North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-04-19
E1,oo11ENT DEFAMATION,

of the College OF Charleston, 0y Rev. FTof. }. w.
Miles, he compares the Bible with the highest pro-
ductions of Grecian genius. The Mercury says 81
if the reader should be disposed to take exception
the tnge of scholarly quanness that characteri-
ses its languages he will remember that the discourse
addressed Students, fresh from their classical
studies, and TO whom the associations moved by such
illusions were. of all others, the most familiar ana
the most vivd.''
'Enter with me, in imagination, some well stored
library, and glance around upon the stately array
tones, in which the wisdom and mighty Thoughts Oh
tina dead are garnered up. They immortal. 1heie
they stand, calm and solemn, as IT conscious vi
their imperishable glory. Dare we nope 'nas We
too, will one day be numbered among Ino:H L,o
and leave thoughts for which the wise VIII oar'er
their gold And vet, what matters II 1hose e!e-
atoms, it is true, are great noble' deafness le ln
struction the excitement, the very echo, Oh the
of humanity. But they can tell Us mO'n, ,Shch
\ mysteries most necessary to be known' ana WHICH;
I'D nv DEATH and dready palled by tuturlty anu
retribution agate and Cypress the ing iring spirit
They Can only inform US that those mysteries nave
also darkened other spirits, awakened fears douos'
ami fuitIess speculatons and the collected wisdom
of the world, leaves only more deeply conscious
of the ignorance of man. But amidst the grano ar
raw the eye of the weary and unsatished inquirer,
Turns to one small and ancient volume. has passed
through more fiery ordeal of criticism, than all the
writings collectively Of India, Greece, and Rome
and il holds CENTRALIZED the faith and homage OF the
civilized world Strange, Venerable, Awful, Ierrl-
BILE book 1t is folly ridicue you 1t Is madness
}
rid lies and dim traditions, and bloody stories, you
have triumphed the literature OF Greece, and,
what is more over the noblest nteects and the finest
hearts which have regalised humanity What a trl-
umphant though silent concession, have you extorted
from your eremes in that they have deemed you SUIT
6cieny formidable, 10 elicit almost everything which
learning, assiduy, genius, wearliess research and
the most polished intellectual armory, could furnish
to combat YOU. One book in barbarous dialects, a.
gainst the glorious language and unrvalled genius OF
library of Grecians The true Olympian Eagle of
Song, the Fiery Master of the lyric torrent-he En-
throned Triad of action and passion-the Lutevolced
old Characteristic Promethean Thief OF CLOS Sty-
lus-the pure-tongued Annalist OF the Immortal Re-
treat-the Thunderbot of winged eloquence-the
mighty genius of that subtle Encycopedist-the
polished Censor and Panegyrist of declining Athens
the genial Essayist and Biographer-and even the
sublimey altuned soul, whose thoughts and language
roll on like the everlasting harmony OF the spheres;
yes, al-poet, orator, historian, philosoPher-you
must all do your starry, well-earned crowns, before
the awful diadem of that authoritative volume. Old
Grecians your glory is like the glitter of the starry
frmament-your majesty like that of 80 the old roll
ing heavens :" but the Bible is like floods of sun.
shine, and stormy night. and lurid fire, and balmy
MORN and life and death, and heaven and hell in the
rapidly shifting scenes of universal panorama.
Masters of the heart and intellect you Grecians
are your pages have such pathos as the story OF
Josephine psalms like the strains of David-no
sublime conceptions of the OmnIpoten Jehovah, like
the Hebrew Prophets-no grandeur Ike the emPy-
quence which neither the intrcacies Of bad Greek
the peculiar method of Rabbinlc logic, can de-
grade or obscure your pages present nothing equal
to the magnificent book OF Job-nothing at allicom-
parable to the wild subimty of the Apocayptc epic
and your Iofest and most brilliant conceptions fade
into insign6cance and the dimmest twilight, before
the divine majesty of the simple Gospels. What IS
the sacrifice of raving Hercules, that he might
speedily reach the blessed abodes through the sharp
sef-infcted agones, which swallowed up IN their
fiery haste the slow torrents of the gnawIng vest;
what is Agamemnon's touching compulsory sacrifice
of the selfdevoted Iphigena what is the affecting
sefsacrfce of Alcestis for her husbands life what
is the grand suffering of Prometheus for the temporal
benefit of the human race what all the voluntary
sacrifices of Grecan story compared with the over
wheming tenderness, the unspeakable awe and sub
niy, of the loving sacrifice of the Son OF God tor
the everlasting salvation Of sinful world? The
genius and learning Of centuries have been kndled
by and avished upon the literature OF Greece; but
il never brought comfort to the penitent spirit; it
never sofened remorse into repentance, and trans
formed repentance into the hope of faith; 1t never
into the bosom of the afflicted and dessoate; ii new
took away the sting of sin, or threw halo OF TIL
umph around the gloom Of death it never extorted
from glorious crowd of genius and learning, the
confession that g this is the w ord of Gods; that
same old bible has nightly done. And after every
concession is made which true science and criticism
can exiort or demand, the truths of that book will
still shine, golden chain, linking the deepest and
hottest hopes of with the heavenly throne OF the
eternal God"
TRUE SOCIAL DIGNITY. To be ashamed of their
origin is, just now in American Society, the weak