The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1842-10-29


!.
The suns Of eighteen centuries have shone
Since the Redeener walked with man, and
made
The fishers boat, the cavcrn's floor of stone,
And mountain moss, pillow for his head;
And he, who wandered with the peasant Jew,
And broke with publicans the bread of shame,
And drank, with blesslngsin His Father name
The water which Samaiia's outcast drew,
Hath now His temples upon every shore,
Altar and shrine and prGst-and incense dim
Evcrmore rising, with low prayer and hymn,
From lips which press the temples marble floor
Or kiss the glded sign Of the dread Cross lie bore
ii.
Yet as of old, when, meekly "dong good"
! lie fed blind and selfish multitude,
And even the poor companions of His lot
With their dim earthly vision knew Him not,
How i'll are His high teachings understood!
Where He hath spoken Liberty, the priest
At His own altar binds the chain anew;
Where he hath hidden to Lfes equal FEAST
The starving many wait upon the few;
Where lie hath spoken Peace, His name hath
been,
The loudcst war-cry of contcnding men;
Priests pale with vigils, in His name have blessed
The unsheathed sword, and laid the spear i'll rest,
Wet the war-banncr with their sacred wine,
And crossed its blazon with the holy sign;
Yea, in His name who babe the errinn live,
And daily taught His csSUn-to forgive
Twisted the cord, and edged the murdcrous
steel;
And, with HIS words of mercy on their lips,
Hung gloating DER the pinccr's burning grips,
And the grim horror OF the stranng wheel;
Fed the slow flame which gnawcd the victim
limb,
Who saw before his soaring eyebals swim
The image OF THEIR Christ, III cruel zeal,
Through the black torment-snokc, held mock
ingly to him
The blood which mingled with the desert sand,
And beaded with its red and ghastly dew
The vines and olives of the Holy Land
The slricking curses ot'thc hunted Jew
The white sown bones ofheretics whcre'er
They sank beneath the Crusade's holy spear
Goa 5 dark dungcons-Mdlla's sca-wdsncd cell,
Where with hymns the ghostly fathers sung
Mingled the groans by subtle torture wrung,
Heavens anthem blended with the shrek fIlcll.
The midnight of ELECTROMAGNETIC stake,
OF Smithncid, and that thrice accursed flame
Which Calvin kindled by Gcnevas lake
New EngIand's scatfold, and the prcstly sheer,
Which Knocked It's victims in that hour of fear,
When guilt itself human tear might claim
Bear witness, o Thou wrongcd and mercilul One,
That Earth's most hateful crimes have in thy
name been done.
w.
Thank God! that have lived to see the time
When the great truth begins at last to find,
An utterance from the deep heart OF mankind,
Earnest and clear, that ALL REVENGE is CRIME!
That Man is holier than creed that all
Restraint upon him must consult his good,
Hopes sunshine linger on his prison wall,
And Love look i'll upon his solitude.
The beautiful lesson which our Saviour taught
Through long, dark centuries, its way has
wrought,
Into the common mind and popular thought;
And words, to which by Galilee's lake shore
The humble fishers listened with hushcd oar,
Have found an echo in the general heart
And ofthe public faith become living part.
V.
Who shall arrest this tendency;-B back
The cells ofVcnice and the bigot's rack?
Harden the softcning human heart again,
10 cold indifference to brothers. pain,
Ye must unhappy men, who, turn'd away
From the mild sunshine of the Gospel day.
Crepe in the shadows of Mans twilight time,
What mean ye, that with ghowl-like rest ye
Dor these foul affairs streaming with warm blood,
Permitted in another age and cline,
Why cite that law with which the bigot Jew
Rebuked the Pagan's mercy, when he knew
No evil in the Just one;-Wherefore turn
To the dark, cruel pasl' Can ye not learn
From the pure Teachers life, how mildly free
Is the great Gospel of humanity,
The Flamen's knife is bloodless, and no more
Mexitli's affairs soak with human gore,
No more the CHASTITY sacrifices smoke
Through the green arches the Druid's oak;
And ye ofmilder faith, with your high claim
or Prophet-utterance in the Hottest name,
Will We become the Druids of our time?
And, consecrators of Laws darkest crime,
Urge, to its loathsome work the Hangman's
handi
Beware-lest human nature, reused at last,
From its perled shoulder your incumbrance cast
And, sick to loathing your cry for blood,
Rank we with those who led their victims round
The Celts red altar and the Indians mound,
Abhorred of Earth and Heaven pagan
brotherhood!