Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1902-12-16


untutored mind has his happy hunting
grounds in the hereafter where those
/ possessing in this life qualities deemed
BY him noble and virtuous will be re-
warded,
Cato in his solloquy says Plato thou
reasonest we'll or hence this pleasing hope
| this fond desire. this longing after i'm
mortality" and concludes with the as
surance, the stars shall fade away, the
sun himself grow dim with age and ma
ture sink in years, bat thou the soul) shall
| flourish in immortal youth. unhuIt amid
the war of elements. the wreck of matter
and the crush of worlds. Does not rea-
son itself revolt at the idea of extinction
Is it any more wonderful that we should
live again. than that the gram of corn or
the seed that is implanted in the earth,
though utterly destroyed in its presen-
body. shonld spring up in new life and
body or that the humble worm, enfold-
| ing itself in its carefully prepared cell,
should appear again with wings as the
butterfly Will you accord this grovelling
reptile more faith in his immortality than
Gods masterpiece. man Does it not show
its faith, when weaving about itself its
silken cone, enveloping itself in its fun
eral drapery. it lies down to death. assured
| 1t will rise again IN a more beautiful
form That l shall 1--we again, my faith
rises higher than my reason and hope
becomes knowledge. The Buddhist the
Mahommedan and the Christian alike
believes this-all reaching after the same
great truth. Errors and many have crept
into professions of faith and still more in
practice. whereat many have stumbled.
| Humanity is imperfect we have all SIN
ned and sin is the necessary outgrowth
of the perfection of free agency. We
need an atonement for our transgression
The law has been violated, the penalty
must be paid. Here the Christian religion
reaches beyond the Buddhist and the
| Mahommedan. in that it provides an
atonement, sacrifice for sin, a suffering
for the penalty of violated law and re-
demption tor the penalty of the law
through the suffering of another. If you
ask yourself the question, ought there
not be place of rewards and pun
| lshments, will not your own reason re-
spond in the affirmative? The same being
| that created the worlds, made laws for
| their governance. Could these worlds
move in such harmony without law to
guide them ? Could we move forward in
such wonderful progression, without
some law for our guidance? Human law
is a rule of conduct prescribed by some
supreme power, with us the Legislature
do we not attach penalties to the violation
of these laws Do you think it wrong
that we do so :? Would you or your prop
erty be safe without these laws? Gods
laws are perfect ours only as perfect as
human reason can make them. When
man breaks the law and is punished, we
say he is justly and deservedly SO. Then
ii we break the law of our SupremeLaw-
Maker, is it not just that we be punished
Ask yourself the question. does not my
reason teach me that have violated the
laws of my being2 HaveI always done
right ? Conviction must precede redemp-
ton. Are these violations of the divine
law land / use the word to distinguish
from human) invariably punished in this
lifa2 T., eopaa ;pctaocac n nav caa,,, ca
but in my experience have known many
criminals, even murderers. escape the
penalty of the law Thou shalt not kill
is both a human and divine law human
because the legislature has declared it
such and affixed a penalty; divine be-
cause our own consciences tells us it is
wrong. If all punishment is not melted
out here, must there not be hereafter to
meet the ends and requirements of equal
and exact justice? But herein comes free
grace. Another has suffered for US and
borne the burden of our sins. If | am
found guilty of some offence and fine
imposed upon me and you generously
pay my fine, is not the law nevertheless
indicated If / am condemned to be
executed and you offer yourself victim
in my stead and your offer is accepted. is
not the law INDICATED Two things you
will see are necessary in this plan, First
an offering by some one. and secondly an
acceptance of that offering by me. In
the plan of redemption from SIN, God of
ters willing victim and asks us to accept
it. Will you reject it and die in your sins.
or will you accept 1t and be saved The
choice is with YOU. SO then the Chris
tan religion, beyond the testimony to its
truth and value from so many noble wit
nesses, accords fully with our own reason
and conscience. Many noble men and
women have died i'll this faith, willing
even to suffer martydom for its hope of
reward. leave thepast to history Our
7 own lamented Alexander Stephens a
t man whose mind seems almost to have
: absorbed his body, says IN the closing
t hours of his eventful life, a leading OBJ
4 ject for me for years, indeed from my
$ early youth. has been so to lve-so to
e conduct myself in all things-so to dis
!, charge by the assistance OF Divine grace
0 all the duties of tins probationary term
r as to be ready to leave this sphere of ex
/ istence for another, brighter and bette
one, whenever the summons for depar
o ture may come" The sage Gladstone
e bears testimony. Lee and Jackson diec
+; in this faith | wish to follow in thei
W footsteps. 1t satisfies the souls longin!
If and aspirations now, and fills to the brin
d the cup of hope for hereafter.
IS Do not be misled by the mistakes 0
Of Moses or other Christian heroes, The
1T were men, possessing frailties common t
Y. mankind. Let Moses and other nobl
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