The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-25

truth to the human spirit would be impos-
sible, and the knowledge of the being and
government of God as utterly precluded as
II they had never been witnessed by the
things that are made" Reason, then,
in its normal condition, and In
subsection to the God of creation
is almost infinite in its resources and its
value. 1t acknowledges, and It ought to
acknowledge, subsection to no human au-
thority but it does owe implicit credence
to the God who created it. 1t may, it
must exercise its best powers to test a
protested message from him, but when sat
isfed that lie, from the heights of his no.
Illness, has spoken to the creatures whom
He has made, its duty is to bow, with un-
questioning submission to the words which
lie has uttered. There can be no more da-
ring act ofrebellion than to reject proper
ly authenticated message from God, because
we cannot measure II by the standards
erected by our finite intelligence.
But this is just what many men are con-
tinually doing. They set aside the teach
ings of Divine revelation because as they
declare they seem to them unreasonable.
They sometimes call themselves Free
thinkers, and their thinking is often of a very
free sort indeed. They affect to sit in
judgement on the declarations that have
emenated from the eternal throne, and re-
ject the instructions and revelations of the
Infinite mind, because they cannot adjust
them to the measurements of their created
and limited intelligence. They trust in
themselves instead, nay more in opposition,
to trusting the Omniscient and holy Jeho-
yah. In other words their own under
standing are to be the limits and the boun-
Diary of all truth, and what thsy cannot
find there is, in their esteem, not worth the
knowing. These are the men who talk
largely IN our day of an "intuitional re-
ligion," religion to be formed and fash
Toned from the depths of their own under
standing; religion which has no law giver,
and recognizes no authority, save that
which makes man "a law unto himself. "
In the esteem of these men Moses and the
prophets, Jesus Christ and the Apostles.
were very good sort of men, and taught
many very important truths, and gave Ut
terance TO many valuable precepts OF prac-
teal morality, but none of them were au-
lucrative teachers, and none of them had
any right to bind the intellect, the con-
science and the heart of those whom they
addressed, save as Their utterances COM
mend themselves to what they are pleased
men. For themselves the religion which
they adopt must come to them from within
from the depths of their own nature, and
they cannot consent that it shall be created
for them by any being outside of their own
inner self. Their watch words are "feeling,'
"inspiration," intuition" as belonging to
every man, and fixing for every man the
limits of his creed. the depths Of his emo
tons, and the method and intensity of his
devotions.
Now all this is of course nothing more
nor less than leaning to their own under
standings, trusting to their own logical OF
emotional nature instead of reposng upon
the word of the living God. They look,
with very great complacency, upon the
system of religion which they have evolved,
as they say from the depths of their own
nature and their spirit is identical with that
of Nebuchadnezzar when he said sis not
this great Babylon which l have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of
my power and the honor of my majesty.
Well may the great philosophic poet say,
ain pride, in reasoning pride our error lies,
Men would be gods, and rush into the Skies
The great difficulty with men lies just
here, they would exalt reason above divine
authority. They sit in judgement on the
eternal counsels, and the omnipotent work
ing of God, they believe in themselves
rather than the living God, and they choose
rather to surrender the truth which he has
revealed than to confess that they 'are OF
yesterday, and know nothing" They look
upon the pet theories which they have wor-
shipped, upon the dogmas, so COMFORTING
to their pride of intellect and of heart,
which they have discovered and promulgat-
ed, and they choose rather to rely upon
these than to believe God, and, proud of
the systems which they have created or
adopted, they reject the temple of the liv-
ing God, where the Shechnah sits en-
shrined upon the mercy seat, and the ark
of the covenant rests beneath the shelter
ing wings of the cherubim Of glory, and
the presence of living Jehovah guards
the hopes of time, and the jewels of
eternity for the Babylon which they have
built, and which is "the hold of every
foul spirit, the cage of every unclean and
filthy bird"
The same trust which men repose in them
selves is seen.
IN THE RELIANCE UPON THEMSELVES FOR
ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD, AND FINAL SAL.
WALTON.
Multitudes of men hope to be saved, be-
cause they fancy that they either have now
such character as gives them claim to
heaven and eternal life, or purpose to OBJ
tain it, by an obedience and righteousness
of their own. The gospel of Christ may
dowell enough for thieves, or liars, or muir
derers, for publicans and sinners, of deeper
guilt than any which they are willing to
confess, as cleaving to their character and
their conduct, but they have no need of
such provisions of mercy as these. They
are respectable members of society, they
have maintained an honorable standing
among men, their characters are above re-
proach, and they need no blood of atone
ment to wash away their sins. The hea
then who revel in the depths of sensuality,
their neighbors who are the pests of so.
ciety, the men who fill our penetentaries
and prisons, these have need of cleaning,
and renewal before they can be fitted TOR
the abodes of the glorifed, but they, them
selves, why they belong to the upper classes
of society, they move in the most select
circles, they are regarded as oracles, and
their word is esteemed authority in the COM
pany which they frequent. Nobody ever
saw them disgrace themselves. Nobody
ever heard of their STOPPING to grovellng
immortality, and sure God cannot be so I'M
fair, and ungenerous as to consign such
good souls as they are to the depths of hell
forever Lo they dwell, in apparent Sc
curity and fancied tranquility, in this pal
ace which they have built, and fondly inn
agine that it is theirs forever. They are
utterly unaware that it rests upon sandy
foundations, that the storms of divine
wrath shall bye and bye beat upon it, and
that it will fall and great will be the fall
thereof. They fancy that in this respect
their Foundation staIdeth sure" and that
they shall "never be removed forever"
They look upon themselves. and thank
God that they arc not as other men are.
They are good neighbors, they are public
spirited citizens, they are honored in so.
ciety, they command the respect, and se-
cure the confidence Of the community
where they dwell, and certainly it cannot
be otherwise than that the approval of the