American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-03-23

II show the most Of heaven he hath in him,8
Another poet, writing Of the human
soul, has said
INN irtnl. what.,an- strike the sense so strong
| As this the soul! 1t thunlers to the thought,
| Ee9nu nmlZe4, gratitude uyeI wlems,
RDu. ed NJ the sound, the eXulting s'u ascends
! Aud brelthes her naive mir, an ar that feeds
| Ambiu M high. and fans eihel elt fires.
| quick Iinle7 all that is divine within u.s.
Nor leaves one lettering hIugtu beneath the stlrs.'
Such are the thoughts which dwell in
the hearts Of pious men. They constant
ly view themselves as the offspring, the
redeemed, the beloved of God. They
think much of their immortal nature ana
destiny. They regard themselves as the
'' Sons of God, as having the divine Jc-
sus for their elder brother" and AS be
ing heirs of God and joint heirs with
Jesus Christ These great thoughts are
habituaIly present with them, refreshing
them, and acting with Undesirable pow
cr upon the growth of their characters
Can you not readily perceive, my dear
reader, how such thoughts as these tend
to bogct a degree Of seIf-rcapcct which
cannot fail to act as a restraining power in
the soul? WilLhe, think you, who feels
such consciousness of the essential val
Tie Of his nature, Of his infinitely exalted
relationships, and Of his noble destiny,
be likely to cast himself and his prospects
away for such momentary pleasures and
perishab.e possessions as make their APP
peal to the senses, appetitcs, and passions
Of men? Wll he not rather repel such
temptations with Such questions as these
Shall | throw h immortal soul away
iora mortal joy? Shall |, for moment
Of forbidden delight, dash the cup, filled
with the pure nectar Of eternal bliss,
from my lips? Shall I, who have been
bought by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ, and who am child of God, de-
grade myself to the level of beasts and
wicked angels ?"
Now rs a sinner you cannot be the pos
seSsor of this self-respeHt either in kind or
degree You may have pride of charac
ter, selfesteem, love of appreciation, and
up to a certain point they may afford you
doubtful protection; but, unless you be-
come pious, that powerful soh,respect
which springs from deep convictions of
the value Of your spiritual nature cannot
be yours. Why it cannot is cleras
sunbeam For, so long as you are purpos-
ed to remain a sinner, you will necessarily.
put all the thoughts of your immortal ma
ture and destiny rs far away from your
mind as possible. Your human relations,
your present pleasures, your earthly al
fairs, are and will be the chosen themes
Of your thoughts, tothe exclusion of those
ideas which are see7s of true, saving self
respect. Thus, you perceive, the regen-
crate life gives its Possessor an ennobling
selfrespect, which, while it exalts his
character, becomes as linked ormor to his
soul in its battles with those things which
first dcmoralize and then destroy.
Love to Christ is also a principle Of pow
er in the heart of pious youth. Let me
illustrate its operation.
Two boys, the one peasant, the other
the son of British nobleman, were ten
derly attached to each other. The youth
full lord was consumptive. As his disease
progressed he grew feeble, until he was
unable to leave his bed, Daily his peas
ant friend stood beside his bed and cheer
cd him with many smile and pleasant
word. One day the sick boy wished fer
some blue bells from the hillside on which
the boys had so often rambled in compa-
ny Eager to crafty his dying friend, the
peasant boy hasted away, climbed the hull
top, and plucked the brightest and best
Of the flowers. At length he saw beau
ty growing far out on the edge of deep
ravne. Thinking only of giving pleas
u,e to his freud, regardless of himself,
he stepped to pluck the coveted flower
when 10, he & ew dizzy and.fell ten faith
oms deep into the gulph below There his
friends found him liteless, with the wild
flowers firmly clutched in his dead hand
The dear boy had fallen a sacrifice to the
love he bore to his sick friend
In this simple incident you see how af-
fection moved that peasant boy to forget
himself through strong desire to give
pleasure to his friend First, it led him
to deny himself his usual outdoor sports
aud confne himself to the sick chamber