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with this life; but the superior law-the moral law-the "higher law," that which transcends all other laws-lives immortal in the human soul! If a man violates his moral sense before he sleeps, he will certainly feel the consequences thereof on the following morning. Nor does it make any difference within him, whether on the morning he awakens on earth or in the Spiritual World! He takes the record of his moral violations with him,-on his moral constitution; and, when he becomes fully awakened to his condition in the Spirit Land, he readily perceives and feels the legitimate consequences of his deeds, whether good or evil. He sees and feels that his punishment consists in the small degree of happiness which at the time he is only capable of enjoying. He sees and feels that he has neglected to develop and improve his moral and religious faculties; and that, in the same proportion, he is punished by being deprived of those high happinesses with which the morally just are constantly blessed! "The science of man's whole nature," says George Combe, "animal, moral, and intellectual, was never more required to guide him than at present, when he seems to wield a giant's power, but in the application of it to display the ignorant selfishness, willfulness, and absurdity of an overgrown child. History has not yielded half her fruits, and can not yield them until mankind shall possess a true theory of their own nature. Many persons believe that they discover evidence against the moral government of the world, in the success of individuals not greatly gifted with moral and intellectual qualities, in attaining to great wealth, rank, and social consideration, while men of far superior merit remain in obscurity and poverty. But the solution of this difficulty is to be found in the consideration, that success in society depends on the possession, in an ample degree, of the qualities which society needs and appreciates, and that these bear reference to the state in which society finds itself at the time when the observation is made. In the savage and barbarous conditions,

bodily strength, courage, fortitude, and skill in war, lead a man to the highest honors; in a society like that of modern England, commercial or manufacturing industry may crown an individual with riches, and great talents of debate may carry him to the summit of political ambition. In proportion as society advances in moral and intellectual acquirements, it will make larger demands for similar qualities in its favorites. The reality of the moral government of the world appears from the degree of happiness which individuals and society enjoy in these different states. If unprincipled commercial and political adventurers were happy in proportion to their apparent success; or if nations were as prosperous under the dominion of reckless warriors as under that of benevolent and enlightened rulers; or if the individuals who compose a nation enjoyed as much serenity and joy of mind when they advanced the bold, selfish, and unprincipled to places of trust and power, as when they chose the upright, benevolent, and pious,—the dominion of a just Creator might well be doubted. But the facts are the reverse of these.”"

There are other points of thought, connected with this subject, to which I shall, on future occasions, direct your attention. But I now conclude this discourse, by urging you to the strictest obedience to all the laws of your being. For physical happiness, obey the physical laws; for organic happiness, obey the organic laws; for moral happiness, obey the moral laws; but, let it be remembered that, one set of these laws can not be violated without, to some certain extent, disturbing the peace of the general economy and life. The moral law holds a superiority over every other law; and this is the most important principle for every man to obey. In this lies the true sources of happiness, and that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.

LECTURE XXV.

A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE SATAN
SATAN WHICH TEMPTED

JESUS OF NAZARETH.

OCCASIONALLY it may be proper and useful to take a text and to preach a sermon. And yet there are evidently two evils flowing from this custom, so universally adopted throughout Christendom. One evil is that exhibited in the nature of the discourse which succeeds the text. A mind selects some passage from the Old or New Testament, writes it down at the beginning of the book, and then bends all its energies to elaborate a sermon which will conform strictly with the apprehended letter and spirit of the text. Now this is an evil. And yet the mind is favorably disciplined by the method. But the evil consists in the determination on the part of the clergyman, or any one who pursues this custom, to write just what the text implies, or nearly so, and let the sermon go for truth. Good maxims are very suggestive, and may be taken as mottoes to a discourse, but to frame a sermon from the mere suggestion of any passage is to allow the mind no opportunity to avail itself of fresher inspirations. Sermonizing upon texts has become a profession like every other trade. It requires, however, considerable native talent. and mental energy to render such a profession successful and attractive. If a man designs to write his discourse with special reference to the letter of the text, then he requires no little genius in order to analyze and expand the ruling thought. His talent must be displayed in commentation. He must be very ready to criticise the meaning-must show considerable grace and ease in tracing words back to their Greek and Hebrew derivations-must know

how to read the Latin text, and then he is safe in the community. The people like him—will hear him preach-and he is certain of an occupation. He is a pleasing expounder of texts, and makes the Bible read exactly to suit the views of his denomination.

Now this is wrong. It is positively injurious to the mind; it can not expand under the mechanical influence of such a profession. The doors and windows of the soul are shut to every thing but a denominational exposition of the text selected. The intuitional powers of the inward nature are thus weakened. The reasoning energies are circumscribed in their operation, and the whole internal being is compelled to draw its nourishment from the supposed spirit of the leading passage. Now, how much more wise would it be, and consequently beneficial, to search the stupendous temple of Nature for Truth, and, when the seeking mind arrives at a principle, by internal development, which some other mind has expressed in appropiate language, to accept that expression as evidence that the same principle of Truth had been seen and felt by another. In this method, the soul would find the means and paths of progress. Every thought would then have some real and valuable significance. But if a man makes a business of expounding texts, how can that man's mind develop? How can he know whether his text is true or not? How can he discriminate between true inspiration and the imaginations of religious leaders and chieftains? His soul has no individual development, and hence, he seldom gives utterance to sen· timents, which, like cannon-balls, might serve to demolish the loftiest edifice of thought and error known to olden teachers.

Another evil growing out of sermonizing from texts, is exhibited in the injurious custom of writing a discourse of mere speculations, and then, in order to have the whole accepted as truth, seeking for passages or a passage of Scripture adapted to the general subject, as a kind of Divine Authority or indorsement of the whole. Now this practice is wrong, because it prevents the proper expansion of the

mind. The speaker is never impressed to employ texts, either as suggestives to the understanding or as indorsements of any sentiments uttered, principally because of the sectarian and contracting influence which necessarily flows from the custom. But on this occasion I have a text presented to my mind. And yet Reason is admonished to preside at the investigation of its meanings; for, under Reason's inspection and jurisdiction, it may be converted into a principle of plain practical utility. If clergymen should allow reason, instead of the text, to be the umpire in the analyzation of any thought, the world would be more certain of two important things -less professional preaching, and more real Truth.

Your attention is now solicited to the following passages :

MATTHEW, IV. 8, 9, 10.

"The devil taketh him (i. e. Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and said— All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said unto him-GET THEE HENCE, SATAN !"

First. Let us consider what this text does not mean.

Second. Then let us discover what it does mean.

Matthew is the alledged historian of these passages. But this is highly questionable; for this gospel is "according to Matthew," that is, perhaps, as it was supposed or remembered, by some other writer, as Matthew believed and related. Now no one will say that this account was written at the precise time the circumstance is supposed to have occurred. The great difficulties attending the art of writing in that early period, are sufficient to prove that no penman could have written the words as fast as they fell from the tongue. No; these passages are recorded in the past tense, and are a relation of what tradition had preserved from oblivion. But what do they not mean? They do not mean that Jesus was tempted by a prince of evil, in propria persona. This is the error of the historian, who, from his faith in tradition and in a

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