Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-01-10

2 Peter L 5: "Add to your FaM Ti1tue."
| The fine use Of the word u'1fue here carries us
back to its noble origin. Its history marks the
de velopement Of the higher nature Of man 1t is
from the Latin rir, which means man. The mill
itary tendencies OF the Romans, oxultng the ply
steal man, made uiytuS signify Strength But
when the sword of the spirit came flaming from
the East, and the standard Of the soul plant
ed on heights which the Caesars reached the
regeneration entered this word, also; ctuS or ami
NAL strength became ririUe or spiritual strength.
Not now Hercules but Cm ist was the true man.
the cir of virtue.
We must bring then the holiest associations of
our immortal nature to the Interpretation OF this
brave old word, w5iJh would seem to sound the
bugle in hearing Of all that is noble within u.s.
This virtue which must achieve what the eye Of
Faith has seen is our essential manhood, superb
orty to low fears and vulgar interests and pass
ions, moral courage; ali, indeed, that makes US
more than cattle all that goes TO form tie highest
conception which the mind can grasp, Man T; not
Il bipcd, but True Man, with Gods fire glowing
in him
The dawn of the sixteenth century found two
men prominent in the world. whose characters
may be esteemed the truest representatives of the
mixed elements which entered that Reformation
with which they arc associated. These are Lu-
ther and Erasmus.
Erasmus the sage of Rotterdam, stands before
us the polished gentleman and accom- plshed schOl-
ar. He has also eyes in his head. lie is not one
who can be made to see by spiritual comprehen-
sion, that it was right that Henry De Monfort
should be permitted parricide for one ducat, four
vres, and eight carlines that it should be pro-
claimed in every city and hamlet on the authority
of Gods yicegerent, that poisoning was ahsolvable
for eleven ducats six lvres tournois, incest for
thrty.sx !ivres, three ducas. He more clear
y than any man alive exactly how it is to be reform
ed nay, sees that the demand laid on himself and
his cutcmporaries Is to reform it. His faith was
clear us crystal Grotius well speaks Of Erasmus
as .'the man who so well showed the way to a rea
sJnahle reformation.
Yetwe do not find him travelling the road he
could so well survey and define Alas, he loved
comfort too we'll for that rough time! At first
sympathzing with Luther, he ut last weakly cen
Sured him for going too fast and too FAR, when he
was only following, with the solemn step OF fate,
the work which ineXOrably arose before him to be
DONE and concerning which he had no CHOICE
Erasmus had secret faith in the movement, and
much Of this he wrote out in fine rhetoric, but
never in strong action. He has himself classified
his character in it's relation to the Reformation
one of essential tmidiy. Let Others" he said
affect mnrtyidom for myself, am unworthy of
the honor i am not he says elsewhere, of n
mind to venture my life for the truths sake all
men have not strength to endure the martyrs
death. For myself, if it came to the point,
should do no better than Simon Peter"
The result WIS, he offended both sides, and at
last was brought to the humiliation of pur ,ing
himself of the charge of Professionalism, which he
had at first endorsed and in which he secretly had
faith. To his faith he did not add virtue and
to-day the memory Of Erasmus is dear to no heart;
critics only say, lie wrote fine Latin
In strong contrast appears the other of these
two Luther, the fierce physician as Erasmus
called him. Not frightened by the flames kindled
by himself throughout Europe, but glorying i'll
] H. E.,l1 al, han
childlike joy when the proud turrets of a rotten
degrading, enslaving Church fell crumbing in the
flames, even when the danger was most imminent
that they woull fail upon himself, he stands, the
unapproached hero of the Reformation. Never was
there a curse, n thurst, plot, blow aimed at
mortal man. which was not to more terribly aimed
at him. lie but irmer to his truth, saying only
Here | stand | cannot otherwise, God help
me- Amen"
Thus did Luther add to his faith virtue, and
thereby did his own work. and that Of Erasmus
also.
Always, my friends, does the Reformation go on
always do devils thick as those which, in the
rough image of Luther, were as the tiles on the
roofs of tho houses at Worms, press about the
: roofs of the world. We all feel the pressure OF
? enormous evils, And sad rs this may be in actu
al experience, it is the glory OF onr manhood that
we groan under evils. The lower animals do not
"a oun under the perception Of the wrongs OF war
"
such things is a sign OF nobler presence On earth
of man bearing with him an ideal Of rectitude
which shows our actual lie. 1t is II sign Of the
presence of Faith who, though she may not yet
be welded to Virtue, still broods prophetcaliy
over the old world, and cannot give it up. It's
the best age which most evils, and these must
be accounted signs not Of weakness, but Of
strength. If the age land 10y that mean the mi
norty of men, who constitute the brain and heart
Of every age) we're meaner than it is, it would find
less evil because it would not care for much good;
it would NOT that is, put forth claim beyond the
ripeness OF nature to satisfy. lower aim might
he reached, but it must come from lower source.
The evils. against which we murmur, mi ght say to
US, I'VE think the age is very astidious, and that
ii makes vast noise over very commonplace
things. Read your class books over again what
generations have been free from war, slavery, and
the like Why should this age claim an exemp-
ton? Are you not overnice about IL" 1t is
very true, we have become sophisticated and fas-
tidous and are like the young Goethe who when
but six years of age, plagued his mother to know
if the stars which some fOrtune-teller had declar-
ed to be auspicous his birth, would perform all
they had promised. why" said the mother,
should you have the assistance Of the stars, when