The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-02-09
The Conservative Preacher,
BY REV. LEONARD BACON.

Beside these, there is the conservative preacher
equally cut off from healthful sympathy with the
people. call him conservative" not because
he has any particular right to be so called, but be-
cause he chooses that name as name of honor.
Need describe him to you ? He is man who
has found out that whatever looks like progress
in these days, is, on the whole, only progress
from bad to worse. He sees only the dark side
of every thing that IS, and the bright side of eve
ry thing that acaS. He refers all things to the
standard of the good old times before the begin
ming of this disastrous nineteenth century. He
is panic-struck with the innovations that he sees
and still more with those of which he has no in
formation but by common fame. Tell him of the
religious awakenings and revivals with which
God visits the churches-and he groans over the
machinery" and the "animal excitement and
the 'new measures )" all which are, as he thinks,
peculiar to these times. Speak to him of the
movements and enterprises of associated benevo-
lence, which are filling our country with the in
situations of Christianity and sending out the
gospel to the ends of the earth,-and you touch
upon another of his fears not that he would ex-
press any disapprobation of efforts for the propa-
cation of Christianity if they are only properly
conducted but he fears what these organizations
will grow to he fears that they are constructed
on wrong principle, and that they tend to pro-
mote the designs of innovators. He does not
like to hear this perpetual talking about response
bility. His soul thirsts for those old quiet days.
when there were no societies for the conversion
of the world no theological seminaries, no sab
bath-school libraries no religious newspapers and
no religious news and when every man was al
lowed to smoke his pipe in peace, and mind his
own business. All the agitations of the age a
larm him, as if the earth were moved out of its
place. The improvements in science, in COM
merce, in the arts, which are so fast revolutioniz
ing the world, and bringing all nations into mu
tual contact and dependence, help to alarm him.
To him, the glorious experiment of popular gov
eminent in this country, and of federal union,
seems to have failed entirely He despairs of the
republic, and is much inclined to the opinion that
it will never be well with u.s. till we introduce
something of those hereditary distinctions which
give such stability to the institutions of the old
world. He looks upon this age as one of the
darkest in the history of man. His Office is to
prophecy in sackcloth, and he expects daily the
Staying of Witnesses In word, he is so fright
ened with the kissing Of steam, the noise of ma
ny running to and fro, the general excitement at
endant onthe increase of knowledge, and the
and Earrings incidental to the rapid
progress of society," that he feels if it the
,hief end of man to stand still and hold back
This is our conservative. You have heard
lin. How did he preach Powerfully, do you
Jay? But have you heard him for weeks and
months, so as to know the effect of his preaching,
IS a whole, on the people? Perhaps there is
'ower in single discourse of his, if you give
-ourself up to the illusion which he throws a.
ound himself, and which has become part of
lis identity. Nothing is more thrilling than the
ak, sometimes, of hypochondrac, or monoma-
ac, especially if you fall in, for the moment