Arkansas intelligencer., 1858-05-14
Theodore Parker en- True sRevivals."
[ [CorrsspoHdenee Of the Ereniag Po,tl

heleiOooAt uuIin5 TIC ptcseus IeNNSi, snaii
not 60 unreturned. In sermon on "True
Revivals" preached last Sunday morning, he
scouts this religious interest as false and per-
ncious, because there is not state OF things
whose existence would create a millennium
He says that when there is real revival Of
religion, forts will be turned into public gar
dens, ships of war into penny posters across
the sea, ja;ls into hospitals, black slavery and
white slavery will be done away with, there
will be no more murder, no more prostitution,
no more crime or drunkenness-not an Irish
man will be drunk, nor even a member Of
Congress"
Park street Church, pro-slayery, the demo
Gratis, the President, prayer meetings and
prayer itself all received the teneti: Of Mr.
Parker's deepest denupciatiou, and Mormon
ism, Spirituslism and Emersonianisra were
commended equally without stnt-the first
because, he said, "it has something which
mankind wants." and lis success is a protest
against the enforced celibacy Of women who
are not married. aud the real cc.ibacy o. wo-
men who are called married, but are not
Spiritualism he commended as indicating
a desire for communion with God. lie said
he was ''thired Of that dd stack of hard, dry,
meadow hay, where the christian flock has so
long sought fodder and been filed with east
wind -(laughter) and longed for the sweet
slopes and green grass, and to get over, or
creep under the bars of this old winter COW
yard Of the church-(Iaughter."l
Mr. Parker said there were FIVE great evils Of
mankind to day-war bad government, sell
fish antsgonism of society, and the degrada-
ton of woman, from which spring lesser evils
and crime in its thousand forms.
The Protestant churches, said he, all con-
tribute to tract society, but that society new
er protests against any of the great evils narn
ed. 1t has little 10 say against war, political
oppression, slavery, the antagonism of society,
or the degradation Of woman. Even the Bi-
ble Society dares not give the New Testa-
ment to single slave. although the Amer-
them FIVE thousand dollars to 10 SO.
Mr.. Parker has evidently been sorsl ySeruis-
ed by the hard his OF the keyivalists, not to
say by their prayers. lie tried hard TO di-
vert their efforts TO some other quarter, in
something !iks the following language;
MANY christian ministers think they can
teaze God to do what they want done; they
can get him to convert men. If the prayers
Of the churches centre on one man it saves
him. At revival meeting the ecclesiastical
archers don't draw their bows at venture.
They don't pray, however, for tie great law
yer who prostitutes his talents to protect muir
derers and kidnappers, or the capitalist who
let's his houses TO rum sellers ard brothel
keepers, or the merchant who trades in COO
lies, for they are church members; nor Cor the
doctor Of divinity who defends slavery as
divine institution, for he believes in tie dam.
nstioa Of all the Unitarians and Universa!ists
and babies not wet with baptis.li; nor for the
trader whose word is goad ior nothing, for lie
is deacon; nor for the man who sells rum
and gunpowder TO nsgross in Africa, and then
carries them to Cuba and sells them for slaves
for be contributes TO the trac. society; nor for
the President of the United States, that he
may secure to all men the inaienable righ,
Of life, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness
and that he may make the golden rule of the
New Testament his guide; nor for the Su
preme Court, that it may deal justly and love
merely and walk hpmbiy With God: no, they
pray for no such man; they pray that msr
may believe the creed and come TO Christ
which does not mean to come 10 him who
said Religion is love to God and man. bu,
means to come to the catechism"
After trying to divert their attempts at hi.
conversion, be undertook to prove tha. they
ought to convert him after another fashion,
He said great many men and women had
labored with him TO convert him; not to be
more just, charitable or moral, net to be bet
ter minister, scholar, neighbor, friend, hus
band, not to love God and keep BIS command
ments better, but 10 come to Christ; that is
to the cateehisin, which he said tempted hin
in his infancy, and over which he wspt in hi.
youth, but at last od under foot before see
ing his seventh /. .thday. Said he. II dom
know how many threatened me With eterus
damnation. ( hter.) No ons ever char
ged me with ~ ice, or lack Of virtue, OF
manly excellence, but only with disbelief in
the Catechism. And thus the revivals tent
only to make church members not good men
He believed that il Jesus Christ came tt
Boston he would be cited. The ecclesias
tical men would put up prayers that he nigh