Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-07-28

be has reared as his highest temple-writinp
there, in characters forever fresh and new w, his
refiect Law of Righteousness and Truth,
which each may read and study for himself.
lha', being perfect and Interchangeable, and
man The same in nature and wants, God sus-
tains the same relation TO man he has ever
sustained; Is as present to the human mind
to-oay, in all the f~ullness of his Divinity, as
ne was In any age of the world as ready 10
inspire the faithful and obedient soul now
WIN Truth, wisdom, goodness, as he was
was 'he men oil any generation as he was to
INSPIRE a Moses, an Isaiah, a Socrates, a Je-
sus' a Paul, or the wise and good Of any ma
lion or people.
The denial Of this sublime fact-not a spec-
uiauon OF the fancy, but a fact of conscious
ness, resting on the afirmations of universal
human natute-is the greatest ideal error that
ever entered the mind Of man, and in Its prac-
ucai tendencies most prejudicial to piety and
goodness II God has made the soul of man
LOT Intelligent communion with himself, the
recognition OF The fact is essential to the RIGHT
use oil all his powers. The nearer and more
intimate the sense OF the Divine presence, the
recognition oil the operations of Divinity, the
more perfect this COMMUNICATIVE yearn-
ings OF our unpeTverted nature demand it,
lhey require, not a God afar of, but a Coz
near at hand, to whom the soul NAV turn for
wisdom, Tor strength, for counsel, for conso-
iatlon In the trials and exigencies of life, and
receive them Immediately from the Infinite
fountaln.-The maintenance Of mans spiri-
tual lile-of his flial love, requires it. The
pure flame Of piety must be klndled by Hea.
ven's own fire, and sustained by materials
from the treasury Of Divinity. And in Gods
world of PROJECTIONS, in which there is neither
redund ancy nor deficiency, these wants Of
our nature, are so many living testimonies
that the supply is at hand that the Father
has not forsakcn the child.
But the theology of the churches calls men,
for the knowledge of God and his will-for
wisdom, counsel, strengthened TO the de-
monstrations of his presence, the operations
OF his Divinity in their conscious natures, but
to SOM word, or record out of themselves,
the production Of man telling them, God in
spires not men now as he was wont to do in
other days; that it is not our privilege to re-
ceive Truth Immediately from the Infinite
Source; that We must receive. il at second.
hand from The records of men of former ages.
Thus mankind are turned away from God,
the Central Ligh. Of the moral universe, and
the spirit is Involved in darkness. The deep
est springs Of the human soul, which would
-instincsively flow back 10 the Fountain
whenea they came. are turned from their nat
relSo5f5e, and df0ath 20 mans spiritual
nature supervenes.
Tit religious element, however, being a con-
%stituent Of his nature, still acts. And turned
thus from God TO that which is creaturely, as
a natural consequence he r~elapses into idola-
try. A hook, or the prescriptions of men, or
some of the objects Of the visible creation, or
whatever to the mind, in its misdirected state,
is the highest standard Of truth, becomes the
object Of alteration, and takes the place of the
Holy One. And hence, in Christendom ex-
lists, wide and deep, and has existed for ages,
the fact of BIBLE WORSHIP. The imperfect
work Of men, more or less inspired, living in
comparatively rude periods, and undeveloped
epochs of the human mind, is made TO take
the place Of that Holy Scripture, written by
O%mnipresent God on the living principles Of
mans nature, and under circumstances which,
agreeably 10 the law of progress, should ad-
nit of higher light.
Man never departs from Divine law with
out bringing upon himself disastrous conse-
quences. Leaving the Fountain of living wa
tiers, he news out 10 himself broken ~cisterns.
Leaving the Grea; Central Light Of moral
and religious truth, he wdnders in darkness.
Taking for his standard Of morals and reli.
gioD, not the interchangeable and universal
principles of the Divine nature, but some
thing bounded by human limitations, his
standard is limited, partial. lie has not the
basis Of unity God has laid. The consequence
is, he becomes a sectarian, a partisan, a reli-
gious bigot. He becomes exclusive and in.
tolerant. The very principles of his nature
are perverted f.; the benevolent sympaihies
and affections, are turned into gall by Reli
gious Fanalicism, and he becomes a persecu
tor of his brother, whose conclusions agre,
not with his own. Thus has the world beef
deluged with blood. And is it not true tina
in Christendom, the Bible, (not its mora
truihs,) has been erected into an idol, befor,
which more worshippers have been bowling
down than ever did homage to any idol o
wood or stone, and 10 which probably NOR,
human sacrifices have been offered, than L
any Moloch or Juggernaut ever erected il
Heather lands! But, hoping The age o
these terrible scenes has passed, let US look
al the present effect of this fundamental er.
ror. The gospel of peace and love, in its
progressive unfoldings to the human mind, is
bringing into view the moral deformities, the
vIces-many of them hoary with age-which
exist among mankind to some of which we
have definitely adverted. In the records OF
The Imperfect past, precept and practice, APP
parent or real, in justification of these evils,
can naturally be found, and are resorted TO,
by those attaching TO them an idolatrous ven
Grafton, to arrest the progress of REFORM
Hence the Bible is appealed to, to sustain
The sins OF slavery, and war, and the depriva-
tion Of woman of her rights, and even the use
Of intoxicating drinks land might with
equal justice be appealed to, to sustain Po-
lygamy, Concubinage, and Persecution on
account. Of religion And in proportion as it
is made The Standard, the work of reform
must be impeded. For not being a unitary
whole, there must ever be a conflict between
the beautiful and luminous truths it contains
which will be venerated while NOR