Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-09-30


6ftbo turtle Sc heard IN The wood.
.aTho world Is all beauty to the eye, and music to
the ear"
But elements other than those Of beau.
ty, mingle with the scenery Of earth
Take stand with me upon some monarch
Of the mountains, and view a midsummer
sunset. Behold the king Of day, as one
by one his glories brighten and fade away
IN the west, and watch the tombre shad-
'ows, as like living things they crawl upon
the earth. Peak after peak, the noun
tains rise, Just az God threw them up in
primeval ages; in solitary grandeur they
stand, with the impress of their Creators
greatness upon their eternal brows. No
sound Of man or beast breaks in upon the
awful stiffness that brings the soul in di-
rect communion with its Maker. Those
midnight worsLippers of God, the stars,
crowd upon the evening sky the moon
rises, full-orbed, IN quiet, queen-like splen-
dor, while "the feather-footed clouds" as
messengers os light, "wafted from the is,
lands Of the blessed seem to beckon us
away from earth to heaven. Unknown
emotions arise unbidden in the heart the
soul is thrilled as it contemplates this i'm
pressive Sabbath Of nature, and man is
ready to exclaim:
"The heavens declare the glory Of God,
And the 6rmaLent showeth his handiwork?
But why is the earth so beautiful p
Why has God fitted up with such gorgeous
magniicence aworld which is but his foot
stool, and the temporary habitation of
man? Why is the globe so extensive and
Of such varied climates? Why is it
clothed with a garniture of such lowell
ness, and illuminated with such lamps as
the sun, moon and stars, greater and less
erlights? Surely in a palace less splen-
did might man have passed his three score
years and ten. The only answer to these
questions is, that the earth is grand, and
glorious, and beautiful, because God Gre
ated it because the invisible things are
declared by those (which are visible; be-
cause VIC look through nature up to ma
o. lures God.
Such being the exhaustless magnifcence
of the 1ork Of Jehovah, may we not ex.
pect his lcord to be Of kindred character
If the glory Of the ono part Of revelation
attest his almighty power and godhead
may we not look for the effulgence of th'
Eternal to e~ncircle the other with q halo O
light and beauty?
1t IS not my purpose, young ladies, y
preach q sermon on this occasion. | shall
not attempt to illustrate either of thos
great truths SO beautifully embodied in til
testimony Of Locke-"The Bible has Go
for its author, salvation for its end, an
truth without mixture of error for its maj
ter" 1t is rather proposed to conside
the Sacred Scriptures in the light whic
the accomplished and erudite Sir Wn
Jones regarded them, when he said, 9th
Bible, independent of its divine origin
contains more sublienity and beauty, mol
fine morality, more important history, an
finer strains of poetry and eloquence, tina
can be collected from all other books, j
whatever Oge or language they may hay
been written" IT'S true, the Bible utter
but one yoice-the voice that thrilled tt
morning stars, and made the sons of Go
to rejoice-the voice that speaks glad t
dings Of great JOY to a ruined world bl
it ut.ers this voice in ten thousand tone
IT'S true, the Bible is temple, with b.
one altar and one God, but it is illumin
ted by a thousand varied lights, and stu,
'ded with n thousand ornaments. Some
these lights aud ornaments let us endeay,
to appreciate this morning, hoping IL
while that we may thus be induced Il
more frequently to enter this holy teulpl
bow at its solitary shrine, and worship ii
true and living God.
Our'thome, then, is not the Bible as
Book of salvation, but the Bible as a DO,
of literature, and We prop use to consider
excellence in respect Of History, La
Science, and Poetry.
Have you anything of the spirit of (
antiquary 10 your composition, young
diesF Do you love old things beca,
they are old? Have you q passion for
-antique2 Nay: l need not await a !
ponse, since there is something in the v
nature of the cultivated mind, which
vests everything of g former age with
.culiar interest. We are filed with W
der, when NO considegt the rapid growth
some Of our cities, which seem called
existence as ii by a magieian's wand
With pleasure, we observe our pregres
science, aud Improvements In architect
but with a higher, though a mehucl
10y, would we wander among the ruin
those cities, whose glory had departed
auries before we began to exist. The c
tai Palace Of the nineteenth century
Gil the eye with the symmetry of its
tour, and delight the taste by its exqu
details; but the bosom heaves with a n
irrepressible emotion, when one look
at the broken columns and faded glorie
the Coliseum and Parthenon. Could
stand this morning by those dark and !
ferrous monument Of human folly