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Mean though I am,-not wholly so,
Since quickened by thy breath,-
O! lead me, wheresoe'er I go,

Through this day's life or death.
This day be bread and peace my lot;
But all beneath the sun

Thou know'st if best bestowed or not;
And let thy will be done.

To thee, whose temple is all space,
Whose altar, earth, sea, skies,
One chorus let all beings raise,
All nature's incense rise.

THE INWARD

PRINCIPLE ALWAYS THE SAME.

'RELIGION is neither a discovery of the enlightened man, unknown to the ignorant man, nor an error of the ignorant man, from which he who is enlightened can free himself; but an indestructible principle, a disposition inherent in man. All that in material things belongs to nature, to the universe, to immensity; every thing in the moral world which excites tenderness and enthusiasm; the sight of a glorious action, of a generous sacrifice, of a danger courageously encountered, of the sorrow of another relieved or comforted, of a contempt for vice, of devotion to misfortune, of resistance to tyranny, rouses and cherishes this mysterious disposition; and if a habit of self-exaltation leads a man to smile at this, he will nevertheless smile at it with a secret shame, which he hides under an appearance of irony; for a silent instinct still teaches him that he is doing violence to the noblest part of his being.

But it is necessary to distinguish between the inward principle and the forms, between the religious sentiment and religious institutions. The inward principle is always the same, immutable, eternal; the form is variable and transitory. Thus the fact that any religious form is attacked, the fact that philosophy points its reasonings, irony its sarcasms, intellectual liberty its indignation, against this form; the fact that in Greece, for example, Evhemeros dethrones the gods of Olympus; the fact that at Rome Lucretius proclaims the mortality of the soul, and the vanity of our hopes; the fact

that still later Lucian insults the Homeric dogmas, or Voltaire the dogmas of his time; in fine, the fact that a whole generation seems to applaud the contempt with which they overwhelmed a long venerated faith-all these facts do not prove that man is willing to part with religion. It only proves that the form thus attacked, being no longer adapted to the human mind, the religious sentiment has separated itself from it.

THE APOSTLE PAUL'S

Noble defence before Festus and Agrippa.

AGRIPPA said unto Paul, thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and answered for himself.

I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee, concerning all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews: especially, as I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among my own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; who knew me from the beginning-if they would testify-that after the straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; to which promise, our twelve tribes, continually serving God day and night, hope to come; and, for this hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews..

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth: and this I did in Jerusalem. Many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests: and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I often punished them in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. But as I went to Damascus, with authority and commission from the chief priests, at mid-day, O king! I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun,

shining round about me, and them who journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying, in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he replied, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared to thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister, and a witness both of these things, which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear to thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentile, to whom I now send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance amongst them who are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Whereupon, O king Agrippa! I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; but showed first to them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and through all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes, the Jews caught me in the temple; and went about to kill me. Having, however, obtained help from God, I continue to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses declared should come: that Christ should suffer; that he would be the first who should rise from the dead; and that he would show light to the people, and to the Gentiles.

And as he thus spoke for himself, Festus said, with a loud voice, 'Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning hath made thee mad. But he replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth these things, before whom I also speak freely. I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him: for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul replied, 'I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

THE HILL OF SCIENCE.

In that season of the year, when the serenity of the sky, the various fruits which cover the ground, the discolored foliage of the trees, and all the sweet, but fading graces of inspiring autumn, open the mind to benevolence, and dispose it for contemplation, I was wandering in a beautiful and romantic country, till curiosity began to give way to weariness; and I sat down on the fragment of a rock overgrown with moss; where the rustling of the falling leaves, the dashing of waters, and the hum of the distant city, soothed my mind into a most perfect tranquillity; and sleep insensibly stole upon me, as I was indulging the agreeable reveries, which the objects around me naturally inspired.

I immediately found myself in a vast extended plain, in the middle of which arose a mountain higher than I had before any conception of. It was covered with a multitude of people, chiefly youth; many of whom pressed forward with the liveliest expression of ardor in their countenance, though the way was in many places steep and difficult. I observed, that those who had but just begun to climb the hill, thought themselves not far from the top; but as they proceeded, new hills were continually rising to their view; and the summit of the highest they could before discern, seemed but the foot of another, till the mountain at length appeared to lose itself in the clouds. As I was gazing on these things with astonishment, a friendly instructer suddenly appeared: 'the mountain before thee,' said he, 'is the Hill of Science. On the top is the temple of Truth, whose head is above the clouds, and a veil of pure light covers her face. Observe the progress of her votaries; be silent and attentive.'

After I had noticed a variety of objects, I turned my eye towards the multitudes who were climbing the steep ascent; and observed amongst them a youth of a lively look, a piercing eye, and something fiery and irregular in all his motions. His name was Genius. He darted like an eagle up the mountain; and left his companions gazing after him with envy and admiration: but his progress was unequal, and interrupted by a thousand caprices. When pleasure warbled in the valley, he mingled in her train. When pride beckoned towards the precipice, he ventured to the tottering edge. He delighted in devious and untried paths; and made so many excursions

from the road, that his feebler companions often outstripped him. I observed that the muses beheld him with partiality; but truth often frowned and turned aside her face. While Genius was thus wasting his strength in eccentric flights, I saw a person of very different appearance, named Application. He crept along with a slow and unremitting pace, his eyes fixed on the top of the mountain, patiently removing every stone that obstructed his way, till he saw most of those below him, who had first derided his slow and toilsome progress. Indeed, there were few who ascended the hill with equal, and uninterrupted steadiness; for, besides the difficulties of the way, they were continually solicited to turn aside, by a numerous crowd of appetites, passions and pleasures, whose importunity, when once complied with, they became less and less able to resist: and though they often returned to the path, the asperities of the road were more severely felt; the hill appeared more steep and rugged; the fruits which were wholesome and refreshing, seemed harsh and ill tasted; their sight grew dim; and their feet tript at every little obstruction.

I saw, with some surprise, that the muses, whose business was to cheer and encourage those who were toiling up the ascent, would often sing in the bowers of pleasure, and accompany those who were enticed away at the call of the passions. They accompanied them, however, but a little. way; and always forsook them when they lost sight of the hill. The tyrants then doubled their chains upon the unhappy captives; and led them away, without resistance, to the cells of ignorance, or the mansions of misery. Amongst the innumerable seducers who were endeavoring to draw away the votaries of truth from the path of science, there was one, so little formidable in her appearance, and so gentle and languid in her attempts, that I should scarcely have taken notice of her, but for the numbers she had imperceptibly loaded with her chains. Indolence, for so she was called,-far from proceeding to open hostilities, did not attempt to turn their feet out of the path, but contented herself with retarding their progress; and the purpose she could not force them to abandon, she persuaded them to delay. Her touch had a power like that of the torpedo, which withered the strength of those who came within its influence. Her unhappy captives still turned their faces towards the temple, and always hoped to arrive there; but the ground seemed to slide from beneath their feet, and they found themselves at the bottom,

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