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

persons faith; and | was well assured
that none believed or tried TO propagate
this system, but those who were them
selve most deeply sunk in crime.
Thus finding every refuge fail, and
thorn in every flower Of the earth, and a
drop Of poison in every cup of mortal joy,
my existence became my greatest curse.
literally loathed life. The heavens seem
ed clothed with sackclo,h and the earth
covered with impenetrable gloom. No'
is this an ovcr.drawn picture; for SOL
EMMY declare that know Of no language
sufficiently forciblc to portray the feeling
Of despair, that took possession Of my bo.
som. That loo, in the morning of life,
when all should have been sunshine about
nv path. can recollec, when for years
there was scarcely single .oasis to be
found in all my mental desert. This !
endured all alone, for the father who had
daily read a portion Of the old Book a.
round the family altar, was reposIng in
the tomb; and how could bear to diyulge
the deep skep,icism and painful reason
ings Of my dark spirits to that mother who
had laugh, me to lisp the name Of Jesus
in prayer; and WHO, so far as knew, "hud
never had All unbelieying doubt" being
eurly and solemnly imbued with the spir-
it Of meekness and piety-indeed this
Book furnished her code Of law, and my
actions were always tested by it, and
found good only when they corfcsponded
with its preccpts. SO tha! was mostly
found minus in this respect. There was
nothing dreaded more than the oppi-
cation male Of its most pungcnt truths,
when felt guilty ofthe alleged crime
For so perfectly conversant did she ap'
pear with this volume, that she could find
some portion for every fault and failure
So that when the active principle became
little siisll she would set i, in motion
most rapidly, SO that I had neither rest
nor peace. This, however, ] managed to
keep 10 myself, as | did not want my
mother to know how seriously the old vol,
ume affected my mind.
|. But will not detaia the reader with
any further rehearsal o Tiny accumulated
woes ,ha, augmented yearly, that often
drove me in the silent watches Of the nigh
to the grave Of my father, 10 pour out th'
bitterness of grief alone. Bu, will brief
ly state, that after tryingerery means tha
art could devise, and every stratagem tia
the enemy of souls could suggest, grew
weary Of all these pitiful sabterfuges, and
then, and not till then, turned my feet to
the law and testimony Of God as clearly
revealed in that old Book; there found
what 10 me seemed altogether ine1pca.
bic: That God could be jus, and the jus
tifer Of the uugodly. This one truth
was of infinitely more value to me than
, all had ever heard or known before
"God SO loved the world that he gave hi;
only bego,ten son 10 die that whosoeve
believeth on him, might not perish, but
have eternal life.n This truth believed
relied upon, broke my shack!es, unbound
my chain, and set me free. Thank God
the star Of hope then rose, trust never lc
set, until los, in the full blaze Of an eter
nal sun. Years have fled, since this hap
py occurrence took place; yet the scene
the place, is still as wildly bright, a:
green, in my memory as the events oI yes
,crlay. Yes, far more so. | felt then
thu. / was inexpressibly buppy. ! said
more than once, that none but the Angel:
were as happy as was.
still think that prisoner, confined
! for many years in loathsome dungeon
ought sooner to forge, his hour Of release
than to forget the hour when God, 70,
Chris,'s sake, spoke peace to my soul.--
Let the slave forget the hour when hi:
shackles were broken of and he was re-
stored to Liberty, home and friends; but
never let a being who had felt The awfu
sentence OF death, the forebolings Of the
worm that de,h not, and the enkindling;
OF tha, fire which cannot be quenched
upon the soul, forget the One who bore
the weight Of finiquily in His own body
and turned aside the shafts Of death. Ny
long night Of mourning was turned into
day with glorious floods Of light, or rather
ended, and the morning of new day hat
broken upon my astonished vision. Eve
ry thing gave pleasure and all was unut
terablc delight. Since that time many
, changes have come over me. Tha, moth
, er who tuugh, me to bow in deep devo
tion, has passed away, and the mos, thu
/. my heart ever clung to, have passed from
!, my embrace. Yeti am still happy in m!
Y onward journey to that land where ! shal
5 be free from sin, and death, aud night
, .ooron,a1 rn;,;, hefnre tho thrnpo if