Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-05-02
From the Yorkvillo Enquirer.l
Religion. :

Whatever may bo tho derivation of the
word religion, and whatever may be its
genealogical Specification, its accepted
meaning is clear, Itis au acknowledged
mcnt Of our obligations to God as our
Creator, Prescrvcr and Redeemer. With
out pretending to suy that this definition Of
the word is absolutely correct and free from
oil objections, it is believed that it is sufi-
ciently cleur and accurate TO exclude all un
scriptural notions of the subject
1t mtst be manifest to every one that wc
cannot acknowledge our obligations to God,
until VIC have q oloar idea Of whnt our obli-
gatons are, and whence they arise. It is
also clear that we can feol no sense Of obi
gatiou to God until VIC have correct idea
of who God is and what we arc. This being
the case, it is evident that clear views of
God and the relations which exist between
him and ourselves, lie at tho foundation of
all true religion. This, VIC think, is the
true state of the case. 1t is clearly in ac-
cordance with tho teachings Of the Scrip.
lures, "Nly people," snys God, "are
destroyed for lack Of knowledge; because
thou hast rejected knowledge, ! will reject
thee" Hosea iv:6. Again, we are
warned that, che that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is the reward.
or of them that diligently sock him" Ho.<
brcws xi:6.
From these passages of the Bible, and,
in fact, from it's genera! scope, we conclude
and we think safely, that to be religious, q
man must first have knowlcdgc-not gene.
raj knowledge, but particular and sccu
rate knowledge of God and himself.
From what source, then, are we to obtain
our knowledge Of God aud ourselvcs2 1t
is related that Hero, one of the tyrants Of
Syracuse, requested on ono occasion, the
poet, Simonidcs, to explain to bim the
nature of God. The poet asked that be
might be granted q day to deliberate on the
subject. When the time expired, the
question was repeated, and Simouides asked
that two days might be granted for dolibo-
ration. The question was, at the expiration
of two days, repeated, aud the poet asked
for four days. This time was again granted
and whom it expired, eight days were esked
for deliberation. Hero, astonshed at what
he regarded as strange and iuexplicable
conduct in tho poet asked what ho meant
by demanding so long time for delibera-
tion. "Bcoauso," said ho, "the longer I
reflect upon the subject, the moro obscure
does it appear to me to be-"
Tho solid good sense Of Simonidcs is
brought to light by this answer to Hiero,
more clearly than by any, othor sontenoo
which ho ever penncd or uttered. We
take it that ho was without tho Bi5lo. He
had only tho works of creation and tho
proyiden,ia' government Of God, by which
to judge Of his character. When ho looked
abroad, his eyes mot towering mountains,
huge rocks, lovely plains, gently. flowing
streams and foaming oceans, Above him
was the blue canopy of the heavens, studded
with tho sun, tho moon, and countless
number of bright stars; boncath him was
tho green earth, with its multitude Of in
habitao.s Of various orders Of creatures.
But what could he conclude concerning tho
nature of God from oil those? Nothing,
satisfactorily. What could ho learn. cor
rcctly, respecting tho nature Of God from
his providential algovernment2 Nothing, In
the world hc aaw confusion and disorder,
anarchy aud misrule. He saw, tho cruol
tyrant swaying tho soeptro and tho iuno-
cent subject crushed beneath his heel Of
God, from what he saw aroud bimsia the
world, he could learn absolutely nothing
correctly. Whence, then, are we to gain a
correct knowledge Of tho nature Of God?
Is tho attainment possible?. Yes. God
has, s,given us ID revelation of himself in tho
Bible. From this. precious book tho lite.
rate plownian can learn more Of The. .bning
|nnd nature 6f God ins QUO day, then