The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-01-07
Clerical Reform,
lgl'dnt.'

Clerical Reform.
Charles Beecher, son of the celebrated
DIR. Lyman Beecher, preached two discours-
es few months ago at the dedication of the
Second Presbyterian Church at Fort Wayne,
Ia The subject of these discourses were,
g is theBlble sufficient Creed" He con-
dennis the whole creed-making business from
beginning to end. He maintains that the BIZ
BILE is all that any clergyman should be called
on to believe; that with this the man of God
is perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
work. The bible, in his view, explained &C.
cording to the minister's honest convictionss
all that he can be required to preach. He
shows that young men are educated for the
ministry, under a system of fear. They dare
not think for themselves, being in fetters.-
We give an extract from which the reader
will perceive that Mr.. Beecher speaks bold
ly, and proves himself no slave to sectarian
trammels
"There is nothing imaginary in the state
ment that the Creed Power is now beginning
to prohibit the bible as really as Rome did,
though in a more subtle way During the
course Of seven years study, the Protestant
candidate for the ministry sees befose him an
unauthorized statement, spiked down and
stereotyped, of what he must find in the BIZ
Bile or be martyred. And does any one, ac-
quainted with human nature, need be told
that he studies under a tremendous pressure
of motive? Is that freedom? The liberty
wherewith Christ maketh free ? Rome would
have given that. Every one of her clergy
might have studied the bible, to find there the
pontifical creed, on pain of death. Was that
liberty?
Hence I say that the liberty of opinion in
our Theological seminaries is mere FORM
10 say nothing Of the thumb-screw of criti-
cism, by which every original mind is tortur-
ed into negative propriety, the whole boosted
liberty Of the student consists in a choice of
chains-a choice of handouts whether he
will wear the Presbyterian handouts, or the
Methodist, Baptist Episcopal, or other evan
gelical handouts. Hence it has secretcly
came to pass, that the ministry themselves
! dare not study their bibles. Large portions
! thereof are seldom touched. 1t lies useless
| lumber; or if they do study and search, they
dare not show their people what they find
there There is something criminal in saying
anything new. 1t is shocking to utter words
that have not the mould of age upon them.
Through the ministry the same spirit has
thus been conducted to the people. The
same penalties hang over them. The demon
nations are so nearly balanced, the strife for
power is so keen between them that every
tancicd departure from that creed, is seized
to make political capital, as really as in any
political campaign. Houses must be built
salaries must be raised. This requires much
wealth. Wealth requires numbers and pa
tronage. This creates servile dread of nov
city, for everything that another party can
get hold oi,strikes at the gold Therefore the
people watch their minister, and the minister
is afraid of his people. For if he studies in
dependently, if he goes outside of the book,
if he slips the handcuff, the people trembe-
it will not pease-the opposition will seize it
we shall be unpopular-we shall not sue
coed
Oh, woful day Oh unhappy church Of
Christ Fast rushing round and round the
fatal circle of absorbing ruin! Thou sayest
| am rich, and increased in goods, and have
need of nothing and knowest thou that thou
art poor, and miserable, and blind, and ma
ked
Thus are the ministry of the Evangelical
Protestant denominations, not only formed all
the way, under a tremendous pressure Of
merely human fear, but they live, and move,
and breathe in state of things radically cor
rupt, and appealing every hour to every bas-
er element of their nature, to hush up the
truth and bow the knee to the power of apos-
tacy.
Dimly does every one now and then see
that things are going wrong. With sighs
does every true heart confess that rottenness is
somewhere, but all it is hopeless of reform
| No all L. IL Il 30
night
The time has come when men having itch
ing ears, and forms of godlness without the
power, are heaping to themselves teachers
when they will not endure sound doctrine but
are turned aside unto tables. And the whole
has come about stealthily, no body knows
how, among good men out of good motives.
Was not this the way things went with
Rome !? Are we not living her life over
again? And what do we see Just ahead p
! Another General Council A Worlds Con-
vention! Evangelical Alliance and Univer-
sal Creed
And what then is to be done ? know
not what others may say, but if ever | shrink
from declaring that the bible the whole bible,
and nothing but the bible, is the perfect and
/ thorough furniture of the christian minister,
and the christian church, then may my right
hand forget her cunning, & my tongue cleave
to the roof of my mouth"
GERMAN METHOD OF MAKING Flowers
! Grow IN WINTER. We saw off such a
branch of any shrub as will answer our pur-
pose, and then lay it for an hour in a running
stream. The object Of this is to get the ice
from the bark, and soften the buds. 1t is af.
forwards carried into our warm rooms and
fixed upright in wooden box Or tub contain
ing water Fresh burnt lime is then added
to the water, and allowed to remain in it 81
hours, when it is removed and water added
with which a small quantity of vitriol is mixed
to prevent its purifying. In the course Of
some hours the blossoms begin to make their
appearance, and afterwards the leaves appear
Ifmore lime be added the process is quicken.
Il II 80 ,a1n - IL