Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-06-18

no beacon to shine upon his desc
late pathl Then tho teachings Of tho
old Book would rush upon my mind
with powerful force. Yet why think
of thatl For though it tells OF mans
origin and of tho disobedience that
caused his ruin, and points out, Too,
the only remedial course for his reco.
very; in word "brings life and i'm:
mortality to light" l was too proud
to bow and confess nyselfa ruined,
vile sinner Its truths, if truths they
were, were SO humiliating-to own
that was by nature fallen, poll uted,
that all my race were rebels against d
Being of Infinite goodness that If CIV.
cr say ed tmustb be through the instru'
mentality Of anothcr-.Cne, too, that
thousands had rejected and despised'
Some of these had once bowed at His
shrine, too, and confessed His saving
power and influence, and owned Him
to be mighty conqueror, as well as a
merciful high priest.
They had pressed the old volume a
thousand times to their bosorns, and
seemed willing to die rather than to
renounce its divine teachings. Yet
when they had wandered fur from the
home of their youth, where the Book
had constantly been presented to
view; and become acquainted with
mon of different principles; they first
began to reason, then to doubt, and
finally 10 disbeliovc. Then they call
ed in to their aid the works of the ba-
sest infdcls, nor was conscience easily
silenced, nor early impressions soon
erased. No, no. The struggles OF
soul, the agonies Of mind they endur-
ed in this fearful conflict can never be
fathomcd until that great day when
the secrets of all hearts shall be fully
made known. 1t cost thom twice ten
thousand times as much to reject these
principles as it would TO have secured
theu eternal benefits. For true it was,
That some had learned such lessons in their
youth,
Such holy prcccp.s, from the words oftruth,
That Ike beacon still aFording light,
II tshone upon them in the dead ofhighs.
With solemn reason, and such dread appeals,
The book Of fate sccm'd open, broke the
seals,
-,lThts ssw, their actions marh'dialiEns fame,
And oil their crimes cmblazon'd, with q
name,
So deeply, darkly stained, and so impure,
That tho bare sight, they scarcely could ell
dure.
What mind could fa,hom, OF wha. tongue
could tell
What dire emotions then their bosoms swell;
A sad prelude in deed, to what 'twill be,
When time is past, and dread eternity
Shall burst upon their saddened, darken'd
sight,
And every hope and expectation blight
The soul in ruins then, will vent its grief,
Nor can eternal ages bring relief,
For these rejected mercy bought with tears
And blood divine, for many leng.hen'd years
After all some of these figure in the
world as men of,alent, wealth and In
Euence while the devotees of the an
tiquuted Book, ara not unfrequently
the subjects of derision, poverty and
scorn. This to mo was appalling, SO
l sought for something that would still
the vibrations of this inward pendu'
lum-some medium between infideli'
ty and those hallowed, self.deny!ne
preccpts. ! once thought | had near
iy accomplished this matter.
] got hold of Winchester's writings. but
soon found one awful drawback in his
philosophy. For though he met one oil
my stronges, objections to the old Book
eternal punishment-yet he foiclbly
taught that vice and virtue would be re-
warded in etemity-that the wicked
would suffer the most excruciasing pains
for thousands Of years while the virtuous
by repentance and faith would secure al
immediate entrance into lfo eternal
This last was in accordance with the
teachings Of the Book. Inever was in fu'
vor Of suffering, nor did wish SO circui-
tous route to the regions OF bliss; nor
was convinced that place where the
vile, the base, the contaminated of every
age, lund and nation were confined. lol
crimes that infinite mercy, eternal justice,
nor dying love, could move them to aban'
don, would be very suitable place Of re-
form. had observed in some OF my cas-
ual reading that there was ba! one name
given under heaven, or among men, that
could atone for sin, and through faith in
that name alone salvation could be OBJ
tanned. was opposed to all suffering and
what I was seeking wasa safe passage 'e
regions Of eternal happiness, without the
pain Of repentance and the modification
of self.dcnial. But after allmy research
es could find no system or book tia
could still tile vibrations Of this uneas.
pendulum, but much to accelerate it
mntinn. For ihnuph snurht with oil