Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-06-16
From the Free Presbyterian.
INTENSE CONSERVATISM"

The Louisville Presbyterian Herald, speaking
of the late Old School General Assembly at Nash
vile, gives utterance to the following
1.-The grand distinguished popularity of the
Assembly and of the Old School Presbyterian
Church, was its intense conSeSUatism. Radicalism
found no favor in any quarter, and was guarded
against and frowned upon On all sides. This pc
cullarity of our Church strikes us rs one full of
hope for the future prosperity of the body in this
age of radicalism and agrarianiSm. We know
that young America will scott at it as old fogy-
ism, and denounce it as behind the age, and ali
that, still we are to remember that the Bible is an
old fashioned book, Christianity an old-fashioncd
religion, and the Church an ANTICIPATED institution.
The tearing down process, which commenced in
the reformation period and has been going on ever
since, has been continued long enough, and it is
time we began to build up and to hold fast that
which is good, having now proved all things. In
almost any other age, such intense and logged con-
scrvatism would have been an evil, but in this age
we consider it as decidedly II hopeful popularity
of our Church, and we therefore glory in it, let
others dcnounce it as they may. Wheel horses
are often as useful as leaders, especially when go
ing down hill. and they are not found without
their use, even when a heavy load has to be drag
ged up a steep place"
Now, it strikes us that the value of conservatism
depends entirely on the character Of the institutions
and principles conserved. Conservatism is defined
to be the practice OF preserving what is establish
ed Hence, whether conservatism in any partic-
ular case is an evil or a good, depends entirely on
the character of what is established. Before a
logged and intense conservatism" can be n bless
ing, all evil principles and practices must be de-
stroyed, and all the doctrines and institutions
which the human race needs for n perfect state,
must be established. Now we are not by any
means clear that even the Old School Presbyterian
Church has reached this point, and we are pretty
sure that the world in general has not. We have
very strong suspicion that the doctrines, practices,
spirit and temper of that Church are not what
they will be i'll the millennium. We greatly mis-
read its character, if there will not yet be Il mighty
Uverturning in that ecclesiastical organization, be-
fore he shall come whose right it is to take the
kingdom. Our acquaintance with the individual
members and ministers of that Church, has not led
US to the conclusion that they have advanced be-
yund the Apostle Paul. But Paul counted not
himself to have unprecedented. but forgetting the
things that were behind, and reaching forth unto
those that were before, he pressed toward the
mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
There is not much of logged and intense conser.
vatism' here. 1t is our humble opinion that be-
fore the Old School Presbyterian Church will be
worthy of such careful conservation, she will have
to get on a better cornerstone than 1.-The conceded
principle that man-theit is no bar to Christian
communion" That there is a mass Of worldll
ness, pride, bigotry, intolerance, error, and sin, IL
: that communion, as well as in others, will hardly
he denied. But these call for no "intense and
uOHSeu COnsefNutlSm. lney are dHiOHS tlo NOOu
hay, stubble,' which the fire that is to try every
mans work will burn up. The idea that any
Church has reached the point whence no further
T progress is desirable is prepOsterous. But unit
the Churches do reach.that point, an intense con
servatism' is entirely out Of place.
Progress is the law of all Gods works on earth
The tree is the development Of the acorn. Mar
; grows from infancy. The productions of the ami
NAL and vegetable kingdom all progress from thu
E state Of embryo to the state of maturity; 50 will
human society, with government, literature, anc
the arts; and so with religion. The kingdom o
| heaven in the heart is first as the grain Of mustard
seed, the least of all seeds, then u great tree il
4 whose branches the birds of the air lodge. Tn,
same is true of the Church. She has had the in
fancy of the patriarchal, the boyhood Of the Mosa
ic, and the manhood Of the Christian dispense
e tons. But this manhood has been imperfect. n,
s sooner was it partially attained, than corruption
=. and decay began, and proceeded until all but thu
mere germ took fresh root, and grew again at tn,
reformation. But the growth has been partia
d aud distorted. The Church Of the millennium vii
u be something fairer and more symmetrical thar
{ anything the world has yet seen, That Churcl
cannot be built until the huge, organic systems o.
crime which now curse the earth are destroyed
]! The intense couscryative>' who try to preserve
these systems, and who oppose the radicalism that
would lay the axe at their root, plant themselves
directly in the path o. the divine purposes and
> operations, and are among the greatest obstacle:
: in the way Of the complete and triumphant cstab'
lishmont Of tue Redccmer's kingdom ON earth.