The Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1852-1853, 1853-01-26

/ Bible takes hold upon the atecuonS' us
business is with the heart, and when the
deep feelings Of the soul call forth the ener-
gies of the mind, it acts with precision and
force; or in the language of favored son of
genias, "When the mind moves in the sub
Unity of its power, the heart generates the
momentum"
A second requisite in mental education,
is the equal Development of the mental facul-
ties. This is essential to well balanced
mind, and can be accomplished only by en-
ploying its faculties upon their appropriate
objects. AS one of those objects, language
has always been regarded as peculiarly lit
ted, in the earlier stages of education, to the
Strengthening of the memory, and the for
nation of habits of close discrimination
For this purpose the Hebrew and Greek
Scriptures present valuable text books. A
gainst the Hebrew Bible. for this purpose, l
have never heard an objection, but 1t is
sometimes objected against the Greek les
lament, that its Greek is not CLASSIC. Ihls
objection appears to be founded upon no
alleged want of valuable thought in the
Greek Testament, nor any want OF force and
perspicuity in the manner of their express
sion, but the classics are arbitrarily assume d
as the Standard and the Greek Testament
condemned because it does not conform to
their peculiar mode Of expression. Why
not for the same reason condemn the style of
Addison, because it differs from that of DR..
johnson
The cultivation of the imagination, and the
formation of correct taste, is another impor-
tant object to be gained in this part of me n
tai education, and for. this purpose the poetry
of classic literature is usually employed. |
do not mean TO launch inyec:ive against the
classics, but shall not be sustained by every
christian scholar, when | assert that no par
alles can be found in the whole range of
cias ic poetry to large portion Of the prac-
tical parts of the Hebrew Scriptures; wheth-
er we regard loftiness of thought, brilIiancy
of conception, or purity of taste? Why
should itnot be so? Shall he who strikes his
Tyre under the inspiration of the Spirit of the
Almighty, be rivalled by him who vainly in
vokes the aid OF tabled muse? Shall the
numbers that roll from the pure river of life
be excelled by one who dips his pen in the
rills of earth? Let the poetry Of the Bible
then be the model of taste, and the text book
for the cultivation of the imagination.
The remaining class of faculties to be de-
veloped may be denominajed the reflective
faculties. AS materials for the stern discipline
which they require, the Bible presents its
civil and military history, its political science,
its moral philosophy and theology. These
truths and sciences as presented in the Bible
afford wider field for profound thought,
deep and close research, than any other vol
ume, ancient or modern.
The last requisite l shall mention in an
education is the ocqu'Sitjon Of knowLedge. In
| furnishing this, the Bible ought to be com
pared with no other book. 1t unlockS the
! storehouse Of Infinite Wisdom, and brings
forth to man the appropriate knowledge for
the seul: it reveals to him knowledge of
himsclf-of the world Of mind within; it
opens to him knowledge Of manknd-Of
the world Of mind around him; its gives him
knowledge of God--the external and inf
mite mind. A heather could give the injunc
ton, ''Know thyself," and the world has APP
| plauded his wisdom, but the Bible alone can
enable us to gain that knowledge; it alone,
can 90 through the secret chambers of the
soul as lighted candle, and disclose its
hidden mysteries. With the eye turned in
OH our own consciousness, and the Bible as
our guide, we can in one hour gain more
knowledge of ourselves and Of mankind, than
from the most profound treatise Of antiqui-
Ity. But in addition to the direct light thus
thrown in upon our hearts, the biographies
and history of scripture furnish most valua-
BILE aid in the study OF human character
Biographies written by uninspired men, are
liable to leadus astray. Such writers, either
from bias insensbly obtained, or from not
understanding perfectly the character to be
drawn, are very apt to overrate the excel
lencies, or detract from the merits of their
heroes, but the biographies of the Bible are
liable to no such mistake; they were drawn
by him who sees the heart, and is no respec-
tor of persons Here then we have per-
feet mirror in which to study character-our
own and that Of others.
. Nearly the same remarks apply to The
knowledge acquired from the historical parts
of the Bible, with this additional advantage
which sacred history possesses over profane.
The writers Of protane, supposing them to
have stated facts accurately, can but conjec-
ture even the immediate causes of the chan
ges in governments and society. The Bible
not only gives the immediate, but goes back
to the Ultimate cause--it gives the reason in
the Divine mind itself, for such revolutions.
This volume then should be made the man
ual Of historical knowledge, for when we
have learned from it the principles upon
which God has acted towards some nations,
we can carry the knowledge and the princi-
pies thus obtained into the history Of all
other nations, and thus determine the real
and ultimate causes of all the changes thro'
which they have passed. Or the statesman
can apply those principles in predicting, or
guiding the destiny of the nation, in whose
government he is concerned. The Bible,
however, without reference to the knowledge
thus given is, as a mere record of facts, the
most valuable history extant. 1t contains
the only authentic record of the primitive
| ages of the world; it refers more or less fully
to the history OF all the great nations Of
antiquity; it contains the particular history OF
the most singular and Interesting which ever
existed-the Jews; and lastly it gives the his
tory of the Church of God, which, on every
account, is more important than any other,
Here let me allude to the knowledge which
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