New-York daily tribune., 1858-03-06

great social question, fairy frightened the leaders
Of the churches, and drove the great body OF them
By degrees to take position which fox several years
converted the churches-as il was said by some oi
their own members-intO the bulwark OF slavery
Now ia il not reasonable TO conclude that this iase
position, toward brngingthe Church into when Inc
Obs1rer itself so largely contributed, had vast
deal to DO with that loss OF power, on Tue
part Of the Church over the hearts, the conscences
the ,ympaihies of men, which resulted, not
merely in great numerical losses, but IN
moral and intellectual losses of still more 'e-
rious character The priest and the Leyite, VINO
ndustriously passed by on the other side, leaving
the robbed and wounded TO be cared for and MIN
istered TO by the practical Samaritan, we may be
pretty sure were not distinguished for their success
in adding proselytes to the Jewish church. Inc
Church, however, whether in Jewish times or IN
our OVID, though often brought low has never
been left to be utterly ruined by the backshdinas
the fears the mercenary spirit Of its official MN
listers. Time and again the Jewish priesthood sold
themselves to dolatry, but still there ever re-.
mained select few who refused to bow the knee
to Baal When the Church has been betrayed by
its high priests, prophets have been always provi-
dentially raised up TO retstablsh religion in its
ancient purity; and the Biblical studies OF The
OJScrrtr must have led it to notice, By the way,
how much the Jewish prophets devoted themselves
to the preaching of politics, and how much they
sted on mercy as better than sacrifice.
1t is precisely arevoluton Of this sort that our
American churches have lately gone through!
After a protracted ard most bitter struggle, the
practical, the refOrrnatiye, or-as Sadsucees and
scOfitrs whether in the church or out of it, unite
in describing them-tbe fanatical party have at
last carried the day. TIE Church has returned
again to its old ground Of being the advocate and
defender of the weak, the poor and the oppressed;
and as in past instances she abolished, or at least
aided most powerfully to abolish, Slavery in Europe,
,he now addresses herself to the even more ardu.
Gus task Of abOlishing or at least Of restricting,
Slavery in America No sooner is this great victory
accOmplished no sooner has the Church cast of
the frightful nightmare by which she was so long
and so horribly oppressed, than what do we see
The people who had thought her dead-nay, not
dead merely, but already decaying-and who
started back from the atmosphere which seemed to
surround her, upon finding her awake, revived,
fresh, vigorous, faithful, hopeful, loving as ever,
rush in crowds to her presence, and crowd about
her to embrace and TO be embraced.
The great religious revival at the close Of the last
century was followed in due time by the abolition
of the savetrade. The religious revival of quar-
ter Of century ago again recalled attention. and in
a more decided tone than ever before, to the sin
and curse of saveholdng 1t is impossible but
that the religious revival now gong on should be
attended by appeals to the consciences of men,
and by social results of a still more decisive and
emphatic character. The denunciatiOns constant
ly leveled by the Administration presses-whether
the few which like The ObseTrer, profess religion
or the many which, more or less openly, sneer at
it-shOws pretty conclusiyey that the PrO-Slavery
policy now in the ascendant at Washington expects
but little aid from that quarter. 1t is an undenia-
bic fact that the great party founded on op-
position to the further extension Of Slavery, which
has sprung into existence within two or three years
past, includes vast proportion of the religious men
of the country. Nor can il be doubted for mo.
ment that the great religious revival now going on,
while it brings great increase of numbers 10 the
ranks of that party, will infuse into it what it
needs even more, additional ZEAL earnestness aud
sincerity.