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£cftrr>. The HAtlVlTr OF CHRIST, 44 And, there were in the same country , shepherds abiding in the Jieldy keep - \ ing watch over their flocks by night ” j <Sfc, Luke ii. B—2o. Palemon. The silver moon emits her feeble light, And dissipates the gloomy shades of night ; « What men on earth a happier life can lead, j Than-we, who watch and keep the woolly breed I From ivghtly prowlers we our sheep defend j *Ti«, inn cent delight our flocks to tend : Ko ci perplex our mind, —a shepherd’s life * ’ , y ! Is all tranquility devoid of strife. Melihaeus. Twice ten long summers have roll’d o’er my . y Since l a peaceful shepherd’s life have led ; 1 fear nor summer s hea\ nor win.er’s cold* Bu daiW leal mv harmless floe s to fold. KeiirM fr m u bulerr and »usy scenes Our tranqu 1 life, no trouble intervenes j The praise of G and our leisure time employ* ; ‘Tie this which constitutes our chiefesi joys Cofydon. True, Melihaein., nought wrh this can vie, The world's delights must soon corrupt and die t . . /■ s "• Religion ne’er can lose its heavenly pow’r j nru%ur enliven'd by affliction's hour. The sensual pleasures of the rich a »and gay* Are Hu the rr-lived meteors r f to-day: I wish nor 10 obtain this world’s renown, My better aim is an immortal crown. .Damon. How sweet’s the bread which industry ob tains ’ Far more dTicious to the rural swains. Who da ly bv laborious toils are fed, Than greatest feasts on royal tables spread.—r But see ! What beauteous vision meets my eyes, Descending from the region of the skies, Arrav’d in robes of dazzling lustre bright, Far too resplendent for the mortal sight l * First Angel. Rood Shepherds, there’s nothing to fear, No danger nor trouble is nigh; An angel from heaven is here, A messenger sent from the sky, (Rood news of salvation I bring, And to the earth celestial peace f The birth of a saviour I sing, A blessing which never shall cease. Second Angel.. M asst as appears upon earth, i A saviour is born to mankind ; No grandeur is seen at his birth, He’s meek, in a manger reclin’d ; The Father’s all glorious Son Is horn, guilty man to release ; A heaven on earth is begun, s A heaven of love and of peace. Chorus of Angels. Mxssi as to mortals is given : We’ll tune alt our harps string’d with gold ; We’ll praise him for ever in heaven, But ne’er can his mercy be told. All gldry to God thron’d on high, Immanuel’s name let us sing, Through all the vast courts of the sky, j For ever the echo shall ring. ’ . . * y -;.$H Shepherds. Wha* jn\ful news to us are told ! The saviour promis’d long ; , t v, Thl’ £l-nanus child let us behold, , y ■ ’ l.et him employ ou*- song. Wni ‘* ange ! s t\ine m«ir hurps above, And sing Messiah* b»r»n ; Xetus proclaim on r sAvjyrn's love. Who brings us peace on earth. tltligimtf. Wire ■ » EXTRACTS an essay on the Divine Authority | OF THE HKir TRSTAXEtfr^ By DAVID BOUGE. SECTION 11. The Character of Jesus Christ, Were there nothing e!*e to distin guish the New-Testament from oth er books, thU alone would establish its superiority. That it is a real character which is drawn, and not v fiction, is evident from the very re presentation. No human mind would ever have conceived such an one— \Ve find nothing like it in any anci ent writings: Plato and Aristotle had no such conceptions. Such a birth, such a life, such a death, lie beyond tlie bounds of human invention ; for human invention is limited and re gulated by human passions and pur suits. There is a peculiar symme try of features, a cert am original and appropriate cast of countenance, which proves the portrait to be drawn from a rfcal person ; and not to be a fancy piece,, which sprang ©ut of the imagination of the paint er. ‘This is eminently the case in the life of Christ. The discerning reader will perceive* it to be no ro mance, no effort of genius,< to pour tray a remarkable character which never and existence ; buta real per sonage who lived on earth, and did, a nd suffered, and spoke, and acted.’ wh<*t is rtlated of him. If in any in stance human sagacity can discrimi- N fmtjfc between real life and fiction, ii is here ; for a thousand circumstan ces are adduced, which furnisu Me fullest opportunities of disimguisu ing the one from the other. Hie treated imagination of a writer m*. «ds ae'o aetsautuiftliy V;» on* situation* in which he him ; and those likewise with w om he ha3 intercourse. But one reader more conversant with a peculiar walk in life, sees one thing to be un natural, and another, another ; and thus the romance is discovered.— But in the life of Christ no such un -1 suitableness appears : all is in its | proper place. Were the men of Galilee such proficients in decep tion ? No. The conclusion is obvi- I ous :—They write a true history. v The perfection of Christ’s charac ; ter is another consideration which { stamps a peculiar excellenpe on the New Testament. A representation • is given of one entirely free from e very error and every sin-—of one who ! is perfectly wise and perfectly good. < This character is not pourtrayed in a few brilliant passages at the end of the gospels ; it rises out of the whole of the history of his life and death. Jesus is presented in many, and in diflf rent situations. He is introduc ed speaking on an infinite variety of subjects ; he converses familiarly with his friends ; he discourses to the multitude ; he replies to the ca vils ; f his enemies. He is displayed both in active employments and in sufferings: but not one word is con tra’ y to the dictates of wisdom ; not one action contrary to the rules of re ctitude. He is often thrown into the most trying circumstances ; and sud den and ensnaring questions are fre quently put to him : but his con summate prudence shines forth in r his answers, and in his conduct ; and ; none can accuse him of folly or of ; sin. In his most bitter sufferings, I from the hands of his Father and of the Jews, there is neither murmur- I’ ing against God, nor natred and re venge, nor reviling of man. But he does not rest in negative virtue he is all resignation to the will of God. Hi s treatment of Judas, when betray ed, and about to be delivered up ; his behaviour before Pilate ; his wdrds to the daughters.of Jerusalem, when they wept at his sufferings ; and his prayer on the cross for his enemies, all manifest the highest and purest efforts of goodness. Not one evil passion shews itself in the slight est degree even in an unbecoming word. No ignorance, no error, no imprudence ;,a!Lis truth, and all is wisdom. Enthusiasm and supersti tion have no place in this wondrous personage. There is from first to, last a full display of perfect rectitude and perfect goodness. In persons of remarkable activity, Who are constantly engaged in one duty or another, and who are there by thrown into situations of difficul ty and temptation, how hard is it to keep free from blame ! Something is hastily said ; something is unwise ly done : a reproof is given without due consideration ; a reply is too. bitter. Into the few years, of the ministry of Christ is compressed a, greater portion of* good works, and active services,, than can be found in the protracted life of the man,who dies at three-score years and ten ; and who has served God from his youth. But no imperfection is to. be found : u Which of you,*’ said he, to his bitterest enemies, and he says it you, “ which of you convicteth me of sin ?»’ Examine the life of Jesus s fully and maturely. It is written by four men : and I venture to say with confidence, you will find nothing which can detract from the perfec tion of his character. No other book furnishes a like instance.—A few pa ges of panegyric may be written ’ without a fault. A life of tranquil inactivity it may be possible to re-, ; present without many ) prominent blemishes ; but a life of so much bu siness as thetNcw Testament exhi bits in Jesus Christ, does not exist: and it encreases a thousand fold the .•difficulty of drawing a perfect cha racter. Yet- they succeeded. No .men of ancient or modern times can furnish such an example. Take a view of the writers, their education, their manner of life, their social in tercourse and relations,; and you may justly exclaim with astonish ment: u How were tbe*e men alone able to do what all others, in ancient or modem times, who attempted it, have attempted in vain !” I can think of no other answer but this They were taught of God.” But there is something still re maining to be mentioned in the cha - racter of Christ, which is equally, if not more extraordinary. While the Evangelists uniformly represent him as a partaker of human nature, they also speak of him as being more than man : for he is not only called, the Son of Man, but, the Son of GoJ.-* Here then is an additional difficulty ia delineating the character oi Jesus. There must be added, to the pei lec tion of a man, the elevation becom mg * the Word, wno was in Hie be ginning with God, and who was God. by w.ioiu all things weie made nor do we scarcn for it in vain. A .Ol g with me most amiable condc* vCcnsions mat ever adouied nu nan uute* mere is united an oniibt .**M.y oi sentuuent itnd couau^ as tut Son of Cor], Jesm speaks with au thority ; he promises with a consci ousness of his power he confers blessings as one Who has a right to bestow. In every thing, and place* and time, he preserves, without the remotest semblance of pride or as suming arrogance, the tone of a mas ter, and the dignified deportment of one who “ came down from heaven to give life unto the world ; and who was the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” There is another thing respecting Jesus Christ which deserves to be thrown into the balance ; and it is by no means destitute of weight : namely, that the Evangelists do not present a popular character. There is nothing of the air of an impostor in it: it was not calculated to gain the approbation of the Jews. They expected a Messiah who would lead them on to victory, who would sub due ail their foes, and who would exalt them to woxdly dignities.— Their hopes of these things were nigh and warm, and of long conti nuance : They had drunk them in with their mother’s milk : they had received them by tradition from their fathers. Those who wished to im pose on them and gain their favor, flattered their prejudices, and -pro mised them worldly greatness. Thus did the false Messiahs act. ■ We see them at the head of the ar ; mies, endeavoring to gam glory to the Jewish nation, by the edge of the sword. But Jesus ot Nazereth comes in a wav which was altoge ther unexpected ; in a way which dashed all their hopes, and robbed their minds of those golden dreams which had so long delighted them. In short, it was a total disappoint* , meat in a matter winch was the sheet anchor of their hopes,>and which oc cupied their whole souls. But there is even more than a disappointment . Jesus enjoins an opposite temper on the subjects of his kingdom. ; and enforces it by his ovyn example. In stead of cherishing their fond ex pectations, that he would erect his standard, and lead him forth tc , victory and to glory, he speaks “ of the Son of Man being betrayed into the hands of sinners, who would scourge him, and spit upon him to death.” Nay, more, instead of en couraging their ideas of superiority to tue Gentiles he utters various pa rables to convey the unwelcome, because humbling idea, that the Gentiles were to be admitted to a participation of the same privileges with the Jews; and that men of all nations, wjho received the gospel, were to be melted down into one holy brotherhood. Is this the conduct of an impostor ? Can either the per son described, or the writers, excite suspicions, of an intention to de ceive* ? < The manner in which.the disci ples nairate the life of Christ, is likewise uncommon and worthy of peculiar notice. There is sometning here perfectly y unique g.- the whole compass of human literature fur nishes nothing similar. That the men who, wrote the gospels loved their master,, is too plain to be deni ed. Their , renunciation of every worldly advantage and prospect, their ‘entire devotedness to his cause, their multiplied and bitter sufferings for his sake, all display both the sincer ity and feryor of their love.—-In what raptures will they describe his life and death !■ Blit on examination we find no such thing.. The Writers of the epistles speak in ectacy oft hjs excellence and love : The prophets do so too. Isaiah, especially,, has all the impassioned expressions of a deeply affected spectator of his cru cifixion. But the evangelists are pefect calmness : human fervor will call it indifference. There is no at tempt to move the passions of their readers: they mix not their own feelings with what they narrate.— There is not a single commendation of Christ, in the form of a panegyric, through the whole of the gospels— T ney describe his miracles and won drous works without praise ; and in a tranquility of manner which seems at first sight unaccountable. There is hot the most distant attempt to magnify them, and excie admira tion. Nay, when they describe his ; sufferings and death, and the cruel ty of the Jews, they do not give way to passion ami grief: there is no in vective against nis enemies ; no pi ty expressed for the sufferer ; no acrimony against Judas or the chief priests. They relate all as if they had no concern in the matter.——— ’ When Xenophon describes the deal.* of Socrates, we observe nature ex . pressing her feelings in sympathy with the sufferer, in. commendation of his virtues, and in crimination of ais enemies. Wby do we not meet • with the same thing in ihe biograph ers of Jesus ? This is the moat re ’ markable, as they were not rasa who ».t*d been taught to disguise then most certainly have -ceil under “a superior guidance* . mimmr .. .1* ■ ■ instead of soliciting permission, I shel, etuilieu to matt us for inserting here the nu .css Uiaa eioqucaq the iauouabie detenp* tion of the character of Christ, drawn by the hand of a master. w I will confess to yon that ’he majesty of the scriptures strikes me with admiration, as the purity ®f the goq>el haih ns influence on my heart. Peruse the works of oor philoso- with all their pomp of diction: how mean, how contemptible are they compared with the scripture ! f . Is it possible that a book at once so simple and sublime, should be merely the work of man ? Is it possible that the sacred personage, whose history it con ta ns, should be himself a mere man ? Do we tind that he assumed the of an enthusiast cr ambitious sectary ? What sweetness, what purity in his manners ! What an afi'ecting g r acefulness in his delivery ! What sublimity in his mixims ! What profound wisdom in his discourses * What presence of mind in his replies ! How great the command over his passions ! Where is the man, where the phi losopher, who could so live and so die, without weakness, and without ostentation l “ What prepossession, what blindness must it be to compare (Socrates) the*son of Sophro nicus to (Jesus) the Son of Mary ! What an infinite disproportion is there between ;bem! Socrates, dying w itheut pains or ignominy, easily supported his character to the last; and if his death, however easy, had not crowned his life, it might have been u hether Socrates, with all his wisdom, was any thing more than a vain sophist He invented, ir is said, the theory of moraU. Others, how ever, had belfore put them in practice ; he had only to say, therefore, what they had done, and to reduce their examples to practice.—- But where could Jesus learn among his com petitors, that pure and sublime morality, of which he only hath given us both precept and example !—The death of Socrates, peacrabiy philosophizing with his friends, appears the most agreeable that could be wish, a tor ; hat of Jesus expiring in he midst of agonizing pains, abused, insulted, and accused by a whole nation, is the most horrible that could be feared, kocraies, in receiving the, cup of poison, blessed the weeping executioner who administered it ; but Jesus, in the midst of excruciating tortures, prayed for Ins merci less tormentors. Yes, if the life and.death of Socrates were those of a sage, the life and death of Jesus were those of a God.. Shall we suppose the evangelic histori a mere fic tion ? Indeed, my friend, ic bears not the mark of fiction; on the contrary, the history of Socrates, which n< body presumes to doubt, is • hot so. well attested as that of Jesus Christ.— Such a supposition, in fact, only shifts the difficulty', without obviating it: it ismo>ein conceivable, that a number of persons sftou’d agree to write such a history, than that one only should furnish the subject of it. The Jewish authors were incapable of the diction, and strangers to the morality contained in the gospel, the marks of whose truth are so striking and inimitable, that the inventor would be a more astonishing character chan the hero ’* ! , Whac a mind ! to conceive ideas so beau tiful and so just! The divinity of the New Testament s displayed as with a sun beam ! But what a heart ! to resist the force of all this evidence, tobjind so fine an understand ing, and to be, able to subjoin, «• 1 cannot be lieve the Gospel V* f . 1 . . j > ’ CONSTITUTION OF THE North Caijomna Bible Society. Impressed with the great impor tance of the universal distribution J of the Sacred Scriptures, we, the subscribers, agree to form ourselves into a Society,; designated by the name of ‘ the North Carolina Bi ble Society; * Os this Society,, the following shall be the Constitution : I, The funds and operations of this Society shall exclusively di . rectedtto the gratuitous distribution of the Holy Scriptures. ll*. The-copies of the Bible distri * butedßy this Society, shall be of the version now in use’ among us, with out notes or commentaries*, and in such languages as utility may re-- - quire. , 111. Any person, upon paying two dollars and subscribing this Consti tution, shjill be considered a mem ber of this Society, as long as he shall continue to pay the sum of one dollar annuallyi And any per son who shall pay the. sum of twenty five dollars, and subscribe this con stitution, shall be considered a mem ber during life, without any further contribution* IV The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Board of Managers. This board shall con sist of a President, a Vice-Prestdent, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and six teen other members, making in all the number of twenty. The officers of the board shall be equally officers of the society. They shall be cho sen by ballot, together with the mem bers of the board, at the annual meetings of the Society, by a major ity of the members present; and shall’ continue in office till others shall be elected. V. Five managers, duly convened shall be a quorum of the board for the transaction of business ; and ten members present shall be a quorum of the General Society. VI. The annual meetings of So ciety held at Raleigh,, on the se cond Monday in December, when a Sermon relative to the grand object shall be preached by a person pre viously appointed, and, a collection shall be made in aid of the funds of the institution. * Vli. Special meetings of the So ciety or Board may be called by the President or by three of the mana gers*, with the concurrence of the Vice-President. /•>< • / VUl.’ The Managers are hereby author"** •10 adopt any regulations, *n cl - >rmity with the spirit ol the Const tutioaj wfiich they may judge ;fo be nectesary or expedient to carry lato idfctt tfca bcjstvokpt design of r t, . . .v? * V . ‘ V *• the society. They aliall keep a cor rect account of the receipts and ex penditures of money belonging ts the Society ; and to every annual meeting they shall exhibits written report of the transactions of the pre ceeding year, together with a state ment of the funds of the society* IX. This Constitution shall not be aliei td except at an annual meeting, &. then not without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present. The first & second articles- however* shall not be subject to any alteration. Officers of the Society. Rev. Dr. James Hal!, President, Gen. Duncan Cameron, Vice-Presi dent, Ben. S King. Treasurer, Jo seph Gales Secretary, Rev, Robert 11. Chapman, Rev. Joseph Cald well, Rev. Wm. M’Pheeters, Rev. Wm. YV. Hill, Rev. Josiah Crudup, Jun. Rev- A. Emp'te, Rev. Richard H. King,Col. Wm. Polk, Henry Pot ter, William Shaw, William Peace* Charles F. Bugge, A Rowland, John Phifer, Thos. D. Burch, R. W il liams, Pitt, Managers. GEORGIA. CLARK SUPERIOR COURT , ADJOURN SEPTEKBEX TERM, 18 IJ. Jarr.es Thomas, \ ( RULE NISI, vs. V Michael A. Gauvain. j UPON the petition of James Tho mas praying the foreclosure of the e quity of redemption contained in a certain.mortgage, given by a Mich ael A. Gauvain to the said James Thomas!, on a certain tract oT land containing six hundred acves, being part of two five thousand acre tracts* of land granted to Charles Henry D*Estaing, including a tract of one hundred and thirty acres, lately oc cupied by John Thomas and sold to said M. A. Gauvain by saicl John Thomas, the said land lying and be- v ing in the county and state aforesaid » on the waters of Trail creek, for the - better securing the payment of as certain sum therein specified. It is ordered, that the said Michael A- Gauvain do pay into this* court in twelve months from this date, the principal and interest in said mortgage contained, and the*. Cost expended in and about the fore-, closing the same, or be barred of’ bis equity of redemption in.and to ;the same. And that .this rule be pub-*., dished-once a month, for twelve months.in one of the public gazettes of this state, or served upon the de fendant six months previous to th© time required by this rule, to pay off the sum contained in said mortgage. , ’ A True Copy trom the Minutes Os said. Court this sth day of January, 1814. STERLING ELDER, Clerk. ADMINISTRATORS* SALE. FILL BE SOLD On thc ; 2sth day vs June next , at the*, house of Owen Spullock of Clark. County , TWO Negroes, Ben and Tom, the property of Morning Spullock*. deceased-^—for the benefit of the heir%. of, said deceased. OWEN SPULLOCK, REFER WILLIAMSON, Administrators • May 5. , , —* ■—— ADMINISTRATOR’* SALE. < On Friday the 1 7th day of June next r at the late dwelling house of Jjhtt . Barntlty deceasedy of Clark county , , WILL BE SOLDy on a credit of ten months , to tha ! highest bidder , part of the personal property of said deceased — CONSISLING of horses, cattle|_/j goats, geese, an 80 gallon still* J a cotton gin, saw mill irons, survey- m or’s compass and chain, one box oP 1 pane glass and several other, articles* 1 too tedious to mention- * Notts with approved security will be required on all sums three dollars. JOHN F. BARNETT* . \ Administrator. ? May sth, 1814. | ; f NOTICE. 1 NINE months from the., date* * hereof application will be made to* the Honorable Inferior Court opJ Clark County, lor leave to sell theP Real Estate of the late CoL’ Peter Randolph, deceased, or as much, thereof as is situate in the said coun- ‘ ty ; for the benefit of the heirs and. 4 creditors. THOMAS W* COBB, Adm . cum. test • annexom March 2 U 1814. x ~ XT’ PLEASE ATTEND.” ALL those indebted to the Sub- yj scriber for tuition, will oblige uy calling on Mr. Josiah Newton pi* Mr. Golding and making payment* as soon as possible. J U. W. DOBBINS 1 Aprils f I