The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-03-03

and reverence for our Maker, 1T may
safely be called the abstract of all human
virtue--the principle of all human good
ness. Of himself man is truly insignifi-
capt; littleness and meanness are stamped
on all his efforts.
He becomes great only in the apprehen-
sion and acknowledgement of the glory and
the majesty above and around him. The
devont contemplation of the infinite, forms
the true infinity of his being. To feel
tie presence and confess the power of q
Greater than himself, is alike the glory
and the happiness Of man. 1t was the
browning gift of our original nature, that
our life should be continued fct of adora-
ton, and the fall of man, was but descent
from the worship of our maker-to the
degradation of self-acorship. Grandeur
and majesty are stamped on all the works
of God, anil it is only when we tnrn from
them to behold the works of man, that
the mind becomes withcred and shrunk
by the littleness of its objects. There is
an obvious tendency in the mind to grow
up into likeness of what it habitually
eontemplates-and it is only in the recog-
milton of the Infinite, that the soul can
grow to its appropriate stature. Hence
the Deity stands rs the center and sun of
the spiritual creation, and neither the
beauty nor grandeur nor sanctties of our
beng, expand themselves into full deyel-
opment, unless warmed and quickened in
TO life, by the light of his countenance.
TIE soul Of man, like the sun-Aowcr, can
only live and thrive and bloom, by turn
ing its face and blushing perpetual hon.
age to its infinite source
But | know not how | can better illus
trate the effect of this principle on the
character, than by a reference to two of
the greatest names in human history. 1t
would be difficult, probably impossible,
to fad two more, who possessed as much
DIVINITY of intellect, as Bacon and Milton.
Intellectually, it would be hard to say
which was tho most exalted-and each
has left both a ment; and moral legacy,
which the world will never consent to lot
die. Both were doubtless christians. but
in far different styles. Bacon's religious
life was, comparatively, request = Mil
tons, comparatively an offering. Both, too,
were genuine apostles of freedom-B Bacon
of mental, Milton of moral freedom. The
former taught and practised liberty of
thong ht-freedom from antiquated intel
lectual prescription, and from the shackles
of the schools. The latter taught and
praetised liberty of conscience and of
speech-freedom from meanness and I'M
purity, and from moral cowardice. Here,
however, the parallel must stop, and the
comparison become contrast. For though
in intellect they stood side by side, and
height for height, their characters were
inhabitants of different worlds. If ever
greatness of mind and mcanness of heart
If ever intellectual sunbeams and moral
slime were united together, Bacon certain.
ly united them in himself. Of his mind,
it is not too much to say, that he is, and
will probably continue to be, the pole-star
of intellectual discovery = the oracle of
human investigation - the unquestioned
and unqucstionablc legislator of mental
inquiry. With an eye than scanned the
universe of thought, and genius gifted
with the spirit of omniprcscncc, he ex-
tended the arms of his intellect around
the whole domain of human knowledge.
and traced the bounds of human invest;
CATION with MI the vivdness and precision
of inspiration. The scintillations of his
mind, all alive with the light of his own
brilliant imagination, fell upon the world
like an apoc alypse Of nature, and the
golden exhalations of a new intellectual
morning sprung up in the footsteps of his
coming. But with his head thus in hea-
ven, and the genius of truth sporting
around his temples, and intellectual sun
beams playing upon his brow, his heart
was yet in the very mud and nlire Of the
world. Clad in the sacredness of Eng
lands ermine, and surrounded with tbs
pomp and circumstance of worldly dis
tinction, he had not magnanimitv of soul
enough to keep him from crawling in the
very dust of sycophancy, and gaping for
the very crumbs of royal ia or. Venal
and corrupt in office, obsequi ,us and sub
servient to power, faithless to friends,
treacherous to benefactors, skulkins a
mcng cabinet stalls for state provender
and bending the plant hinges of the
knee where thrift may follow awning
his character presents combination of
deformitieS at which the heart sickens in
disgust, and the head pauses in mute as
constituent.
The truth is, Bacon wanted that inward
sense that 'feels how awful goodness is"
that habituai reverence for the sacred