Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-20

| him; first because the gospel contains the purest
| morality and also because the doctrine which it
contains of obscurity, is only the proclamation and
the truth of that which exists where no eye can see,
| and no reason can pene;rate.-Who is the insens-
ate who will say No to the intrepid voyaeer who
recounts the marvels of the icy peaks which he
| alone has had the boldness to visti Christ is
| that bold voyager. One can doubtless remain in
| credulous. But no one can venture to say, 1t is
| not so. rIsrr--- i..--sf t--..l 81 2 - q
Moreover consult the philosophers upon those
mysterious questions which relate to the essence of
man, and the essence of religion. What is their
response? Where is the man Of good sense who
has ever learned anything from the system of meta
physics ancient modern, who is not truly vain
and pompous ideology, without any connection with
our domestic life, with our passions? Unques
tlonabiy, with skill in thinking, can seize the
key of the philosophy of Socrates and Plato. But
to do this, it is necessary to be a metaphysician
and moreover, with years of study, one must pos
sess special aptitude.--But good sense alone, the
heart, and an honest spirit are sufficient to COM
prehend Christianity ssza15
1.-THE Christian religion is neither ideology nor
| metaphysics, but a practical rule, which directs
the actions of man. corrects him, counsels him, and
assists him in all his condnct. The Bible con-
tains complete series of facts and of historical
men, TO explain time and eternity such as no 9th
er religion has to oftr If this is not the true re-
igion, one is very excusable in being deceived
for everything in it is grand and worthy of God.
search in vain in history to find the similar TO
Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the
gospel. Neither history, nor humanity, nor the
ages, nor nature offer me anything with which /
am able to compare it or to explain it. Here
everything is extraordinary Tie more consider
the gospel, the more | am assured that there is
nothing there which is teyond the march of events
and above the human mind. Even the impious
/ themselves have never dared to deny the sublimi
ty of the gospel, which inspires them with a sort
of compulsory vereration. What happiness that
book procures for those who believe it What
marvels those admire there who reflect upon it
Christ having but few weak disciples, was
condemned to death He died the object of the
wrath of the Jewish priests and of the contempt
of the nation, and abandoned and denied by his
own disciples.
"They are about to take me, and to cruelty me-
said he. Il shall be abandoned of all the world.
My chief disciple will deny me at the commence
ment of my punishment. / shall be left to the
wicked. But then, divine justice being satisfied,
original sin being expated by my sufferings, the
bond of man to God will be answered and my
death will be the life of my disciples. Then they
will be more strong without me than with me /; for
they will see me rise again. / shall ascend to the
skies and I shall send to them from heaven, a
Spirit who will instruct them. The spirit Of the
cross will enable them to understand my gospel.
In fine, they will believe it; they will preach it
and they will convert the world. -.f
"And this strange promise, so apty called by
Paul the foDlshness of the cross, this prediction
of one miserably cruci6ed is literally accomplished
And the mode of the accomplishment is perhaps
more prodigious than the promise.
at is not day, nor battle which has decided
it. Is it the lifetime of man? Nol 1t is
war, a combat Of three hundred years, commenced
by the apostles and continued by their successors
and succeeding generations OF Christians. In this
conflict all the kings and all the forces of the earth
L
no army, but a mysterious energy; individuals
scattered here and there in all parts of the globe
having no other rallying sign than a common
faith in the mysteries of the cross. --e
"What mysterious symbol! the instrument of
the punishment of the Man-God His disciples
were armed with it. The Christ they said, God
has died for the salvation of men,
sc hat haze l.,
have raised around the humble standard of the
punishment of the Man-Godl On the other, there
is genteness, moral courage, infinite resignation.
For three hundred years spirit struggled against
the brutality of sense conscience against despot-
ism the soul against the body, virtue against oil
the vices The blood of Christians flowed in tor
rents They died kissing the hand which slew
them. The soul alone protested, while the body
surrendered itself to all tortures Everywhere
Christians fell, and everywhere they triumphed.
"You speak of Caesar of Alexander of their
conquests, and of enthusiasm which they enkindled
in the hearts of their soldiers. But can you con-
ceive OF dead man making conquests, with an ar
my faithful and entirely devoted to his memory
My armies have forgotten me, even when living, as
iotSoI lS
our power! A single battle lost crushes US, and
adversely scatters our friends. ,.-g
"Can you conceive of Caesar as the eternal en-
peror of the Roman Senate, and from the depths
of his mausoeum governing the empire, watching
over the destinies of Rome? Such is the history
of the invasion and conquest of the world by Chris
tianty. Such'is the power of the God of the Chris
tans and such is the perpetual miracle of the pro-
gress of the faith and of the government of His
church: Nations pass away, thrones crumble, but
the church remains. What is then the power
which has protected this church, thus assailed by
the furious blows of rage and the hostility of
ages? Whose is the arm which, for eighteen hun
dred years, has protected the church from so many
storms which have threatened to engulf it?
Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself
founded empires. But upon what did we rest the
creation of our gen US? Upon force. Jesus Christ
alone founded his empire upon lore; and at this
hour millions of men would die for him. . f...
"In every other existence but that of Christ,
how many imperfections Where is the character
which has not yielded, vanqushed by obsts cles p
Where is the individual who has never been gov
r,lo bo ho,