The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-01-13

his thoughts his tongue should be oosed for eloquent
description OF mans vanity and his precarous hold on
life. There was no foreign tax laid his imagination
to fill with its witchery the half-drawn picture lie saw
enough himself 10 elicit the most sublmated pencil,
ngs OF fancy and while he experiences the decay OF
EARTH by hope he anticipates the bloom OF Heaven lie
compares the ycssltudes oil our earthly lot with the uhds
urbed repose of higher and better condition ana
while the bessedness of the latter had charmed hun INTO
burning desire for its possession, il impaired courage
while, with steady hand, he pants the dim and
clouded vsage OF the man OF sorrows by noticing
other portions of this chapter, YOU lind hun speaking IN
the language OF assurance Can we suppose ihat the
paToxysms of his grief rose to insanity; that now he
doubted, and then believed! II the text should start
scrupe in relation to his guilt IN this precious disclosure
OF revelation, honesty must compel us to regard nm as
heartily asserting to it, when he exclaims, all the days
Of my appointed time will wait, III my change come
If the controversy the subject OF future state were
confined to Pagan countries, we might suppose mat no
strange thing had happened but passing strange that IN
day, and within the limits OF Chrlstendom, 1t can be
quoted proof that the theological gladiator has not USE
yunsheathed the sword of the spirit TO cut pieces the
theory that makes the dissolution OF the body the
closing in the great drama OF existence Indeed
many protested saints rather desire than believe IN the
doctrine of future life Their creed embodes IT. yet
the life practically dsowns it, while host who neither
profess TO despise accred IT, like the houghtless
nhabtan OF the ancient Herculaneum, daily sport
ing above the fresh fires OF an eternal Nesuvus ~
before us, only the Scriptures truth but the voice
of responds afnatvey. The torch OF revelation
scatters all the gloom OF the grave, and makes the ven
TRANSPARENCY which separates time from eternity Nor
is reason a dumb oracle. 1t rather chershes than
blasts the hope OF another state OF beng. Where,
now, even amid the darkness OF heathenism, or the
| rowing red men of the forest, can one be found
whose voice is entitled to hearing amidst the coun,
ellis camp of his countrynen, declaring death and
eternal sleep! A common method taken by philosophers
in proving the being of God is by referring to the con-
tnuance and design apparent in the various works OF
creations Just any one unacquanted with any branch
of mechanics might argue the presence and employment
OF an intelligent agent by examining the machinery OF
watch, or the several parts OF telescope The view
OF the contrver when an intelligent agent is admitted
may also be inferred from the form and properties OF the
article itself Let apply this principle and see il the
cndowments OF the soul shed any light upon its ultimate
destination Among the collection of articles recently
exhibited in this city, there were two-one within the
the shelter of its projecting roof obviously designed for
entirely different usesa copper boat and highly m
water, and the other roll upon the earth. Here you
perceive at that but an idiot could suppose
that wheels and axle would suit the undulamg surface
Of the deep, and would equally indicate an unbalanced
mind conclude that keel and rudder fitted for the
dusty pike. Even were you never told, you might con-
cude from the conrvaRce OF the COACH that was IN
tended be used the dry land and that the ship was
intended to float in different element. So far as we
acquainted with the powers OF mind, we may feel
this life but that in its present condition is to great
extent clogged and ettered In many cases 1t has given
fair promise of exploring unknown fields, Just at time
when death has embraced the body Has startled the
living with its brilliancy, simply TO be lost in darkness
among the dead? Those well read in the philosophy OF
mind tell that il has been endowed with
|
panson to be the law of its being that it is ca
pable of putting forth greater energy and rising higher
in the scale OF being than i is possible for it while IN, I'M
fact that physical strength cannot meet the demands
of intellectual toll. The student is forced from pure
debility to III his midnight taper and hs
him again his closet with renewed strength Was
he cursed with reason to make him the sport OF sense
MAY we suppose that immortal youth awaits him
the brow Of which thought will never wrlnke 1t does
seem that were originally intended for something
more noble than short race on this unfrendly earth,
where appetite must be governed passion brdled, and
all enfeebng excuses disalowed, if we would prove
ourselves capable OF more than animal instinct If
not brates are more happy than men All their wants wants
| disappointment; we do. They worried with
apprehension we are. They stimulated with
| hopes of reward we have no incentive to act without
them Are we, then, though the best of Gods creation
to find ourselves less happily circumstanced than those
classes of creatures which God has given US dom
on No pretend that the lower order OF ANIMALS
were ever intended to occupy the place of man. The
paws OF the lion, the taons OF the vuure. the frame of
the horse and the muscles OF the OK show the goodness
and wisdom of their Creator in adapting them to Their
own sphere and providing in their confguraon Tor the
habits of their being This is their only life They never
manifest wish for anything beyond When filled with
food, and their thirst s saked, they are content You
unnatural craving, no notification 81 Their meniai
abode-no responsiveness to servitude. They have no
wants beyond the present. and these are all met.
They soon reach their utmost perfection Of which
they are capable They are rarely trained be-
You'd habits easily contracted, and artificial ones
I
soon give place to them, which natural, when
restored liberty Ingenuity elicit exercise OF the
soul They evidently show that they were intended sim
i py for the foOtstoo Is it with man Has magma
ton been winged to huer and die? Was hope inspired
merely experience disappointment Does the intellect
ripen merely wher in the tomb? Is the rich harvest Of
mental toll only garnered for the insaate grave! DO the
stars sparkle while Newton is no moe Has The broken
harp OF Cowper remained unstrung Has Locke forgot
ten he had mindi Or, does the Father Of our Country
simply live in song Let those answer who call death a
perpetual sleep, and declare the mind mortal the
body rather would say "when the dust returns to the
earth as it was, the spirit goes to God who gave it,
But if the soul be not immortal then all our speculaons
in relation to the present order OF things tend to atheism
Reason would urge the propriey OF distributing rewards
to merit and furnishing guilt with stripes, if there be
display of Righteousness in eternity This is not done in
the present life. The circumstances OF men do not inva
rably accod with their personal endowment The vruous
are often pnched with penury the vicious ride IN their
carios Those of the salt OF the earth given
proach the heartless complmented for their sup
posed excelencies If there be God, Justice must be
one of his essential attributes But. the actual
OF this life rather show assent his part to the wick
eness of the transgTessor than summary execution OF
Justice: therefore the niicton of penalty must be
served for life to come. Deny it, and then must
account for the iraty of the Divine government in view
OF another difficulty Take for granted that each
in this life full recompense then, the vest offender
NAV curse God and dede by his own hand, escape the
punishment due his offence, and thus virtually outwt
his Maker The lives of men are, in a certain sense
I under their own control No invisible agent is
promised to restrain the hand Of the suicide and he thus
capes unpunshed all law human and divne and leaves
Q the execuoner 10 seek his victim in nonentty. A
desperate transgressor them might deprive the most
tos man of his being and with all the future rewards