Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-08-30
Gods Government of Mind.

forget when they begin to speculate about
Gods government and so run off into all
sorts of notions about the fatal necessity
of all our actions, or on the other hand of
our absolute free will.
Now there is no need of our befogging
ourselves with these endless speculations
about fate and free will, tolearn the differ
ence between the government of matter
and the government of mind. We need
only look at ourselves, who hold a delegat-
ed sovereignty. given us by God. Do we
rule matter and mind in the same way p
Do we train grape vine and child by
the same laws of growth? Do we run a
steam engine and district school by the
same methods? Do we govern a farm and
a nation by the same kind Of laws? No
more does God govern the earth on which
we tread by the same sort of laws by which
he governs us. No more does God guide
the stars in their course in the same way
that he guides the course of empires.
Matter has no thought or feeling, and
will respond only to naked force. If you
lavish affection and argument upon it, it
will help you none the more for that; if
you cover it with hatred and curses, it will
serve you none the less truly for that. The
house in which you have dwelt so long,
and which you love so we'll for the joys
and sorrows it has witnessed, if it should
happen to take fire tonight, would burn
you to death with the same stolid indiffer-
ence with which it has sheltered you, and
with which it has received your affection
and care. Matter is cold to love or hatred,
is deaf to reason or prejudice, is insensible
to fear or interest 1t is moved by moral
forces only so far as they reach it through
that mysterious bond connection between
the material and moral worlds-the hui
man will.
But mind is governed in different way.
Mind is not conquered by brute force, tho
it may be crushed by it, Affection, pas
sion, desire, interest, reason, truth, con-
science, justice, love and hatred, self seek
ing and disinterestedness, aims and pur-
poses, and ideals, be they high or low, en-
nobling or degrading-these are the forces
that sway the empire of mind. And these
are far other than the brute forces that
move unreasoning and insensible matter
Mind has that attribute of free choice
which responds to motives good or bad
but not to fate or brute force. Ifyou warm
piece of ice it will surely melt; if you
cherish a child with affectionate care, he
ought to return your love and tenderness
but it is possible that he may not. Here
is the difference between the government
of matter and of mind. With matter the
laws of God must be obeyed; with mind
they ought to be obeyed, but they can be
disobeyed. Here is where responsibility
comes into being bringing in her train re-
wards and punishments. 1t is only wher
we can choose that we are responsible
and it is only when we do make respon
sible choice that we gain moral character
But we are by no means left absolutely
free to choose what we shall be and wha
we shall do from all the being and all thu
doing in Gods wide universe. We are
hedged in on every hand by barriers which
we cannot oveepass. Our knowledge i
limited; our physical powers are feeble
our mental capacities, wide though thei
range may be, yet reach but little wa!
out into this wide ocean of Gods universe
And not only so, but yet more surely i
our choice limited by the great spiritua
laws of Gods moral and spiritual universe
BY these laws God has reserved to himsel
the supreme rule of the universe, Will
yet he gives us freedom of choice, AM
therefore moral responsibility. Of thes
laws, will name three of the most i'm
portant.
l. The law Ofthecontinuity of character
That is, we do not change our character
every moment. They may change, bu
they will not change all at once; it take
time to change good man into bad, or
bad one into good one. And howeve
changed we may become in the process c
time, we generally retain many traits {
our old character.
2. But while this is the restraining force
the conservative tendency, the power this
tends to keep everything as it is; there
also forward moving force, progressiv
tendency, power that forces character
multiply itself-the law of the propogG
ton of character. We all know how on
individual influences another for good {
for bad; how looks, and tones, and action
and all the silent outgoings of charactt
move us, attracting or repelling, no le'
than direct teaching does. We are fami
!, lar with the law of propagation of charat
ter, by teaching and by example, for ever
attempt to move men for better or for wor:
purposes depends upon tour churche
Sunday schools, temperance societie
schools, political campaigns, etc. Yes, :
does Christ's great missionary enterprii
to save this fallen world of ours, and so
the quiet influences of the Holy Spirit a
: depend upon this law of the propagate
of character for their power to reach an
to mold men. They themselves are indet
supernatural, but they work through tn
natural law of the propagation of chara
ter. Upon this law, too, depends the tran
mission of hereditary qualities from parel
to child.
! 1t is this law of the propagation of cha
acter that binds together the generation
of men in one continuous stream, as Il
law of the continuity of character holds
= gether our single lives. The one holds Il
individual to himself, the other holds hi
to his family his race. his country, his ag
! Together they form the warp and the wo
of hnman life, woven by the flying shut
= of Tines ever moving fingers in the loo
i of Providence. These two laws togeth
keep us within bounds, and hold US in o
u proper relations to ourselves and to othel
3. But now comes in the third law--th
Z of retribution. In this world or in t
next, every evil deed returns to plague t
u doer of it, and every good deed to BILE
. him. A bad man carries a hell with
: himself, whose fires may smolder, but W
u never be quenched, except by repentan
: and faith; and every good man carrie:
heaven in his breast. A bad man m
flourish for time, but his prosperity ca
not endure; good man may be in troub
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