Gospel Herald, 1859-06-04

              SPEL HERALD.
Devoted, io Chi-i.stianity, Morality, tlie interests of yabbatli Soliool.=5, Social Iinproveixient, Temperance, Education., and. General Neis^s.
"BEHOLD,   I   BRING   TOU   GOOD   TIDINGS   OP   GEEAT   JOY  ....   ON   EARTH   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TOWAKD   MEN."
VOL. 16.
DAYTON, 0., SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1859.
NO. 5.
ORIGINAL POETRY.
Writ/en/or the Gospd Herald.
A Welcome to June.
All hail to thee, heauteous June!
We greet thee with gla(lnesa and eoug;, For thou drivest away the chill winds,
Which luivo swept o'er the landscape ho long.
Thrice wolcomc, Oh ! heautoous month! , .All nature is vocal with praise; For myriad voices aro tuoed To swcot aud harniouLous lays.
The violets lift thoir meek heads To catch the perfumo of thy hreath ;
Their delicjitc bLosaouia unfold, And Uyo all iu purple, the heath.
The i-osehvuls all own thy soft sway.
Their full hearts are Imrstlnj? with joy ; Wliilo aueniouBH, daffudib, piuks,
Bloom sweetly, thougfi timid and coy.
Wild flowers in copse, aad iu dell, Iu meadows, in gleii, aud in va.le,
Are filling the air with perfiuno, MoL-o sweat than "Bhwt Araljy'^" gule-
The forest trees hear thy soft step, Aud don their hright mantles of green—
More bt'^autiful far thau the roboa That deck either princess or iiueen.
They murmur a carol to thee,
The rivulets join in the song, Tho birds warble forth their sweet notes,
And zephyrs the music pi-olong.
Tlien hail to thee, heauteoUR Juno!
We'll join in the anthem of praiae WliicU goes up from tho forejit and glen,
In BofL and harmoniims lays.
ORIGINALITIES.
Writtenfor tlu: (iofspel Herald.
The Exaltation of Christ.
BY JAMES MAPLE.
*'Go(l also liatli highly e.valto(l bin
lul  giv.
bin
name wKich is above cvfli-y iiaiuo ; that at the name of le¬ gos every kuoe shoultl Imw, of things in heaven, and things iu earth, and things under the oarlli; aud that every tongue should confess that .losus Christ is Lord to tho glory of God the I'athor.''
[concluded.]
III. The Eeasons avhy G od Exalted CiiaisT.
It was done as a reward foi' his hu¬ miliation and suffering. In his pre- existent state he was "in the form of God, thought it not robbery to he equal w ith God: bu.t made himself of no rep¬ utation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the lil^ciicss of men : and being found in ftishion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of tho cross. Wherefore God also hath higbh" exalted him;'' man rejected and crucified him, but God exalted him. The world dishonored him, biit God conferred the highest honors upon him.
It was the hope of this reward tliM. sustained him in all his conflicts with the powers of darkness. ".For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising tho shame, and is set down at tho right hand of tho throne of God."
Christ was exalted through his deg¬ radation. The path to tho scat "at the right hand of the throne of God" led through tempation, povertj-, sorroAv, suffering and the gloomy grave. Thus it shtill be with the christian. The grave is the only pathway that leads to the bright mansions of heaven. If we are made partakers of the sufferings of Christ here we shall also share in
his glories iu lieavon. "The Spirit itaelf beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorifiod together."
It was God that exalted Christ; man degraded him, but God lifted him up. He did not exalt himself The Autocrat of Russia crowns himself because he is the highest ])owor in the empire; and when Bonaparte was crownod Bmjicror of the French he took the consecrated crown from the hands of the Pope and placed it on his brows to show to tho world that he was conscious of the fact that lie owed his elevation to his own sword; but Christ did not act so haughti¬ ly. He was exalted and crowned King of Kiiigs by his Father.
IV. All should Bow to the Au- TiioiiiTY OP Christ.
"At tho name of Jesus every knee should bow." The bending ofthe knee is a token of honor, or worship. We should honor, obey and worship Christ not as the supreme Gotl, but as the Son of God. The doctrine of the Bible on this point is thus stated by Christ him¬ self. "All men should honor the Son even as thoy honor tho Father. He that hoiioreth not tho Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent him." This honor was paid to him by the dis¬ ciples. "Vyiien they witnessed his won¬ derful power in walking on the sea and calming tlio sweeping storm, thoy "came and worshipped him, saying, of a truth thou art the Son of God," They wor- shipjied him as the Son of God.
It is objected that if Christ is not the supreme, unoriginated God, then it is idolatry to worship him; but the honor bestowed upon him as "the Son of God" is, Paul'says, "to the glory of God the Father."
Ail classes of beings are commanded to bow to him. 1st. Things in .Heaven. This means beings in heaven—angels. They were created through the agency of Christ. "For by hiui were all things created that were in heaven." "All things'' include the holy angels. Christ has obtained a more excellent name than the angels.—Heb. 1:4-9. He is exalted above them.—I Peter 3 : 22, They are commanded to, worship him. "When ho bringeth the first begotten into the world, ho saith, and let all the angels of God worship him." They bow tho knee before him and lift up his praises. John says, " I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and tlio beasts, and the elders : and the number of thom. was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and strength and honor, and glory and blessing,"
2. ThingsinFarth. This means men as they alono are capable of rendering homage. All men should bow to the authority of Christ. It is their imper¬ ative duty. This is essential to salva¬ tion. Those who refuse to bow shall be destroyed. "The Lord Jesus shall berevealed from heaven with hismighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the pres¬
ence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be ad¬ mired in all them that believe." Such is the doom of all who refuse to bow to Christ; but niillions have bowed and are now on their way to heaven, or re¬ joicing with the angels around tho throne of Olod.
3d. Things under the Earth. This refers to the spirits of the dead. Thgj- are under the government of Christ. "For this end Christ both died, and rose,, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living." The Greek means that he might rule over "the dead and the living." The spirits of all the dead are under the dominion of Christ. They acknowledge his authority, and sing his praises. John heard and rocorded their song, "They sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to taJjo the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God out of every kindred, and tongue, andpco- 2ile, and nation: and hast made us un¬ to God kings and priests."
It is a thought full of consolation to know that the spirits of our departed friends are with the Savior and under his government. He js their friend and protector still. They are not left to wander away through the wilds of infinite space wi thoiit a friend to guide and protect them. Thoy are with Christ. "Absent from the body" thej^ are "jiresent with the Lord."
AIother,that sweet babe of yours that you followed in sorrow to the grave is inthe hosoni of the Savior. lie has appointed his angels to watch over it and guide it in its onward march in intellectual and spiritual development. It has gone boj ond your watchful care; but it has a wiser and better guide than even a mother. Oh, then, wocp not as those who have no lio]3e.
All men will be made to bow- to the authority of Christ, and acknowledge tiiat he is Lord. Somedo this of their own choice from lovo to Christ. They receive him as their Lord and Master and obey him as such. There is anoth¬ er class who. refuse to acknowledge him as Lord, They live and dio in rebellion; but they will be compelled to bow to the authority of Christ by the rod of his power. Rebellious men and devils will be compelled to ac¬ knowledge him as Lord by an unwil¬ ling, submission to his authority. The rebel against his legal ruler is some¬ times compelled to bow to the authority of the government, not willingly, but because he cannot resist it. Thus it will be with the impenitent sinner in the groat day of eternity. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall east them into a furnace of fire."
ll'ri((ea/or the Gospel Herald.
Religion! What is It?
BY Z. M, ELLIS.
It.is not a matter of theory, and idle speculation. It is not the building up. of isolated, antagoni.stical denomina- tionalism. Nor is it the binding of the consciences of men for opinion's sake, nor donoiineing others as heretics, for an honest difference of opinion.   ]!*}"eith-
er does it consist in long formal pray¬ ers, long heartless sermons, or long senseless talks. Religion is a •principle —the sentiment of love, ruling in the heart. It has God for its author, Christ as its almoner, angels to admire it, christians to possess and enjoy it, and wicked men and devils to hate it. Love, the quintessence of Religion, rules in the mind of God,, and moved him to send his only begottem Son, that who¬ soever believes on him should not per¬ ish, but have eternal life. It was love, also, that induced the vSavior to leave the bright abode of his Father's glory, Mdiere "he was rich, aud for our sakes became poor, that we through his pov¬ erty might bo rich." It was the same principle that led the angels to adore and wonder, when tliey brought the glad news to earth that a Savior wa& born in Bethlehem; and that inspired them with joy as they joined in the song, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." And it.is the same heavenly sentiment that inspires every true Christian's heart—that leads hiiri to revere, adore and obey his heavenly Father; and that prompts liim to deeds of bcnovolenco, and charity to his fel¬ lows—to deal justly and love m&roy, to visit the fiitherless and widows, and to do all they can to elevate the condition of tho fallen race.
Oh! that the professed christian world everywhere, would lesvrn that Religion is a principle, and not a dogma—that it consists in action and not in a mere profession; and that the grand object of this ruling principle is to develope man's moral and spiritual nature, to prepare him for usefulness here, and to fit him for heaven at last.
"Lovois tlie golden chain that biiwls'
The happy souls above ; Aud he's an heir of lieaveri who finds.
His bosom glow with love."
Writlen fiyr the Caspet HrraJd,
"Use of Storms.
BY r. M OULLOUGH.
During the storms that we have just passed through as a denomination, perhaps some discontented and impa< ticnt persons havo regarded them as bad omens, and the harbingers of cer- tam destruction ; and are now looking out for the fulfillment of their appre- liensions.
But as storms are highly adYanta- geous to our world, and without them we sliould be a thousand times more unhappy and iinprosxierous than wo are, I trust that " he who rides upon the storms and gathers, tho winds iu his fists," will overrule .the moral tem¬ pest that lia.s just passed by so that wo may learn wisdom, and become a bet¬ ter people thereby.
Storms aro the best means of purify¬ ing the atmosphere. To be convinced of this we have only to pay a little attention to the weather that prevails during the .stormy season. Storms aro chiefly iastrnmental in dispersing un¬ wholesome fogs, dark and gloomy days, and noxious vapors, distributing bless¬ ings and comfort to all animal nature. The universe is governed by tho same Jaws as man. Man is a littlo world of himself .His health and prosperity in a great mca.sure depend upon agitation —otherwise he would tend to corruption and death.    And as storms are the pu-