Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-11-03
INDIVIDUAL FA1THrnLNRss

Inc iaith!ulness of an individual when consid.
cred as a force opposed to the unfaithfulness OF
the multitude, is apt 10 be underes.imsted The
thought Of one opposing q thousand, of two ARA we'd
against ten thousand, Of a handful contendinv
""" d corrupt nation, presents to most minds an
'uea u u noioiess' hopeless minority, who had bet
'er Jay Gown their arms, and make the mos. ad-
Vantageous terms they can. The fact that az
s'esSi'e reform is not simply a contest between
PERSONS buta conflict of principles, is lost sieht
VI as Is also that other important fact, that az
Right is always stronger than Wrong. Truth
more mighty than Error, tho Right and the Trua
viii ultimately triumph and whatever temnorsrv
advantages their opposites may. acquire, is because
Vi tneir counterfeit presentment of oualitfss the
authority OF which the human soul eyerv vbtra'
recognises as. divine.
lne absence or the presence of one torch amid
ten thousand lights, would be unnoted but Lei
the hame of that torch burn in the midst Of other
wise universal darkness, and it would be seetn rom
aiar' and its light, however triaing In itself CON
sidered, would make its presence and its influence
manifest.
apart from the conviction that the demand for
individual faithfulness is not made with considOra.
uons 10 tue amount of influence it may exert upon
community, but simply as q personal duty, with
out reference to aught outside of the individual.
yet nevertheless, every refOrmer has a well-foupd-
cd assurance that a true life will not only bless the
one who lives it, bu! will benefit the world. And
the lever there are to testify TO the truth. the
more important it is that each believer should be
faithful, and the more evident it II is that his .xam-
pie and testimony will produce the greatest re-
suits. And how Orpat ma ha ,bo,o ....l- :. .
not tor Unite man to tell. The pagan slave. who.
more than TWO thousand years ago, declared that
because he was u man. therefore he was interested
IN all 'hat pertained to humanity, little supposed
that the echoes Of that declaration would reyer5er-
ate throughout a score of centuries, that they would
mould Themselves into a language then unknown ;
and be sounded upon a continent whose very ex-
lstence was hidden by the vail of the Future that
they would infuse new life into the souls of those
who were battling for freedom in another world,
and teach a truer morality than that which was
practised BY the professors of O religion far purer
than the paganism Of the bondman from whose
lips they fell. LIE. US then be individually faith
ful, feeling as did one Of old, that whatever others
may do, we will serve the Lord that whatever
compromise others may make. we will hold fast
our individual integrity. Let us resolve that any
one who casts eyes toward the post which duty
has assigned US, will see the light of our testimony
burning brightly, though all around should be
shrouded in darkness.
A visitor to a lighthouse upon the coast of
France said to the keeper, Suppose you should
neglect your lamp, and your light should grow
dim and go ou:?" God forbid |" CALCULATED the
man, who was appalled, at the idea, "tbe beach
r-OAil - Ef.ou~ al -
that by my neglect of duty / had sacrificed pro-
perry and lives. Sir, that cannot be-. No pilot
shall ever mistake his bearings because Of the sb-
sence Of my light"
That was a noble resolve, an example worthy Of
imitation. Let every one who has a light, wheth-
er it be large or small, keep it steadily and bright
~ burning, and those who are wrecked can never
charge su h with a lack Of individual faithfulness.