The loyal Georgian., 1866-03-10

out OF sight the necessity Tor this interior
righteousness. For this reason he seemed
to the Journalists of his day,-as he was,
in effect caIIed-a radical. We could
not point to more striking illustration
OF the true character of the teaching to
which the designation belongs than his;
ftly characterized as laying 'the axe at
the root Of the trees's Not only lis
stern denunciations of the pretentious
piety and Journalism of the Scribes and
Pharisees illustrate this, it was the bur-
den of his teaching, the subject of dis
tinct and reiterated statement. Out OF
the heart, said he, proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies, and these are
the things which defle man.
And so, we are instructed as to the
essential principle which underlies all i'm
provcment aud reformation, our own,
or that of the world; that it consists in
no mere change of the outward life; in
no mere laying down Of one set of habits,
and adoption of another, that it is not
the mere relinquishment Of any overt act
of wrong doing, but the rectlfcation OF
the motives, fundamental change in
the principles of action, general right
mindedness, the substitution of an higher,
for an inferior law, or, for no law at all,
better than that of inclination.
We are reminded, too, that as this is
the method of individual regeneration, so
is it also OF social; lh~t indced, lndlVlou-
al and social are here the same As, in
appeasing the physical craving of hunger
in multitude, there is no shorthand
method, no way but to give food to each
and every person in the crowd, 50, also,
in order to its spiritual nourishment and
strength, must each aud every soul be
fed with the living bread; have in ITSELF
to change the fgure-the living germ
of pure purpose, the consciousness of a
high responsiveness, the living conviction
that it has God to serve and obey rather
than itself to please; or, mtre truly, that
it has itself to please in pleasing him
thus, by voluntary surrender to the
highest duty, laying the axe at the root,
nor only of the unlawful act, but of the
unlawful desire; so making the outward
life only the visible exponent of the IN
ward reconciliation, order and harmony.
; How often is this, the God-appointed
arrangement reversed. How often is the
fatilc attempt made, by outward appli>
ances of laws, aud systems, and institu>
tons, by resort to cunningly devised res
ligious or political machinery, to cure the
evils which burden society to bring the
individuals which compose it up to
higher point, by improved social arrange
ments ;sthus inverting the natural order,
which would improve society by cleva
ting the individual; and would elevate
him by tie force Of divine power work
ing from within.
Not that outward restraints and en-
couragements are unnecessary; they cam
not be dispensed with Only let it be
understood what they can, and what they
can not do. They cannot act through
the higher nature. they cannot eDlighten
reason, stimulate conscience, rouse and
inspire the affections. In word they
cannot elevate man though the sentiments
peculiar to him as man. Their influence,
at best, is a negative one. They repress
or prevent hindrances, rather than afford
helps. They check evil, rather than
create positive good. They remove temp
tations, rather than supply motives and
incentives.
1t is notify mechanism that evil is to
- - III oool Mt in Init hV the