Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-09-17
aRE TO &c AL.
From the .NctC York Observer.
The Sacred MOuntainSmMt, Sinai.
BY TIE REV. J. 7. HEADLEY.

BY THE REV. J. 7, HEADLEY.
Standing in the midst of some of the most
desolate scenery in the world, Mount Sinai lifts
its huge form into the heavens. like some mon
ster sIumbering in conscious strength, Its bald
and naked summit-its barren ana rocky sides,
and all its sombrc features, correspond perfectly
to the surrounding scene. 1t is wild and des-
olate spot and were there even no associations
connected with it, the loneliness and gloom that
surround it would arrest the traveller, and cause
him to remember it long afterwards. But Mount
Sinai has associations that render it chief among
the Sacred Mountains The moral, the divine
instructions given to man from its summit, are
.of course the things Of chief importance, but as
these are always wholly dwcIt upon, speak only
of the outward scenes amid which they were
impaired Nor is this without its use; for we,
half the time, lose the freshness, might say the
naturaness, of much that is said in the Bible,
by involving it in sort OF supernatural indefi-
niteness. We remove the persons and the OBJ
jects, and in doing it lose the power which IA
miar scenes always have over the mind There
can be no more striking illustration of this
truth than in the different effects produced on a
congregation by the different manner in which
some descriptive scene in the Bible is read-
One will read in a strained monotonous voice, as
if naturaIness betokened too great familiarity
with sacred things, and is astonished that men
care so little for the reading of the Scriptures
Another reads as if he himself were narratinr
the facts for the first time, and every eye and
ear is fixed If the cruciiixion could be made
definite as common murder scene, and the
agony in the garden as familiar as the throes and
torture Of friend in the EXTREMIST agony of
human nature they would not, they could not,
be read with so little feeling as they are Said
a lawyer to me once, "You Christians lose half
the beauty Of the Bible by putting your minds
into such strained, solemn attitude the moment
you open it. take it up as would a law book
and new truths, new beauty, and new sublimity
appear on every page" Our senses are the in
lets to our minds The Deity acts on this prin-
cipe when he accompanies all Developments of
himself with such remarkable outward appear
ances. Even the Son of God must die amid
the throbs of an earthquake, the rending of the
graves and the blotting out of the sun. The
giving of the law, too, was done amid scenes
that were designed never to be forgotten
Behold the white tents of Israel scattered like
snow flakes at the base of that trceless barren
mountain. The hum of a mighty population is
there, and those flowing tents on which the part
ing sun is leaving his farewell gIorles are the
only pleasing objects that meet the eye in this
dreary region. A solemn hush is on every
thing as the moon sails up the heavens, flooding
with her gentle light the tented host. Moses
has declared that on the third morning the eter-
nal God is to place his feet on that distant noun
tain top in presence of all the people. Awe
struck and expectant, the sons Of Jacob go from
tent to tent to speak of this strange event. and
then come out and look on the mysterious noun
tain on which it is to transpire Unconscious OF