Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-07-14
SUNDAY READING
RFLIGIors nocrRINE.
BY A LAYMAN.

=, mystery Of the Redemption ana Atone
ment: why il was required; how II wa
just to require it; and how such saeri
i, flee could atone for our sins, and seeur
, for US the Salvation which we do no
merit.
! C.-T am not a very fit person to IN
dertake to explain such a mystery, bu
/ think il can be shown that there !
9 nothing in it contrary TO reason. II Their
he not. 1t may easily be believed
2 Surely it seems unjust that the innOcen
/, should suffer for the guilty, and unrea
sonabe that by his sufferings, withou
any merit on their part, their sins should
be atoned for. Doubts like yours Srisi
in many minds that earnestly Struggle
to believe. One of the cOmmOnest thing
! in this life is, for the innocent to suffel
for the faults Of others. The sins cf th'
fathers, for example, are visited upOI
the innocent children TO the third snC
fourth generation. The wife continually
suffers on account of the dissipation
gaming or imprOvidence Of her husband
and when the eOrruptions Of knavery, o.
the follies, blunders or injnstices o
rulers, have plunged a nation into thu
sbysses Of ruin, the innocent as well a
, the guilty share the common calamity
II this be unjust, the world is but ont
/
, part Of the discipline OF life, which
/ would surely be very incomplete and in
, sufficient if there were no tgldeserpeo
suffering, since it Is, because undeserved
the severer and more perfect test of the
, 1 fOrtitude and patience of the soul.
The acts, not only OF the living, but oil
the dead, have to do with our good OF
evil fortunes. The whole human race Il
one; tied together by the myriad nerves
of sympathy and inter-dependence.
Future and remote generations were in
terested when SARAH compelled ABRA-
HAM to drive out-H AGAR and her child
into the desert and when the daughter
OF king, going to the Nile TO bathe,
found a Hebrew child in q basket OF
reeds among the flags. The heroic ac-
tions aud noble sacrifices, IS well as the
baseness and atrocity of the Past, all
have their Influence upon our lives. 1t
is because of them that we are at all,
and that we are what we are. This IS
! the constitution OF the world; and II
there was to be anyisympathy among
| human beings, any dependence Of one
upon the other, it could not be other
wise.
The sacrifice or suferings OF one. do,
assuredly, in this.worId, accrue to the BEN
eft of others, atone for their errors, and
save themselves and Others from theeon-
sequences of them. That is salvation y
here: and here, as has been well said,
" we are also among the stars; and life
is part of our Immortality II all suf-
/ fer in consequence Of the errors Of one it
Is not unreasonable that they should also
be benefited by the sacrifice or heroism
of one. Atonement is but relieving one
from the consequences of his faults and
sins: preventing them from falling upon
him. Every day one effects this for
others sometimes by suffering, some
l times by heroic exertiOns or wisdom. So
men save states in danger of shipwreck,
1 wives reseUe husbands frorh well-deseTv-
/ ed ruin, officers of inferior rank save ar
mics from the threatened Consequences
/ Of their own iHsubordinstion or the blum
/ ders Of commanders-in-c chief. Men and
/ states are continually being saved in
spite Of themselves.
/ When CURTTUs leaped, armed, into the
/ chasm that threatened to engulf Rome,
/ he atoned for the crimes and follies of
others for the gulf closed. Tit had not,
4 if the sacrifice had been Uail, the inius-
/ tice would have consisted in that. 1t is
not unjust that the sacrifice should be
made; but that. when made, il should not
have its effect Thousands upJn thousands
have sacrificed themselves N benefit
their country or humanity. 1t is the
highest glory Of human nature, that il
is capable OF that. If Patriotism or
Love could not so offer itself up as q
sacrifice, how much Of the Divine that
mingles with it, would human nature not
lose
The Saviour, dying on the cross, suf-
fered the same pains as thousands Of
Martyrs have endured, the pangs Of
bodily agony. Greater as was the sacri-
Ace, he was but one of an army of Mar
tyrs WHO haye died for their faith, or in
endeayouring Co reform and benefit man.
Ii such sacrifices do atone fGT, and pre-
vent the consequences OF, the crimes and
follies of others, in this life, and until its
last moment, may they not as well ex-
tend beyond the grave ?-or VIXEN the
sufferer has died, and saves others from
those consequences in this life, is this
sacrifice to be held in the next, to be an
aggravation of their crimes, as one of
their consequences, so that it shall really
have injured these il was meanttO benefit;
or the eOnseg rot reaped, because |
Of the sacrifice, in ina life, being added
to the punishment iu tine neat, is it to
have been merely useless? In either |
case, what could be more cruel and IN !
just? When the wife, sacrificing her. |
self, saves her husband from the cOuse- |
quences Of his vices here and leads him
into the ways OF virtue and honour /
do not these consequences necessarily |
stretch over into the next life2
Every man or woman, that ever did 4
an act o. made 8 sacrifice, which re- /
bounded to the benefit Of humanity, has I
been one Of its SaviOuTs, and as all COR [
cal Ff,r, fa
not only in this world but in every case /
extends into the next! GOD is not uu- 4
Just TO us, in eOnferring upon US the ca I
plcity, and giving US the opportunity,
to sacrifice ourselves for others. it is I
His greatest act Of grace and favour to .
Humanity, ana brings il nearest to the /
Divine Nature. Such a sacrifice is its 4
own reward. 1t is the final trial of the .
Soul, the end and completion Of its dis
cipliue, the proof of it's worthness 20
continue 10 exist. To be able to benefit
others by self-sacriiice, is the nOblest
prerOgative of Humanity. And If the
Deity cOit'd not himself do so, He would /
be less truly Divine than man, His poor,
feeble, erring creature.
DO not believe that any Martyr, either
of Liberty OF Religion, ever died in vain.
Somewhat has always been effected,
then or thereafter, by every Martyrdcm
Nor, thank COP, is there any law that
limits the consequences Of self-sacrifice
The Death Of one Martyr Of Freedom
mby save a whole Nation. Always, the
Death OF him who seeks to benefit his
Stateor Humanity, if he be sacrificed in
the attempt, proves more effective than
the labO8fs Of his life. The blood CT the
Martyrs Is, in the tTuest sense, the seed
Of the Church. 1t Is the rain which
waters the Tree Of Faith. When
CHRIST was cTueified, he had but twelve
Apostles, and few followers: and one of
his Apostles betrayed, and one denied
him bat when he had died on the Cross,
his Apostles, their Chief being he who
had denied him, could convert thousands
at a time. As we read the record Of
what they said, it does not seem to US
calculated to have produced such an
effect and therefore the spread Of the
faith can only be attributed to the death
Of the Saviour and the belief in the
Divinity a. proven by the resurrection.
P.-rhere is nothing finer in nature
than what you have Just nOtieed,-that
there is no law which limits the conse- /
quences or results Of a good action.
That once appreciated, il would be a con-
slant spur TO exertion, a constant in I
lhCtllEDk 10 utNOAtAutcSt even III Lile
'eehlest and humblest. The widows
mite may not only be as acceptable to
GOp as the rich mans costly offering,
but in the great and wise disPensations
IF His Providence, it may be productive
Of q thonsand times IS much good. tt Is
only in accordance with the general ar
-angement OF the Universe, the chief
forces OF which are not capable of being {
weighed or measured. The force Of !
growth, for example, and Of electricity. |
II is said there is enough Of the latter in
/ single drop of water to rend the globe ]
lsundeF. Who can estimate the larger
part either Of the forces OF nature, or of [
rs values. ] remember you once spoke
IF writing book on values. l wish you
would write one on the two.
Cit is true, as you suggest, that the {
that there is nothing that
confines the effects of self-sae- |
'ifice or a good deed, within any given
limits, if duly appreciated, nerve all to
greater exertion. It ought slso to have {
another effect. It should make every I
me content with his lot; and, especially, | {
hose who, qualified and able to admin I
ster the affairs Of the country, are over
ooked, and others, far their interiors, I
to them because il may very {
gell be that they may,in their private sta '