American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-09-06

day successful, to-day crushed
down, thus alternating, but gralH-
ally becoming less able to cope with
their foes, until finally scattered al!
over the world, n distinct race
among ali nations, and individuality
retaining their idolatry, and, with
few exceptions, expecting the Mes
Siah vet to come And though thaS
scattered fl ON Judea, | take pleas
u1e in mentioning the fact, that not
few of this interesting people.
even of our day, have acquired dis
tinction as men of letters. They
are not deSpiserS OF books. We find
them aSsOciating with authors; sit
ting with the representatives OF the
people; profound lawyers, and CAPT
taliSts, who count their treasure by
millions. Still, | repeat, the i'm
preston that wherever civilization
has tracked the earth, the wander
ing jew has an abode. He and his
obedience to the law, his subScrip-
ton TO the DccalOgue, constitute a
grand monument, not like the inert
piles of Egypt, whose dark hero
glyphics suggest cOniectural infer
enceS concerning the object or de
sign of their projectors, but living,
moving, absolutely speaking monu-
ments, tull Of eloquence, declaring
the truth of Revelation and Thus
illustrating the position of all men
who persistcntly lead a life guided
by erroneous principles.
The three great nations of ancient
times bear testimony of the ineflici-
eucy of human wisdom alone, to
suggest, prosecute and perfect a
system of ethics adapted to all the
wants and requirements of our race.
Their magnificent structures dedi-
Gated to their gods, have umbled
to the dust, and their broken shafts
are wretched mementOeS of human
folly and ambition.
In the splendid literary prOduc
ton of Homer, we are informed of
the religion of the Greeks, and a
is exhibited in the prayers and sac
rifces offered to the gods, on the
eve of the personal contest between
MenelauS and Paris, the represent
ativeS Of the two great armies be-
fore the city of Troy. Though the
work alluded to Is master piece in
the realm of letters, and has immOr-
talzed the author, still it fails to
furnish substantial pabulum for the
intellectually of man to feed upon,
to that degree which mil ht produce
a hope in the human heart of a
bright and biissful immortality.
And though we admire the invent
i've genins Of the heather bard, and
in our youth, amid academic shades,
placed him highest on the list of
classic celebrities, yet still, in NAH
hood, we turn away from the i'll
scription which his countrymen
placed up in their attempt after
truth, viz: ITO the unknown
God,n and follow the great Apostle
to the Gentiles with pleasure, profit
and delight. in his declarations re-
corded in the 18th Chapter Of Acts,
and especially in the wonderful eX-
preston contained in the following
words: "And the times of this ig-
norance God winkel at; but now
commandeth all men, everywhere,
to repent; because He hath appoint
ed IA day, in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness, by that
man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead This was the
block to the Jew-this
was fooliShneSS to the Greek-wise
in their own cOnceit, skilled and
learned in human arts and sciences.
Carthage, whose grand hero
at the gates of the Etern-
al City, the recital of which incident
may here suffice as an Illustration
of her greatness, fails to respond,
any where in her history, to the
of the antiquarian i'll
his investigation after the truth of
the way which is so essential to
conduct the mind to Il haven OF re-
pose and happiness. Human sacri-
fees were browning acts of her de-
luded people, to appease the anger
of the fancied god who ruled the
leSiinieS of the nation.
A certain infidel writer, when de
claring that it is natural for man to
have some object of religious wor-
ship. had been, no doubt, deeply
by the study of the histo-
ry of the Cartha ginians, or some
other idolatrous nation; and allow
me, by way of parenthesls, to say,
that he failed, in the course of his
to present Il suitlble god
for the alteration of his readers, or,
perhaps, to do him justice as To-
sician, he possibly forgot to men
ion "A better faith than that which
Paul enunciated, or a better doe |
.rine than that which Luther. Cal
vim, Knox, Wesley, Whitfield and
Fletcher preached and magnified by
good and holy lives.
But, again; the discriminating
student of profane history will OBJ
serve how the ancient Romans
struggled for the truth, at times,
low near some of the learned had !
it, but at last lost it by
ldopting valor rs the noblest senti
nent of the human intellect. The |
poets seemed almost blessed, or en-
lowed with prophetic instincts. /
Virgil has no enemy in the world
AXE any portion Of his work, but |
Snatchcs tincttred with !
fail, nnI van narrative,