Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-10-02


strengthen human nature with all the grdcos
Of the Christian characters That the poaJcss-
or may sit and contemplate his own perfec-
tons. If he DO. like the youth Of classic IA
bic, his soul will die fcasting on its own
beauty. That he may build up n sect2 That
lie may sit and think how surely he would
have avoided tho scopticism of the Sadducee,
or the bigotry of the Pharisec, and not have
stoned the Prophets?
No. Men and women are endowed by
Christianity with hearts lifted above selfish
ness-filed with love for their race-con-
WINGED of the possibility Of yirtue-of the
safety of doing right-of the value Of truth
not only or wholly for their own sakes, bat
that these powers may be uao1 intently and
earnestly in Analysing the institutions and ex-
posing the corruptious Of society, defending
the rights Of the poor, seeking out tho hidden
sources Of public suffering, "attendlng to
the neglected and remembering the forgot
ten!
Christianity is not merely a contemplatlye
hermit, rapt IN visions and dwelling on its
own states of feclinE-no acute ~metiphysi-
clan, nervously weighing c~reeds-but Il living
voice, crying to the busy throng, " repent -
a denouncer Of q" wickedness in high places"
telling unjust wealth to weep and howl !"
bidding kings to rule in righteousness !"
full of woes for such rs "devour widows
houses !" setting "at liberty them that are
bruised" she is rs proud Of Benezet as Of
Pascal; and loving Fenelcn well. gives as
bright a crown 10 Howard, and girds as cheer
fully for the battle the rough and sturdy
frame Of Luther and the wild zeal Of Slvuna-
ralo.
Nowadays the mass Of society recognize
the duty and the worth Of alins-giving and
Sunday Schools-chcap soup and the primer.
For the Church remains a higher and q harder
work. Standing in the van, her prophetic
eve should be the first to dpscry suffering.
even though tho cloud be no bigger than a
mans hand her heirt, touched with liyelipst
sympathy, Is to be poured ont FIRST in its he
half; hers is to he that wisdom, the child of
goodness, which is first to devise the reme-
dy.
How shall that body dare to call iisolf the
Church of Christ, which allows any, out Of
her pale, TO 90 before her own sous in keen
sympathy with suffering. or active effort for
its reliefl In the tender heart, the open hand,
the Brain that heats not for sactariin or selfish
ends, but only that the wide race may b.
happier and better, dweils The true Church of
Him "who went about doing good
, Instead o this the Church, which has been
fr ages getting ready to do her work, now
Z iA' ~ y AbCAN la AAAhll- NAAh ' ~
long the seeds of reform and elevation, she
sits still, now that the fields aro white tor the
harvest. She disowns the principles which
have sprung from her bosom, brands them as
infdel, and gathe. nto her idle fold those
timid sheep, which ) y can still govern, lest
they be corrupted by II, T" running to and fro
and increase Of knowied Lc'-the very bless
ing of which her proud prophets heraJded hor
5 as the bearer. Claiming to hold the sword
of the Spirit-she kecpe it nicely sliralhcd
while other men contend for the faith one,
, delivered to the saints.
The Church rests, even III her own theory,
(among us,) when she has reformed her owr
subjects, forgetting h At other duty Of using
f their virtues and her position to reform the
guilty institutions of society. This is he
theory. In practice she rests without reform
, ing either the individual or tho mass.
n Her army is all equiPpct-and she idly
Z, expects to keep them active and disciplined
o without exercising their virtues in coustan
= warfare. God has paid back this d]esertiol
$ Of her post with EarrenneSS. Aftor copyin.
the Jesuits Sin lenglheuing the creed al,
E shortening the Drc4.ogue," Christians secr
to think that Christianity itself, in the ab
= stract, is somehow or other to wort; wcn
; ders-but with all that they have nothing !
DO,
"Stand still and see tho salvation OF I'll
Lord" said Dr.. Arnold, was true advice t
+ the l%sraeliles on the shores of the Red Sea
1t would have been false when they were t
5 conquer Canaan"