Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-10-22

pale and e0l0rleas, bat clear Hight Of
reason To others He came n the
WhirlWind and storm Of miracu-
lOus dispensatiOn, aWfully entering
10 them through closed doors, or
walking in the red and dusky day
break upon the stormy sea.
His religion is for ell men, and
lie object Is not 80 much to bring
them 70 one type, as to make them
according to the peculiarities Of
each ones nature, good, 'and, above
all, intelligent and ~self-reliant in
goodness. He would teach chris
tians as mothers teach their chill
dren-to walk alone. He watches
them with q tender, pursuing eye,
but does not always hold them by
the hand, much less set others to do
so.
Wherever a man has obtained
that kind Of ascendancy, it has led
to evil and whenever such a master
is taken from the head of the
church, IL breathes more freely.
Men are glad to DO let up, as 1t
were, from the tyranny of intOler-
ant opinions. Christian Charity
revives. The Bible and sacramento
preached and ministered by simple,
godly pastors satisfy the hungry,
thirsty flock. They 90 again to the
fountain Of truth aud drink the
water of life undisturbed by the
deep-plunged vessels Of eager con-
troversialists, anxious to bring up
truth from the bottom ; and, in of.
feet with some grains Of gold,
bringing up in far greater quaint.
ties, mud aud sand.
So often in the world, he, who in
striking contrast to the simple,
quiet grandeur Of our great Vir-
ginian, bestrode 1t like q colossus,
when at last, the people miss
his shadow, and are ready in their
enthusiastic grief TO accuse Heaven
of seeking their destruction-will
be found already to have lived too
long. 1t was time that they threw
of the almost irresistible spell of
genius fired by ambition. True
patriotism, like true religion, re-
quires, with due allegiance to right
full mastery, a certain degree of in
dividuality, to secure 1t healthful
existence. Therefore-again 10 H.
lustrate by the history of Religion
Elijah was translated. Therefore
God himself did not remain OH
earth in human nature and form.
Therefore the prophets are all
dead. Therefore the Apostles were
not in person as well as Office
made perpetual. Therefore the
great doctors Of the church do not
remain to become its dictators. God
would not have the humblest intel
lect forever dwarfed and crushed
by other minds. It is not His plan
that men should be safely guarded
and guided BY others. lie would
make them capable Of directing
their steps by His guidance in His
word aud church and by His Holy
Spirit. 1t Is thus that christian
character is formed. 1t is thus that
true coniessors, as distinguished
from mere professors, are made.
Thus real christian heroism takes
the place of the heroic sentiment
excited by admiration of a Hide
brand, or a Martin Luther, a st.
Francis Xavier or a not less saint
ly, though uncanonized Wesley.
The Catholic to be a real Catholic,
must be his own Ignatius Loyola.
The Protestant to be u real PrOtes.
tant must be his own Martin Lu.
Their. Great saints,--of course | do
not here speak Of Luther,-may
pervert the christianity of an age
just as a great man may oversha-
dow and blight the greatness of a
people. A man, and it is not less
true of a christian, ought, in any
moral emergency before all things
to be himself, and not refer his
opinions or principles to any great
mau, or good mau. or even good
great man. 1t is the object and
the art of despotism both in
church and state to rcpress indi-
viduality and the sense Of indlvid-
ual responsibility, and by the use
OF great names, which represent
justice, religion, public safety or
eternal salvation, produce a paraly-
zing superstition, a fear OF ghosts
in daylight, M awful reverence for
the opinions of the great and good,
which they who are neither great
nor good know how TO use in order
to obtain the pre.eminence. The
true object of christian teaching Is
not to make men christians ut
second hand, nOr TO keep man in
tutelage to man. Suspect, | advise
you, the religion Of those religion
lists whose system is the very re-
serve OF that OF Nature. Look ut
the birds OF the air. 1t is our
Lords own mode OF Illustration
they feed aud watch their young in
the nest, but il Is not to keep them
there forever. II is to strengthen
aud mature their powers, aud teach
them in due time to Use their own
wings and freely act out the laws
OF their being under the blue vault
Of heaven. And similar is The uu-
itct OF all education, religion, ar
secular. DOubtle-, that noble old
man who graeyd h., misfortune 10y
leaving the camp Tor the ,choo',it
asked the obicc, OF education,
would IN utl, c' nave answered, Tv
: dcvc'upc the MAN Ia man. keep
ing the CtymulogN ui tuc word Ia
mlud. TO educate. b, To lead forth
aud introduce TO ,he world a maus
one who kuow> and respect, q
man, aud therefore RESPECTS imscll
such su one g., that man par ttrt'.
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