And Still the Bitter in the Cup of Joy

With an earnest, sanguine temperament, such as mine, there is
little danger of such apathy, The danger is not from lethargy but
madness. I had escaped this danger. It was surprising, even to
myself, how suddenly my spirits had arisen from the pressure that
had kept them down. In a moment, as it were, that mocking troop
of fears and sorrows which environed me, took their departure. It
seemed that it was only necessary for me to know that I was about
to lose the presence of William Edgerton to find this relief.

And yet, how idle! With an intense egoisme, such as mine, I should
conjure up an Edgerton in the deepest valleys of our country.
We have our gods and devils in our own hearts. The nature of the
deities we worship depends upon our own. In a savage state, the
Deity is savage, and expects bloody sacrifices; with the progress
of civilization his attributes incline to mercy. The advent of Jesus
Christ indicated the advance of the Hebrews to a higher sense of
the human nature. It was the advent of the popular principle, which
has been advancing steadily ever since and keeping due pace with
the progress of Christian education. The people were rising at the
expense of the despotism which had kept them down. It does not affect
the truth of this to show that the polish of the Jewish nation was
lessened at this period. Nay, rather proves it, since the diffusion
of a truth or a power must always lessen its intensity In teaching,
for the first time, the doctrine of the soul's immortality, the
Savior laid the foundation of popular rights, in the elevation of
the common humanity--since he thus showed the equal importance, in
the sight of God, of every soul that had ever taken shape beneath
his hands.