Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-02-19

Is
flr M go qHd HpFa
s. asaf4i
ua{H @im W1la5a F41 no AAlt
md hae1ma TIE mfEEar o. ne A1aF-
WssaFa issnEbea aad Taugh
go hvnsorms lQsaE iis reacedngI
sewer. ANS veil Representa- the
saaaIne ea1es 81 lha passions
nnan - mind hut staghant va
-. aeAih. water that atFoams and
manslea Ike 8 standing pool, loses
power ef Fsaeeiina surround
ing objects and lies under rs thick
aim, like mirror covered with
draperyy such Is We have some.
times seen standing masked aud
ImagoIess IN the hOuss Of death.
And this no less faithfully repres-
aenta the effect Of Indifference and
apathy upon eur perceptions Of
than tho blind and stormy
semshe effect Of the passions.
Especially, aad beyond ell other
modes Of perception, the truth OF
Christ Il revealed In love. Chris.
tianity, ike every other system
of truth Of whatever kind,
must suffer from the influence Of
the maleVOlent or selfish feelings.
These, necessarily, direct the mind
awaysfrOm the true object Of stten"
ton, either to some false image or
distorted aspect Of il, or to some in
verted relation which II sustainS
20 ourselves and the purpose our
investigation. Science .Often suf-
fers land not always or only in the
case Of inferior or prejudiced
minds) by the Influence OF some
selfish motive or sentiment, be 1t
merely that Of pride in opposing
or Obstinacyi In maintaining received
opinions. II may be, again, on ac-
count of Its attitude towarde US,
and, In the case of religion, because
those very qualities and features
for which we should most love and
admire II, its exactiDg purity aud
ideal standards Of action, degrade
and wound, or irritate and offend
US.
Now there are two equal motiAes
which must be considered in order
to make the character Of Christ and
| It's expression IN Christianity, en-
gazing to the affections, and thus
comprehensive to the mind If not
convincing to the reason. /. We
must be prepared, upon the evil
dence of his human ~perfccii0ns, to
love him for humanity's sake, and,
.. Upon the evidence Of his divin-
ity. for his own.
l. Unless, indeed, we love men with
something like the love He bore
them we cannot perceive what II Is
that Is so loveable in Christ. | am
persuaded that whatever causes
besides, ordinary or extraordinary,
human OF divine, have been or are
at work to extend Christianity, or
FprOmote personal religion where
Christianity exists, the sympathy
felt with Christ IN his love for man,
is the KEY with which he has un'
locked the human heart aud opened
Il 70 admit him IN the perfection
of his humanity aud the fullness OF
his divinity. e is that "tOuch OF
nature" that thrill OF human love
making 'the whole world kim
which TO the ccce dgRuS Del, "Be-
holdth Lamb of God" instinciiyely
responds, "which taketh away the
sins Of the world Ii Is, in that
regard, the voice OF nature Itself,
which moves the heart Of those
who hear Him as he 'stauds q
tho door. and knocks" saying,
aOpen unto me-" Why IN some
ears do his tones sound sweet
or than the voice Of lover
or friend I-why to his church
swceter than ever to a country the
voice of patriot or liberator, seek
ing TO enter It's heart. aud live
there, were it even by a bloody
dealt? "Opcn unto mc'-and ca.
thedral pile and gothic wall open
their gates Of glory, and low.roof'
ed chapels open their humble doors
and with pomp OF liturgy aud sa'
craments, or with the simplest ser
vice of prayer and praise He enters
in! "Open unto me"-but the spiril
Of tho present age-a great anC
wonderful age-answers, and asks
To whom? and with what title t
enter? What gave his religion th'
rights OF moral conquest? What
had he dOne-when he thus badt
the human heart open to receive
him--what achieved for men to Civ,
him such transcendent claims upoI
their affections? Had he brOugh
them, like the benevolent deities o
old, arts, agriculture, food and fire
/ Had he opened the book Of sci
ence aud taught them the starry al
. phabet Of Heaveup had he unfold
ed the magnificent Apocalypse 0
. Nature? Had nc triumphed AM
/, been crowned for victories over he
! blind and often hostile powers5 |
q. he more, or is he less to the preseu
/. century than Newton or Napier O
Watt or ArkwrightI Could III
age better dispense with the steaT
engine and mechanic power, @
with his church and sacraments
Did he do as much for his own az,
In his own mode of b%enefaction a
some other men have done 70
Ours-as Sydenham, for instance
|, who changed the whole theory 'aur
treatment Of levers, or as Jennel
who taught US how to avert tn
most frightful %pestilence that eve
visited the human race? Man.
ages ago, he healed few sick per
sons and restored a still smalle
number of men to life in the oh
scure land of Judea, to which thes
acts have given a distinction a