Morals--World or National, are based on Conservative Principles,. Mankind the Character of, Knowledge of Human Nature, the World and Business,. Marriage, by Improper Alliance,. Notions, Obsolete. Opinion, Public Enlightened,. 978 908 910 893 Opinion, an Enlightened, Philosophical Public is essential, to correct Bad Habits, &c.. Press, the. Points, the Weak of Society Philosophy, Moral. Philosophy, Natural. Principles the First, of Society.. Power, Money-Banking--Bank-Mania-Speculation-Bankruptcy-Law-Suits-Debts, Public and Private,. Relations Social, and Virtue.. Rights Paramount the, of Society. School, the Utilitarian. Sense and Cunning,. Socialism,. Temple the, of Honor, Temperance,. Use the Right, of Time and Capital. Veracity or Truth, and Effects of its Violation. Vices-Evils-Habits, Perversions of Mind, the Negative of Good. Vow Marriage, the. RATIONAL RELIGION AND MORALS. INTRODUCTION. RATIONAL MIND, pure and innocent to its available capacity, gift of Deity, is the subject of analysis for the world's exaltation; not the perversion of man; not the ignorant tyrant and corrupt engine of government, oppressor of the people; nor the rabid evil genius of society, that riots in exploded customs and obsolete dogmas, the poor dependent on the bigoted opinions of the hour and brief authority. But the independent assertor of immortal principles, and soundest practical philosophy of every-day life, acting with progressive improvement in the best lights before it, taught by the highest dictates of enlightened reason and liberal justice, and ever subject in its minutest errors, to the correction of truth's faithful representative, time, in its wisest tuition that seeks to be wise in this world and to-day, that it may be wiser in the Universe and the future to come. : The Universe, the magnificent result of cause and effect, with its conservative principles declares the supreme character and name of its Author, in the great first cause, whose almighty attributes are centred in unity and perfection. The Creation presents past, present, and future theatre, for best fruition of intellectual and rational created beings. The soul of the Universe and centre of universal sympathies is God, the preserver as creator, the ruler as organizer. The analyst is Mind, moral free agent under the wise limits of universal conservative principles. The correct and immutable decisions of a sound rational mind of proper calibre and quality in a sound and healthful body, rest on common and proper sense, truth, honesty, justice, and science; principles, the essence and standard of which are reason, and their test is experience introductory to the highest earthly tribunal, an enlightened public opinion of a world-community, wise in conscientious reason, and just in truth and virtue. ANALYSIS OF MIND-ITS FUNCTIONS. AMONG the invaluable gifts of the Universe, subject to the best appreciation and enjoyment of God's noblest creation, man, brilliant as the light of the suns reflecting their elementary greatness and superiority in their solar systems, inviting as the planets with all their richest treasures and gorgeous splendors, honored with satellites and encircled by atmospheres, embracing all their wonderful elements and philosophical agencies united in mighty concentric revolutions, in connection with all the systems of spheres around the holy centre, still above all is Mind inestimable in value, that takes cognizance of universal relations and results, itself emanation and inspiration of the Supreme. Mind analyzes the facts of creation, and introduces itself into the appreciation of the first great cause, Creator of all, of the Universe through the sublime tuition of cause and effect. Mind is the only key to the analysis of man's nature and destiny, and above all others that of its functions and of itself in the attainment of self, the greatest knowledge, an element of its unlimited powers only defined in the circle of the Universe. Mind is the telegraph of Deity, to the Universe and eternity. Mind is the best agent to secure immortality. Without Mind man approaches the animal. With Mind man approaches his God. With Mind man reaches reason, an independent monitor, and entertains in its sublimest state an enlightened conscience, Mind's trusty guardian, God's best inspiration. Without Mind man loses reason, degrades and brutalizes himself and becomes nothing, forgetful of his Creator and his highest, best, social duties and relations to mankind in general. With Mind man governs himself and enjoys creation. Without Mind man becomes the sport instead of the master of the elements, and the greatest wreck of the creation. With Mind man does his duty, and reaches his dignity and reward, his highest selfrespect and the best earnest for immortal fruition. Without Mind man prostrates himself to the dust of the earth, and creates his own penalty from violation of universal conservative principles that vindicate themselves, and exact evil, the negative of good. With Mind man masters time and soars to immortality and eternity. The powers of Mind, the unsullied emanations of Deity are equal, if attaining its inherent virtues for its own rational conservation. Mind increases in mental and moral endowments according to the appropriate cultivation and its richness of innate qualities, to the best exaltation and purity of conscience. Man's moral free agency, or proper action of Mind accountable and responsible to attain its best purity, cannot be mistaken by Reason. The qualities of mind made available if directed aright by the best cultivation, that declares the best lights of the world liberalized above all grovelling notions that cannot respect Reason, best exhibit the dignity of man's character and worth. A pure mind must be filled with good, to avoid its necessary negative, evil. Mind innocent and pure, is the unadulterated greatest gift of Deity; its negative state is that of evil, to be avoided on the principles of highest safety. Mind constitutes the chief of the living scriptures of an Immortal Deity, alone guarding in its purity its sacred temple from injury. Mind has to work out its good, as self and free agent, without which position there could be no merit. Who can do justice to this noble jewel gift and diamond attribute, above all price? To rational Mind, correct rational education and cultivation's pure light, are everything for its good, the only means for best appreciation of itself. The operations of Mind are forever constant for good or evil, and should be furnished with the select treasure of proper materials. The analysis of Mind discovers our errors, and secures the avoidance of their penalties in general, best on conservative principles. Mind's best and satisfactory gifts mature on the attainment of general principles. The brighter the light of Mind obedient to conscience, the more rational its enjoyment, and the brighter its reward. The God of Creation has wisely given to Mind conservative principles, that are universally to be respected, for safety in physics, ethics, and all science. Any other doctrines rest on no foundations and are demoralizing. Mind can never yield reason to tradition, unless infatuated or unprincipled, misled or misleading by the wiles of sophistry and bigotry. Any doctrine that requires or admits the least sophistry, that is a counterfeit of honestry to defend it, is dangerous to the rights of Mind in even an enlightened community; is demoralizing and an imposition, a false pretence, unworthy of the respect of Mind and Reason, of rational religion. The whole truth cannot be recognised except through Reason, Mind's constant and sure guide. Take Reason, the patron, away, and Mind is lost in a fathomless abyss, without compass or chart. Will the people whose free mind should elicit pure light, being entitled to a proper position in rational religion, submit to the trespasses of ignoble sophistry on their senses, and the outrages of bigotry on their rights, because the theme is Theology? Every rational mind is held in abeyance, to the true wisdom of pure religion. RELIGION. AMONG the most sublime and magnificent subjects of the Universe is Religion, that properly refers rational Mind in all its duties to God and in all its social relations to man, productive of universal religion of principles and brotherhood. Who can analyze this mighty subject? Who has ever analyzed it rightly? All rational and honest beings are vitally interested in Rational, the only True Religion, that causes the creature to appreciate with the highest adoration, the Creator of the Universe. The highest-toned attributes of Mind, embracing in their amplest comprehension, morals, philanthropy and universal humanity, invoke the indispensable highest tribute, intellectual and religious of this world, to the proper investigation of this its most important theme. This vital subject is addressed to all rational, particularly the most cultivated minds, the more religious as their civilization is more refined before the highest earthly tribunal of Reason and Truth. Faith under such auspices, secures the right code of True Religion, that rests in the Bible of Rational Mind, that necessarily excludes all Bibles of Tradition of all pretensions. Correct analysis of the rightful functions of the supreme gift of the Supreme Power, Mind rightly cultivated, shows wisdom the most rational fund for Religion in rational existence, to bless the highest rationality, the immortal soul. Are intellectual freemen, the highest state of mortal existence in refined civilization, afraid to investigate this loftiest subject, because bigots, the slaves of slaves, proclaim their dynasty? Will freemen never avow rightful professional universal views of True Religion, because of the dynasty of the false, but another edition of superstition? Will they elude the very means of true wisdom through rightful investigation? The God of Nature and the Universe has endowed his rational creation with religious as well as physical conservation, vindicating his glorious principles. Can the Mind of Truth in good faith avoid any longer its investigation, because corrupt dynasties have sought to alienate Mind's rights, and bury truth under the false pretences of conceited and presumptuous faith? Faith rises the more exalted as Truth justifies, and Reason confirms it. All minds good and true looking to their duty, to human nature so fallible under the wiles of sophistry and the curses of fanaticism and bigotry, to the best interests of a world-wide subject that interests the affections of all minds for their best safety, for the security of all salutary institutions, should raise at least modest protests to stay some of the errors of the day, too prevalent for silence and acquiescence. It is to be deplored, that so many of the supposed authority minds engaged in politics, the press, peculiar faith, and the professions, are afraid to say their soul is God's alone, but as mere caterers to pre-existent customs, no matter of what calibre and quality, continue pretences the seed of future evil, when the light of the age, Reason and Mind, require so many fundamental changes. The right doctrine is no creed fund, no manufactured discipline, no inquisitorial dogmas, but that which meets the demand of Mind upon the proper Faith of Reason, founded in the very character and essence of creation. None other can be more essential or ancient, as it refers to the first origin and originator of all: hence, all other creeds are antagonistic and subordinate to extinction, as none of them reaches the correct position of the supreme, nor purely consecrates with faithful and intellectual reverence, his most characteristic attributes. Man's nature demands religion that only comes truly and rightly through the wisdom and purity of mind, and mind must look to itself for truth. All wise men confide from the satisfactory evidences of their senses, that were given them to lead to all correct conclusions and the proper reflections thereon by mind, that has the unbounded theatre of the Universe to read and analyze in a Creator and his conservative attributes, and firm in this knowledge, they dare not contravene them as due in full to the first great cause originating all such. Rational religion acts then in all sincerity of conviction with all conscience, and is too pure for mortals to assail. So enlightened is public mind in this free and intelligent Union, that if we were now to submit to its test, it is rational to believe that the majority would decide that all religious faiths short of rational religion are wrong. An enlightened conscience affirms them wrong, in principle and profession. But many systems may be built up on various materials, the main question especially in religion is, which is the right one, for there can be only one right? Rational mind positively, without the least risk of mistake, declares that, rational religion. Now, Mind has that to investigate. Can it be credited that priestcraft has imposed so much superstition on the human mind not liberalized by education, that people are actually afraid in their stupid ignorance, to institute any comprehensive investigation? All such minds are slaves of priests and superstition, especially, if they oppose to this very investigation the names of infidelity, skepticism, and free thinking. Religion is a conscientious serving and duty to the Almighty in appropriate manner, for the certain safety of mind on earth, and the soul's security thereafter. Without rational religion the mind overlooks its obligations, and the particulars of those obligations, and the noblest of all the object of all duty. Without rational religion the mind loosely conceives of duties, but fulfils no direct obligations. Rational religion then is, the rational binding of rational minds to the Almighty Being, for all rational duties during its consciousness. The reward is the amount of life's benefits and soul's happiness. The induction to the true belief of principles of paramount value, regards the Immortal Being, Author, Creator and Preserver, Almighty. The unity of these principles produces necessarily, unity indivisible and incommunicable to others, as division implies an equivalent imbecility. One Being who does everything by his own inherent attributes supreme and independent, cannot by reason of those attributes divest himself of them. All good citizens are bound to uphold the proper institutions of the world, in their relations to their and others interest. Then they must think wisely and essay to counteract those rabid self-interest seekers, who act all the time as if nature required a midwife, and that all the departments could be supplied by their important pretensions. They just reverse Nature's acts and God's decrees, interrupting the beauty and strength in impeding the most substantial blessings and most legitimate capital, the inherent capacities of liberalized mind. They must be reminded to make no trade or speculation of religious professions. This is a sacred gift, so intended to all men that have rational mind as an innate quality distinguishing it from that of the brutes, to be used rightfully according to its endowing faculties, distinguishing grade of talents, that must never be perverted for any sinister purpose. THE BIBLE OF RATIONAL MIND. I stand committed in pledge, to a proper amount, for the correctness of the principles of the Bible of rational mind, through the blessings of rational religion. Our proper position will be thus defined:-Finding that there is no peculiar rational inspiration, it becomes mind most nurtured in culture to rear the best fabric of a moral and religious code. As to the people not being able to appreciate things aright, that is a great mistake. In popular constitutional government, we see that, as constituents, they are competent to teach their representatives, and rebuke them for their delinquency. They cannot know the world-facts too soon. It is because they have been taught by peculiar education, the perversions of mind to aid the cause of their false teachers, that the world has suffered so much and long. With the Peace Convention, the pacificators of the world cannot establish peace without principles; with them, they can procure peace without the convention. This bible calls for science, knowledge, and wisdom, the best appreciation and use of principles. The present time uses as agents, or servants, the gods of the ancients, as lightning, and surely should define their peculiar bible to be effete. This bible aids to break up the odious monopoly of evil customs and habits that do not seek what is right, but what is popular. What is really sacred history, is that which pertains to the pure rights of God, who has written and endorsed all his own writings in the universe, by his supreme selfevidence. The bible of mind only elicits the knowledge of the true God and his supreme characteristics, displayed by his unmistakeable and undeniable word, cause, and effect,that introduce rational mind through the principles of causation,-that reflects the whole universe. |