The Downward Tendency of Man.
It has been recently remarked that when nations become corrupt they never rise again. The whole history of the world, without an exception, is an illustration of this truth. Individuals may again attain to moral excellence, but history does not furnish an example where a nation or community has once fallen and again attained the height of her previous glory. Thus Babylon, Persia, Grecia, and Rome, successively rose to power and greatness, by slow and steady steps; but on reaching the acme of their fame, they never remained stationary. Luxury led the way to effeminacy and immorality, they entered their downward course, and never rose again. And now their greatness is like a vision of the past. The kingdoms of Europe, also, the toes of the image, are fast sinking in morals, again to heathenism. Even our own country has fallen far from the proud height which she a short time since occupied; and is sinking fast in the sins that hastened on the ruin of Sodom and Egypt. The religious world are not exceptions to the same truth. Africa, once resplendent with the light of the gospel, has had her light long since extinguished. The brightness of Christianity in Europe, is also greatly dimmed. The church of Rome has manifested to the world her entire rottenness; and the church of England, our mother church, is making rapid and fearful strides towards a union with the church of Rome. The various dissenting denominations of Europe have lost the purity and piety they once possessed; Germany, the birth-place of the reformation, is again almost devoid of practical godliness, and is sunk into Rationalism, Socianism, Transcendentalism, and German Neology. And even the church in Geneva, which once echoed to the voice of Calvin, has become a Socinian church. When we turn our eyes to the American churches, we find them fast following in the wake of the theology of the old world. Many of our most popular clergy boldly and openly doubt whether the body will ever be literally raised from the dead. They also deny a personal advent of Christ and a literal burning of the world. They have made many and sad departures from the faith once delivered to the saints; and yet the churches are not alarmed, they still fold their arms in lazy lock, and slumber over the desolations of Zion. We thus find, in taking a view of the whole field, which is the world, that the tares are growing with the wheat in greater luxuriance and rankness than ever; that the nations of the earth and the churches have all attained their height of moral greatness, and have progressed far in the descending path, never to rise again. The field has also been all occupied, so that there are no nations to arise and take the places of those whose sun is now setting. Therefore, reasoning from the past, the moral indications of the world show us that we must be near that point when the kingdoms of this world will reach the end of their existence—when the stone cut out of the mountain without hands will smite the image on its feet and break it in pieces, that its metalic and earthly parts may become like the chaff of the summer-threshing-floor, and no place be found for them. Then will the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, but shall continue for ever, even for ever and ever.—Selected.