Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-10-24
lsM o G. b a p lEI 0
BRANDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1888.

many parts Of he church Of God \; and they
must be exposed and driven out. One OF
them-and by no means the least or most
harmless of the "Legon bias appeared
in sermon, delivered by Baron Stow, Of
Boston, before the Baptist Triennial Con
vention, at New York, last spring. am
somewhat disappointed and mortified to find
such thing coming from brother Stow
did not expect 1t. And then it appears,
and Is, the worse, and the more mischiey-
Gus, for standing in sermon so able, and
in many respects so valuable.
The same heresy has recently been put
forth in the Christian Watchman. Finding
1t here does not so much disappoint me-es-
pecially after il had gone out in such SER
mon, tacitly endorsed by such an audience,
Below are extracts from the sermon and
the paper, which follow with a few com
mentS:
We have been confidently assured. as
1t 1t were settled axiom, that the oosnel
cannot advance at home, and that we must
expect no more revivals of religion in the
south or the north, in the west or the easr
until certain evils are removed, certain
dominant vices suppressed. Moral re-
form, 1t is SAID, must precede the triumpbs
OF the cross. And by these specious the
cries, have thousands of the people Of
God been unhappiy deluded, and leav.
ing their appropriate work of PREACHING
the gospel and distributing the Bible, thew
have seized the pickaxe and gone to beai.
ing down the obstacles which thew have
learned to think the Christian religion
can neither remove nor transcend. Sadly
for themselves and for the world, do thew
forget that "the weapons of our warfare
are not carnai, but mighty through God
TO the pulling down of strong holds cast
ing down imaginations and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God and bringelh into can
tivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ" The primitive Christians acted
on the principle that the gospel is the
grand pioneer, fitted above all else to make
crooked things straight, and oh places
PLAIN. If fatigue duty was to be perform
cd, IN order to open way for the easy
progress of the King of Zion, they desir-
ed no better instruments than the truths Of
his own glorious gospel. They under
sood that moral reform proceeds best in
the train of Christ and his cross, and
\ hence, tor the regeneration of degraded
and miserable world, hey used no other
instrumentality. They, in their simplici-
~, regarded the gospel as the divnely an
pointed charlottesville one efficacions
remedy of al! moral evils They suppos
ed that if individuals or communities conId
be broug ht completely under its influence
they would renounce all sin, and cultivate
all righteousness. Brethren, if the oos-
pei does not rectity what is wrong in man,
can you inform US Of any system. Of truth
or OF agencies that will do it? You can.
not pre-dlspose mems hearts to welcome
the truth of God by any external means
whatever,-not even by the potent InAn-
ence of grammars and lexcons globes
and orrerles, spelling books and neWs-pa-
pers, spinning jennies and steam engines.
But the simple story of the cross does ex.
ecu'on III all places,-ln-the German uni
verslly and the Northumberland collierv
In the Louisiana cotton field and the Low.
ell factory, In the Putawatomy wiowan
and the Karen jungle And when sin.
nerS are once converted by the grace 81
God, then they begin to estimate riobhu
the importance of their being; then thew
recognlZe their relations to Jehovah az
TO one another, and the work of imnrono
ment may proceed successfully. for !, Ia
basis and an object Seek first the
kingdom of God" and all these minor 70
suits shall be supe radded" -Sto,c's Ser
aOn
I'VE devoutly hope that Christian,
VIII learn wisdom from the past, and lool
to the church, as the only SUR. bono =
the cause of benevolence, humani,v on,
reform, to the Bible as the rule Of dutv
and not to any society or combination .
men TO define either sin or righteousness
we ieei tlrm confidence, that God will
yer nonor MS chareh--that is believers
pardoaed, sanctGed, and united IL ~
ialth; order. and ordinances Of the gosnal
as the instrument of expelhng evil II ev5e
~ shape from the earth. and fislino r ,,,;,
ruth and ghteousness--that He Win \
mus TO the confusion of these selfforme
SmOlnalions' even though in doing it b
AIcy them by their own infatuatio,
, ,nSo Il Is time for Christians TO inonir
ca 'n !; they have not highly displea.e
Co., - throwing themselves into anv 5,
49,. "Sn processes to take higher M
GI5 o .L man the church of the l;v;,
I Tou, tne pillar and ground Of the .,n ,
IL ihe church is corTnn.ad - 1 ..u'i
W II; - enlightened and purified" C
1s--sa'nA r $500. s