Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-02-24

! 'N"Se "Pat'' u such view DC possible, from
his relation to Christianity, as its inspired
messenger, as writer, as an orator, ASA man.
nay, more, as in the highest and noblest sense
OF the word, gentleman, his character il wns
which had most deeply impressed itself upon
the race his, the soul which had been mos,
thoroughly poured out into the souls Of other
men 10 him he (the leciurer) proposed TO
devote The hour that the partialiiy Of the audi
ence had assigned TO him, in the hopethat ,hey
might part with some clear conception of ,ha,
greatest Of all things on earth, true life aiv-
en- to God and the race, and by The reyereniial
study and imitation Of which somo nearness of
access to true manhood seemed impossible
It might be suggested that his subject was
within the peculiar province Of the pulpit
If II were SO, exchange was no robbery. and
while the clergy have charge Of the state. a
layman might be excused in venturinr 10 care
for the interests of the faith loud applause.
u this meant only that this subject would be
more worthily tseated by those who wore the
mantle OF the Gospel, he readily assenied 10 il;
If it meant more than that, he denied H. He
Earnestly protested with Madame de stuel
against this habit of bowing Christianity out of
the common circle Of the human mind. Price
less as was its gin, il was given to all human
ity, aud for its daily bread. II could be chain
cd to no altar, Catholic or Protestant. We
might as well put clasp upon the gates Of
morning, and dole out the light of common
day. Applause.] /, was indeed tho prea,
central light of history, and we might as well
sindy astronomy and ignore the sun, as 10 study
history and ignore the Gospel. Its facts were
The great facts in the history of the race, the
only key to the mysteries of life, the solution
70 that problem of human destiny by which the
Providence of God and the history Of men are
reconclled, What was the history of all the
Cesars, the annals of Tacitus, the disgusting
porlraitures Of Sueionius, the marvellous learn
lug Of Gibbon worth--in comparison with the
brief and fragmeniary journal and record of
LIKE, the beloved physicianl What libraries of
history would we not give, if we could sup
ply some OF its omissions-if we could fnd
there the narratives Paul gave to his friend on
some Of those long and drcary journeys from
the home Of his childhood at Tarsus. and ina,
jewish father, who, amidst the arts and culture
OF Greece, and amidst altars to gods born of
meas passions, kept the pure faith Of his faith
ors, and, amid the shadow of the Roman eagle.
taught his child the law from Sinai. 10
But Of his early life littlc could be CLEANED
Paul was born in Tarsus, a city Of Cilieia
situated near the western borders of the qreat
Cilician plain, where the river Cidnus. flowing
from the SHOWS Of Mount Tarsus, empties IL
self into the Mediterranean, or sea of history
as it might be called, for its waves have rock
ed the cradle OF all The civilization of ,he world
Applause. f.t.
Iatsns, once under the sceptre Of the Greek
kings Of Syria, in the time of Paul was the
capital Of Roman province. Its population
Ike other cities Of the East Mediterranean was
a mixture of Jews, Greeks, Romans, and half
barbarians. Its prevailing character, however.
was that OF Greek city in which the Greek
language was spoken, and Greek literature cul-
iiyaied. Strabo says, that in all that related 10
philosophy and general education, it was even
more lllusirions than Athens or Alexandria.---
lhe date OF Paul's birth was unknown. Ii
was carly, probably within the first eight years
Of our era, towards the close of the reign of
Augustus, when the world, under the scep.re
81 one man, was at peace without, though APP
preaching moral dissolution within. Paul was
81 the tribe of benjamin. We could not pen
'trate rhe secrets Of that Hebrew home, 10
'pow something Of The culture of the child ,
Ind of the influence by which he was surround
ID but the child doubtless know the Scrio- /,
ures, and the views he was taught were those of ,
lis own peculiar people trial aud. promi-
cs OF Abraham, the betrayal of Joseph, the
orrows of Jacob, the house Of bondage, the /,
leliyerance, the sojoun in the wilderness, the :
overwhelming Of the host of Pharaoh in the /,
ted Sea, the entry on the promised land. Il i
vas scarcely with the eve of imagination we /
ehold the Hebrew mother and her boy, on a a
ummer eye, sitting on a terraced roof Of her 4
yelling, and watching the rays of the setting &
un as they lighted red upon the heights Of a
iount Iarsus, or the shepherds with their 4,
ocks upon its slopes, his mother singing TO him !,
the Lord is my Shepherd, shall not want % q
with something of the sadness Of exile,
'hich the Jew always felt when absent from p
ne Holy Land, "Before the waters of BABY d
IN, there we sat down and wep, ;''-those !,
'ngs Of Zion, the noblest and sweetest lyrics, a
which for more than 5000 years the heart
humanity had found its hig est expression .
pentence, trust and gratitude n n
Nor would that Hebrew father, walking m
lth his broad phylaeteries through the streets ii
the city with his child, forget the iniunc- II
on, These words command thee, this day ',
'all be written in Thy heart, and thou shalt a,
ach them diligently to thy children, and shalt a,
Tx oil them by the way, when thou sitiest &C
'wn, whom thou liest down, and when thou as
Sest up The language, of Paul's child Ia
.