The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-04-21

VI Tue ho'y scriptures, | am aware .. a
tw" fold disadvantage. Some have never
looked on the Blble MS a readabIs Book
They ren'emler how they got long tasks
from 1t n. school and spelled their ardu
'ous way through its Chapters. And in
later life they have only heard i. soun.
ded forth monotonous from tie drowsy
desk or freezing in the atmosphere of
some sparse and wintery sanctuary.
So 'rksome and inspired has every as.
sot'a,'on made it that were they shu, ur
in u room with an old directory, and An
oil Ansnsc. and and old bible. they
would sPenu the first hour ON the Alma.
mac, and the eecond en- the Directory,
aud would die with old age before the,
opened 'he Bible. But, there are others
who care only 10 keep the Bible in some
taking or tasteful edition, and they would
never dream of sitting down TO read it Ms
recreation or aa Intellectual treat. We
can understand the feelings Of each.
But we trust that both will bare with
us little, while we eudeavor to show.
that # no book he so important AS the
b'b'e' So none are more Interesting, aud
worthie! to become the standard Of the
! good and true. The rhetorical and poet.
lcai beauties Of Scripture are merely in.
cIdental. its authors wrote, not for plorv
nor display; not TO sstouish or amuse
their brethren, but to instruct them and
make them better. They wrote for Gods
glory, not their own they wrote for tue
"or'ds ADVANTAGE. not TO aggrandize
themselves. Demosthenes confessed hi,
most splendid Grafton IN order 10 win the
e1own OF eioquence. How drfferen, the
circumstances in which the speech on
Mars Hill Was spoken and the farewell
SeJ9A0n in the upper chamber At Trayss.
Gow opposite the circumstances in which
the Seer Of Hore penned his faithful s,o.
ry, and Isaiah aud Jeremiah pourd forth
their fearless denunciations uf popular
sins 4; and the New Testament writers
declaring tha, ,hess things are written
"that ye might believe that Jesus is The
Ch,st, the Son Of God"
Remembering then that the Bible con
tains no ornamental passages nothing
written for mere display, that its stead.
fns, purpose is, glory 10 God in the high
est ana the traSst blessedness TO man. |
repeat that the Bible abounds in passages
Of the purest beauty and staieliest gran.
deur; all the grander and The more beau.
tifu, because they are casual and un.
sought. The FIRE which flashes from the
| iron hoof Of The Tartar Steed AS lie scous
the midnight path is grander than all
the artificial fireworks, for il is the cssu.
al effect Of speed and power. The claLg
OF Ocean Ms Le bounds his biI!ows ovel
tha rock. and the echoing caves giving
chorus, is more souI.6llng and sublime
than all the music Of the Orches.ra,-in
its sleep a melody. aId in its march
stately psalm. And IN the bow which
paints the mel;i"g cloud. there is beau.
ty which the stained glass and gorgeous
drapery emulates in vain, for il is the
glory which giIds benifcence, the bright.
ness which besreaks double boon, .he
flush which cannot but come forth when
both the Sun aud the showers are there.
The style Of Scripture has all this glory.
II has the gracefuIness Of high utility
i, has the majesty of intrinsic power i,
has the charm Of its own sanctity it
never labors, never strives but, instinct
with great realities, and bent on blessed
ness-it has all the translucent beauty
and unstud'ed power. which you would
expect from its inspired authors.
And again, you are aware Of the op-
poste turns and the various tempersmenis,
and uneqns! capacities OF different minds.
One has a logicians intellect another
has the ideai faculty strongly developed
while Others ara SO abstract, that IN il.
Iu,irauon Is an interruption and an es-
ample waste Of time. Some minds are
pensiye, some are cheerful some are ar
dent, s~d sGme are singulsrly pblegmalic.
And had an angel penned the Bible,evsn
though he could have conceded to the
capacity Of the loveliest readers, lie
could not have fieseen the turn and |
fitted the taste Of every child OF ADAM.
But the Most High in bis goodness
and mercy and in using the agen-
cy Of men Of like passions with ourselves,
has secured for the Bible universal adap. |
tation.
For the penciys, there is the dirge Of
jeremiah, and the cloud-shadowed ira,na