The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1838-01-17

heard the announce memt Of the Savior's
birth---when, in the moral, as now in the
material world I" the glory Of God shall be
revealed and all flesh shall see it altogether"
when that same stiffness and serenlty-
that snme peace and harmony which, we
may well believe, reigurd IN the midnight
HeaveRs al the memorable moment Of the
annunciation, shall reign in the world Of
human hearts--when, in the vivid language
of the old Testament, ENERGY and tru,h
shall meet acknowledgements and
peace shall kiss each other-,ru,h shall
spring out Of the earth and righteousness
shall look down from Heaven"
Such was the prophecy and the promise.
But where, even now, after the lapse of so
many hundred years, where shall we look
for the ful6menti Where is the glory
where the peace-where the love-whose
reign was so beautifully heralded by the host
Of Heavenl II is sad to think how soon af-
ter this blessed proclamation the Prince of
Peace himself was constrained to say,
am come not to send peace on earth but
sword :" II is sad to remember how soon
aud how long the religion Of the meek and
lowly Jesus was made an 0ccnsion Of Bit
ter hatred aud bloody strife and il is most
lamentable Of all to ihiuk that SO often, the
very banner, stained with the blood Of bat
tie, should have proclaimed, ns il in mock
cry, from its flying folds" glory to God in
the highest" Outwardly, indeed, within u
few centuries, the scene is greatly changed.
Men, it is TO be hoped, are beginning to
beat back their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks, and
the cause of public peace is by no menns
n subject of despair. But the peace which
Christ came to communicate is some-
thing more than open and public peace-It
is inward and individual peace. And is
man ye, at peace, inwsrdly, with his fell
low -nan, or even with himselfl No; the
elements Of outward warfare still boil and
burn in the bosoms Of the many. There
is not true and perfect peace on earth, be-
cause there is not good will toward mnn.
There may be, indeed, every day fewer
ouibreakings Of cnmiiy, as men grow wiser,
they perceive that war is on nll sides los
ing game. But although restraint is thus
laid upon the lower propcnsiiics, nre they
dead DO they even sIumbcr1 Do they
not still, even where they may not arm and
array man against his brother, erect barriers
Of pride, jealousy, Indifference aud aver.
sion between them Does even Christen-
dom yc, realize " the unity Of the spirit in
the bond Of peace Z" Is it not, on the con-
trary, a kingdom almost infinitely divided
aQninst itself1 do not nllude to differ
ences Of opinion, which are natural and,
on many accounts, desirable. Neither do
I alIudc 10 the mcrc existence of sects, al
most without number. But do nllude to
the spirit Of sectarianism--I allude to the
want of unity, not in faith, but in heart. !
alludc TO the fact that so often the profess
ed followers Of Christ, since public senii-
ment will not now suffer them to burn aud
kill each other, are found to bate each 9th
cr with burning and n deadly hatred, not
the less bitter, because pent mp; or, IT not
hate each other, at least regard each other
with averted eye, ns beings Of different roces.
While such things last, there never can DO
peace on earth" until there is good will, not
merely Nh absence of open and outward
collision, but positive good will towards men
! in the hearts Of men, there never can be
real pence in the world, either amongst
men or in individual breasts and until
this millennium shnl! have commenced, there
will not have begun to be +" glory to God in
the highest" Too long has the world been
wrapped in the deIusion Of imagining that
God is glorIfed in the degradation and des-
lruc,on of man. God is then only glor-
fed, when the purity and peace of bis own
being nre imagcd ia his moral creniioo
as they are in bis outward universe; and
!, that can never be until there is" peace on
| earth" So Iong as the sea Of human feel
ing is ruflied aud tossed by every wind Of
passion j, can never be n mirror to reflect
the glory Of God. Isay to reflect His gIo-
ry, Of course, the idea Of fddding to His glo-
ry whose glory already in itself knows no
limits, is presumplious. God. to be ndored
and glorfied, needs only to be known. He
, csn be known, only 80 far ss his image Is
seen and feit in the human soul; and That
imuce cannot be thus perceived and feh,
. ill tIIs soul is q, peace with its fellow spir-
!. lis, Mt peace with itself Then there will
8 indeed be glory TO God in the highest