Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1853-10-06

but now many miiIlOns Orsiue0 OI Vol.
tairiens until lately, when Skept,cism,
which 10 by tho nature oi man. short
lived, having passed away. Socialisn,.ov
. belief IN man involving N deeper be-
lief in God,is begeiting higher Chris.
tianiiy than has yet animate Chrisien-
DOM "a Christianity destined 10 be- tav
more fruitful than ever was the theolop.
zeal, The which however 10 now every
where almost as good as dead.
But deeper and stronger than either.
than Catholicism, than Protesiautlsm
both perlshable, is the i.nperishable
Christian principle OF liberty. the quench-
less longing for absolute mental freedom.
Professionalism vas The assertion Of THE
principle against the usuIpaiion oi
Rome. II was n conflict for truth, hut
not Itself the broadest truth, that il could
not be; a struggle for emancipation
but not itself the largest liberty,
that It could not be. II Qrickly put
bounds 10 It's own essence, the right Of
private judgment, OF free inquiry il
narrowed itself to isn,s. 1t is not uni
versal in its embrace; il is partial, und
thus runs into SectariaDism. II has no
Pope, hut =, has creeds il has no mo.
nas,eries, but it has theological semina.
ries i, has 10 independent hierarchy
(exeept in England), but 1t his dogma,.
Ic pgicshoods. In It's churches ecclesi-
as,ical abuses are vastly miti.ated, by
no means lulIy abaed. Proies,antism
has its army of priests, who are, TOO
many OF them, Jewish in their narrow
ness and their hates and in their aSsuwp.
tions papal and who, II they could,
,h,,. ID .,.,h oil
persuade Us thabpriests are essential to'
salvation, the very deposilaries and dis
pensers oil spiritual he, the indispensa.
bic bond 10 unite men to God. In this
they serve themselves more than God
and men. When u man places himself
between God and another man, he ini
isrcepis the l.ghl and casts a shadow
upon his brother he is "A false priest
| Who would make himself Indispensable
To men AS "a medium Of union with God.
! The true priest aims to unfold tho soul,
and thus disclose TO it lis own inmate
powers and grandeur.
! A primary aud pre.cmi ent element oi
our mental being IL religion. 10 say
oi Il man, h1 is without religion, Is as
much nonsense ne 10 sny he is without
lungs. Breathing is moi ipore efsentiA
10 The physical life than 10 10 The moral
! u re:opnitiion Ot the lnfnitc,a reveren-
! tial consciousness OF the Absolute and
Unspeakable. So sophisticated are
mems minds by one-slded teachings.
that they come 10 regard religion as
something they yet from ihe priest, n
| spiritual treasure guarded and disEcns-
| c BY the priesthood. Al stated periods
/ they 20 To Church io receive their shase
! oi It like stockholders 10 the Bank ~
draw their dividends. They have mnds
| an investment III The Church and leave
/ the management thereof 10 the priests.
| who pay them III prayers, sermons Hnd
| lliurgies. IN this way iOrms usurp the
\ place OF substance, dead mntcrial husk
OF spiritual cernal.
AS are the temperament and The ino<.
al AID intellectual wants OF \ peoplu 40
are it's hiviDiiies, who are modified, ayo
moulded, by the menal characteristics
| OF each. Hence the difference between
4 HE Gods oi the Greeks aud ihe God OF
\ the Hebrews, between The worship ot
the Hlndoo ana Mat Of the Afican.-
Men who can ontyeoncicve God accord
ing 10 their own capacities. 10 tho
\ low man ever low God. As individu-
al men III their Darfowness would have
Other men like themselves, go aggregate
men. men in tribes ana nations make
God like man. AnthropOmorphism ~
the egotsm OF unssnane ipated humanity.
\ Through culture and moral enlarge
ment We attain 10 the conception ol the
vltalizing omnipresent Deity ne incor.
/ porral essence. AS man rises, the Del.
ty shines The more purely upon his hear,
God and man exaliing one smother. To
the upslrlvlng man The Deity holds out
Il helping hand, ascending ever higher
4 aud hi her. the mo und more CfuIgent
Il with intellect and love as man mounts
Il alter hun towards the centre Of Liberty
\ anu Truth, the eternal home .! tie IN
Il finite Good.
/. Jesus, an inmate Of this heavenly
home, from the depths OF his large sou.
\ proclaimed the law OF love. justice, uni.
H ~. This solemn Inomentous proclnm8,
/ ton has remained prolific abstraction
I kept present 10 the human soul by the
| nborn need OF It's iulfimen,. Only in Je.
! eus himself burnt purely the light OF his
| revelation. The Apostles his agents
we're tainted with Judaism. And soon
|, tie spirit OF presiC raft, which had cruel
n ntu Steus' 'opN IorrNsSiVb vi uIb uOCs
\ trine and soiled II Ii is not yei purged
of the soiling. The God of p,iestcrait
is Il God OF wrath, inspiring fear more
than love, "a priesl-made God to servo
\ prcstIy ends Of DOMINION gloomy, re-
vengeIul, the oppressor not the liberator
I OF humanity, whose messengers are OF.
,ener devils tl.an angels. DO you pu.
rily man by defIing God with cruelty Z
i BY abasing man do you exal, God J.
/ Do you slrengihnn the heart by com.
I pressing |, into lntolerant creeds, do you
shelter i, under mystic imagna,ons q
/ Out of trlte iancies and sour sensib ill.,
ties you would build up Deity, and pre-.
sent rs The Infinite the image they
make on your finite braius. In films
i phrases you would word the Unspeak a
/ BILE, IN heeting vesture clo,he the Eter.
| nal, and then you soemnly declare the
outcome ot these your theological in.
vcn,ions to be God, and summon us to
4 worship, as the creator this your dwarf.
ish mishappen creature.
Il VIVA, prof, h ,ih the SOIL from these
dcgredalions oil Deity Is it not akin
TO image worship, .hiS pcirilaction Of
/ iaIlible iuterpre tatons INTO stnunch
!! cree Is 7 Beams from the central Light
detected through Judaic innaginations,
eau they retain any warmth Tor the 18th
II century 2 What knowledge or nour.
ishmen, is there now in these ancient