Evansville daily journal., 1866-02-22

NJ a. sr,laaad at mans disposal ana Qe- |
s;0nad for his enjoyment. Each of his
faeultiaa was meant to enhance his pleas
nra II IA. and he was endowed with the
canacity 20 perfect nature by art for his
,,qa fnr his greater satisfaction, comfort
and happiness. The prevalent abuse Of
the. .arrangements in this sublunary
spber 4. and The often repeated assertions
that there is nothing here below worthy
OF our love and reverence, is 10 stigma
tize the Creator and Orderer ~. .ss ssH
TribuIation and suffering have been
the lot Of the peoples, because BY many
inventions of inordinate selfishness, for
classic aggrandizement. They tried to-
eWade.naturass benefcent laE and order.
Not becausa tlEs ways ofawisdom are
not ways of pleasantness and peace.
Not because the yoke of righteousness |
10 not easy and the burden light. No. |
Ii was because a short-oighted, unwlse
selfIove discarded the holy, but easy, |
cross for the sake of its temporal or
Temporary interests. When the love of
right prevails, the I" cross" becomes the
highest pleasure and noburdan to boast
Of. or glory in as sacrifice meriting
reward, 1t 10 its own recompense. 1t ia
a%Fefnad self shnes6, and as self-loye
il natural and inevitable it thus becomes
allowable and praiseworthy. @ ea @
The spirit Of him whose prescience
had premonition Of the calamities, des-
olation. and revolutioRs which his kind
was bound to pass through before his
words could be proved and accepted in
their fullness, was heavy within him on
account thereof Befsre it could be
perfectly eomprehended or enforced by
the penalties of disobedience, that lib.
efty, eunalitTand fraternity il the law.
OF laws, without which all others are
ineHectual for secure progress; for
peace and happiness
II is only an inordinate selfish love of
the world which is reprehensible. 1t is
the. pursuit of purely personal aims and
ambitions, whose rewards are uHsatis-.
factory, the attainment of which seems
@ mockery Of the sager labors of life-
time. It ia we'll that after such an ex-
istence men are compelled to exclaim !:
"All 10 vanity" a life devoted to
those ends can be nothing else;
can be characterized by none other ex-
pressions, and is full of vexation of
Of spirit; for indulgent pride and
ambition is subject to continual irrita-
ton, and ia never happy. aItis we'll, we
say, that the frnits of lifetime of purely
selfish endeavor turn to ashes when they
are plucked; otherwise, none of those
higher orders OF seit-love, those nobler
existences whose pleasure it is, while en-
joying all the good gifts of benidcence,
and exalGing themselves, to constantly
and persistently exert their utmost eff
forts towards the elevation of every
other. Personal happiness cannot be
secured without sustained interest in,
and fervent effort towards, that of man
kind. This is the decision OF nature
aud of sthe biblical records. Herein all
is not DGnatg and 4exation. Love the
world; labor in and for it, are the COM
mands. Those who live to save their
own souls, alone, shall lose them. They
will have left no marks to the credit OF
humanity in the account books of its
author. Their award must be according
to their pleasure and its works To de-
light in and promote the common well
fare, while not neglecting our own, 10
the only of salvation. 1t Ia the way
ofsJesns appointment BY no other
process is salvation possible, or that of
the world to be accomplished. If men
despise this world, they must view with
contempt the works suited to the
life that now is." In fact, such has
been the effect of the hereditary outcry
against creation.x Mans capacities,
mentally, morally and materially, have
been 90 undervalued, and the possibili-
ties of his common improvement un-
derrated in such manner that atten-
tion has been 80 directed to what has
been called preparation for the future,
as TO ensure neglect of the present, ex-
cept perhaps 80 far as mere temporary
relief was concerned, so as to keep soul
and body together little longer.
Whereas, tho only enduring good we
can do our fellow creatures ia to live un-
der and encourage such diffusion of
those principles as will ultimately render
temporary relief little in demand. We
contend mankind can never attain sal
walton in the hereafter until every effort
In FIRST directed to secure his well-beinq
here. The present, of mankind at large
must be assured before any better future
can be looked for as O certainty. It is
not conceivable, it ia not true that the
intentions Of the remeintelligence in
reference to. man, O. highest destiny can
be different hereafter from what 1t must
be now, that of constant growth in at
taimant towards mental and moral per.
lection which, and the end of which, is
happiness; the one method, the sole
means and the only road by which
it 10 possible for him to arrive at that
kkxv a.af -. -. &1nf f..4s
The present world was meant by Benif-
cence for enjoyment no less than the
future, and the way to encourage men
to discover and follow its true paths, ia
pct by insisting there are none such.
HE ID the same yesterday, to-day, and
forever. His purposes for our happiness
do not conflict to morrow with what they
are to-day. But men have sought out
methods Of their own invention, and
have been guilty of blasphemY, by deny.
ing the bene6cence of creation. An
unwise, undiscriminating and inconaid
crate seifishness has led us from the
straight road It 10 the root of all evil
His the devil which, or who, has deceived
us; and hia most powerful ally has been
ignorance, which has been encouraged
by his yotaries. Free religion from su
perstition, which is faith without reason,
from undue reverence of form and
dogma; free goodness from ignorance
bigotry, nnsupportable pretension and
intolerance, and they will quickly con
qusr and sway mankind. They win be
initiated and loved, in place Of what
they are too often, as they often deserve,
20 DO aneered at, held in contempt and
With aversion. They we're intended for
the world, lobe in il, and of il. Inso
much az they keep apart from il, they
are useless to it. Insomuch as they re.
tire from its diversions, relaxations o.
innocent pleasures and pursuits of ali
kinds, insomuch do the pious aud right
eous fail in fulfilling their nr.ission. y
No one has right TO say ANYTHING or
custom is wrong which is not directlE
and inherently obstructive and Injurious
to happiness or well-being. Neither
have our pious friends any occasion t.
be shocked or sorrowful at the irrever
ence Of those whom they may meet il
society towards favorite dognas. Unde
- Il - Ill