Grass Valley telegraph., 1853-11-24
SARBATH-RFLECTIONS.

Sd1U0O Wy tuG SAedI udJOIIty VI JUL ClGlZ0uSi
They seem to have forgotten that they once
possessed a veneration for it !; that upon this
day, while children, their dear fond mothers
had taught them to pray, to go to Sabbath
school, and to attend to the sacred ordinances
of divine worship. They seem to have for
gotten that in later years they have in their
associations with brothers and sisters friends,
perhaps some dear and lovely friend, they
have recognized and acknowledged their OBJ
servance of not only this day, but also the
observance of all the divine acquisitions of
the law of conscience. Perhaps, too, with
the last lingering look that was given by IA
ther, mother, brother, sister, wife, real or an
ticipoted-perhaps, we say, with one or all
of these, in the hour of separation, may have
been given the sacred pledge of strict and
conscientious observance of this day. But
alas! what has beceme of those VOWS? Lost /!
they are broken ! Do you say foolish? ? O.,
my God and have you indeed lost all sense
of moral Obligation? For shame, we say
talk not Of folly, for in these very words
you do exhibit your nakedness. Foolishness,
is it folly to be wise? Pitiable delusion-
know you not that it is the perverted crimi-
nality of your base desires and passions that
has so warped the judgment that you can no
longer see Alright? Poor humanity, you suf-
fer yourselves to believe a lie, to disregard
virtue, and then you actually boast in the
philosophy, as you say, Of your doings.
Let us ask simple question. Do you still
possess those finer feelings which once made
your heart thrill with the lively emotions of
a pure and sacred affection? Have you still
that same regard for purity of character,
while in the society of the virtuous, which
so clearly characterizes the man from the
beast? In short, do you possess that same
supreme contentment which is the sure con-
comitant of virtuous life? If you do not,
then y0u are not as happy as you were while
in the enjoyment of these privileges. Yet,
to be Olrtu0uS istoily! Again we say, for
your own sake, speak not of folly, unless in
deed it is in the manliness of its acknowledge
ment
But throwing aside the moral obligations,
what course of life is the most profitable, pc
cuniarily? Is it not that of sobriety and
virtue? Again, from which have you deriv-
ed the most pleasure, criminal Indulgence or
UirtuOus .tor6earauce? Be honest, and an
swer from your souls not the first attend
ed with all that recklessness which causes
man to forget God, Nature and every emo
bling principle, while with needless reckless
ness it precipitates him from vice to vice,
from disregard of honor to drunkard or
murderer's grave? This is the natural ten
dency Of the former. Let us now sensibly
and calmly look to the ennobling principles
and tendencies Of the latter. Virtuous for
bearance- this to be viewed as sacrifice /?
Yes, if to refuse the poisoned cup is sacri-
fee. But virtuous forbearance does not
end with the resistance of evil. No, thank
Heaven, here is the first stepping stone to
hight in human excellence which is as far
above the cursed and damning vices of sell
fish indulgence, as Heaven, in regard to vir-
tue, is higher than California. It is the life
boat on which you may sail safely to land
flowing with "milk and honey" Learn to
resist evil and you learn to respect innocence
to cultivate conscience-to love your feI-
low-man-to relieve their suferings-to ele-
vate and ennoble their condition, and to pro-
gress onward in the Improvement of all those
high qualifications with which God and Ma
ture has endowed you. This is the true
sphere OF man, and in the practice of this on
ly can he find real happiness and as he ap-
prOaches or retrogrades from this course of
conduct, he is exemplifying the higher quail
fcatiOns of intellectual man, or the degener-
ate corruptions of mis- nature, which assimi-
late him with the brute-yes, the brute!
Do you indeed say, Il have learned to dis
regard those foolish promises that l made
when starting to California; find it won't
"pay )" ''it won't even pan out the color"
Won't it? Contemtible! no, poor pitiable
wretch. These words should bring the color
to your shameless face, so deep and dark that
its corrupting .feUer should arouse you to a
knowledge of your real con dition. Areyou
man? Then exhibit it by your manly deeds.
Have you an intellect? Then show by ight
use of it that you have anobler sphere to act
n,than that Of mean and contemplate indul-
gence in passions, in which even your dog can
emulate you, and in actions which, as a man,