The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1839-04-25
A SKETCH OF TIE cHARACIEh
of Jesus CHRIST.

I'll JESUS AAAA0As
NJ TIE cELERRATE3 RassiA1.
.I eoaless, hist The majesiy of IL
se,ia.ures sssonishes me- that ihe sane
,i,y a. he GosCsl speaks 10 my heart.
View he bsaks Of The philosophers with
an their namp: what lillleness have
thsy uhsa compared with this! I q
po.sil.Is ll.i . boak. 81 once 90 sabine
al .imols, should be The work Of mens
n. !, pnsslhle Inst he. whose history a.
reesris. should be himself mere man.
i ibis the style Of m enthusiast. or Of IN
ambitious seclarJl What sweetness.
VIA, purity in his manners. What ali.et-
inc grace in his instructions. Shsisl
ZION IN his maxims! what profound wis
dom IN III dlsrourses. what presence ri
minJ. What delicacy. and What business
In MS re9lirs! what empiEe oTeE his Pas
sions, Where IL the nan. where IS The
philosopher, who knows how 10 act, 10
suffer, and 10 die Without weakness ard
Without osten,ation! When Plato paints
bis imaginary just man. eoTeEed with sll
Ihe ignominy Of gui!l, and deserving sil
the honOrs rf virtue. hs paints Jesus
ChrisI.ia eEery stroke Of his PencIl: the
resemblance i 80 srens that all the "a
Ihers have perceived il. and that il Is not
Dossihle II niisiake IL. What pTfIudices.
What b!iadness, mus, they have, wha
dare - draw ; comparison between the
son ol Sa2a;Oaiseas aGl tie son oi Ma
"a! What distance is there between the
one and the Other. As Socrates died
wiI!,au, pain aaI without disgrace. he
found dn difficulty 10 supporting the cha
tarIer 10 the end: and ii this easy death
had not shrd . lusiEe on his life. we
Nigh, hare doubted whether Socrates.
with all his genius. was any thing hut
soahi.t. They say thai hs invented mn-
TsI,y. Others before him had piaeiissd
u: be only said what they had done; he
only read lrrers on lie!s examples. ATis-
tlics had been just, before Sncrates ex-
planned the nature Of Justice; l.eonidas
hal died Tor lis country, before Socrates
male il the duty Of men TO love their couH.
Try; Sparta had been temperais. before
Socrates praised temperance; Greece had
abnunded in yiriuous men, before he de-
fined virtue. But where eOull Jesus
have taken among his coun,Tymen that
tlevsIe! and pure morality. of which he
slone furnished both the precepls and sle
example! The most lofty wisdom was
heard from the bosom Of the most furious
faha,icism: and the simplicity Of the mos;
heroic virtues honoured the yiiesi Of all
People. The death Oi Socrates, serene
~ piIlnsnphlsing with his friends, is the
.nosG gentle that one can desire; That Of
Jesus expiring in .ormenis, injured. de-
Tided. rsyilcd by whole people, is the
mast horrible that one can fear. When
Socrates takes the poisoned cup. be bless
Is hin WIN presents il, and who az the
came tine wrrps: Jesus in the mi,is, OF
horEid punishment prays lur his earag-
Ell execalianeEs. ie.: il che LIE snI
death of Socrates are these nj phIlosc-
pLsr, HE life AMI death of Jesus Christ
srs .hase At God. Shall we say that
the history uE the Gosprl is invented al
pleasure! Ny friend. It is no, thus tia,
men infeur and The actions Of Socrates.
concerning which no one doubts, are less
slIesieI than those of Jesus Ehfisi. AZ
ter all. this is shifting tire difficulty in
.icsd Of solving il: for il would DO nnre
iucOuceitabIe that number Of men
shoBII forge this book in concert, than
ihsi one should furnish the subject of II.
Jewish authors would never have devised
saeh a manner. AMI such morality; and
tie Gospel has Characters Of truth 90
great, 81 striking. Sd perfectly inimitabls.
that its inventor would be stiil more Us
tOhishiHg aaan is hero"
.Spiri: eftas age.