The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1844-11-21
KlTn HII EuBEuK

TO 90 10 heaFen when we de, seems
70 be NE grand uIsh thar ne foun 20 our
selves Whenever we hsppen 70 lsll INTO .
seflous mode d thinking. Or begin 20 grow
meisnrholly Al the prospects Of deaih. 10
~ 70 hsorea-and then Il would appear
that nothing more was wanting 10 COM
Plele our happiness.
And yet there il one rery simple oues-
tinn that il is quite surprising We never
think Of asking, and ihal il, . What klnd
olaplaee weshould find IL We went thereg''
Is'ai heaven Is scene of nnbounded hap
PIness and everlasting delight. there is 10
doubt whatever, bur should ars IinJ Il 80 i
quite another question. We know lIlai a
deaf man might be surrounded with lhe
sweetest music, and The most enchanting
harmony, and 20 him il would be an dead
silcnre, and beautiful portrait or a lore
~ landscape would lie nothing but dark
ness 10 blind mans eve.
Now is il NOT probable lIial 10 some men
heaven would he a state either Of langour
orc misery! Heaven is not 4 theatre that
shifts the scene 10 suit itself 10 every fool
ish fancy, and every silly hun.or Of The
spectators. II has indeed, its lullncss Of
Joy, and lis pleasures for eyennore, but
but The question is, have zoe The power
and the relish 10 enjoy them! We will
suppose, Tor moment, that our hope of
gong 10 heaven is, some way or other,
fulfilled, and that God knows howl we
have passed the fearful account thai We
shall have 10 rendered. sins committed,
Of duties neglected, Of blessings abused, Of
time squandercd away; we will suppose
that we have found our way into that hea-
ven that is the object Of our hopes-whal
have We TO promise ourselves! We know
Al least what We shall not find there; we
know that "naked as we came into this
world, naked shall We 20 out Of H." that the
body which held us and the earth together,
is'laid in the dust from which il was taken;
and the bond that united us 10 this lower
world is snapped, and the channel through
which we communicated with il with
drawn; and this busy stage upon which our
affections have been running 10 and fro,
seekingrestand finding none, is at once con-
ccaled fromour view, and become to us a
dead blank. Alas! alas! what objects shall
wefasten upon 10 ill up the dreary vacancy
which was once occupied by our busy pur-
suits, and our dear pleasures upon earth!
For the gold and silver are gone, and the
VOL, and the tabrct have died away in 81.
fence. What can we seize upon 10 employ
our minds, or to excite our desire, or TO fiji
up our conversation! Alas! where is the
buying and selling, the hustle of business,
or the enthusiasm Of enterprise, that sup
piled us al once with our cares and our
hopes! Wherci is the flowing goblet, and the
wild and wanton merriment that used to set
the table IN roar! Alas! alas! what shall
we do for the delightful trilles by which
We contrived, while we were upon the
earth, to get rid of time, and forget that il
was rolling over our heads! What shall
we do for those wild pursuits, by which
we made ourselves mad for time, and
hunted eternity out of our minds! what
shall we de for conversation. upon what
subject shall we converse! And then-to
go on this way for ever. We cannot sit
thus dreaming through eternity. If this
be heaven, would to God that he had still
left us upon our beloved earth. Wherefore
have We brought us out Of Egypt where
we ate and drank and were merry, and
have left us here to perish in the wilder
ness! Better would it have been for us
to have still our inlerchanges of hope and
fear, of pleasure and pain, Of repose and
fatigue, ofjoy and sorrow, than to endure
this dismal serenity-than to say in the
morning, Il" Would to God it were even
ing" and in the evening, "would to God
1t were morning." Rer. C.. UODf.
RELIGION.-lIow bright it shines upon
the path Of affection and adversely. Its
power is not seen in the noisy ebullitions
of heated spirits, in their extravagant ges-
lures, and loud hosannas! Norris its worth,
its amazing worth to be seen in the POM
pous displays, and empty forms of many
of its professed votaries.
The power of religion is best seen in
quietly subduing the passions, controlling
the appetites, and keeping the spirit in the