Gospel Herald, 1861-03-23

              Dev<jtfd lo CJhris,Iranity, Morality, the Interests of  Sabbath Schools, Social Impro-remeiit, Teinper-.'ixice, Education, and General Ne-ws. "BEHOLD,   1   BRING   YOU   GOOD   XIDINGH   OF   GREAT   JOT  ....  ON   EARTH   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TOWARD   HEN."
VOL. 17.
,BAYTOiN[, 0., SATURDAY, MARCH 23,1861.
NO. 45.:
ORIGIN5AL POETRY,
Written for Ihe Qospet  Uxali.
Zion's Desolation.
ai   J.   HADISO.V   WILLIAMa.
0,   Zion 1 city of my King,
The favored habitation. Not of thy glory will I sing,
But of thy desolation.
I cunnot view without regret, '   Dread ruin pending o'er thee; Nor see thy precious walls beset By foes, aud not deplore thee.
Thy children's state I now bemoan, For dead is their devotion,    '
The prince ot glory, they disown, And seek their own promotion.
No more is heard the shepherd's voice,
Within the congregatiou; No more thy favored ones rejoice.
Nor offer their oblation.
Within thy courts in pompoua etato,
Tlie acorner sits deriding, And 'neath the portals of thy gate,
Lo I traitors' forms are gliding.
Enslaved by care, the Porter stands.
Unmindful of his duty; While   fiends make   haste   with wantori hands,
To rob thee of thy beauty.
Upon thy walls the watchmen dream.
Of "Zion's restitution;" Whilehighon every hill-top gleam,
The fires of persecution.
Why dwell in ease ? arise! awake I
And call on Judah's Lion; Will you God's dwelling-place forsake?
Will you abandon Zion ?
ORIGINALITIES.
Written for the GoipU Herald
The 8th Chapter of 1st  Corinthian.
R. M. TH0MA8.
Ah somu have been perplexed on tho doctrine contained in this ch.ip- ter, I have thought proper to give my thoughts on a jiart ofit at least. Now as touching things offered unto idols, wo knowthat we all havo kiiow- Icdgo Knowledge puffoth up, but charity cdifietb, It was well known in that day and age of the world, how the Idol worship was conducted, but in tho present day and age, mahy do not undorstartd it; never having seen the ceremonies of Idol worship per¬ formed. Tbe 'manner of worshiping tho true God under tho law in the temple of Jerusalem, is plainly set forth and can bo understood, it care¬ fully examined, aud it is quite probable that tho idol worship, in some points at Icu.it, was conducted in a similar manner. 'In the true i worship, a, pait of each animal offered in sacrifice, with a few exceptions, are eaten by the peo¬ ple. There were somo whole-burnt of¬ ferings; and somo all the flesh was oaten by tho people, as in tho passover. And in tho Idol worship, the sacrifice wsls prepared for eating on an altar dedicated to tin Idol or imaginaiy God, and then sot bcforo the people, and they eat'it as oftercd unto tho Idol praising the God of wood or stone; or jicrhaps some departed hero that had been deified; not having tho knowh dge of tho true God, or forsaking tho true God, bcingbetter pleased with Idolatry because it waa more congenial to Lheir
nature, the lust of the flesh &c. As coaoerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacri fiee to Idols, we know (that is we Christiana) that an Idol is nothing in the world, and thatthere is none other God but one, for though there be that are called Gods many, &c.; but unto us (Christians) there is but one God, the Father &c.. How be it there is not in every man that knowledge, for some with conscience of tho Id'ol, unto this hour, oat it as a thing offered unto an Idol, and their conscience being weak, is defiled—that is, not being sufficient¬ ly instructed in the principles of the doctrine of Christ, they are led in so doing, to praiso the gods that Can nei¬ ther see, feel, hear, smell, or taste, and consequently; can do them no good, and thoy forget the true God; and go parish. Bat meatcommehdeth us not to God, for neither if we eat are we the better; neither if wo eat not, are wo the worse; that is, wo Christians that are strong and havo knowledge. But take heed, lest by any means, this li bony of yours becomes a stumbling block to those that are weak. The foi lowing may be implied, for thero is no daiigc!' of us that are strong and have knowledge, if we do oat, or see othci's eat meat offered in sacrifice to Idols, for we know'that an Idolis nothing in the world, then if we are hungry'it is no harm for us to eat, but if there is a weak brother that has not been fully instructed in tho principles ofthe doc¬ trine of Christ, who lately worshipped idols and haanotyet got a sufficient store of grace to enable him to with¬ stand tho temptation of the evil ono, take heed,' lost bo see you set at moat in tho Idol's temple, and thereby be emboldened to eat in the Idol's temple, and 60 bo led to j fUiso the Godof wood or stone, o'ld thii ajxh thy knowledge, shall the weak brol h >r perish, for whom Christ died. But in these days, all the flesh that is offered in sacrifice- to Idols, is offered to Bachus. Men sacri fice themaelves, soul and body, to Bach us, by partakirg of tho intoxicating bowl', and shall wo that are strong and havo knowledge, -in order to gratify an artificial a'ppetite, make use of what ia dedicated, or ofi'ered to Bachus and is daily causing hundreds to per ish for whom C hrlsf died. You that think you are not accountatilo to God for your example, think on this sub ject. The Apostle closes the chapter by saying; if eating meat should cause his brother to beoomo offended and turn back into Idolatry again, and perish, ho would oat no meat while tho world Dtandeth. Likewise, all Chris¬ tians in tho present day, should say, if drinking a little ardent spirits should cause brethren that is weak, to offend, drink, and turn away from the true God and worship Bachus, and so per¬ ish, thoy will drink no moro whilethe world standoth.
WflUen for (he Gotpd Serald
Crumbs from a Christian Pulpit.
It is a wondcrfuTfact, that when the will yields to the precepts of Ohrist, and wo endeavor with singleness of purpose, to make them the rule of our lives, all doubt in regard to the divin¬ ity of religion at once vanishes No man can resolutely attempt to follow Christ in tho fpotlessnoss of his life—
in his self-denial—his philanthropy— his piety, without feeling that a now element of regenerating power has been infused into his being. Ho is just as conscious that ho is going upon higher grounds; that he is becoming a wiser and a better man, as the student is, that by constant toil, he increases his stock of actual knowledge.
Let him commence with tho most unfashionable and irksome of all Ghris- tion duties, viz: self-denial. If he is ill-tempered and morose, lot him begin to subdue his temper, and cultivate kindliness and gentleness. It he is penurious and hard-hearted, let hira deal generously with liis fellow-men If he is proud and self-conscipus, if ho has looked upon himself as bettor than others, let him crucify bis high thoughts, and bo modest and brother¬ ly, if appetite has mado him its slave, let him conquer it, and declare himself a free man. And even in that hiird work of self-denial, ho shall experience a quickening of the finest powers of his soul, hitherto dormant, a contem¬ poraneous growth of all his better na^ turo. It shall bo as it was on the morning of creation, when a flood of golden light broke in upon tho new- made world, revealing tbe beauty and order so recently born ofchaoa. Then, and not till then, shall ho realize the worth of his manhood, and the joy of his new experience shall bo unuttera¬ ble and full of glory.
Jji >K ^ ^ ^        ¦ ^
A man long addicted to his cups, who has disgraced himself and his family, resolves to reform. He works to morrow, strug-^ling manfully against his thirst forstimulous, and at evening spends his day's wages for articles that will make his wife and children com¬ fortable. He carries them home! He calls his family around him. He tolls them of the'vow ho hiis made, jind asks to be forgiven ofthe great crimes he has committed against them. He Ibcn presents the proceeds of hia day's labor as proof of his determination, and sits down to spend hia evening at home. And there is in that family, not only such ecstacy as tho children bfluxiiry, in gorgeous palaces never experienced, but all the pleasure of all the drunken revels since Satan invent¬ ed rum, if concentrated into tho expe¬ rience ofa singlo person, for a singlo hour, could no moro be compartid to the joy that man experiences in per¬ forming his act of self denial, and ta¬ king his piaco in his family again, while the fore-gleams ot better days, help him to forget the past, than tho incoherent mutterings of idiocy can, to tho flowing language ofthe muses, or tho contents of his wine cup, to the noctar of tho gods. That single act of self-denial, operates upon hia moral nature, like a battery charged with tho Holy Spirit
*       *       * *       *       *
Wo may sing of christian virtues in the sweetest strains, aud discusi^ them as abstract questions, with all the charms of eloquence, and yet be as ig¬ norant of lheir sj^rit and power, as a Chimpanzee is of tho practical value of education
****** Even,the dog is filled with delight and lea]3S for joy,  or in seeming grief and disappointment  seeks his kennel,
as ho roads tho smile or the frown upon bis master's countenance. Are we less sensitive to those high spiritual influ-' ences which como within the range of our being, or has tho smilo of the'lnfi- nite Father less power over the human ¦ soul.
****** Tbo idea that aristocracy is in posi¬ tion and not in race, and brains, and heart—that any necessary work is dis-' reputable underlies niuch that is fi-.'ti-; ticus and immoral in society, Tho real disgracois in havinga mind which cannot rise abovo tho labor of the hands. Ifthe mind of the merchant: is as narrow as his tape, and that of; the cooper as hollow as his cask, there- - in is the degredation. But labor, productive labor is tho eapitol of tho world, and he whoso hands or whose brain produces something to meet a' want of humanity ia tho true r.ri8to-: crat.
* *       *       *'     *       *
Ho who builds an elegant residence,' and  ,lays   out   and    ornaments   his grounds tastf'ully, and he wild rides in a magnificent carriago, veith a liveried: servant, if you please, and at the sa'mo- timo remembers that ho is only aman, : and no better tlian other men because ; of his wealth, ia an icalculable blessing ' to any community.    Tho beauty ot'hia' premises is aa beneficient as the sun's , rays. It shines   out   in all directions,, and is common   property.    You and, I enjoy the tasLc, tho  cleganco, tvhilo he   superintends tho work iind paya tho taxes.    But if the young man who is strugijiing with   poverty, altcmpts to imitate this millionaire in st}leof dress and costly pleasures, he bci omcs a living lie in   tho   estimation oi all honest and intelligent people, and is on the liigh road to crime and ruin. Ho is trying to   appear   what every oho knows he is not, and in the very attempt    debauches    his   own   moral nature.
* *        * *        *        *
Young man do not bo ashamed of a pluin coat, young woman do not bo ashamed cf a cheap dress If they are as good as your means will allow you to -^voar, stand up unabashed, in the dignity of your nature, choosing honesty anil fair dealing with your¬ selves and tho world, and you will bo honotcd and respected all the more by thobC \\ho-,e respect is worth having. Hare to bo true o yourseleves and your ciicmstancea, aud never tnako the futdc attempt to co-vcr mental and moral defects by a mcritriciouB dis¬ play
* ^       *        *       *       *
Tbo powdered and perfumed dandy who thinks,  moro    ot  jewelry  than genius—of .bcjxuty  than  brains, maj^ scorn  tho young   man who wears a cheap dress, 'tlhat ho may save sitae- , thing for books tliroiigh which to com- , mune with the niost gifted minds of | tbo   world, and  the tiimless butterfly of fashion, 'that floats on  tho ligh'tcst i breeze, may deride tho young woman who labors with her hands topiocuro ^¦- the means of mental cuUurc, but by ' tho im mil tabic law of compensation, the second shall   soon    be set in tbo Intclleciual heavens, to shine, as sung With orig nal splendor, and tho stoi ned, aftei a few metoric   flashes, shall go out in blackness and darkness forever.