Gospel Herald, 1860-05-12

              Oe-^roted to Ohristianity, Morality, tlie Interests of Sal>l->atli Schools, Social Improvement, Temperance, Education, and General Ne-ws.
"BEHOLD, I BRING YOU HOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY .... ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWAED MEN.
VOL. 17.
DAYTON, 0., SATURDAY, MAY 12,1860,
NO.2.
SELECT POETRY.
The Last Good Night.
Close her eyelids—press them gently
O'er the dead and leaden eyes. For the soul that made them lovely,
Hath returned unto the skies. Wipe the death-drops from her forehead,
Sever one dear golden tress. Fold her ioy liands all meelily,
Smootli tho little snowy dress; Scatter llo-wrets o'er her pillow—
Gentle dowers, so pure and white— Lay the bud upon her bosom,
'ihere—now softly say. Good-night.
Thougli our tears How fast and faster,
Yet we would not call her back, We are glad, her feet no longer
Tread lifes rough and thorny track; AVe are glad our Heaverly Father
Took her while her heart was pure; We are glad He did not leave her
All life's trials to endure; We are glad—and yet the tear-drop
Fallcth, for alas! we know That our fireside will be lonely.
We shall miss our darling so.
While the twilight shadows gather,
We shall wait in vain to-feel Little arms, all white and dimpled,
Konnd our neck so softly steal; Our wet cheek will miss the pressure
Of sweet lips so warm and red, And our besom sadly, sadly
Miss that darling little head Which was wont to rest there sweetly; And those golden eyes so bright,
We shall miss their loving glances, We shitU miss their soft Good-night.
When the morrow's sun is shining.
They will take this cherished form. They will boar it to the church-yard,
And consign it to the tomb; Well— what matter I    It is' only
The clay dress our darling wore; God hath robed her as an angel,
She hath need of this no more; Fold her hands, and o'or her pillow
Scatter flowers all pure and white, Kiss the marble brow, and whisper,
Once again, a last Good night.
ORIGINALITIES.
Written for the Gospel Herald.
The Resurrection of Jesus.
BY JOHN SUTTON.
J JINK No. b.
Ho was taken from the cross, and laid in the rocky tomb. By "sealing the stono, and Fotting a watch," every¬ thing was made secure. It seems strange, that, his disciples did not un¬ derstand what the rising from tho dead meant, yet the Chief Priests and Pharisees remembered that Jesiis had said while living, "after three days I will rise again;" and, that they understood what was meant, is evi¬ dent, from their anxiety to have tho "sepulchre made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and sa,y unto the people He is risen from the dead, and the last error shall be worse than the first." Every moans were used to prevent an imposition. A groat stone was rolled to the door, that stone was sealed with the. Governor's authority, which no man might break, without incurring tho penalty of deatli, and a band of "Roman soldiers wcro sot to guard the entrance of tho sepulchre. But those jirecautiions only servo to r-3n.jer tho ftict of the Eesurrection more clear. How insignificant such di3])]ay8 of human power and policy when opposed to God! How easily the angel of Glod icmovodtho stono I ilow little he   cared ..for   tho   G-overnor's
seal! and how soon his countenance, which "was like lightning," melted the courage of these iron-hearted soldiders! Their nerves quiver, their hearts melt with fear, and thoy "become as dead men," But tuo bands of death are loosed, "because it was not possible that he should be holdon of them," and Jesus is raised from the tomb- But there were others who felt a deep in¬ terest in the above circumstance, be¬ side the Chief Priests and Pharisees. When ho was laid in the tomb, one n-ght had passed—the Sabbath had ended, and its peaceful service was over. There might have been seen in an humble dwelling, some females watching with anxiety for the first dawn of day. Tiie glad hour is come. The grey streaks of mingled light aud darkness are extending along the hori¬ zon. Brightorand brighter, tho shades become, until light and darkness are separated, aud tho "day breakcth."
With spices prepared to embalm the body of Jesus, they seek Him in the tomb, but the tomb is empty; Ho is notthere. Their hopes that had rested on Hia life had been taken away, by His crucifixion, and had been buried with him in the tomb; but their love still lingered around tho spot that held His sacred body, and they had come to perform tbe last act of friendship, by embalming with spices, to preserve as long as possible from corruption, that form that had been tho object of so much interest while living. But they found Him not. They sought Him, where he was not, and where he has not been found since. Not amongst the dead, but in a living Christianity, not amidst the gloom ofthe grave, but by a cheerful obedience to the divine will, will we find the Saviour. But they had not so learned Christ. Thej' had seen Him crucified and buried, and beyond that, their faith had not pene¬ trated. There they fepected to find Him, and when they did not, they were sadly disappointed; hence, one of them dospondingly says, "they have taken away my iLiord, and I know not where they havo laid Hira." "If ye have borne Him hence, tell me where yo have laid Him ami I will go and take Him away." Ye affociionate, but sor¬ rowing ones, dry up your tears; a form is near you, and you recognize it not; but listen I He speaks, and "Mary" falls upon hor ear so familiarly, so soothingly, so full of affectionate recog¬ nition, that she doubts uo longer, and yielding to the influence of the light, which, that one word had poured upon her mind, she kneels at iiis feet, and owns Him, her own Eabboui, her Mas¬ ter. "But go tell my brethren that I go before thom into G-allilee." Go spread the news abroad, go share your joys with others; such is the nature of our religion. It pours its light upon us, that wo may enlighten others; it blesses us that ice may bless others.
1. In the Resurrection of Christ, the prophetic words wore fulfilled, fouud ill Zee. "13; 7. "Awake, 0 sword! agahist my shejihord, and against.the man that is my fellow, saith tho Lord of Hosts; smite tho shep- heid, aud tho sheep, sliall be scat¬ tered, luid I will turn my hand upon the little ones." That .lesus is the shepherd needs no proof; that tho wicked is tbo sword invoked, wo aro  well stxtisfied.
and, that in- the death of Jesus, aud the scattering of His disciples; His resurrection, and the gathering of them againto Him; the words of thoprophet were fulfilled, is evident, from the words of Jesus, and tho facts in the ease. "And Jesus said unto them, all ye shall be off'ended because of mo to-night; for it is written, I will smite tho shepherd, and the sheep sh.all be scattered, and after that I am risen, I will go bfifore you into Gallil.ee."—Mark, 14; 27; 28. When Jesus was laid in the tomb, the disciples returned to their former occupations; ono said, "I go a fishing," the others said, "wo will go also." They entered into the ship "but that night they caught nothing." How discouraging. All thoir hopes in Jesus had been blasted, aud now the sea refuses them a breakfast. But tho shadows and darkness of night, often give way to a bright and beauti¬ ful morning. Tho clouds that sur¬ round us hero, hide from our view, but do not put out tho st\n, these clouds pass away, and the rays of tbe glori¬ ous sun, shino again upon our path¬ way. In tho morning, when, perhaps they were ready to give up in despair, a friendly voice hails them with, "chil¬ dren, havo yo any meat!" "No." "Cast the net on tho right side of the ship;" they did so, and were successful. Tho trouble then, was not because there wero no fish in the sea, but they had not sought in the right place. Thus, it often is, we beeome discouraged and conclude there is no good to be ob¬ tained, when our ill-success has been by not seeking in the right place, or right way. But they soon reach the shore, and Jesus makes thom welcome to food provided for thom. Behold now the shepherd that had been smit¬ ten, restored again, and tho sheep that had been scattered, gathered again to Him. God had turned His "hand upon the littlo ones," woll might Peter say, afterwards, "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again, to a lively hope, by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead."
2. Tho resurrection of Christ, the question of the resurrection of tho dead is settled forever; among tho Corinthians, some denied the resurrec¬ tion ofthe dead, whilo they believed in the resurrection of Christ. The apostle teaches them that thoir faith is inconsistent. Tltey must give up the one or concede the other. "Now, if Christ be preached that Ho rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if there he no restirreotiou of tho dead, then is Christ not risen." But now hath Christ risen from the dead, and become tho first fruits of them that slept."
3. Upon the resurrection of Christ rests the facts of Christianity itself.— Take it away, and tho whole super¬ structure falls to the ground. "If Christ be not raised, tlion is your faith vain." It is without founda¬ tion and without cfi'oct; "yo aro yot in your sins;", your salvation is a fancy your joy a mistake, iind your hope a delusion.
But wo havo not believed in vain. Christianity is true. God luUh raised up His Son from tho  dead, and sent
Ilim to bless us, "and if tho spirit of Him who raised Christ up from the dead, dwell in us. Ho that raised Christ lip, will also quicken our mortal bodies by the spirit that dwelleth in us;" yes "this corruptible, shall put on incor¬ ruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality." "These vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto His glori¬ ous body." We.shall "behold the King in his beauty, and see the land that is very far off." Wo shall pluck the ambrosial fruit from life's fair tree, and drink ofthe waters of tiie River of Life forever and over.
Written for tlie Gospel HeraH.
Gospel Herald, Vol. XVII-
BY WM. PINKERTON, JR.
Another volume of the "Forerunner of Glad Tidings," is about being issued from the press, and sent out on its mis¬ sion to mankind. None can ostiniat© the amount of good which has been derived from the sixteen preceding volumes, by the tens of thousands who have perused their pages; nor can it be conjectured with accuratoness, or with any degree of approximation to truthfulness, what benefits will accrue to the thousands of familioB, of which the Herald, during the current year will be a weekly visitant. It ought, then, to be tho aim and object of ev¬ ery contributor of tho Gospel Herald, who assumes a share of tho responsi¬ bility of providing fbr the spiritual wants of such as m.ay be "hungering and thirsting after righteousness;" or in other words, of preparing food for the minds of its numeroit8\-eaders-^it ought, I say, to be our aim and object to impart some useful knowledge, to communicate some valuable informa¬ tion, or to give some religious instruc¬ tion concerning the way of life and salvation, which shall not only benefit the present reader, but also tell upon the future generations of men.
The consideration, that tho influence which we are exerting now, will be felt, perhaps, a hundred or a thousand yoars hence, should impress our minds with a deep sense ofthe importance of whatever wo say or do, But a still moro weighty eonsideration is, that we are living, acting, speaking, wri¬ ting, beneath the all-seeing eye ofthe overy-whero-proEcnt God, who is ever taking cognizance of all our ways, and continually observing the conduct of our lives. Let us, then, speak and act as for eternity. Let us not walk according to tho "cour.soof this world," having "no fear of God before our eyes;" but, whatever we say or do, let us "do all in the name ofthe Lord, to the glory of God, the Father."
The editor, in accepting my propo¬ sal to write for the paper, says, "Give us an ocean of matter in a drop of lan¬ guage." This ia asking too much of mortal man. Ho will havo to goto tboBililc—to the inapircii volume.— There, indeed, ho will fmd, multujn in p«n!0~much in little s])aco. An ocean is'c.ontaiiicd in thisdrop, ''God is love."' Another drop tf language is no less raagnitudinous in its iotrinsie import: ''Thou shall Iokc thy neighbor as thyself." On this, and a similar, but greater drop, "dc|)cnd all tho Law aud the Prophets :"—"noM shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart,