The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-21

at every tarn. Afraid or ashamed any longer
to say to as, Be conformed to me on pain of
the nails the lions, the rack, or the stake. it
still saysftte conformed to me on pain of loss,
discredit, nsplt, palmer clothes, q smaller
house, o, harder fare, while still, az in those
old days q Jndea, the voice of the Saviour an.
swers loy and solemnly, What shall it profit
q man, If he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul2' Whose voice of the two
4 We are fe lowing, Marshall, you and /, we must
Judge for ourselves, until Christ Judges for us
but the slider who puts up his sword into the
the sheath in obedience to orders brought him
ny the telegraph of conscience from his Com
Inander-iA- chief at the right hand of God, rather
than carry out the bloody designs of some mu.
hnous 5 aanserviBg human subaltern-th.
judge VIII !, in submission to the DEGREES of the
Judge Of the Supremest Court, puts his ermine
off rather than drsbble it in the CORY mud, fol.
lowing, lsckey at the heels of tyranny-the
young preacher, who comes down from the
pulpit wtere he had hoped to wear his hoary
hairs ONT day, rather than keep back God's
truth, or litter q lie therein-the merchsnt who
let's his profits 60, that he may hold fast his
principles the statesman, who sits down in pa
tent obfc1rity, rather than serve Q faction
against iod and his country-nay, even the
poor und srling, who, with needy family, refu.
ses, in tn name of Christ, to help serve q false
warrant, and takes the consequences with him
instead If food and clothing with Kim to his
home-sl these, glory be to them they are
doing WIZ it is their duty to do, though no
more. l., may not be much--not much, com.
pared wit the doings and suferings of the first
martyrs aad confessors but it will be some
thing to iteep them from hanging their heads
| 10 utter tbane, when the glorious company of
those first martyrs shall open it's shining ranks
to receivti them to its bosom"
show could the affairs of the world ever be
carried GA, if your principles prevaled2"
:" AS We pray every day that they may be car
rled on, Thy will, oh God, being done, as in
heaven, o on earth +"
I" But shat q condition a man would be in, if
his religion was able any day to drag him away
from his bnsiness"
In ne! worse condition than those first
Christians who we're liable any day, for the sake
OF their rsigion, to be dragged from their bust
ness to tie torture and death. Christ said, If
any man hate not his. father, and mother, and
wife, an children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and lis own life also, he cannot be my dis
ciple'"
THAT was in the FIRST age of the church."
HE 8 I'D it in some sense, think, for all
time. The worlds exsctions have been little
lessened ince. That was Gods demand, like
himself, Interchangeable. There was no partial.
ity Their. The outward condition Of later
Christians has been softened, as I said, through
the hardi hips conquered by those earlier ones !;
but Their, are still strongholds of evil to be
brought Down, still sufferings to be suffered,
still palms unwon. Heaven and heavenly glory
are still tfered to rs on the same inward con.
ditions tliet they were to them-no easier, no
harder"
Can you fulfil those conditions as you I'm.
derstand them yourself, Arden 2"
hare been trying for three or four years
past to tain myself to fulfil them," answered
Herman simply; :" but have been surprised
to find what up hill work it is. If can say
forty or iity years hence, on my death. bed, that
| have Succeeded at last, shall think that l
have doIe pretty good life's work."
DO You mean, then, to denouuce, and expect
me to denounce, all professional soldiers, who
M ms{s bTs s han Se-. 'h-"~@h thick and =
By 40 means. To their own master let
them stand or fall. The gospel has always ap-
peared 10 me code of laws, marvellously
adapted for q mans using in his judgments of
himself, marvellously adapted for his not using
to pass Judgment upon his neighbors."
Thea, Arden, why do you-wby will you
use it to pass judgment upon me?"
Hav.s | been arrogant?" said Herman,
stopping short, and putting the question to
himself ts much as to his friend.
"Not gou. No, no. Forgive me-"
" 1t is q bad tone that one gets insensibly in
political wrangling but, indeed, did not mean
to use it towards you. fancied myself all this
time, no gour judge, but your advocate, plead
ing you cause against the adversary of all
souls. II was bitter, it was against him, not
you, my dear old fellow"
There is no bitterness, l believe, Arden,
that you look and voice could not sweeten, to
any one who in my circumstances, sick, and
alone, I'd forlorn, had learned to-Pshaw
pshaw I'm too well now to have an excuse for
sentimel tAlzing, or for being peevish, either.
Go on. But suppose l can't understand what
the gospsf requires of me2'
"Cant you? or won't your Shall 90 on2
In eithea case, you will not be very valuable
servant, and must not expect high wages. No;
| will not put it on so low grounds-you will
hear no word Well done Did not you hear
what yolr Georgian major-what's his name
Anatheria ?"--
"No, Aunameth y
ooh, Syes-said to his black, Pete, the other
morning, when he'd done something more in
genious.y laundering than usual, and made
some ssch excuse for it? With more oaths
than saall repeat, (partly because they were
more than can remember, and partly because
| won't teach my tongue the trick of them,) he
inquired, patty enough, as thought, You -
scoundrel, why the - didn't you under
stand? r
| "He does swear, doesn't he? 2"
es1 should think he would want to, some
times. sSlaveholding is certainly one of those
sins which bring their own punishment with
them. .Your mental understanding is good
enough The defect, if there lie any, must be
in your morale. The great Physician had heal
ing for che blind, but not for those who wilfully
shut their eyes. If you can see, bu. will not,
you must set your highest hopes on being suf-
fered 10 heaven as q pardoned penitent sinner,
not welcomed as q victorious saint. The tri.
umph % the saints who follow you will be, not
the having completed, but having updone, the
point q sympathy with them, or theirs with
you, orsyours with Christ ?"
"Areen, l should not have been petulant,
but the fact is, Chat you give me more pain
than yea think. am not altogether 80 thought.
less ans heartless a fellow as you may consider
me. IL sickness and solitude, man often gets
morbid; and you bring up, only great deal
more vTssdlyy ideas that haunted and tormented
me misefably in the FIRST of my illness, before
you catae to cheer me up and set me on my
legs again. While was in the worst of it,
howeve;, King came in, and brought me that
book-he red one on the shelf thereto amuse
me, anu it put all my scruples to sleep-for
life, koped. galloped through it in every
momeny when was well enough to read and
at the lend, threw it down, and said aloud,
Thank God So, after all, there is such q thing
as being q thorough-going soldier, and yet q
thoroul hgoing Christian!' Have You read it2"
1t wis" Oak6eld."
WYa. ao;1 ua-r.ou U.... IL .~o:,