Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-01-25

disinterestedness. True happiness con-
sists mainly in the qualification of virtu-
Gus DESIRES There may be pleasure in
gratifying desires that are selfish, but it
is not real happiness. But to be virtuous,
your desires must be disinterested. Sup
pose man meets 4 beggar in the street;
there he sits on a curbstone, cold and
hungry, without friends, and ready to per-
ish. Tn, mans feelings are touched, and
he steps into the grocery near by, and
buys him a loaf Of bread. At once the
countenance of the beggar lights up, and
he looks unutterabIy gratifed. Now it is
plain to see, that the qualification of the
man in the act is precisely in proportion
! to the singleness Of his M olive If he did
it purely and solely out of benevolcnce,
his qualification is complete in the act it.
self But if he did it partly to have it
known that he is a charitable aud human
person, then his happiness is not so com
pIete until the deed is published to others
Suppose here is q sinner in his sins; he
is very wicked and very wretched. Your
compassion is moved, and you convert and
save him. If your motive was to obtain
honor among men and to secure the favor
of God you are not completely happy
until the deed is tod, and perhaps put in
the newspaper. But if you wished purely
TO save a soul from death, then as soon as
you see that done, your qualification is
complete and your joy is unmingl ed. So
1t Is IN all religious duties your happi-
ness Is precisely in proportion as you are
! dlslnterested.
( II You aim at doing good for its own
sake, then you will be happy in proper
ton as you do good But ifyou aim d.
rectIy at your own happiness, and if you
20 good simply as means of securing
your own happiness, you will fail. You
Will be like the child pursuing his own
shadow; he can never overtake it, be-
cause it always keeps just 50 far before
him. Suppose in the case l have men,
toned, you have no desire to relieve the
beeggar, but regard simply your own hap
p'ness IN attaining the applause of GER
tam individual Then you will feel no
pleasure at all in the relief Of the beggar :;
but when that individual hears of it and
commends 1t, then you are gratfed-
But you are not gratl6ed in the thing
;tSeit. Or suppose you aim at the con-
version of sinners but if it is not love to
sinners that leads you to do it, how can the
conversion of sinners make you happy =?
1t has no tendency to glatify the desire
that prompted tho effort. The truth is,
God has SO constituted the mind of man,
that it must seek the happiness of others
| a. re nd /
IS the true reason why all the world, seek
Ing happiness and not giving it, fail of
their end. 1t is always Just so before
them. If they would leave off seeking
their own happiness, and lay themselves
out to do good they would be happy.
Obj. |. Did not Christ regard the
Joy set before him? And did not Moses
also have respect unto the recompense of
reward ? AMI docs not the Bible saw we
love God because he first loved US?
Ans. |. 1t is true that Christ desrised
The shame and endured the cross, and had
regard to the Joy set before him. But
what was the joy set before him? Not
his own salvation, not his own happiness,
but the great good he would do in the
salvation ofthe world. He was perfectly
happy In himself But the happiness Of
others was what he aimed at This was
the Joy set before him. And that he OBJ
tanned.
Ans. 2. So Moses had respect to the
recompense OF reward But was that his
own comfort? Far from it, The re-
compense of reward was the salvation Of
the people of Israel. What did he cav,
When God proposed to destroy the nation,
and make of him a great nation, had Mo.
SEES been selfish he would have sid
That is right, Lord, be it unto tbv ser.
want according to thy word" But y hat
does he say? Why, his heart was so set
on the sal walton of his people, and the plo-
rry OF God, that he would not think Of it
tor moment, bat said, Eff thou wilt, for.
give their SINS and if not, blot me- Inrov
thee out of thy book, which thou hast
written" And in anothes case, when COD
SAID he would destroy them, and maLe ~
Moses a greater and a mi ghtier nat;on
Moses los thought of Gods glory, and said
"Ihen the Egyptians shall hear of it. and
all the nations will say, Because the Lord
was not able to bring this people into The
land He could not bear to tbinI ~
having his own interest exalted at tho e~.
pense of Gods glory 1t was reaIlv a
great reward, to his BENEVOLENT mind to
have God glorifed, and the cbiIdren ~
Israel saved, than any personal adyan,o 90 70
whatever TO himself could be- ~
Ans. 3. Where it is said owe loxo
, him because he first loved usn 49, 1--we
guage plainly bears two internrstat;o ,a",
either that his love to us has nrovod , .S >
way tor our return and the influence thai
brought us to love him, or that we love-
> him for his favor shown to ourselves wv
That the latter is not the meaning is evi-
!, don't ber3nso ToS,,e W.