ental principle of Christianity, the
happiness of the individual is interwoven, by innumerable and
imperceptible ties, with that of his contemporaries. By the power
of filial reverence and parental affection, individual existence is
extended beyond the limits of individual life, and the happiness of
every age is chained in mutual dependence upon that of every other.
Respect for his ancestors excites, in the breast of man, interest in
their history, attachment to their characters, concern for their
errors, involuntary pride in their virtues. Love for his posterity
spurs him to exertion for their support, stimulates him to virtue
for their example, and fills him with the tenderest solicitude for
their welfare. Man, therefore, was not made for himself alone. No,
he was made for his country, by the obligations of the social
compact; he was made for his species, by the Christian duties of
universal charity; he was made for all ages past, by the sentiment
of reverence for his forefathers; and he was made for all future
times, by the impulse of affection for his progeny. Under the
influence of these principles,

"Existence sees him spurn her bounded reign."

They redeem his nature from the subjection of time and space; he is
no longer a "puny insect shivering at a breeze"; he is the glory of
creation, formed to occupy all time and all extent; bounded, during
his residence upon earth, only to the boundaries of the world, and
destined to life and immortality in brighter regions, when the
fabric of nature itself shall dissolve and perish.

The voice of history has not, in all its compass, a note but answers
in unison with these sentiments. The barbarian chieftain, who
defended his country against the Roman invasion, driven to the
remotest extremity of Britain, and stimulating his followers to
battle by all that has power of persuasion upon the human heart,
concluded his persuasion by an appeal to these irresistible
feelings: "Think of your forefathers and of your posterity." The
Romans themselves, at the pinnacle of civilization, were actuated by
the same impressions, and celebrated, in anniversary festivals,
every great event which had signalized the annals of their
forefathers. To multiply instances where it were impossible to
adduce an exception would be to waste your time and abuse your
patience; but in the sacred volume, which contains the substance of
our firmest faith and of our most precious hopes, these passi