Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-08-07
That law claims, lst, Our undivided af-

That law claims, lst, Our undivided af-
fectlons. However circumstanced-how
ever constituted, and however strongly or
frequently tempted, no act of negligence.
is allowed, no lessening of our affection
for its great object tolerated. Who that
has lived in this world of sin and sorrow
that has not felt The influence of tempta-
ton to the performance of a wrong action !?
who has not felt passions, adverse to God
and holiness, warning in his members,
and seducing the easily won mind away
from its allegiance to his lawa When pri-.
vate interest, relish or animosity has die
tated his action? who has not felt the
cross to the will and flesh, when required
to forgive an injury. and love his neigh
Dor as himself i'm short,-who has not
felt, when viewing this law in contrast
with his character, that he IS a sinner! :,
In order fully to appreciate his wander
ings from God, an investigation into his
own heart. the motives of actions there
engendered, must be made. 1t will not
answer the purpose of truth. to look at
man in the abstract, as being the noblest
work of God, and to expatiate upon the
superior and noble powers with which his
Creaior has endowed him, and from these
premises draw our conclusions of his re-
al present character in the sight of his
God. Having lost his moral image, by
sin, he ceases to be that noble intelli-
gence, and all the gems of his existence
are furnished; the founsain-s2rings of life
poisoned at their source, producing apos-
tacy of character, diseased and vitiated
constitution, and fnallys moral death.
When the fair works of creation were
first set in motion, and received the ap-
proval of being very good > and the no.
bic animal man constituted its lord and
governor, all moving on in beautiful har-
mony-all adapted to promote the unbrok-
en- happiness of every being, it was not
intended an evil passion, Earring word
or discordant note should ever be heard
throughout the dominions of God. On
the introduction of sin into cur world,
this peaceful order and disposition Of
things was instantly changed: malevo-
lence and hate-anger and revenge
pride and oppression-wrong and Unjust.
ice-deception and fraud, and all the in
Vulnerable offspring of sin. immediately
supplanted that calm, peaceful and holy
harmony which pervaded creation. Such
an awful change in both the moral and
material universe. must well prompt us to
; inquire, What IS SIM what constitutes
sin which has wrougt this widespread
, ruin, devastation and death!
Promising that the Bible furnishes the
, only information which can be obtained
! in answer, we will appeal to the Law ant
, testimony, where we may learn the ma.
tuTe and character of that enemy which
has entered our happy Eden, disrobed it Of
its beauty and scattered destruction and
desolation over the earth.
l. Every species of departure from
the eternal principle of right, constitute
sin THE consequences of which prove ii
to perfect demonstration. For God
made the world right. as it should be-
and man also was made in every particu-
lar exactly right;-the operation of every
principle with which creation was con.
stituted, was adapted to promote the hap
Ipiness of every part of its inha55itants-
consequently, whatever produces misery
in place of happiness must be sin. 1t
bears its own proof, and exhibits its own
credentials.