The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-11-15
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ABUSES OF THE PULPIT.

The exalted siatlOn Ol the SaChck " tekion has aE
been recognised BY the American mind. The amba,s.
from God to is being go potent for goOd-so q
iortug in the death ,ehamberso sacred in all the 0
relations OF fe-that towards the mnists,
his solemn Office springs intnitvsy from every breast
messages to Us are clad with all the authority "a. y
risen nom tia Ssadp The mysteries Of his teachings ~
but to enhance the sancy Of bis Office ID Is slrs
then that in this land where the people love 10 sss
Intellectual leaders for themselves under whose su
they may devou'ly range, more than ordinary sgn6
has been attached TO the utterings OF the pulpit
influence is less tumutuous IL Is ever more pernaRs
than that Of the press. Such field for power is Atom
by neither the Senate chamber the newspaper nOt !
hustings and those who FIJI the pulpit have not been
to observe It, So dazzling sway 40 the priests Of r
exercise in this country could hardly exist without IA
ing the heads OF many OF the errng and ira men wha
our spiritual guides. The transition from the themes
Bible TO the concerns of temporal life Is as easy The
..ssl uIylues mem is snaaowy ana vague ue be
enthusiast Of religion imperceptbly glides in the ie
the moment to topics that present, exciting an
everyday life Hence, when the pride of eoquence !
the warmth Of passion has carried the pulptorator
the oft-old tale Of Christ and him crucfed he sei,
some and arousing topic to awaken the faggiugh
est of his drowsy hearers If the tricks Of rhetoric
elicit emotional sympathy, he knows full well thai
tricks of the great institution of the Stump win SUI
an exhaustess fund from which he may draw at will
Thus, whilst the church-gong people OF New Rng n
angrily and unwisely denouncing Mr. Madison d.
the last war with Great Britain, the pupis Of that
aud decorous community ever made political rost
whence every friend of the war and soldier of bis co
was denounced and abused. 1t was tribunal
whose Judgment there was appeal--to whose argus
49, ba x;nsta And UhSrf baan
American party emerged from the gloom Of dark Id
large section Of our pulpts filled by harangua
behalf of its success, stirring up atcnce political hosG
against foreigners and Catholics
But of all topics delighted in by the church milf
none has received such undivided interest as the
slavery. III
The sermons printed and written upon ii would dad =
the mouth of the Mississippi; and if all that has
spoken and written could have been addressed on pun
ligious topics to the heathens Of Africa ASIA and Ana
we might well hazard the guess that each of them
know of theology than some of the very oocumr
our pulpits themselves.
From the time of the eloquent but misguided Cham
to this hour there has BEEN unceasing preach
slavery. At one moment Habbakuk Mukelwrath PI
has arisen crying aloud, dead corpses and WON
horses the mixing together of battle and garments
in blood At another Kettle-drummer Cheever stsr
to "testify" for Kansas, after the style Of old
Heading, crying out HSlay and spare not Woe
compliers and sefseekers that daub over and drowr
condolences by complying with wicked exactions, an
ing mammon of unrighieousness to the sons Of
And far away In the van stands Rife Beecher Of
memory" with his famous gun "Kill EN-" doing God
vice in helping to STAY the "Philistines and Edom
Missouri. The three thousand preachers who spd
Gods name against the repeal of the Missouri Coz
mise close up the of the great army of aboldO
pit saints of the 10th century.
Does any friend of religion, the tone thing nee
feel joyous pride in the glance we give him 7 l.
aught here to elevate the American pulpit in the a
of men or the sight of God? How compare the
ings of Beecher, and Parker, and Cheever, and Da
and Tying with those divine precepts of Peter, 81
yourself to every ordinance Of man for the Lords
and of Paul, ITO obey magistrates, to speak evil
man, to be no brawlers, but gentle showing all med
unto all men ?" How far more beautiful the teach,
Mssslllon and Bossuet than the ncendiary baranrs
which northern ministers have so shamefully ind
The gifted Chalmers drew the portraits OF Just sGch
les when he denounced "those men OF print, OF Plot
of privacy, in whose hands the other agents Of reid
were nothing better than slaves and simpletOns;
men Of skl enough for themselves TO 60 thus far Il
further, and Of cruelty enough for Others TO aI
how many they pulled across the verge Of despH
those men who have made their own harvest ofa
sions OF the multitude, and skulk in their
places, till the storm of vengeance that is to swa
victims Of their reachery from the land Of the rin
have finally blown away those men who spoke
ism which they never felt and shed Mei5 srpent tr
sufertngs phieh Hevr drsv from Their bo,oms on
honest tendernessi'
Rank the names of these pulpit agtators, who tsp
year past been slumping the North the subs
savery-and their naue Is legon-wi,h those calm
old WORTHLESS who graced the American churches 10
earlier days. The Meades, and Whites, and Payso1l
Alexanders and Bascousio, and Davies, and EdVr
shine like fixed stars down this poor shower Of
lights and hazy nebulace Whitfelds preaching %
ed one thousand persons in day, and yet be could
God that he increased the number Of negroes on biz e.
Georgia DID all the three thousand signers Of The
sas petition ever accomplish so much as he Nay
their political preaching turned many away from
In disgust2 Already the few who have kept tbe
pure in the simplicity of Christ tell that the
religion in New England is not so strong as Il VI
years ago. The New York Observer tells us that
denotes Of our times TO the introduction into our
of other themes than Christ and his salvation an
tons that ministers not at heart attached TO A
trines they have professed.5
With the advent OF another Sabbath will oors
and quiet over our land. Then those pure men Vi
kept aloof from this dsgrscefu political preaching
rewarded by full harvest Of success amongst IN
pie. Those who have dtfed themselves and their
With the dirty waters of agitation will find tb
long alinging to their sacerdota garbs "Tht
shall have their reward" Church historians viii
their follies on the same pages that they write d
witchcrsfts and Titus-0ates conspiracies The mel
ration Of America will think Of Parker and Beechr
yer and Dutton, Tying and rockingham, what
OF Poundiext and Muklewratb, of Kettle-drumns8
Baliour-fhat they loved the applause Of their peoPs
than they feared God or that they were orszy b
fanatics, disgrace to their calling and rsprOsci
age.
In the "era Of good feeling now dawning up0 II