The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1853-08-10

The God Of the Christian is everywhere,
in the exercise Of a sustaining, controlling,
and all-gracious energy. The Infidel's
God is represented as reposing in kind
Of indolent majesty; exercising but little
regard to the work of his hands. He
takes some cognizance of the grander
events which occur in the physical and
moral world; but with the lesser and every
day concerns of life, it is supposed that he
has little to do. His providence is sort
of indefinite superintendent of his works.
which may leave man to become the sport
of accident. The Christians God, on the
other hand. not only fills all space, but fills
it with an active, controlling energy. He
is present in all worlds to control the
events Of each; and, while the whole sys.
tenn of things moves on exactly in accor-
dance with the dictates of his will and Of
his wisdom, his regards are as intensely
fixed upon the destiny of the obscurest
individual, or even upon the unfolding of
a flower, or the motion of an atom, as if il
were the only object to engross his infinite
mind. As nothing is too grand, SO nothing
is too Insignificant for his eye and provi.
dence to reach. The worm that creeps
upon his footstool, and the angel that burns
before his throne, are alike within the range
of his vision-within the control of his
arm-within the circle Of his regard.
8. The God of the Infdel we can con-
template only in his abstract perfection;
the attributes OF the Christians God are
embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Infidel may inspect the elements OF
his own intellectual and moral nature, and
may find in them some faint resemblance
to some OF the divine periections; or else
he looks abroad upon the divine works,
&c. But | maintain that the attributes of
God, viewed merely in this light, are cloth
ed with sort of abstraction, which is fitted
rather 10 make the mind pause and reflect
upon its, own littleness, than to bring its
powers into exercise in acts of intense and
grateful homage. But Christianity entire
ly relieves this difficulty. The Christians
God comes out, as it were, from behind
the vail of his abstract perfections, and
brings himself directly in contact with our
thoughts and feelings, had almost said.
with our very senses, in the person OF Je-
sus Christ. There God is manifested in
the flesh. The divine glory as it shines
in the person Of his son, is so softened that
we can gaze upon it without being over
powered by the vision. The actions Of a
God we can here view, the attributes Of D
God we can here contemplate, the author
itative declarations of God we can here
listen to, through the medium Of nature
like our. own.
A. The God of the Infidel is, at best.
only the God of nature and providence.
The God of the Christian is. also. the God
OF redemption. To the former let as much
perfection be attributed as reason can pos
sibly conceive-say that he made the
heavens, &C., rules the world, &c.-yet
it is not even claimed for him that he is a
redeeming God. The Christians God pos.
sesses every perfection, and performs every
work, attributed to the Infdel's God. But
in addition TO all this, and beyond all this,
he is the God of redemption. In this char
acter there is. a new and more magnificent
display Of his attributes; softening of
those which appear stern, blending OF
those which seem opposite; justice, holi-
ness, faithfulness, and mercy, all beaming
forth in mans salvation. Here, then, is
the difference. The one is, and the other
is not, encircled with the glory of the Re-
deemer. Keeping this contrast in view
let us proceed to inquire
Secondly Whether the In6del's, or the
Christians God is best adapted to exaltthe
character of man, and to meet his neces-
sites. s.
I. To exalt the human character.
That belief in the Christians God is the
more influential, is evident from the fact,
|Q.) That he is beng with whom man
lis brought into more immediate contact
The Christians God, meets him every
where. He observes all his actions. &c
He manifests himself through the medium
of mans own nature, Go. (2.) There is
far more in his character to make an ap
peal to the active principles Of our nature
] Take, for instance, the principle Of graft
ltude. How much more is there to walker
this into exercise, in the character OF thu
\ Christians God, than of the God of tha
4 Infdel. The same will apply to conf
dence, fear, &C., &c. (3.) From the very
, constitution OF our nature our character
become assimilated to the object Of ou
supreme homage. The only question
, lthen,( (f indeed itbe question, is, wheth
+ er, the Infdel's God, or the Christians i
J the more excellent and glorious9 1t i
4 =, q =; fact tho Cbr;st;ous, God thnn doa