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conceits;" but it requires more wisdom to observe the other precept of the same Solomon, who immediately adds, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou shouldst be like to him."

To obey both precepts in one and the same case, is not always an easy task. We endeavor to do this by merely showing the folly of the fool, not by treating him according to his folly. Instead of calling him a fool, we only aim to show that he is acting the part of a fool, in discoursing against that of which he is as ignorant as he can be of the true physiognomy of the man of the moon, whether he be a Caucasian, Mongolian, American, African, or Australian.

It ought to suffice, that no one has ever shown a real error perpetrated by any one of the sacred penmen from Moses to the visions of John. It is, indeed, as much in good taste as in wisdom, to clothe some ideas in delicate or in strong imagery, according to the quality and attainments of the pupil. The infant school is not the only school that requires this art and wisdom. With the Ancient of Days, the most reverend patriarch is a babe. Hence, the truest philosophy only aims to show how little can be known of God and of man, or of the stupendous universe to which we belong. A. C.

THE HOPE OF IMMORTALITY THE TRUE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-IMPROVEMENT.-[ Continued from p. 644.]

HOPE AND FEAR NECESSARY TO OUR PRESENT WELL-BEING.

HOPE and fear have a three-fold influence upon our nature. They appeal to our instincts, to our natural affections, and to

our reason.

"Our instincts are moved by those impressions on our senses which convey ideas of pleasure and pain, irrespective of moral considerations thus certain properties of things, being the natural provocatives of appetite, are associated with desire of indulgence; and, as far as these appetites are concerned, we may hope for the possession of their appropriate object, or we may fear their loss. These instincts imperatively demand attention, since they are the ground-work of our social existence, as creatures dependent on bodily adaptation and supply; and however philosophic may be our habits of contemplation, when well furnished with bodily appliances, our reasonings will avail nothing in appeasing the pangs of hunger or of thirst. It is, doubtless, the prerogative of reason, to control

the instincts by religious and moral motives, by hopes and fears, in relation to our Maker, our fellow-man, and our family affinities; the body must be so far kept in subjection, as that appetite may be appeased, as a necessity towards higher purposes, rather than indulged as an end in itself; but yet the physical demands of our existence are so immediately imperative and so regular in their recurrence, that to reason against their dominion, without providing for their moderate idulgence, were as vain as to bid the ordinances of nature to obey your voice, because the alternative of light and darkness happens not to suit your notions of propriety. Holiness is obedience to the law for divine purposes, and God is obeyed by using the body under the blessed restrictions of Christian temperance; for thus the whole life becomes eucharistic, being dedicated to the Holy One in prayer and thanksgiving. If, then, even the devoutest saint must yield, and that in faith, to the instinctive cravings which arise from the state of the body, how shall we suppose that men, whose minds are moved for the most part by appetite alone, shall be able to resist them? He must have a strong spiritual faith of some kind, who is not a rebel at heart, when called upon by authority to starve, while he sees that the plenty of his neighbor is so protected that even charity cannot touch it."

He, then, sadly misconceives of the character of the Christian Religion, who conceives that the holiness therein taught requires of him to resist the instincts of his nature by turning a heedless ear to the cravings of appetite, which the Author of his being has implanted, to be obeyed in such a manner as shall conduce to the glory of his Maker and to the well-being of the creature. Such abstinence from meats and drinks, which God has provided for the body, and to be received with thanksgiving, may denote a strong spiritual faith, but it savors strongly of a false and deceitful religion. Papistic it may be, but divine it cannot be, seeing it is at war with the instincts of our nature, and, consequently, with that divine wisdom which, in its adaptations of our nature, is as remarkable for its munificent goodness, as it is for any other of its manifestations in the providential government of his creatures.

"Although reason has no morality but in governing the instincts, yet if the instincts be not suitably provided for, nature is outraged. To offer to a man in want of bread, the Kingdom of Heaven, that he might not perish in his sins, would be worse than the unnatural conduct of a father who, when his son would ask bread, would give him a stone; it were to insult the God of Providence, in the person of his needy creature. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, are as

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binding and as divine as any precept of the decalogue; and the way in which the Almighty teaches the hopes of heaven, is daily to supply the wants which belong to earth; and those who willingly place themselves in the way, so as by the craft of covetousness to divert the gifts of God's bounty from the homes of their fellow-men, are hateful at heart now, and are to be hereafter especially marked as the accursed. To do good, is to communicate to the needy and to administer comfort to the distressed.

This word comfort means so much of present accommodation as will allow hope to sit smiling with us in our homes, and prevent the intrusion of any dispiriting apprehension of coming want. But if hope and comfort be wanting in any dwelling, what can be the motive most prevalent there? Ask what is the temper of the tiger, hunted into his lair, and there torn by dogs; and then ask what a sinful man feels, with his capacity of loving, hating, hoping, and fearing, aggravated to the utmost, and having persuaded himself that the selfishness of his potent neighbor has rendered his home a hell. It is true, he may experience a more intolerable and common torment; he may feel that he has brought desolation and misery upon himself and his family by his own guilt. But in either case, how is he to be helped? I say by his encouragement to hope, and by his reasons to fear. Let him feel that the condemnation of his neighbor does not deliver himself from judgment. As a rational being, let him be persuaded to exert himself. But how can that be without hope? Instinct prompts to seek death, rather than to live on in a world without hope; and it will be no wonder, if one who knows nothing of the divine method of doing justice, should imagine that he is fulfilling the law of Heaven by wreaking his own vengeance according to the blindness of his fury and his ignorance. That man can have no idea of hope, but in relation to his instincts. First, show him plainly how to satisfy his appetites safely, comfortably, and with a feeling of home, and fellowship, and responsibility, and then you may be able to convey to him the idea of a nobler enjoyment and a diviner hope. Give him means; give him something to do for himself; and then instruct him as to what the Saviour has done for him. He will scarcely be convinced of sin by his sufferings; he must be able to look at the reason for his hopes and his fears; he must be softened and soothed by the sacred spirit of kindness, bringing proofs before his eyes that heaven has not forsaken him, but rather has sent angels to minister to him, before he can feel afraid of his own sins.

The thief on the cross was not converted by his own sufferings,

but because he saw the Son of God suffering. This man has done nothing amiss, was the reason for calling him Lord, since his own conscience informed him that, if the righteous suffer, there must be a kingdom beyond this world. The Saviour's good deeds had been such mighty witnesses for him, that his Divinity was plainly seen by the man who felt that he needed salvation; and thus God ever reveals himself through those who are obedient to His will; and if we expect to teach the divine character of Christianity without embodying its spirit in ourselves, in deeds of kindness, we are but verbal Christians, ready, perhaps, to give our bodies to be burned in proof of the sincerity of our opinions, and all our goods to feed the poor, for the manifestation of our bubble merits; while charity, in the true sense, never moved a thought in our minds or a muscle in our limbs. But there is nothing so terrible as the unresisting gentleness of a soul governed only by truth, and determined to prove it by dying, if necessary, to declare it. It is this that appeals to the Almighty, as the vindicator of the oppressed, the innocent, the obedient; and it proves that Jesus, the Lamb led to the slaughter, was really the Son of God, and that his blood was on his murderers only to save them, if they repented in His name."

Such is a development, in part, of the Divine Philosophy of the precept, "To do good and to communicate, forget not." As our Almighty Benefactor does good unto all, making his sun to arise with warmth and life in its beams, and sending His rain to water the earth, that it may bring forth for the wants of his needy creatures to fill the hearts of all, good and bad, just and unjust, with food and gladness; and by so doing, is inviting all to look to Him for a full supply of all the wants of their entire nature. Those who thus imitate Him in dispensing His bounties to their needy fellowcreatures, cannot but enjoy the conscious assurance, that "with such sacrifices God is well pleased." A. W. C.

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ENDOWMENT OF BETHANY COLLEGE.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo., September 16, 1851.

Brother Campbell: In the August number of the Harbinger I see from you a proposition to visit, conditionally, the State of Missouri. Upon that proposition I wish to make a few suggestions.

That the brethren in this State feel a deep interest in the permanent endowment of Bethany College, I feel well assured; and that their willingness to contribute to that endowment is fully equal to SERIES IV.-VOL. I.

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their ability, I have just as little doubt. Put them to the proof, and I believe no State in the Union can furnish an equal number of men, of no more wealth, who are more ready or more willing to contribute of their substance to support Bethany College. Our brethren are not wealthy, but they are generous and true. They have not, heretofore, moved in this matter as, perhaps, the Faculty of Bethany College may think they should have done. Many are the apologies which might be offered for this seeming tardiness. They have had their lands to purchase, which, in most instances, has exhausted their funds. They have had meeting-houses to build, school-houses to erect, houses to render comfortable, with numerous other demands for money not necessary to be named. Many of our communities have not yet recovered from these embarrassments; and yet I confidently predict, that not one of them will falter when called upon to act. From St. Joseph to St. Louis, try them, and I fear not to say they will prove themselves worthy of their steady zeal in the cause of truth and uniform liberality, in its support. Locate Bethany College in any eligible county in the State of Missouri, and my word for it, before the bell shall summon the first class together, Missourians will endow it with a hundred thousand dollars. But as this cannot now be done, we will devote our attention to what is still within our power-the endowment of Bethany College where it is.

As to the point where you shall commence your peregrinations, and the length of time to be spent with us, you will not think it uncourteous to intimate our wishes. I would, then, suggest to your self, and submit to the brethren throughout the State, the propriety of commencing at St. Joseph. At this point spend one week. This would afford all the brethren, even to the distance of fifty miles around and they would come a hundred-time to form your acquaintance personally, and to be made fully acquainted with the prospects and claims of Bethany College. Besides, it would afford all classes an opportunity of hearing you discuss, at length, the solemn interests of Christianity a matter, in no event, to be thought of second-rate importance. I do hold, that the good you might effect in this way would be incalculable. Next, select some point distant from St. Joseph, say thirty or forty miles, and on your route to St. Louis. At this second point spend the same length of time, and pursue about the same course as at the former place. Continue thus through the State, which would require some three months. From all intermediate points the brethren would meet you; and laterally, they would come from almost every part of the State, if informed beforehand where they could meet with you. In this way you would bring together the brotherhood of the entire State, and, I seriously believe, would effect more good than by six such visits as your former one. Then the puzzle was, not to ascertain your whereabouts, with a view of becoming acquainted with you, or of hearing you speak; but to calculate the rapidity of your flight, that brethren might intercept you, for the sake, at least, of a passing glance, as you made your rapid transit across the State. From this you must not infer that the brethren were not duly thankful for that visit; for indeed they are not yet done feeling grateful for it. And in the ratio of its

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