Page images
PDF
EPUB

victory, and all things subjected to the moral order of the universe, would afford subjects of sublime contemplation, and themes for social converse, on which enlightened and renovated minds would expatiate with ever-growing improvement, and ever-growing pleasure.

The providential dispensations of God towards the human race, would form another subject of investigation, which would be prosecuted with feelings of astonishment, admiration and reverence. The history of all nations would be carefully perused-not for the purpose of admiring the exploits of mighty conquerors and barbarous heroes, and feasting the imagination on spectacles of human. slaughter and devastation-but for exciting abhorrence of those depraved passions which had drenched the earth with blood-for drawing forth the tear of pity over the graves of slaughtered nations-for stimulating the exercise of those holy affections which restored peace and tranquillity to the world for acquiring a display of the rectitude of the moral character of God, and the equity of his administration among the nations-for tracing the accomplishment of divine predictions-for illustrating the long-suffering and forbearance of God, and for exciting admiration of that inscrutable wisdom by which the whole train of events was conducted, so as to set restraining bounds to the wrath of man, and to make it subservient to the introduction of the reign of happiness and peace. In all the revolutions of past ages, and in all the events that daily passed in review before them, they would uniformly recognize the agency and the purposes of that Almighty Being "who doth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth," and who is carrying forward all the plans of his government to a glorious consummation.

Every useful invention, every new instrument for investigating the operations of nature, every new discovery in the earth, or in the heavens, every exploration of an unknown region of the globe, every branch of commerce and manufacture, every new mode of facilitating labour and improving the productions of the soil; every improvement in the ease and rapidity of travelling, and of conveying intelligence from one region to another, and every art and science, would be consecrated, in some form or

other, to the service of God, and to the accomplishment of the objects of general benevolence. One grand diffusive principle, manifesting itself in numberless ramifications, would pervade the whole mass of society; and one grand aim, the honour and glory of the Creator, and the universal diffusion of happiness in every direction, and among every rank of sentient and intelligent beings, would be the unceasing endeavour of men of all nations, and kindreds and languages. The whole mass of this world's inhabitants would appear like one vast celestial army marching forward in harmony to the regions of bliss, every one, in his appointed order, passing in peace and tranquillity through the gates of death, to join the general assembly above, and to augment and enliven the congregation of the heavens.

On such a world the God of heaven would look down with complacency and his providential care would be exercised in averting those physical evils which now increase the moral wretchedness of mankind. His eye would be continually upon them for good, and his ear would be ever open to their requests. Then that glorious scene presented to the view of the apostle John, would be fully realized," Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them; and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more curse, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things have passed away." To such a world celestial messengers would rejoice to wing their downward flight, on messages of love. Their visits, which have been "few, and far between," and which have been long interrupted by the malevolence of men, would be again resumed; and those "morning stars" that shouted for joy when this fair creation arose into existence, would be filled with unutterable delight when they beheld moral order restored, and the smiles of universal love irradiating the inhabitants of, our globe, and would shout even with more extatic joy, than they did before, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good will among men !"

Alas! such a picture as that which we have now faintly sketched, has never yet been realized in the moral as¬

pect of the inhabitants of this world. To the eye of an angelic intelligence, while he hovers over our globe in his flight through the planetary regions, nothing appears but a vast cloud of moral darkness and depravity, with here and there only a few faint' radiations of truth and love emerging from the general gloom. He beholds throughout the whole extent of Africa, from the shores of Barbary and Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope-throughout the vast regions of Asia and its numerous islands, and throughout four-fifths of the continent of America, little else than one wide scene of moral desolation, where idolatry and superstition, tyranny and ambition, treachery and cruelty, war and dissension reign triumphant among almost every tribe; and where scarcely a single ray of divine light and divine love, gilds the horizon, from the one end of these extensive regions to the other. Even in Europe, where the light of science and of Revelation is converged to a focus, what an immense cloud of moral darkness still appears enveloping its population? The fields of Waterloo, of Leipsic, of Borodina, and of Smolensko, where so many thousands of human beings were sacrificed to the demon of war-the vales of Switzerland and Hungary, the plains of France and Italy, the anarchy and commotions of Spain and Portugal, and the ensanguined shores of Turkey and Greece, where massacres have been perpetrated with the rage and fury of infernal demons, bear witness to the melancholy fact, that hatred and malignity still hold the ascendancy over the nations of Europe, and over all the efforts of benevolence and love.

But, we trust, that the period is fast approaching, when the breath of a new spirit shall pervade the inhabitants of every clime, and when holy love shall unite all the tribes of mankind in one harmonious society. When the messengers of the Prince of Peace" shall run to and fro" from the north to the south, and from the rising to the setting sun; when the sound of the gospel-trumpet shall re-echo throughout every land when the light of Divine Revelation shall diffuse its radiance on the benighted nations; when its sublime doctrines and moral requisitions shall be fully understood and recognized in all their practical bearings, and when the energy of that Almighty Spit which reduced to light and order, the dark and shapeless chaos, shall be

exerted on the depraved and benighted minds of the mass of this world's population-then the death-like slumber which has seized upon the race of Adam shall be broken; the dead in trespasses and sins shall awake to new life and activity; this bedlam of the universe will be restored to reason and intellectual freedom, and to the society of angelic messengers, and the face of the moral creation will be renewed after the image of its Maker. Then wars shall cease to the ends of the earth, and anarchy and dissension shall convulse the nations no more; violence will no more be heard in any land, "liberty will be proclaimed to the captives, and the opening of the prisondoors to them that are bound." The spirit of malevolence will be vanquished, its power will be broken, and its operations demolished. The order and beauty of the celestial system will be restored. "Holiness to the Lord" will be inscribed on all the implements and employments of mankind. Kindness and compassion will form the amiable characteristic of every rank of social life. Love will spread her benignant wings over the globe, and reign uncontrolled in the hearts of all its inhabitants. For thus saith the voice of Him who sits on the throne of the universe, "Behold I make all things new-I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Be ye glad, and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying."

SECTION VI.

Universality of the principles of love to God, and to fellowintelligences.

THE grand principles of morality to which I have now adverted, are not to be viewed as confined merely to the inhabitants of our globe, but as extending to all intel

lectual beings. They form the basis of the moral laws, which govern all intelligences throughout the vast universe, in whatever world or region of infinite space they may have their physical residence; and they constitute the bond which unites to the supreme intelligence, and to one another, all holy beings, wherever existing in the wide empire of Omnipotence. This will at once appear, if we reflect, for a moment, on what has been stated in the preceding sections. We have seen, that, if those laws or principles were reversed, and were the moral agents of our world to act accordingly, nothing would ensue, but anarchy, wretchedness, horror and devastation, and ultimately a complete extermination of the race of mankind. And, by parity of reason, it will follow, that, were the same principles to operate in any other world, however different the capacities, relations and physical circumstances of its inhabitants might be, similar disastrous effects would be the inevitable result; and were they to pervade all worlds, disorder and misery would reign un controlled throughout the whole intelligent system.

When the Creator brought any particular world into existence, and peopled it with inhabitants, we must suppose, that the laws to which I am now adverting, were either formally addressed to them by some external revelation, or so powerfully impressed upon their moral constitution, as to become the main spring of all their actions, so long as they might retain the original principles implanted in their minds by the Author of their existence. Any other supposition would be fraught with the most absurd and horrible consequences. It would be subversive of every idea we are led to form of the character of the Divine Being, inconsistent with the perfect benevolence and rectitude of his nature, and incompatible with the relations in which rational beings stand to Him and to one another, and with the harmony and happiness of the universe, to suppose, that any creatures now exist, or ever can exist, to whom such commands as these would be given,-"Thou shalt hate thy Creator, who is the source of thine existence ;" and, "Thou shalt hate all thy fellow-intelligences, with whom thou mayest associate." And, if the mind would recoil with horror, at the idea of such laws issuing forth from

« PreviousContinue »