LORDS TEACH

me advert to the axiom known by the
names of the golden rule, and the uniEer-
sal law of equity; all things whatsoever
We would that men should do unto you, do
ye also unto them; for this is the law and
the, prophets The Savior himself as
crlbes to this rulethe condensed and COM
prehenslve character for which we have
cited 1t; be pronounces it an abstract of
all thathad been prescribed by the law and
the prophets; all they delivered on the
subject is reducible to this, so that, were
their writings lost, this summary might
be expanded into all they uttered. Not
withstandlng its conciseness, it is maxim
ofso generic kind, that, encirclmg the
whole sphere of social virtue, it embraces
all thamgs arhatsoeUer that sphere contains.
No injury can be done, no reasonable
kindness be omitted by man to man, which
is not a violation of this royal law; nor can
any duty be performed which it does not
virtually enjoin. lift needed any other
quality to recommend it, we might easily
show that it has numerous exceIlencies
fully answerabe TO its comprehensiveness.
1t is rule as portable as our SELF lore, and
identical with it, for what is it but the love
of self applied to the destruction of selfish
ness, by being pressed into the service of
universal henevolcnce! 1t is the measur-
ing rod, which is never out ofthe hand Of
selffor its own purpose, legalizcd, and ap-
lied to mete out the same measure for the
good ofotherS. 1t seeks to equahze vicis-
situdc; to make a community of our Joys
o,,1 b1, lict,. -,
~ into equal parts as if we knew not the
portion which would fall to US. 1t aims
to transform self into an impartial Judge,
by giving it an interest in all the decis-
los which it pronounccS on others. By
compelling our scltjShncsS 70 do the work
Of destruction on ITSELF it makes US content
to number as one, as a mere unit in the
sum Of the species; and 10 seek the well
fare Of the whole as the shortest and the
only way Of promoting our own indiyidu-
al interest. Let this infaIible law lie I'M
- derstood and applied, and the trade of the
casuist would be gone in the department.
of social lifc for self-interest, prompt, and
, even intuitive when it sits in Judgment for
; its own ends, would have only to imagine
a momentary selftransmigration, and to
transfer its judgments for the advantage
of Others
We might extend this representation 10
} another particular ola similar kind, show
: ing the comprehehsivcness flour Lords
2 maxims concerning the omission of duty
r The line which divides his kingdom from
I the empire of sin is so fine, that, like the
f line of geometry, it is length without
0 breadth; it occupies no part of the terrific
s ries which it defines; it creates no border
land, no neutral ground. He that is no
,. with me is against me; and he that gath
If ereth not with me scattereth abroad: {
}. sentence which separates the world into
e two great classes; assigning over to the
IS dominion ofSatan the lukeWarm with the
o hostile; and leaving them to discover, tina
IS whereas they had expected to find them
/, selves standing at least on neutral ground
l. they are actually and considerably within
e the frontiers Of the kingdom Of darkness.
l. How large proportion OF those, whom
d custom and courtesy agree to call chris
- 1ans, live and die in selt-complacency AM
IS hope, from the persuasion that they hav
k been harmless o.: because they have don
n nothing. 1t seems never 10 occur to such
< that to spend threescore years and ten o
I'd field of conflict, the listIess spectators of
r. strife in which heaven every moment i'm
vi perfumes them to take part is disobcdicnc
he and guilt. But, for this large sum of hu
nd man ciphers, this aggregate of figure
it. whose total is nothing, the final sentenc
le- is already prepared. Having never a:
an pired to christian activity, or positive C.
in, cellence, the doom which will consign til
he whole class to their own place will d
. scend on them with this fearful formul
", Inasmuch as We did it not' Now if h,
i man guilt is reducible to a graduated sea
ess of dement,, by thus inscribing condemn;
to ton at the least and lowest degree on Il
en- scale, how unavoidable is the inferen
W. made that greater condemnation is reser
sus ed for every higher degree of sin; ift
ore mere absence of activity, the negation
ew friendship, for Christ, be denounced, it #
Of lows of course that activity against hi
rit- that positive hostility, being superi
ne guilt has nothing to hope for. Thus,
rst recording a sentence against the omissi
in ofduty, the Divine Teacher has not me-
me- ly destroyed the pl lea of harmlessness, a
the prescribed the whole tribe of the uSe1e
And he has tacitly comprehended and denour
ris- ed the hostile and prosecuting, leayi
lsa- them to infer that to doom them formal
hat would be superfuous.
the tits, indeed, impossible to say wheth
in the present state, the great motive
re- the gospel ever exists pure and unco
mo- pounded. Principles of action are
ew- subtle for analysis; they elude our m
n to anxious, but coarse attempts to red
sub them to their elements. The mott
it is which, to our eye, looks pure as lis
lave might could we examine it through
ere moral prism, prove, to our astonishm