FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  
s to regulate the inward affections of the soul, and through them the outward life. Thus it lays the axe at the root of all sin. It is a _reasonable_ code, giving to God the first place in the human heart, and to man only a subordinate place. Its first and great commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" its second, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Thus it lays broad and deep the foundations of a righteous character. If any moral proposition is self-evident, it is that such a code as this, which exalts God to the throne of the human soul and humbles man beneath his feet, is not the offspring of human self-love. If any one would know the difference between the Bible and a human code of morals, let him read Cicero's treatise _on Duties_, perhaps the best system of ethics which pure heathenism ever produced, but from which man's relation to deity is virtually left out. It is a _comprehensive_ code, not insisting upon one or two favorite virtues, but upon all virtues. Just as the light of the sun is white and glistering because it contains in itself, in due proportion, all the different sorts of rays, so the morality of the Bible shines forth, like the sun, with a pure and dazzling brightness, because it unites in itself, in just proportion, all the duties which men owe to God and each other. Many who outwardly profess Christianity do not make the precepts of the Bible their rule of life, or they do so only in a very imperfect way, and thus scandal is brought upon the name of Christ, whose servants they profess to be. But it is self-evident that he who _obeys_ the Bible in sincerity and truth is thus made a thoroughly good man; good in his inward principles and feelings, and good in his outward life; good in his relations to God and man; good in prosperity and adversity, in honor and dishonor, in life and death; a good husband and father, a good neighbor, a good citizen. If there is ever to be a perfect state of society on earth, it must come from simple obedience to the precepts of the Bible, obedience full and universal. No man can conceive of any thing more glorious and excellent than this. We may boldly challenge the unbeliever to name a corrupt passion in the heart or a vicious practice in the life that could remain. Let every man love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself, and bolts and bars, prisons and penitentiaries, would be unnecessary. One might safely jou
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
neighbor
 

obedience

 

evident

 
proportion
 

profess

 

precepts

 

virtues

 

outward

 

relations

 

feelings


principles

 
prosperity
 

dishonor

 
father
 
citizen
 

husband

 

adversity

 

imperfect

 

scandal

 

brought


perfect

 

sincerity

 

affections

 

Christ

 

servants

 
remain
 

practice

 

corrupt

 

passion

 

vicious


safely

 

unnecessary

 
prisons
 

penitentiaries

 

unbeliever

 

challenge

 

universal

 

regulate

 

simple

 

society


conceive
 
boldly
 

excellent

 

glorious

 

Cicero

 
treatise
 

commandment

 
morals
 
Duties
 

subordinate