Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-04-13

teachings. We cannot get any knowledge
OF God TO perfection by marks Of his finger
In nature. We see him only In his true
character when incarnate. In what he
was, In what he did, in what he said.
There Is a sense in which word Is an
incarnated idea. What words are 10
thoughts, Christ is TO God. What light Is
to the page you read, that Christ amt all
truthful religious teachings are to God.
Therefore, Christ says, Il am the truth,
and thy word Is truth" and John speaks
of Christ as the Word" We here trace
1t 20 its source, and find the view adv snced
CONSTANT with scripture. 1t Is called a
light In dark place" and a clamp to the
feet "a voice from heaven" IL Is ''sun-
lit path" asd n pearl of great price" 1t
Is said 10 make men ''free indeed" There
are a host of other figures used to describe
1t, some OF them the most fscinating that
rhetorician could select There Is one thing
clear to every candid reader. Truth can
not be separated from God In Christ. anv
more than a ray of sunlight can exist dis
connected from the son. Divinity il at
the back OF all truth. What the life prin-
ciplc j. In the body sending the blood
through every vein. It's mode of opera
ton J. not always the same. though its
results are ever the same. The farmer
does not use all soil alike. lie suits his
seed to the soil. The highly intellectual
and the grossly ignorant are raised by
truth applicable to each. fake one trained
from infancy tn every thing pure and
Chrl>tlike. such nature is prepared for
l., and will be swayed ny its infaencc, a.
men are moved by fioaiiL = music when we
hang harp in the summer breeze, though
the instrument be hid among the dropping
foliage OF the " illow. IL was thus perhaps
with Lydia. whose heart was gently
opened to know the Lord. To Us IL
seems perfectly reasonable that God should
have such aninstrument with which he can
bring his child up 10 higher life. In
nature we see everything adapted To som
purpose. There ar. laws for every thing
There Is the law in the apple tree which
prevents IL from bearing an orange. Why
should not there be law In the moral
sphere? Such we have seen there is II
j. not more mysterious than thousand
thing, in nature. For instance. the blush
ing rose with its fragrant breath rises into
the air an a million particles without per-
ceptibly diminishing in weight or volume
There Is nothing then inconsistent with
reason, in the operation OF truth.
Let u next proceed 10 scrutinize the
change l. II simply reformation: This
cannot be. for If so the language of the
Bible j. most extravagaDt. Hearts OF
stone are said TO be changed to flesh. Man
Is said to become a new creature" there
fore the change must be thorough. and
equal to 4 marvellous yet beautiful crea-
ton.
lon have watched the transformation OF
night into day 20 on, when streams of
light shot up behind Mt. Desert. filliny the
air with golden mist. The change and
creation in the soul is as great. II is
clearer light, and the darkness is OF the
past.
lou have watched the babe sleep IN
conscious OF maternal nearncSs. lddeuly
wake and recognize tue face whose glance
dispcrses the clouds which gather over the
day dreams OF infancy. such a chang.
comes over man at his new birth. lie
wakes TO see the Faihcrhood of God. lie
wakes 10 the consciousness OF presence
like unto Infinite Love
lou have watched in summer a bud
bursting into flower a. the sun warmed
and lpo>cned it, iendrils So man at hi>
new birth receives into his hearts flower
the rays OF divine love. and passes into
fuller life, and more perfect being.
Previous 10 this change man thinks or
God A. the All Powerful. His voice i
thunder. hl> form huge and terrible lie
rocks the ocean in his hand. He shoots
the lightning at his foes. He rains brim-
stone like red hot knives on iranssrcs>or>.
but to-inorrow when he walks the earth a
new creature he finds hm>c II marvellous
~ changed. Looking back upon himself
as he was he sees Ia himself Il stranger to
God. Something that was not, has been
caieu INTO HE, Tor now lac finds that he
mas an appreciation OF other things. God
anu heaven are changed IN his estimation.
~ matters oul little whether he miugle>
Win ihc "orshipers IN temples built By
men oi Walks iorth upon the green sward
VI MANURE, "heEc the spansicd heavens
iotHl ms Only canopy Every thing liaks
itseIi TO heaven aud God. The Italian boy,
IN The streets OF London, Paris.
or Ne" iork, hears but one sentence and
that ever in the sweet cadenccs OF the harp
Home sweet home" and the man born OF
uod, lives his life III an inner circle. where
the parentagc God is ielt. and As he
moves beneath the siancing Of his Fathers
eye he hears IN nature. he hears in all
truthiuI teaching, lac hears ia the majestic
roll Oh organ, OF IN the blending OF many
voices. the voice OF God. and the music OF
heaven
buA 'S' u press closer 10 the question.
and get Tor ourselves more definite vieN
pi Tins new creation. Let u put IL IN
language that we may be sure we colnprc-
held H. " hat l. II that Is created! Rela-
uon>hip TO God, and II relationship. then
those traits of character arising from IT,
with the new relationship there comes
new spirit Let u explain here In
splred language speaks Of man rs hayin.
>oui anu spirit. IL positively affirms that
ali men are not spiritual. Ii speaks Of
some men a only natural men. or a. hay-
IN. only soul, which cannot receive the
things of the spirit. The intellectual
powers. and the moral sense, belong 10
The soul. These come 10 Us through Adj
am, for the heather are said to have the
LAW written In their hearts" The spirit
comes TO Us through Christ. You Will
observe. that by spirit we mean that pow
er by which we take hold OF God, which
Hes not In the intellect, or moral sense,
Out chiefly IN our highest affections under
stand what l mean by highest affections;
not the natural affection for kindred or
friend, but that love power which takes
hold OF Infinite spirit, and is capable OF
eternal development, bringing here the
whole soul into its service. and triumph
Ing hereafter through its own Immortality.
" hen we ffud "a man in txln,n ,bf.