Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-12-24
Mans Connection with the Infinite.

That Is 20 everything created pre- emiucntly
useful which enables 1t rightly and fully to
perform the functions appointed to it by its
Creator. Therefore, that we may determine
what is chiefly useful 10 man, II Is necessary
first to determine the use vi man himself.
Mans use and function is to be the witness
OF the glory of God, and 20 advance that glory
bv his reasonable obedience and resultant
happiness. Whatever enables us 10 fulfill
this function is, in the pure and first sense Of
the word, useful TO us. Prc-cmincu;ly, there
fo-c, what sets the glory Of God more bright
IL before us. But things that only help Us to
exist arc, in 4 secondary and mean sense,
useful, or rather, ii they be looked for alone,
they are useless and worse, for it would he
better that VIC should guilty diSappoint the
purposes of existence.
And vet people speak in this working age,
when thcy speak from their hearts, as il
houses. and lands, and food, and raimcnt
were alone useful; and as il sight, thought,
and admiration were all proftlcSS, so that
men inSolcntiy call themselves UtilitarlanS,
who would turn, if they had their way, them
selves and their race into vegetables; men
who think that the meat is more than the life
and the raiment than the body; who look to
the earth as 4 stable, and To its fruit rs fOd-
der; vinc-drcSSCrS and hrSbIntmcr, who
love the COTE they grind, and the grapes they
crush. better than the gardens of the angels
upon the stones Of Eden hCwerS OF wood and
drawers of water, who think that the wood
they hew and tie water they draw are better
than the pine forests that cover the noun
tainS like the shadow of God, and than the
great rivers tha: move Ike his eternity. And
50 comes upon us that wee Of the preacher,
that though God "hath mad" everything beat
tiful in his time. also he hIth set the world III
their hearts, 50 tAat no man can find out the
work that God mIketh from the beginning to
the end.
This Ncbuchalnczzar curse, that sends us
~ grass like oxen, seems to follow but too
closely on the excess OF continuance Of ma
tional power and peace. In the pcrpleXitics
Of nations, in their struggles for existence
in their infancy, their impotence, or even
their DISCRIMINATION, they have higher hopes
and nobler passions. Out Of the suffering
comes the serious mind; out Of the salvation
the grateful heart out Of the endurance, the
fOrtitudc; out Of the dcliycraDcC, the faith;
but now when they have learned to live under
providence Of laws, and with dcccncy and JUS
tice of regard for each other; and when they
have done away with violent and external
sources Of suffering. worse evils seem rising
out of their rest, evils that vcX less and NOR
tifv more, that suck the blood though tAey do
not shed il, and oSSify the heart though they
do not torture il. Aud deep though the
causes of thankfulneSS must be to every pco-
ple at peace with Others and II unity i'll itself,
there are causes of fear also, 4 fear greater
than the sword and scdition; that depend
ence on God may be forgotten, because the
bread is given aud the water is sure; that
gratitude to him NAV cease, because his con-
Ssancy of protection has taken the semblance
OF a natural law; that heavenly hope may
grow faint amidst the full fruition Of the
world that sclhShneSS may take the place Of
undemanded devotion, compassion be lost in
vainglOry, and love in assimilation; that in
novation may succeed to strength, apathy to
patience, and the noise Of testing words and
foulncSS of dark thoughts to the earnest pu-
ri,y of the girdled loins and the burning lamp.
-RmSSiR