Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-06-17
Poetry.
From the Friend Of Man.
THE RECREANT PRIEST.

TndiQnantMuSe! amonSstthe IelOn Wrong, &
> That wake thy %censure, and draw down G
thine ire,
And pierce their souls with shafts of liv-
ing fire, /:
The recreant priest, so termed, ascendeth ,,
The pinnacle Of infamy to vie
With Heavens ~beleaguing Titus, and
aspire .
To overcome the truth, and give the lie
To Gods a~ll-conquering word, and mandates
stern and high!
Him ] select from out the craven crowd,
To be the theme Of this rebuking verse:
Him whose word-valiant tongue has ut
tered loud
The lhunders of the law, and spoke the
curse
Denounced on rebel sinners; yet with
worse
Than suicidal folly shielded sin,
And sanctioned robbery, to asperse
The friends of right, and drown in clam
orous din
y The voice of argument, which candid hearts
might winl
Such is the clerical a~polcgist
For slavery And do / wrong to raise
The note of condemnation, and enlist
The lyrics aid, 10 rouse afresh the blaze
OF dying virtue, and awake amaze
And deep disgust towards ministerial
crime2
Shall sacerdotal robes screen guilt, and
y praise
Attend ecclesiastics through all time.
Whatever De their deeds2 No, not in rhyme!
The Muse shall utter her disclaimer bold /;
Sln IS the hold to be assailed by truth
Shalt she recoil, and tremblingly withhold
her bolts to spare a traitors head, in sooth?
Is such her CO wardice, her reckless ruth,
That Titled baseness she will touch not.
though
Il strive TO stain the good name of a youth.
For pleading for the dumb and helpless ?
No,
0owned vice shall feel her thrust, and take
her heaviest blow.
He who processes great regard for RIGHT
Yet plays the hypocrite, and acts unjust,
lnvokes a double weight of scorn to light
Upon his naked head. He reaps distrust
And shame, and all men view him with
disgust.
And it is right, else stern integrity
Would be despised and trodden in the dust.
And such will be the fate Of those who try
TO trample righteousness among the minis
try!
Such is the consequence OF evil doing
such
The fit reward for bowling down TO Baal A.!
The sacred cause OF liberty who can
touch
To hinder, and not turn opinions scale
Against him 2 albeit like a storm Of hail
The opposition RACES, and though loud
The exasperated rabble rave, and rail
At freedoms advocates, who stand I'm.
bowed; .tt@w
The man cf character, who goeth with the
crowd,
Brings infamy around him, as the sun
Draws clouds about his path when he
Z declines.
One damning act like this, deliberate done
And faint, and foul bis reputation shines
Like placing diamonds back again in
mines,
Il shrouds the glorious light Of yirtuous
deeds,
And stamps disgrace in everlasting lines
a waning unto him who e'er recedes =.
From rectiludes and goes which way the
public leads.
o whal a soul-appalling spectacle
To see the honored 'Legate of the Skies
Stoop from the height of righteous prin-
ciple,
And countenance the worst Of robberies !
He who has urged to hottest emprise
The blood.washed saints, enjoining them
TO flee
From every evil, tho the world despise
Such Tigidpess: yet teaching them TO be
Unmindful Of the poor, crushed down BY
slavery
Wo unto him who winks at lawless acts,
And strives 10 force the gag on freemen's
lipsl
Who tramples on discussion, LAYS the axe
Atfreedom of opinion, boldly nips
The buds Of independent thought, and
The wings Of ~virtuous daringi Double
When screening tyranny with chains and
. whips,
~ such unhallowed course; and four.
fold we
When be who blows the gospel lrumpe,
doeth so!
Wo to the preacher, who with wicked
tongue
Asssils ihe root of virtue-liberty!
In characters Of guilt and horror hung.
LEI nis unworthy name be placed on high
1o he the gaze OF every passer by,
However il provoke his pious bile
To overflow, MKT with mendacity
Expose corruption, needless Of mems
smile,
Unawed BY laic frown, or sacerdotal vile.
GIMEL.
Agricultural.
From the New England Farmer.