Book Description

Excerpt from Outlines of Lectures on Ancient History History examples more or less applicable to our own times and circumstances, from which we may learn the probable effects of various lines of conduct in affecting the interests of states: but here too the lessons are but imperfect, and the inferences easily to be evaded, or altered, by slightly heightening or depressing the prominence of this or that particular in each story. However, be it granted that in many ways, like these, History does directly contribute to great and useful purposes; still these benefits will not account for its great and universal hold on mankind. Surely the true and real principle of our interest in the past lies in this, - that we, and all those who have lived before on the earth, are one great Family; separated indeed in point of time, and often in place and country, but still all related together by many ties: and above all, that though some are departed from the earth, yet all are alive - we indeed alone in the flesh, but they too in their respective places truly, really, and immortally alive. It is this inward sense, this instinctive consciousness, which make men, who lived and were tried and tempted like ourselves, our brethren. Thus we are, and feel that we are, much bound to the dead. Even the heathen dead shared with us so many of those things which are most important to us, - bodies and souls like ours, desires and dangers, a natural law of virtue and self-government, and many offences against it, -and above all, a real immortality, leading to a real judgment, -that they are truly our brethren, truly and ten derly allied to us. Still more closely bound to us, and by more sacred and mysterious ties, are the Christian dead, - the whole number of those, who, being members with us of the Body of Christ, have gone through their trials upon earth, and are now waiting, soon to be joined by ourselves, for their last and endless doom. And of these, our own countrymen are the nearest to us of all nearest, from the actual bond of blood and country that is between us; nearest, from their sharing in that national oneness which all men acknowledge, and which God hath ever recognized in His dealings with Nations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.