The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-09-16
MANS Connection with the In
finite,

ThN, il io every thing created prc.Cmi-
ucutly useful, which enables it rightly and
fully to perform the functions appointed to
it hy it's Creator. Therefore, that we may
determine what is chiefly useful to man, it
is necessary first to determine the use Of
man himself.
Mans use and function is to bc tho wit
ness of the glory of God and to advance
that glory by his reasonable obedience and
resultant happiness.
Whatever enables VS. to fulfill this function
is in the purc and first sense of tho word
useful to IT'S. prc-cmincntly, therefore,
what sets tho glory of God more brightly
before us. But things that only help US to
exist are, in u secondary and mean sense,
useful or rather, if they be looked for alone,
they are useless and worse, for it would be
hotter that we should not exist, than that
we should guilty disappoint the purposes
OF existence
And yet people speak in this working
age, when they speak from their hearts, rs
il houses, and lands, and food, and raimcnt
were alono useful and as if sight, thought
and admiration wcro all prohtlcss, NO that
men insolcntly call themselves Utiitarians,
who would turn, if they had their way,
themselves and their race, into vegetables !;
the lie, and the rAiment than the body; who,
look to the earth as a stable, and to its fruit
a. fodder; vine .drcsscrs and husbandmen,
who love the corn they grind, and the grapes
| they crush, better than the gardens Of tho
angels upon the slopo of Eden; hcwcrs of
wood and drawers OF water who think that
| the wood they how and the water they draw,
arc better than the pine forests that cover
| the mountains like the shadow of God and
| than the great rivers that move like his
eternity And SO comes upon us that WOO
| of the preacher, that, though God "hath
made every thing beautiful i'll his time, also
! he hath set the world in their hearts, SO that
no man can find out the york that tod max
eth from the beginning to the end"
This Ncbuchadnc2zar curse, that sends us
/ to grass like oxen, seems 10 follow but too
| closely on the excess or continuance of ma.
| tional power and peace. In the pcrplcNitcs
! of nations, in their struggles for existence
/ in their infancy, their Impotence, or even
| their disorgani2aton, thoy have higher
| hopes and noblcr passions. Out Of the suf.
| tcriug comes the serious mind; out of the
salvation, the grateful heart; out of tho en-
DURANGO, the (ortitudc; out of the deliver
aucr, the faith; but now when they have
learned to live under providence of laws
and with dcconcy and justice of regard 10,
each other; and when they have dono away
with violent and external sources of suffer
ing, worse evils seem rising ont of thcir
rest evils that veX less aud mortify more
that suck the blood though they do not shc(
it, and ossiiy the heart though they DO no
torture it, And deep though the causes o.
thauldulucss must bo to every people al
peace with others and at unity in itself
there are causes of fear also, u fear grcate
than the sword aud scdition that depend
cucc ON God may I've forgotten, because thu
bread is given and the water is suro tina
gratitude to him may cease, because hi
constancy OF protection has taken the sem
blance of a natural law; that hopo ma.
) grow faint amidst the full truitou of tn
world that solhshncss may tako place o
undcmauded devotion, compression be los
in vain glory, and love in di6simulation; tha
innovation may succeed to strenSth, apath
70 patience, and tho noise of lcsting word
| and foulnesa Of dark thoughts to the oarnes
b purity of ia, gWdvd loias and tho burnin
, I