The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-02-23

, AN ESSAY READ BEFORE THE VALE,
i MINISTERIAL, DEACON S AND CHRISTIAl
UNION, BY MISS LAURA ANNETTA COLE
MAN, STANTON, VA.
When man S mind is fully developed, HI
can very readily apprehend three worlds
namely the Spiritual, the Moral, and tht
Physical Each Of these has its separate
and distinct laws. Let us look first at The
Spiritual World AS God is a spirit, 81
must-those, who dwell in bis presence and
do his blessed will, be spirits The second
world of which we are conscious, is the
Moral World, the one which ought to con
troll our actions.
Man is conscious Of the fact that he ex
lists in world which he cannot see ard
out Of which he cannot go. Go where he
will he finds himself haunted by two sets
of powers. The one finding him q saaa, is
laying hold of him, binding him, degrad-
ing him, and transforming him into a
brute. The other, finding him q man, is
laying hold Of him, bursting his chains off
of him, making him free and lifting him
up and thus Transforming him into God,
man.
When we do right or wrong, it is our
conscience that leads us into the light OF
it, and either approves or condemns our
actions. The third world is the Physical,
While all Of these laws are separate and
distinct, in many respects they are analo-
goGs. This is especially true of the Law
of Reproduction ''Like produces like, un-
like produces unlike" Is the general law
which underlies these worlds.
But we must rot dwell here: let US no
tice carefully the one great law that under
lies all of these worlds. The Law of Re
production,
Since we have come to the study Of this
great law, we will consider the Moral Re
production first, in ourselves. If our
minds are continually based upon things
mean and low, they will undoubtedly reach
after such things every day II We think
Of plan to-day that would lnjHre our fel,
bowman on the morrow, to-day is the evil
thought, and tomorrow, should it be car
ried out, will be the act which viii ever be
d SlulU upon OuI CudEHCLGIS.
But since there is a bright side, let us
take our minds to something higher and
grander. If We accustom ourselves to
think on noble and grand things our minds
will naturally reach after just such things
as will elevate and raise US in the estima
ton of our Maker and fellow-beings, and
whatsoever may be the acts or deeds we do
in life, they determine our destiny.
Our present life is the seed time of hu
man existence. If we sow good seed while
here, we shall have the unspeakable hap
piness of reaping golden harvest in the
balmy days Of a bIissful eternity but
should wesow bad seed then shall it be ours
to reap just such in eternity. for What
soever man soweth that shall he also
reap even in ourselves. Then let it be
ours 10 enjoy the former and forever lock
upon the latter with scorn and disdaiD,
Let US notice carefully Moral Reproduc-
ton in history The first historic act of
which we have any knowledge is that of
Adam and Eve. They were the first who
sinned; they disobeyed the law Of God
and so were driven from the garden Of
! Eden Icy his wrath. We find a reproduce
ton of their sin in their children. Cain
and Abel, as Cain with his evil heart, be
came angry with his only brother and
| thus Stay him. Here it began and has
continued down through all generations to
the present age. We notice that in every
newspaper nearly where brothers have
been slain by each other, taken out at mid
night from their loving wives and chill
dren and hanged to a tree by their fellow
men, shot down like brutes and treated in
every way except like human. Would to
God that such men were mover born, who
cannot and will not study the interest OF
| humanity. But we are satisfied to know
that there will be a judgment, where every
man will have to give an account Tor the
| deeds done in the body let them be good
or evil
In the next place We see that Moral Re
production is an encouragement to the VIZ
tuous and solemn warning to the vicious.
| The pure in heart and the virtoous are en-
couraged to go forward and labor more n
the vineyard of the Moral Universe, and to
help lift up fallen humanity but those
who do not strive to do those things which
would be pleasing in the sight OF God, shall
receive a solemn warning AID it Shall be
theirs to-receiye the fruits of their labor.
| Whatever we do in life, that shall we pro
| fit in eternity then let US strive to do all
we can to give US happy admittance into
| the bright realms above.
My friends, we are living the govern
ment of the Moral Law Of Sod, and in this
government, anarchy is an impoSslbllity,
Law eternal and Interchangeable reigns III
every part of this government. But OF
all laws, there is none Of SO much conse-
quence and Importance to as the Law OF
Moral Reproduction. The deprayed strug
Cling down to grave and up to Judgment
dragging after them a wagon load OF thou
sand thistles reaped from the harvest
field of their own life, are a solemn warn
ing to the vicious. The noble going up to
a Judgment with angels assisting them up
with the heavy load of fruit, are a joyful
encouragement to the pure.
We SOW thought, we reap a deed we
SOW a deed, we reap a habit; we sow a
habit we reap character we SOW char.
acter, we reap destiny; we SOW destl.
ny and we reap eternity. Four pictures,
If you please, two from profane and two
from srcred history we give you and ask
you to decide which shall be a picture OF
you Sir Walter Scott paints the closing
scene of Don Roderick as follows: He
dies
"While cruel conscience brings him better
proof
HIS folly or his crimes have caused him grief
| And while above mods the crumbling roof
He curses Earth and Heaven, himself in chief
Desperately of earthly aid-desparing of Heav-
ems relief
The other is Uncle Tom.
We see him rs he was put upon the
block, sold to q cruel master ard taken
down South to finish his earthly career
He was, at times, SO brutally beaten that
he lay Frustrated upon the ground with