The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1839-08-15
Fron shs Gsrn.aio-a TsirgrsPA-
THE LITERATURE OF THE
RIFLE

hos inferior do hey appear when con-
pared ~iIh Ihs Scriptures. The morall-
" contained 10 The Bible has never been
equalled BY any system Of morals. devils
ed By The most enlie hlened age. Though
they may have drunk long and deep u
the pieEian fognl. their noblesl eoneep-
lions al Tar short Of these contained in The
sacred orarles. The morals Of Seneca.
admired 10 they Justly are for yirIuous pre-
eepls and refined sentiments. must yield
the palm Of superiority 10 The Proverbs BY
him, whose pen vas guided BY The Wis
dom Of heaven. When The mantle Of ab-
liVioa shall cnser The name Of Cnrduba's
noblest son, that Of solomon will remain
unlarnished and unobscured, and his writ.
ings viii continue 10 exert sslnlsry in
fluenee until lime on earth shall be no Ion
ger. The Magma Elhica Of "lhe Philoso-
pher Of Truth" contains not one senii-
ment thai can be compared with the teach
ines of the Son Of God. Though The
name Of Aristotle stands high in The gsl-
axy of ancient literary worthies. and
though be has received The needs Of
praise he so justly earned. vet the mob
lest fights Of soaring genius fall FAR short
Of the Instructions Of him. who exehsng-
ed for season The smiles Of his hevenly
Father and The aIlelujshs Of sdorning sn-
gels, for The rejection Of men and The
gloomy scenes Of Gethsemsne and Cal
vary. The wisdom Of Socrates. listened
20 by anxious auditors amid the groves
Of Academus. vas regarded but for
season, and his instructions were soon
lost 10 lha, tide Of RIGHTEOUSNESS. which,
alas, for Greece. too soon followed, and,
in i,s course, bore with il every yestige
Of her former grestness and LEFT her .
wreck Of moral desolslion-a lasting
monument TO those who lore pleasure
more Than truth. The institutions oil Lyc
gus. al FIRST beneficial To Sparta. soon lost
their sslulsry influence; and now, where
once The wisdom Of the EphOri was con-
eenirs,ed. the shepherd boy roams and
the fsecy fOcks feed" And Why did
they so soon become thus powerless!
Because they taught sentiments directly
opposite 10 those contained in the only
correct standard Of morals that we have.
They inculested theft a. a peculiar sir-
tue and IS pleasing 10 their gods. and per-
mitled the commission Of vices that would
ultimately destroy the best ordered GOV
eminent. No wonder that in less Than
seven hundred years the glory Of this &c.
lebrated republic departed, and lha, DESC
laiion and destruction now covers us once
fair and beautiful plains.
To The Bible We are indebted for The
finest strains Of poetry and eloquencs that
were ever written. Let but the sacred
bard strike HE iuneful harp. and others
mus, yield aud listen 10 his songs. They |
Gar surpsss in grandeur and sublimiiy the |
highest fights Of uninspired genius. and
GIL our souls with admiration and delight. |
Where can xs End such strong and bold |
descriptions 40 are 10 be found in ihe writ
ings Of the old man Of Uz. Compare
those passages Of Homer, in which he
poIrsys the majesty Of Jupiter and his in |
ieIIerenee with eoniending armies. will
the annunciasions Of the character and
attributes Of ibe Christians God, By Job,
how great The contrast! And yet how
many lheIs are, xho prefer the poems Of
the former 10 that Of the latter. and pass
BY The sublimest descriptions that were
ever penned. Do we delight 10 soft and
tender strains! we have them in the
PsaIns. Though 0rpheus himself should
iuns the Tyre and wake its meIodious
notes, bis nobIsst, hsppiest lays would fall
Ear shofI Of the songs Of David. Are We
pleased 9Th she thrilling and sublime!
we need ba. read The prophecies Of lssi-
Oh 10 have our pleasure fill. II We tran
sPort ourselves for q moment into thai
country IN which he wro,e. and place be- |
fore or eyes lIas scenery BY which lie |
wss surepnded. we cannot but admire
The sIrikingness Of bis comparisons. The |
boldness of his metaphors. and the mag.
nlhcenss Of bis pessoni6eaiions and IL
We be 20. previously dead 70 all that 10
eEeeIIsai in eoaposition. we cannot but
feel an in~Hd joy in ihszperussl Of .
poem 50 suPerior 10 every vrslige Of Gre
clan and Ronss intellect. Nor is tie
variety Of .he poetry Of the Scripture less
Than he pfodssliess Of heather poets.
Every sasse esa hsrs Be sraii6ed-every
fancy can k<rs b pleased. The lyric,
The didselie. desssiys,e; shs sleeisc and
The pastoral are IL contained in This WON
der'ul bosk, sad sGosd Us the hess speci-
mems Of tic several kinds that rs haze
on reensd.
Asa ssSk Ls Eibls stands unequsiled.
Us history. IL biography sod lie superior
iisersluss. oil soCbines, disclose " us
store Assss of lhs richest intellectual
1000. sbsss sspplies never fail, and from
winch ss may u III liines draw. Other
pfodsclsHs nay Cor time delight our
tsse cad please our Imagination. but their
novelty ssos gears Of s0d tbey lien lose
~ poser 70 engage our attention. The
nns thoughts. silh shich they are here
s0d shefs iaIerspersed. are soon eulIed
out' end lhen shsI interest ve first felt in
ten u 10 longer enjoyed. The foun-