Gospel Herald, 1859-12-03

              Devoted to CUi'i:^ti;mity, Moi'ality, tlxe Iritet'ests of Sal>liM.th. Scliools, Sooi.-il  IiTipTioveinerLt, 'X'empei'aiic.e, IicLx\oM.tiOTv, and. Geiie-ral Ne-w^a.
"nEUOLD,    1    IJillNG   YOU   GOOD   IIDINGS   01?   GltEAT   JOY
ON   EAKTII   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TOWARD   MEN."
VOL. ](i.
DAYTON, 0., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1859.
NO. 30.
ORIGINAL POETRYa
AN ODE.
Surig at ihe laying of llie.   Corner Stone,   of   Union.
C'hristkiii C'oUe.f/e.
Atlleroin, Ind.,   November 10,18511.
Tlic morning da-»nis!— tlie sua appears—
Weiik winds uro sighing round~- Wliilo. fi-ienrts of Education moot
On conacoi'ar.ed gvoinid; Over tliiii suil iu -fornicr days,
Tlio Indians wild did roam; TSiif, we liave como tVom various -(S-nya
'J'u liiy this Om-iier Stone.
CUUIIU.H.
Coiuo friends of scicnco all BoiJi old and young UQ-w come
.¦\ud liolp lis rear lliesc College walla Aud lay tlils Corner .Stone.
This spot of ground tho highest point
Whicli overlooks Uic town— While at our foot tlio Wabash (Iowa
Majestically dmvii; Just hero are BlirlTs—Havines are there—
Peep Dells aud tirotto.s too; With forest trees and scenery
Quite ehariuing to our view,
OUOllL'S.
Tis IJni.lu Oi)llege grounds We now liave come to view
Tiio gifts of noble minded ones The Bi-:ive—tho Tried—the Ti-ue—
Most noble souls havo labored hard
And made a saer:ifize Of land aud money that -ivill build
These Towei-s toward tlie skies; Where sons and daughters both may conic
And fiuaff the sparklir.g rill Thiit issues from these (Jollege HUlls Jiniiioi-tal minds to till,
Giiouns. Tis Union College grounds
Wc now liave coiuc io view Tlie gifts of noble niimled ones ¦ Tho Bravo—the Tried—llie T'ruo—
,Cun\d give your gold ye monioii men
'I'liiri College to euilow loii'll live as long— and ju;:;t as well—
T'hen raise your thousands now. Tlie youth will apeak your praises o'er
Wiien your life-work is done; S:tfely you'll reach the other shore, And boar the victor'.? palm, ciioiuis, <ktmc friends of science all Both old young now como .-Vud liclp us rear these College v,'alla And lay this Corner Stone.
When once completed may it be
A Litenii-y Star. Jfay -wcstei-u vfilds moat plainly soe
Its beacun-light afar; -Miiy students here be luulliplied
Cod's Holy name revered And wauls of youth bo here supplied With Literary food.
OlOSIKO oiio-iuis Three cheers ibr our good cause
Three cheers—yes—twice as many Three cheers for Union College Halls Tlu-ee cheers for Indiniia.
ORIGINALITIES.
Though judgment must collect the matoriiiis of the goodly istnieturo of friendship, it isaft'ectiou that gives tho cement; and passion as well its reason should ooncur in foeining a firm and lasting coalition.—Fltzosbornt:.
Writienfor tlic Gospel HcttUd.
Divine Origin ot Christianity, Uo- 7.
BY  JAJIES MAPLE,
The toils, Bufferings, and ]-jrivations that wero willingly and cheerfully en¬ dured by the apostles, iH a strong evi¬ dence ofthe tlivinity of ehristianity.— 1st Cor. 4: 11: 13. The argument is founded on tho fact, that they were willing to Buffer bo much to establish chrfstiaiiity. Tliey were eye-witnes¬ ses of what they aliirnied, and bad nothing to gain by spreading it, if it wtiB not true. T^hey exposed tlieni- selves to persecution for Christianity, and were willing to die rather than de¬ ny its truth. Why would they have done this if thoy had not known it to be true? Tho hiatoryof Paul clearly il¬ lustrates this subject.
1st. lie had every prcspoet of hon¬ or and wealth in his own country. He had been liberally educated, and had the confidence of his countrymen. He might have risen to tho highest sta¬ tions of trust or in'iiuonco. Ho had talents which would have raised him to distinction any wdiere.
2d. He could not have been mis¬ taken in rcgiird to the events connec¬ ted with liis conversion. Acts 9. The scene, tho voice, the light, the blind¬ ness, were all things which could not have bceu coanterfittetl, Thoy were open and public. They did not occur '¦in a corner."
3d. Ho had no e.arthly motive to change his course. Ohristianity wtis despised w'hcn ho embraced it; its friends wero few and poor; and it had no prospect of spreading through the world. It conferred no wealth; bestow¬ ed no diadcnij iinptirted no honors; conducted to no friendship ofthe gieat and tbe mighty. It subjected its friends to persecution, and tears, and trials, and death. What eoiild induce such a man to make such a chiiuge? Wliy should Pa,iil have embraaetl this, but tfom a conviction of its truth? IIow could he bo convinced of that truth, e.KCopt by some argument that should be so strong as to overcome his hatred to it, make him willing to renounce all his prosjoect for it, to encounter all that the world could heap upon him, and even death itssolf, rather than de¬ ny it? Bat such a religion had a high¬ er tlian an earthly origin, aud must havo been from God.
When we consider tho circumstances under which Christianity was intro¬ duced into the world, the .<igenta em¬ ployed to extend its dominion, and then look at its groat Irinraphs, we I must,   ael-:owledgo its divinity.
1st. When iirst published to the woiid it luid ditlieulties to sunitount of the most formidable description, both among Jews and Gentiles. It encoun¬ tered the most inveterate prejudices ou the part ofthe .Jews. A gufiindng Mcs- >siahwaH aBtumbling block to thorn.— They looked for a Messiah thafshould come clothed w^ith glory and power; head their armios against the Piomans, and restore their nation to all its for- .nier grandeur and i n fluence among the ntition.'i of earth. A siiifering Messiah shocked their understanding, encoun¬ tered the deepest prejudices of their hearts, and Vfm deeply humiliating to
their pride.    On the |)a]-t ofthe G-en- tiles it had to combat  tho vices of an age, which all agree exceeded the us- U;i-1 measure of depravity.    These vices were  dee])ly interwoven with all tho social, political and religious relations of life.    According   to propliotio  lan¬ guage,   "darkne.ss covered   the  earth and gross darkness the people."    Tice, superstition, iind idolatry, reigned tri¬ umphant among the mtLsses of the peo¬ ple,   itnd   the philosopher.s, to   whom the)^ looked a,s guides,  despised chris- tnvnlty for its simplicity,  so   different from  tho subtleties of the  schools of j Plato   and  Aristotle.      Thus the  two | great   divisions  of  manlcind   viewed i Christianity from  different points  ae- j cording to  thoir national characters: but they  Ijoth agreed in  rejecting it with indignation.    Paul has beautiful-[ ly described the characteristics of the j two great divisions ofthe human fam¬ ily.    -'The Jews required a sign," that is, a demonstration of the .supernatur¬ al interposition  of heaven tliat w^ould overpower their minds, antl command their  assent; but "the   Grcek.s sought after wi.sdoni"—that  is, the elaborate j and pirofound productions   of oratory 1 and subtle philo.Hopliy,   whieli   W"Ould j at   once   convinoe   tlieir   reason,  audi g-ratif}^ their curiosity.    To botli tliese parties tho heralds ofthe cross preach¬ ed Christ crucilicd—a   doctrine so far from exciting the inclinations of either that to tho .Jew it w^as a  stumbling block, and to tho Greeks foolishness— to one it was an object of abhorrence, to tho other, of contempt.    Such were the prejudices and obstacles that eln.-is- tianity  had   to  encounter in  its first onset on the citadel of sin.
2d. The agents etriployed to pro- raulgiite the gosjiel wero of themselves inadequate to the work. Who \vore tbo3'? Paul thus states tlie matter to the Corinthians:-—"God hath chosen the foolish things of tho world to con¬ found the wise," &c.—1st Cor. I: 21: 29. 'The first herahls ofthe cross were so- leeted from the lovv-est walk.s of life.— They wero poor, illiterate, and totally unacquainted with the world—desti¬ tute of all education, (Paul excepted.) Before they received thoir extraordin¬ ary commission to go fortli and revo¬ lutionize tho world, thoy hatl earned their bread bya toilsome occupation, and in all })roljability had never daretl to open their mouths before their su¬ periors. 'They were destitute of tho powerful aids of wealth, learning, and eloquence. Such wore tbe agents em¬ ployed in e-ftccting tho greatest revo¬ lution that is recorded in the history of man.
I not only call your atteiition to tho olifitacles in the way ofehristianitv', the I character of those employed to propo¬ xate it; but look also at the character of tlie ago in which it was accomplish¬ ed. It wras not a rude unlettered age, nor was it to tho illiterrite alone that the liei-alds ofthe ero.ss were sent.— The tirecian arts and sciences shone forth in their highest splendor, a.nd imperial .Home was in the zenith of her g'lory. At this very remarkable period those iiiexperienecd and uncul¬ tivated ministers of the gospel were sent forth to -jireach Chriat to a fallen world Wherever they went multi¬ tudes fi-oui all cIhssos of soeiely f!oeked j to hear thorn, and bo%ved to Christ.— The temples of idolatry were abandon-1
ed, her altars were forsaken, lier sacri¬ fices wore unbought, and the greatest of all, revolutions were o-ffectod. ]Sfow when we look at the mighty obstacles that Christianity had to encoimter, the character of her ministers, and the great .sueoe.s.=i that attended their ef¬ forts, wo must acknowledge that the hand of Cfod is in it—that Christianity wibs born in heaven tmd brought down to earth by the Stivionr. There is no other ground upon which we can ac¬ count fof this fact.
Cottage Home, Franklin, 0.
Written for the. itosnel Herald.
Prophecy No- 2.
In tho preceding article I proposed to show the fuliilniont of the prophe¬ cies concerning Mystic Babylon. I ;im aware that others, better aeqaain- ted with general liistory than myself. havo written upon those prophecies which history proves to havo been ful¬ filled; and I need not conceal the fact, that the views which I am about to give have been imbibed, pi-incijiajly, from tho writings of othcr.s who havo devotetl much time and study to this truly interesting subjeet. One reason why J. havo undertaken to present these views to tlie readers ofthe Her¬ ald is, that works upon the subject of jirophesy, aro generally either so vol¬ uminous that com]iafatively few per¬ sons ].)0sseBS tbem, or they are wi'ittcii in such a style as places the subject be- yoiifl the eompreliension of common readers. I shall endeavor, therefore, to do like Paul, aud use "great phiin- nesH oC speech."
"Ho ho oiirrted me away in the spir¬ it into the wilderness; tind 1 saw a wo- mtxn sit upon a scarlct-eoloreii beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven lieads aud ten horns. Antl ihe woman was ai-rayed in purjile and scar- lot color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, iind pciiids, having a golden ciiY> in her luind, full of ahoni- inatioiis and fiithiness of her fornica¬ tion, and upon herforeiieadwtisaname written, Mybxhky, Babi i.tiNTiiEGiiE-U', THE MoriiEit i.)V H'aui.otb, and abom¬ inations OE TU'M I'jAU'r}!. And I .saw the woman drunken with tho blood of the saints, and with tlio blood ofthe martyvi:) ofJesus; and when I sawhor, I v/oudcred with great admiration.'''— (Rev. 1'7: 3; G.)    '
The "scarlot-colored beast," upon which the wotnan was sitting, is evi¬ dently the Siime with that spoken of in the 13th chapter. Thoy both havo "seven beads and ten horns;" and in tbe ITtb, he is said to be "full of names of bhisphcray;" while in tho 13th, it is s).tbstantially the same : — " Upon his heads tho name of blasphemy."
It is of much importance that wo identify this' account of the "woman and the bcaat" with as man}- othor proplieeics as possible; ibr by this meana we shall obtain the greater nvm- hi;r of particulars. It will therefore be tn our advantage, in the apjilication of thia proplieey, if wo e;in diseover such jiointa of resonibh-inee- between tliofirst beast of John, ;).iul the "fourth beasf'of Daniel, as will show them to he also identical.
Daniel says of the fourth beast, that "it had ten "horns," aad th tit the ^'little horn" "made war with tho saints, and fA-ercame them," (Dan, T: 21.) So John