27. GOD.-Derzhavin. THE following poem is a translation from the Russian. It has been translated into Japanese, by order of the emperor, and is hung up, embroidered with gold, in the temple of Jeddo. It has also been translated into the Chinese and Tartar languages, written on a piece of rich silk, and suspended in the imperial palace at Pekin. O THOU eternal One! whose presence bright -- May measure out the ocean deep-may count And thought is lost ere thought can soar so high- Thou from primeval nothingness didst call, Eternity had its foundation;-all Sprung forth from Thee;-of light, joy, harmony, Thy word created all, and doth create; Thy splendor fills all space with rays divine; Thy chains the unmeasured universe surround; As sparks mount upward from the fiery blaze, Shine around the silver snow, the pageantry What shall we call them? Pyres of crystal light - Suns lighting systems with their joyful beams? All this magnificence in Thee is lost ; What are ten thousand worlds compared to Thee? In all the glory of sublimest thought, Naught! but I live, and on hope's pinions fly I am, O God! and surely Thou must be! Close to the realms where angels have their birth, Just on the boundaries of the spirit land! The chain of being is complete in me; I can command the lightning and am dust! Creator, yes! Thy wisdom and Thy word - O thoughts ineffable! O visions blest! God! thus alone my lonely thoughts can soar; The soul shall speak in tears of gratitude. CHAPTER VI. Human Growth and Utility. 1. A Human Being is a human spirit, inhabiting a human body. This is done on certain conditions, and for certain purposes; first, that the Spirit may gain knowledge through the body; second, that the Spirit may use this knowledge through the body. NOTE. The conditions of tenancy are; that the Spirit shall provide the Body with breath, food, drink, warmth, light, labor, and rest. 2. The Spiritual being, or Spirit, is usually meant when we say, I, thou, he, We, you, they, or use the name of a person. 3. The Physical being, or the Body, is usually mentioned as belonging to the Spirit. Thus, we say, my body; or a part of my body, as, my arm, my head, &c.; because the parts belong to the body, and the body is our habitation. When we leave it, the Body dies. We do not die. 4. As Spiritual beings, we employ ourselves either in gaining knowledge, learning; or in using that, which we have already gained, practising. That part of this knowledge pertaining to things, by which we are surrounded, and to our own actions in gaining knowledge, is called Material or Temporal Knowledge; that part, which pertains to character as good or evil, is called Spiritual Knowledge. 5. We call our Spiritual beings or spirits, when engaged with Temporal Knowledge, Intellects or Minds; when engaged with the Spiritual, we call them Souls or Spirits. 548 INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL PHILOSOPHY, The same person is called by different names, when considered in different relations. A man, in relation to his parents, is a Son; in relation to his wife, is a Husband; to his children, is a Father, &c. "She died, having been, at the same time, the daughter, the wife, and the mother of a king." So the spirit is, at the same time, the mind, the intellect, the soul, I, You, the writer, and the reader. 6. The science of the Intellect, or Mind, is called INTELLECTUAL or MENTAL PHILOSOPHY; and that of the Soul, or Spirit, is called MORAL or SOCIAL PHI LOSOPHY. A Comparison of the Body and the Spirit. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." a. The Body is intended for growth or development, and for use or employment. b. The elements, by which the body grows and endures labor, are furnished by nutriment. c. Those parts of our nutriment, which furnish growth and strength to our bodies, become and are real and essential parts of our bodies. d. In order that our food may increase and sustain our bodies, it must be digested and directed to its proper members by the action of our own bodily organs, not by another's. e. Our bodies are that nutriment, which we ourselves have taken; except those bodies, with which, as the germs of after-development, we were born. a. The Spirit is intended for growth or development, and for use or employment. b. The elements, by which the spirit grows and endures labor, are furnished by knowledge. c. Those parts of our knowledge, which furnish growth and strength to our spirits, become and are real and essential parts of ourselves. d. In order that our knowledge may develop and sustain us, it must be digested and directed to its proper offices by the action of our own spirits, not by another's. e. We are that knowledge, which we ourselves have learned; except that undying principle, with which, as the germ of after-development, we were created. |