Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1855-12-26
THE GRAND RIVER TIMES.
GRAND HAVEN. MICHIGAN
WEDNESDAY EVENING. DEC. 2e, 1855.
A BEAUTIFUL DEFINITION the


busy cares and anxieties of life, man is prone
to forget the great object and aim of exist
ence, and spend his years in pursuit of bau-
bles that float along the stream Of time, beau
tiful indeed to the sight, but ever ready to
burst at the slightest touch, or in following
some phantom of happiness that whole life
time will not enable him to undertake, or in
delving amid deceitful sands for treasures that
corrode and perish with their use. How
meet it is, then, that he should turn his
thoughts from these delusive objects of pur-
suit to something higher and nobler; some
thing commensurate in its nature to the i'm
mortal principle that enlivens and adorns the
material portion of his creation. In other
words, that he should cultivate the heart, ex-
pand his moral powers, enlarge his concep-
tons of the perfect and beautiful, and thus
become what his Maker designed him, a truly
religious being. But what is it to be truly re-
ligious? Shall we look for the answer to the
Shorter Catechism, Confessions of Faith,
adopted by the different denominations of
Orthodox Christians, or to the published
views of celebrated divines of the day upon
particular doctrines of the Bible? No; to
none of them. They are all fallible; but to
the law and testimony will we refer-what
saith that "Pure religion and undefled be-
fore God and the Father is this: TO visit the
fatherless and widows in their affections, and
to keep himself unspotted from the world
James l: 81"
What simple and yet beautiful definition
is this Of what constitutes religion accepta-
bic to our Creator! How like God himself!
How full of charity, benevolence, true SYM
patty, for the woes of Others, and fellow
feeling that prompts us to do good to those
who have need of charity; to search out
those whose path in life is beset with the rug
ged thoms of adversely, without a single rose
of pleasure to watt its grateful fragrance to
their bewildered senses, and pour into the
wounded heart the oil of gladness; to visit
the fatherless and widow in their affiicton,
and keep ones self uncontaminated by the
vices and follies of the world Yes; that is
true religion.
We trust our readers will not anticipate
that we are about to give them lengthy
discourse upon this subject but as that sea-
son of the year has now arrived, which, of all
others, seems best calculated to afford an OPP
portunity to practice bible religion, it SEEM
eth to us good to appeal to the nobler prin-
ciples of those whom charity hath not quite
forsaken, but whose hearts and purses are ev-
er open to the relief of the afflicted and des-
titute.
Is there not some lone widow in our midst,
with dependent little ones, around whose
dwelling but meager portion of wood for
this inclement season meets the eye of the
observer? and whose cellar and larder are
quite scantily supplied, and scarcely suffi-
cheney remains to drive CHASTITY famine away |?
Oh! how would few dollars of the wealth
that some possess, or the few shillings that
we might easily spare from our abundance,
cause the hearts in that humble cottage to
rejoice in view of comfortable competency
during the pinching frosts and pelting storms
of winter; and what pleasing emotion the
grateful thanks of the recipients of our boun-
ty would engender in the bosom of the liber-
al donor 1t would indeed be happiness
doubly enjoyed.
How truly beautiful is charity! How adj
mirably does it adorn the character of its pos
SCISSOR. Worthy is it indeed to be the off
spring of Heaven, and fifty to constitute the
very essence of pure religion which consists
in visiting the fatherless and widow in their
afflction and to keep ones self unspotted
from the world.
BUSINESS CHANGEs-We learn from the
Grand Rapids Daily Enquirer, of the 10th
inst, that BENJAMIN HAxToN, of the firm of
HAxToN, CUTLER d. WARTS, of this village,
has formed partnership with GEO. w. AL
IL Al 4 II