Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-01-11
THE BLACK BULL:
Or version of old story, for all whom II may
concern. In two parts

II "Once on time" date and place
wanting in the chronicle-but "once on
a time" Il certain church got into great
difficulty and commoiion, as churches
sometimes unhappily do. BrmhcrIy
love gave place to alienation and cold
ness aud harmony, TO contention and
mutual elimination. Az might well be
supposed, christian enjoymen, was I'M
known. The spirit ofprayer was silenc-
ed, and a spirit Of unchrs,ian bitterness
aud luminosity reigncd. The power of
the church to do good was completely
paral zed. aud the public means OF
grace lost all their proper efficacy
Their minister preached, and preached
| well but he might as well have talked
IN the midst Of tempest. When he in
cult ated the duties Of christianity, and
spoke Of its benign influence and its sub
| jects, some graccless unbelievcr 10 the
gallery would dart a glance down upon
some Of the members below, and then
with a malicious smile, look the good
man righ in the face as much as to say
don't Try to impose The fctions on U.S.
|
members Of your church who testify
az ainst the truth ofeyery word you say"
Thus the word Of divine truth fell pow
erlcss at the feet Of sinners like arrows
striking The iron rock. The church of.
Ten met in Especial meeting" to con-
slider their difficulties. But oh what
contention, pride, selcwill, animos,y
and all unchnritableness were there -
In a word they came together for the
worse and not for the better. Friend
ship became less known and enmiiy be-
came more deeply seated. So that il
became a common remark among the
surrounding population whose eyes and
ears were wide open-''see how these
christians hate one another. IfMis be
christianity, give US IN preference TO it,
the worst form of paganlsm, or the most
naked system Of infdrlity itself"
\ Things were rapidly approaching n
crisis. Appearances poriendcd the dis
solution of the church as unavoidable
and even desirable. And The pail 81
death seemed likely 10 rest ON The mur-
dcred cause Of Christ and Heaven
|
}elial in their drunken orgies and
nightly revels INDUCED 6end.Ike
triumph over the bleeding body, pour
| ing contempt and insult upon those who
had troubled their heads by their picty
and their prayers, yet there were n
few names even in this Sard;s whose
garments were undeflcd--who wept
| In. 81 Al,
beloved Z,on and who stood daily be-
tween The porch and the altar, crying
spare thy people, o Lord and give
not thy heritage To reproach. Do good
in thy good pleasure unto Zion build
thou the walls of Jerusalem.
AT the instance Of these afflicted
breySryn, the following course was
1'adoWed, as the last resort.
!, ~ no great distance lived an aged
ministcr--a father in Israel, whose
| praises was in all the churches for his
| pety and prudence for his wisdom and
goodness. lie had few equals for pen
! etralion to discover and skill to advise
N whatever related TO the affairs OF the
! church Of Christ. 1t was therefore con-
clnded by the church to ask his counsel
and assistance in their trials. A letter
was accordingly prepared and sent,
stating their difficulties and asking his
advice. The good man was deeply
panied on learning their state, and with
all possible despatch, prepared suiia-
/ bic answer Ia their request. We have
no-copy Of the letter he intended Tor
them, but the substance was probably
something like the following 81 sin
cerely lament my brethren, the unchris-
iian state into which you are fallen -
How contrary is it to the letter ana the
spirit Of that Gospel you profess to be-
licve. How opposite to your own cov-
enant obligations How grievous to
that Holy Spirit by which you arc seal
ed And how ruinous to the souls OF
men around you, many Of whom know
nothing of the gospel but what they
learn from your walk and conversation.
| therefore adnonish you first of ALL and
beseech you, that ye walk worthy Of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, with
all meekness, with all long-suilering,
forbearng one another IN love; en-
deavoring to keep in the unity Of the
spiri, in the bond of peace. Let all Bit
terncss, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away
from you with al! malice and be ye
kind one to another, tender. hearted
iorgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven YOU. But
fye bite and devour one another, take
heed that ye be not consumed one Of
another. 1t is as ye thus love one
another, that all men shall know that ye
are the disciples oil Christ" From this
brief specimen, tho reader can easily
imagine how the letter went on, and
how it concluded. Pity we think the
church never got it. But not TO anti
cipate.
Now this good man owned n good
farm at some distance from his resi-
dence (obtained most probably by in
heriance or mor1'iege) and it happened
that Just as he had folded the above let
ter, and before he had directed it, word
was brought that certain mischief was
being done on his farm, and which re-
quired his advice. Whercupon he took