Litchfield enquirer., 1851-05-01
For the Enquirer.
A ReIigiOn for the Times.


gionists springing up in our churches.
They may be characterized as they who
are endeavoring to get up religion for
the times, us contradistinguis he'd from the
"religion of the churches What in
some quarters is called the religion Of
the churches, is held quite in contempt
by this class Of religionlsts. They think
it Flooding. prosy, narrow minded. mean;
while they have formed an anal gam more
to their taste-more aphilo>"pric. more
poetic, n,istic, liberal; Of higher presen>
sions to that sort Of pieIy which tAeyap>
prove; but little pretension To The picty
Of apostolic descent through the churcl.-
es. The one is the religion Of The Bible
and the Puritans. The other a new conl>
pound made up Of strange mates ial> (n"t
always consistent one with the other
made up Of the religions Of Cole,idge.
Of Carlysle, Of German Ra,ionalism, Of
New England Garrisonisn. and Oriental
My sticism, with just enough OF the COLI
serva,ism Of truth and true piety to give
the whole u sort of pliable Conference.
This is the religion which claims to be
an improvement religion better suited,
at least, to the tastes Of the more think
in, intelligent and refined classes. The
old religion will do for the bigots Of the
past, but the subtle, elastic, aspiring
minds OF the present, must have relI.
siun suited 10 their own intellectual di.
n'crSlonS, aud more especially 10 the
elasticity eli their colsclences. They
have got up such religion. What. in
theory II is. We. Of the old school, cann"t
well Comprehend. For what Of noveIly
and peculiarly there is about it (And
there Is much OF bDth) is something outs
side Of the Bible ami The chuich: and
hence we cannuL judge Of it by these
standards: yet we have criterion by
which /" Judge. We have It's fruits. It
is dcgma.ic, positive, overbear,ng. de.
nunclaiory, conceltrd. selfrighteous.-
We're it content TO be what 1t really is.
a worl,lty rrl,gion-a srheme Of caraal
conformity 10 The pleasures, anu clnen's
and sp,,lL Y! The world; and il il would
keep itself outside o the church, We
should have little 10 fear from II. Ru
ii is not 30 content. 1t is deter mined u.
be III the church, and to exert u coh.ro!-
lrng lnfaence there. ny launL> vi b'gut.
~, and by spec'ous reasoning. II loses
NO advantage to coe'ce the caQrch lNta
"a conformity To itself.
But, what ~. should no. fail TO re,
mark, she advocates and abettors vi This
new religinnism are for Lbs most part.
men whose Covenant obligations sci but
LOOSELY upM III .m. SOM. It them ara
~ the Gnu en--more Ut them are Aos--
but are pc. sons Ut "a skepsieui etsse "
mind Inclined 10 cavci--yet they feel
that ii is 40, quite respectable to be With
out " 'ei'sn'l. th"ngn t"o proud l." re-
cognize tnc religion Of the cnntche>.
rhe Two CLASSES Essentially one. except
that one +, i, The church make con,non
cause Ia bang the church and the world
tothe SAME common level.
Ii / have 'ignlly characterized this
class OF 'eIlyIunlsts. ynu will see he
grounds OF tncir exL,ene serS:tIvrnc>>
under any thINS hRc SoiTectloh VI 'e
Duke. ineJ nave no faults. and The e
Iole viii not bc corrected. Ahead wi.
ser than ,neIr teachers. they will MT br
taught. themselves the he'y h: and sta"
datd OF all excellency. they aye ,sct ike
" TO be impnNed NJ class presents 50
iu.midab.y "a font to the preacher OF t"e
sosp. n" class SO hopeless either o!
cumto)l Oh usefulness 10 the preacher or
ri prof 10 themselves and nome thai
throw more dangers and difficulties in
the way ot tie pesce and pn~ps'ity ii
the cnu;cn. Hence Tie increased diff
cultie-. winch. in the PRESENT generation.
beset The pastoral "tficc. Something
more than change IF ministers will br
required u, remove tile evil. 'hv chu'ch
viii lind nc, self harrAssed and weakrurd
toy these subtle. disguised foes. I'll. she
puts them all outside Ut lisr enclosure (;
where they belong. There they will be
comparatively harmless.