Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1855-07-10

What a happy thing it is that the Gospsl
comes into so EtUe COMPASS i! Often have !
felt thls when visiting the sick and the dying
When l have found the mind incapable Of
vigorous, expansive, or continuous though5j how
thankful have I been that tie Gospel Is SO
short and so simple that the tIe,tiertary
truths which give peace 10 the ccIscie.cs ard
hope to the heart, can be stated III 90 few
words There is divine wisdom aud divine
kindness in this. There are short ssntences
which contain essentially allthat o!tiner needs
to know, to give him sense OF Pardon and
confidence towards Got; The wages OF SIN
is death; but the gilt Of Gcd Is eternal lie
through Jesus Christ our Lord" This Is u
faithful saying, and wortbT Of all accePtatiou,
that Christ Jesus came ini2 the world to save
sinners, even the chief" "IniS is the record,
that God hath given t. lis eternal life and
this life is in his Soil lie that bath the Son
of God hath iifc." These ard others cf a like
description, are preCiot1s sentences They are
what The ''dying man of God,n DR.. Neal, SO
emphaticaly deroftilnated the core; tile very
core, of tile GosEtel. Contected with this is
the striking fact tliat in the hour which is sire
and common t5 all-the hoUr Of Hiituire's last
conflict and most pressing exigency; the hour
when the mind is shut up to enc point, and
thai point peac8 with Gcd fud hope for cter-
nity-that III that hour all minds como t0f6e so
p7uCt or q it5cf in regard to what inparts
their confidence: 1t Is the szt:,e truth, IL all
its simplicity that gives 1t to the greatest, as
we'll rs to the least, and 10 the least rs well as
to the greatest 1t IS most instructive and in
terestinG % see how minds of the largest grasp
and 1nighitst power, when they cc1ne to this
hotsr Of lEiaI and of final decision, when pass
ing through tie valley OF the shadow of deaths
ANTICIPATING eternity, and conflicting, single
handed, with the last enemy, have recourse to
the sa1ie simple elements Of divine truth that
are the springs of peace to the tery weakest OF
the babes in Christ" ! have been struck
with this in the biographies OF some oI the
most distinguished of our modern dlylnes-
Look to the FERNS in which they express the
ground of their everlasting hopes. Although,
from previously knowing the character Q! their
minds. you, OF course, conceive thoughts OF
! h;yIier order associated with those terms, and
I although at times there may be corruscatlons
of brilliant sentiment emitted, that indicate th5
undying light within, yet substantially they
| are the very same in whicl. "poor doseph' ey-
b,ssseJ The s.ro.,nA Of his ",It IS a faithsul
saving; and worth7 Of Ill acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came Tito the world to save sin
ners:' and why not Joseph r. What dying
minds are eaual-that we're folly; but that, as
the greatest snd the stand ON the same ground
of condemnation, they must stand also on the
same ground Of acceptance; SO that he who
has tfaversed the whole round Of Theological
learning, has explored its depths and sealed
its heights has argued With metaphysical
actlInen, and illustrated, with matcbless elo-
qience, all its point; has read and has written
volumes upon volumes, when be comes to the
test of dying hour, Is shuI up 20 all the silr.-
plieity Of the @fathfuI saying" This is what
he needs, equally With tie least and this is
Whatthe least, lally with him, enjoys. And
the perfectly ulildlike submissiyeness with
which master minds in Israel have avouched
their reliance on the most rudimental elements
of the truth, is among the marks Of its diVini-
ty. It shows that, in the one point Of need,
IN which all are alike, and which, IN all cases
equally, the Gospel is intended to meet the
adap alton Of means to the end IS perfect.
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