Polynesian., 1859-02-26
The Divine Law.

History, revelation, and tradition, unite to teach
US that the unchastened will, and the perverted
genius, seeking to snatch the forbidden fruit have
been mans first, greatest, unforgiven sin. While
other crimes seem rather to excite the pity than
to provoke the immediate wrath of heaven, and,
by degrading the soaring spirit to the earth,
to humble its pride, this appears to be rebellion
against Him, who is a jealous God, and who will
avenge his cause. From the fall of the son of the
morning star, who, in the excess of q presumptu-
Gus understanding, dared to wage war against
the throne and monarchy Of GOd," down, through
the deserted paths of paradise to the terrible con-
vulsiOns Of the last century, when an iHpiety,
second only to that of the archangel ruined, met
with a punishment scarcely less horrible, we see,
everywhere, this frightful lesson written in char
acters Of ruin.
Yet mind is not like the ' corporal rind " with
which it is " immanacled," subjected to age, and
decay. and decrepitude. Nor is it rehuent in its
essence, having a latent power within, or a con-
trolling principle without, which proclaims, thus
far shalt thou go, and no farther. 1t is immortal
in its energies and aspirings-eyer advancing and
to advance-soaring still higher and higher with
untiring wing, and gaining new scope and vigor
from every fight towards Him from whom it de-
scended, and with whose image it is stamped.
Limitless and Free its nature is progressive, its
spring is upward no barrier to check its lofty
prations no power to control its daring flight;
obstacle to stay its resistless progress, but its
own wild and erriug presumption, Its own fiery and
impetuous promptings, its own inherent and rebel
ious pride. As long as, with humble heart and
chastened WILL it seeks the end of Its being in the
ocean of truth, its stream can never flow back
ward.
Such is the law of all intelligence. " The rapt
seraph that adores and burns," the chief of the
hierarchy of Heaven, the moment he deems HIM
self sufficient for his own support, by that one act
of impOus self-idOstry, falls, headlong, from his
high estate.
Such is the awful and salutary lesson which We
CLEAN from that book, which contains all that is
useful in time and hopeful in the future.
As if to impress indelibly upon the soul OF man
the terrible consequences of presumptuous INTEL
lect, Jealous Deity has enforced the lesson with
special revelations. He has not only bestowed
upon US the godlike capacity of reason TO collect
and compare the fruits of experience in the ages
which have been gathered to the past, but he has
suspended the arm of the cherubim that we might
enter the forbidden paths of paradise to read, be
meath the tree of knowledge, the price of disObe-
dienee And he has unbarred the gates of heaven
itself, that in the fall Of the angelic hosts, we
might tremble at the instant and rremediable ruin
which followed the single sin Of thought. One
truth we therefore know, that, unaecompanied
with an upright heart and ehastened will, with
the morality which springs from religion, the
measure of mans intellect ID the measure of bis
ruin. The pride of wealth inspires contempt, and
the pride of place awakens resentment,-they are
human follies, and are punished by human means;
but the pride of intellect, wherein the gifted wars
with the Giver, is q crime which the dread Crea-
tor has reserved for special retributiOn.-Lyneh'
Dead Sea.