Lewisburg chronicle, and the West Branch farmer. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1849-1849, 1849-12-19


in which |, already a shadow, am about t
mingle with shadows, in which find tn
powers Of my mind failing more and NOR
in this hour, can doubt Of everything
bu, of Thee. Of Thy goodness and power
Tnou art my God.
Bu, this God, in whom believe. whoss
goodness and ornnipo,ence are as certain
TO me as the love in nv own heart--h'
did not create pain and death-not deati
as ii shows Itself on earth, coming in pain
and darkness The work in which infin
lie goodness expresses itself, mus, bear it.
impress; the minds proceeding from hi:
thought must be holy and perlect-naiure
in which he mirrors himself, mus: be beau
tiiul aud without fault. Gods eternal Law
OF love is written in the hearts Of angels
il guides their actions. and the universe is
directed by the laws of this infinite good.
ness and purity. Spirits do no, follow this
law bindy, but freely and consciously
they are gifted with freedom; they have
the capacity Of comprehending the will oI
God and Of saying. Thy will, 0 God.
gladly obey"
Good and wise indeed mus, be this e,er.
nal and unchanging will for the changing
is only in time, and God is above time.
Good, then. are all the works of God +; for
only ioo destroys his own master.works.
To each life that proceeds from Him He
gives the perfection and blessedness which
its nature is fitted to receive to the free
spirit, The most excellent gifts. then to the
animals, and TO the smallest worm, the
Smallest flower, he gives strength aud glad.
ness: All, all is penetrated by the life Of
his love! As the lover lives in his beloved
bride, so must God live in HIS creation,
loving, and blessing 20 must the world
love and worship God, and for ever must
they live in and for each other, and gloriiy
each other.
And is this the relation in the par, Of the
universe which I see, among the rational
beings whom | know among men! All!
it is no. so God created man in Ills i'm
age, tha, believe and it can not be 9th.
erwise. How art ,hou lallen from heaven,
thou beautiful morning star! Whence is
sin in the hearts Of men whence The dark.
ness in their life? whence sufferings on
the earth, disorder. destruction. death
whence the almost insupportabIepain which
now forces out the drops of sweat upon
my brow, and is carrying me BY degrees
into the dark grave7 o, God of goodness !!
in Thee believe, TO Thee hold fast.
Man was born sinful. or with inclina,ons
to sin and strife and pain must live in ma.
ture while sin exists. Man and his world
are the work OF God, the Holy, the Al
mighty. God did not create man sinful,
the world imperfect, this is to me an eter.
nal truth. Has man then existed before
this earthly life I Did he come pure from
the hand Of his Creator, and then has he
fallen Has he in lis fall drawn down
his world, nature, with him, Is this for
ge:iulness Of his Pre-exis,ence conse.
quence of his higher consciousness during
this earthly second birth! Are the heav-
enly iIlumina,ions which even here flash
up in him, the good, the beautiful, are
they recollec,ions Of his life with God :!
Do they point out. together with the phe-
nomena of sin on The earth, lost para.
disc ? How can man, perfect work Of
God, have falien' What can have caused
his fall in world, where God, the AL.
Good, is the only and the guiding principIe'
A thousand questions cross each oIher in
nv head. Where shalt find satisfactory
answers!
God can not have Created man evil !;
pure and noble must he have come from
his hand he must have lived before this
earthly life he must have fallen from his
original spleudor. and with him, nature.
His second birth upon this, and in these
relations, must be a consequence Of his
fall. How has man fallen Because
he allowed himself TO be conquered by
temptation say the traditions Of our race.
Who tempted him . God. Impossible.
The DEVIL I can not believe in the devil
as a personal existence. nor in evil as a
kingdom. II there were persona: being
whose will was opposed to that Of God,
eternal like him, The ruler Of kingdom at
enmiry with God. there would be no room
for calling this power evi. !; TO lis worship
ers, it could give, as God does. eternal life,
that is, the fuInes. Of life which they !6ve {;
for example, sensual pleasure. -hstred. envy,
selfshness, cruelty. &c. live could think
of evil as an Independent, cell. suficine
power, then il ,sas< De if i, should be
conquered :r. II, Aaetest viii tho so.cslled
4 a slAk