Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1854-06-09

bu, cant and bubble. shllihere i,some,hin,
,irni6can, in the fact tina, It's general preya.
lence should be accompanied with such De.
NAL Of the trues, and highest mission-indeci
We may say the only real mission on our
carih-or that apparent recognition oft which
nullifes by putting it simply on a par with
cvory other calling, trade, or profession in
human life.
The clergy we say have contributed to this.
They have thought to concliaie the world,
and thus gain power with the world, by low.
cring their claims, or the claims Of their Of.
fee. They would flin be more rational men,
more practical more sensible, and hence more
useful men, than their Pious br, mistaken
predecessors. Hence the 'eall to the minis
,ry." abou, which there used 10 bo 50 much
superstitious sacredness, has come to he eE.
planned as a rational conviction Of fines, h'
doing good to the world by teaching the truths
Of Christianity. All else is underyauod II
mol, wf.,sly rejected the outward call is but
prcsty Formally, the inward little better
than a'talse and irrational enthusiasm. |, is
the same feeling which has lod to tllt most
false position that the moral power. Of the
clergy would be increased, the more they
mingled in the world, and took par, in all Sc.
cuIar movements.
Bu, arc no, the clergy, in any view ihatcau
BE- taken of them, men oflike passions with
Other, True indced-mos, dcplorably true,
,nd, therefore, the more imporan, the fact,
or the belief at least in the fact, that the NOR
al power Of their mission comes from some
thing higher, purcr, moro stable, than their
own personality. We can only listen to them
intently, earnestly, and we may llso add, "a.
tionally, when we regard them as messengers
from Heaven. Their words have Weigh,
with n. Tor the very cause that their doctrine
is no, their own. Aside nom express rcys.
la,ion on the subject, our position is made o1,
by the shortest and simplos, reasoning. Tie
argument is both apo,friori from experience,
and PRIOR from the very nature Of truth i'-
self. We appeal to every mans personal
knowledge. Where arc the conversions, sui.
den or gradual. from the preaching thar claims
no such mission' When las il made the
prcud humble. or the worldly man spiritually
minded When has il ever reclaimed lhe
profiratc, or rendered charitable the male
violent. or broken down the hardened wretch
To peniience and faiih' II has indeed some
times produced very marked effects, but not
like those which characterized the day ofPsu-
,ecos,. when men were "Pricked 10 their
hearts" and "smo,c upon their breasts " 10
NAV boas, of is reforms, bot We foar that i
has Sc, men to reforming every thing bot them
selves. and to cleansing every thing bu, The
deflcd sanctuary Of their own spiri,'. There
comes the same conclusion when We reason
from the very nature Of things or IDEAS. The
soul Of the serious hearer inslncti,ely de-.
mands the higher sanction fur the higher
truth. 4 man may lecture TO rs on science
or political economy, or utilUluan ethics, lni
we listen TO him with complacency, although
bc comes in his own name. We take bis Boz.
,,ruc,ions for what they are worth, or ior
what we NAV regard ham as being worth. Bot
what right has fellow mortal ioprcach iou'
ofpcrIition, and salvation and the lie TO come
unless he has 4 message from the universal
Judge. or believes at least, ,ha, be has such
message. OF is delivering tic doctrine, no, as
his own, bat As having come from those who
were the inspired media through whom twas
At first especially given 10 our blind and wan.
dcrnr race Irhc discard this idea Of en-.
ba,sldor,hip from the clerical office, We will
not listen TO him Let the order be abolish
ed as deception, and therefore 4 moral moi.
sansc, lit take mol, that high ground which
reason and conscience as well rs Scripture
would assign to i, as It's only legitimate, i's
only tcnabIc position.
The very title he bears shows the fal'ity Of
this common tendency. His name 10 tho
Scriptures is translated, Herald, Crier, Pro-
claimcr. He is an Apostle, a nan 'ori 10
make proclamation. lie is Prrco, Pr
deans, Prcachcr-al conveying the same
idea, and having no meaning on the argnmcn'
ta,vo or lcciuring hypothesis.
From this tendency to take low and Sc
cular view Of the CLERICAL railing, has main.
" come tha, rcarward tendency aud position
or,hc the clergy which is 20 lamen,ablc 'oy
the world as we'll as the Church. There
must be assumed and maintained by them
moro Of the true ministorcd or cmblssidonlI
character. They must doth fearless ofcon'
sequences, and with a fll trust tha, the sim.
ple truth thus announced will be attended by
lis own intrinsic moral power. Learning Of
course, is demandcdas a requisite learning
which shall meet and conquer al that science