Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-08-13

Plifeation Of christianity which they see in
the lives Of its professors. With such a text
book, how could it be well otherwise than
that men should form an unfavorable opinion
of our holy religion? When men of the
world look into the church, and see nesting
in her bosom, denominations at which heathen-
ism bushes, and turns away with loathing (;
when they see ministers Of the gospel, elders,
and church members, trading in the "mer-
chandize of Babylon"-the "bodies and souls
Of men"-selling Christ in the person of his
down trodden poor, and selling the Holy
Spirit for a premium when they see minis
tiers of the gospel vieing with politicians in
party drill, and scramble after place and pow-
er, seeking "honor one of another, and not
the honor that cometh from God only -
when, we say. men Of the world see these
things in The church, how can il be otherwise
than that lnhdelity should abound Yet all
these things, humiliating as they are TO the
Christian soul, may be, and are seen in both
branches of the Presbyterian church, and so
far as the organisations, as a whole, are con-
cerned, they exist without a rebuke! Do we
take pleasure in saying these things? God
being our Judge, our souls have mourned over
this state Of things for years past, while we
have been protesting against them, and we
find no pleasure now in speaking of them /;
nor should we do so, but with the hope of
bringing about a better state of things. In
fdels have laid aside Paine, and Hume, and
Bolingbroke, and Voltaire, and now point,
with a sneer OF derlslve triumph, TO The church,
as a full refutatlon OF the doctrines of chris
tlanlty. And the argument is the most eilec-
1--WE one ever welded by them. The result
is, that both the nation and the church are
growing up together on the same platform Of
nraoftcinn ipEHalitr nu,v to ,h, oLn.ob r.
Christ, then, required that we should with
draw from such a connection, for so long as
we remained In 1t, we were, by that very act,
s%oleInnly testlfylng 10 the world, that the
character OF the church was such as we APP
proved. We can never consent to give such
testimony, either directly or indirectly.
3. Duty 10 the tUOrG demanded IL. The
church, with her means of grace. is Gods IN
strnmentality for the conversion of the world.
" We are the light of the world" stLet your
light so shine before men that others, seeing
your good works, NAV glorify yonr father
which is in Heaven" aye are the salt of
the earth but if the salt has lost its SAVIOR,
wherewith shall it be sailed it is thence
forth good for nothing, bat to be cast out, and
to be trodden under the foot of man, "But
we are a chosen generation, a royal priest
hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people: that
We should show forth the praises of Him who
hath called you out of darkness into his mar
v%ellous light" Men are rational, intelligent
beings, and must be dealt with as such.-
God thus treats them, and so must we il we
would be the instruments of their conversion.
Rational beings always act from motive. A
sinner, before he gives up his sins, must first
be convinced that his sins are wrong, that
/" the way of the trausgressor is hard.', and
,lo4 A. $780,, r lI:-.o -
short, if you wish to induce an intelligent be-
ing to exchange one thing for another, or one
course OF life for another, you must first con-
vince him that he Will gain something by it;
for who VIII be at the trouble of exchange
where nothing Is gained! The bearing of
these remarks upon the question before US is
obvious. If the church is ever the instru-
ment OF the worlds conversion, there must
be a distinction between the religion of the
church and the religion of the world, as mark
ed as the difference between light and dark
ness. "Be not conformed TO this world but
be ye transformed, by the renewing Of your
mind, that We may prove what is that good
and acceptable, and perfect will Of God" Ii
Is a lamentable truth that the church at the
present day, is, to a great degree, concerted
over 10 The World. The religion of the church
is so little better than that of the world, that
men Of the world see little to be gained by an
exchange. Is it any wonder that there is
such a spiritual dearlh throughout the land
Is 1t any wonder there are no more ~revivals :
The church has become a very lazar-house OF
corruption, and why should men seek to en-
ter 1t! Dear brethren, does not duty to the
imPenitent world demand that we should
Withdraw from such corrupt organizations,
and endeavor by the grace of God to set up
a higher standard of Christian character!
4. Duty to The suffering Stare demands il.
Here are three million OF our fellow beings
in this country, created in the image of The
same God, endowed with the same immortal
ity, travelling with US to the same iudgmen,
seat, and yet kept in a state of abject degra.
dation and ignorance, stripped of every right.