New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-12
For The Tribune.
SOCIALISM NOT INFIDELITY.
snnET SERMONS :. 10. II


The eospel cautions US against the devices and
traditions Of men: it mathematics the prssen!
world and directs our eyes toward the Heavenly
Kingdom, a Kingdom that is to be ultimately es
tablished on earth. Oar Lord prayed, Thy king
dom come Thy viii be done, on earth, as it is ia
Heaven :; AID is it profanity to affirm that the sa-
vior asked for anything which the Father canao.
reasonably gran2 Is it not profanity 70 affirm that
toe Sayiors aspirations will not ultimately be real
lied Did be die On the cross in vainl And, If
the kingdom can never be established on earth,
does nos the Savior deceive US IN commanding us
% ask continually FOR that which lie knows ne can
not obtainl Let the Maih0sians answer these
questions; let them pcTvert sculpture, and affirm
/ that the expression, My kingdom is not Of this
wo.i6 refers 20 the visible and tan libe earth, an1
cot 70 the mere Roman and Jewish world ard dis
pe1saiion The Master said, ASK, and ye shaT
! receive" and 4" hen We pray, pray IN this man
neri Our Father, who ar in heaven hli7wed
/ be lhv Lrre. Thy kingdom come. Thy vii b.
/ done "a c1lfh as J. ll ia heaven We believe IN
4 fhe EinEtcm cf IT avt1-iR che second ali s7.-,.-
ua' coming Of Christ "bessei are tie meek, for
/ thcy shall inherit tie cqTa!
love not tho world nsi.ior tie rlags nai ara IN to
vo1 m ay nan og. fle world tho love Of ths Father
Ia nd 90 him For ~ tnsi is ~ 'he world tbs lls' Of hs
~ Fsber hnt is On he world ana the wo- q passsih
fw p and the lust hereof but he thai doea the vii Of
God abideih forever"
Is not this precisely what zee say Why do we
oppose political economy, Malthusiauisnl Is it
not precisely for the reason that Mathusianism is
the scientific exposition of the religion this world
! il contf8distrcticn to the religion Of Christi Is
not political economy the gospel of mammon! Oar
! Lord teaches to pray for our daily bread he
tells that sparrow falls to the ground without
- 4. ! 80
/ vd'ue than many sparOws he instruc's Us 70
Ike no anxious thought for the morrow since, IN
| der the blessing Of God the things Of the morrow
will take thought for themselves. But is there any
| room or this love and mercy lii the science OF p)
| litcal economy Can we conceive OF our Lord
who wept over the grave of Lazarus, expressing
] hims II in the language Of the Malthusians Nal
! thus says-we quote the substance, and very pos
sihy the exact words, though We have not the book
! by US:
"Ifamsn born into world already occupied and his
suiy is rot aole to support him. or II society hs' no ,
aud hs labor that has n ght 10 claim tly nour
fLmen whatever; he Ia really one too many on the earth
AT lie great banquet Nature, there no pate lEd for
him Nature orders him 20 take himself away and she
will by delay 10 putting Ter own command into
execution"
Does this sound like the gospel Wealth, as the
economists understand the term, is property SO in
vested capital, they prefer to call it, that it shall
earn revenue for its proprietor, even while he
himself remains idle that is. wealth is property so
placed that it gives its idle owner a claim on the
results of the labor of industrious neighb0rs aud
il is the aim of political economy 10 increase wealth
as thus defined. Yet the gospel says that rich
man cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven not
tyicked rich man. for there is qualification in the
text but no rich man can enter the kingdom in
! deed, the gospel does not speak with absolute
strictness, but it says that il it were not for the
omnipotence of God, no rich man could be received
into the Kingdom Of the Father. We know that
all things are possible with God but the text de-
scribes the difficulty Of the spiritual transformation
of the rich man, by saying, 1t is easier for a camel
to 90 through the eye of needle than for q rich
man TO enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" IL ia
not that say this indeed we should not dare to
say it; for it by no means appears evident TO US
ihnt the chance of rich man is so much worse
than that OF poor ii We believe It at ali, it
is lot because our understanding is convinced, but
| by reason of en- exercise OF faith.
But how dare the Economists charge MS with in.
iidehty2 Their science is the gospel of Anti.
Christ; for it has for its aim the increase Of Anti
Social wealth, the increase Of that very thing
which is the greatest bar tn admission into the
heavenly Kingdom. Is 1t not they who are willing
y, aud knowine y traitors to the law OF that king
dom? The MathusiaDs will be enabled to speak
with great power when they shall have sold all
that they have, and given it 10 the poor, receiving
heavenly treasures instead bat they have no right
now to censure us, seeing that they themselves
| 1--we ia plain v0latlOnOi the Lords comm andments.
The Malthusian retains bis property, aud tells the
Poor man who is out of work, out OF health, hun
cry and in prison, that Nature commands all abisct-
ly poor persons 10 take themselves out Of the way
10 retire from existence.
The Economists tell us that population always
| keeps pace with the means of subsistence, and
that If we help the poor, they will rear up more
children, thus increasing the amount Of misery
they tell us that when the beggar stops US in the
street, we ought from high moral considerations to
refuse him charity. And these are the men that
ceDsure Us as inidels We are not competent to
| determine between the economical science aud the
! gospel but it is well 10 hear both sides:
depart from me- ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE, pre-
pared for the devil and his angels for hungered
and yegRye me no meat wat thirsty and gave me
drink was stranger and ye took me not In sick and In
prison. and We visited me notThen shall they also
him, ing, Lord, when saw we thee hunyered,
ahrst stranger naked or sk or IN prison, and did
ing Verify unto you, Iaasrueh ye did Il not 10
| cf The least Of these, &c dad hn0t unto me"
How fhall we reconcile this passage with the
one before quoted from Nautilus! We do not dare to
go on with our extracts from Scripture; for they
are so severe upon the aim and purpose of the
Economists that the series Of quotations might
light up in the hearts of some readers fires which
| it were better to leave unkndled. 1t will be oh.
served however, that political economy is the sci.
entfc exposition and defense Of that worlduess
which the Gospel condemns. Socialism and Chris
tianity agree in one point at least for they IN.
questlonaby condemn the same thing. G.
The Reign of Terror at Rome.