New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-03-13


Our blessed Lord by these consolatory and
deeply instructive words, has presented to the
mind OF tho humble inquirer after Truth the
great object on which should center and be i'm
ol;citly placed his entire and childlike confidence
As beginning OF blessed expectation be has thus
the hope Of enjoying that ultimate reward Of
i.ithfalness and Of dedication which, throughout
the Holy Scriptures, is presented to the eye Of
Faith as an end above all things 10 be desired
and as an end attainabe.
These expressions Of our Redeemer are full Of
doctrine. consolation and instruction. They are
as fall OF warning, too, os they are Of consolation
While have been minging with my beloved
friends on this occasion, in humble, and trust
sincere and devout effort 10 present ourselves
living sacrifices to the God Of all the earth, which
Ifeverenty hope we all acknowledge to be our
reasonable service, as well our highest prvi-
lege, have been led, according to my capacity,
to endeavor to estimate the Importance Of making
Alright use OF our time, and a right improvement
OF the opportunities which afforded us, in or
der to secure that blessing which the Redeemer
here promises to those who love him for have
looked1pon myself, have looked upon you, in
that little hour hangs our destiny. On it's appro-
priation and its improvement depends the conse
auence of an endless eternity. have been i'm
messed as we all have, doubt not, with that
deep that heart Thrilling, that abiding conviction
which despite OF all opposition, hnds its way into
the inmost soul and leaves there its truth, that
though we shOrt-lived, as relates 10 this pres
ent existence we are as relates 10 our higher ex-
istence, immortal-and that therefore this pres
snt existence is but the beginning OF our being
But iDasmuch as our future condition depends
upon IT, 1t is, however short, OF infinite moment
Infinite consequences hang upon 1t our all is
dependent upon IT.
have alluded, Of the undyIng nature OF the Mind
we are all impressed with a sense of our moral
accountability. We may, by the workings of our
own imaginations and the willy suggestions Of our
own perverted reason, seek to avert the heart
piercing arrow OF this conviction but then for all
that even and anon il finds its way into the heart
and we are made to feel that an all seeing eye be
holds us that all penetrating eye discovers
the deepest recesses OF the heart, scans the work
ngs OF our thoughts, aud takes strict cOgnizance
OF our motions. Hence arises the strong persua
sion that we must be amenable to that being-that
experimenting, ever watchiul being, the author
OF our lives aud of all things; for our moral accOun
liability is at times a subject of such certain and
unique stiOnabe conviction that we ca0not get
around tive cannot, by any effort we can make,
put it aside, though may seek o. lice from 1t as
our first parents did in the Garden OF Eden, when
they heard the voice of the Lord calling unto them,
and saying, "Where art thou And be said, ]
heard thy voice in the Garden aud and j was
afraid because was naked, and hid my sell.
We may seek to hide ourselves from that light
which beams upon the understanding and causes
the heart to quail but, after all, are we made 10
feel its power BY its power are we made 10 re-
sllze our nakedness and constrained 10 desire a
reconciliation with that being before whom all
things stand revealed. The great Creator made
man in the beginning in his own image, aud alter
his own likeness Notwithstanding we have been
despoied throug temptation and sin Of those royal
diamonds that studded the crown oil glory which
the Almighty placed upon our head-iOr 1t is said
that " he crowned him with glory and honor, and
that crown OF glory and honor IS undoubtedly a
beautiful hgurative description OF man primitive
moral and religious qualifications and virtues w hat
| was about to say is, that God, who created man
in his own image and after his likeness, designed
that this image in his creatures should reflect back
upon himself praise and worship. He designed to
make in them clear mirror which should give at
least some faint reflection OF his own beauty, by
the blessings and the consultations OF his own
good spirit and otwithstandlng those moral
virtues, those religious projections which were
the primitive adornings OF the soul OF man,
have been lost still man has not altogether
lost that intuitve know ledge and sense OF what he
10 consttutionally, with what he was then en-
lowed Admitting on all hands that man is a
ial en- creature and that under the fall he is alien
ated in his heart from God, by wicked works, yet
when we cast our eyes abroad upon mankind an d
behold the development OF man IN all his deiormty
we at the same time find, wherever we md a
man, some intutlve sense and cOnsclousness OF ms
accountability to the great Supreme. Although that
sense and consciousness are involved IN null
titude of cases ia faithessness TO the conviction
and the most preposterous iallacies OF opinion,
vet this conviction found every where, Is an nesu-
mable evidence of the Immortality of the soul
Again there is everywhere connected with tins
internal conviction Of the mind, there is associated
with il, some species or other OF Religion. often
this religion is as vague as the conviction of I'M
mortality and the existence OF the Deity by this,
while the immortality OF the soul IS proved by
mans universal consciousness OF II, the existence
Of a religious and moral nature IN man is also
proved.
But here. after so slight an exhibition of this
deep and mysterious subject are We driven TO TINT
record which God has given us OF bis son, TO the
Holy Scriptures, in which he has been pleased 10
make TO us revelation of many important truths,
by the means OF his prophets and apostles; ana
from such source and upon such authority we ave
taught to believe that man, though mortal, pos
sesscs also an immortal nature-that he has SOU
having the image OF God in its enduring capacity.
We are also taught that he has a religious and
moral nature, and is therefore relieiOusly and
morally accountable to God, as completely as
he was once crowned
Ii were to define what conceive to be those
heavenly disdems and jewels which constituted
mans primeval adornment, | should say that they
consisted chiefly and mainly Of holiness of life, in
purity of heart, righteousness OF character, and
ia devout love of God. | infer from the Holy
Scriptures and particularly from the sayings OF our
Redeemer, that man originally possessed these
virtues and we cannot doubt that being con
s,ituted vas designed 10 worship God devouty.
Aud the Rsdeemsr has taught us what qualhca-
tous are absolutely necessary To that EXERCISE
lie has said. blessed are the pure IN spirit for
they shall see God !" and by his apostles he mas
taught u that without holiness no man can see
the Lord. And again by the same authority we
are taught that no unrghteous man can enter the
Kingdom Of God Now let us bear in mind that
these characteristcs in infinite sense belong 10
the Great Jehovah while, as virtues and grsces,
but only in a finite sense, they may be possessed
by finite creatures. With these virtues The crea-
tare could harmonic with the Creator with
wil conforming and obedient, there could DC no jar
In that devotion which must then issue from the
deep fountain OF feeling in the soul, drawn out by
love az the oblstion OF the heart before the King