The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1858-04-14
RIPLEY MISSISSIPPI TppAH County,

gradual tendency Of religions affairs
has been downward, until mamnon,
pride and prohigacy had ueurped The
altar and the pulpit IA we'll d, the
pews and the portals. Il is not too
much to say that nne-tenths of the
preaching in our fashionable churches,
with tue proiiX written discourses,
was Of no more consequence than the
ancient dispulalions Of the Scribes
aud pharisees For all practical
purposes, the clergymen might as well
have lectured on science OF phlloso-
ply, as to nave preached. Ministers
did not get down to the great pulse of
humanity throbbing heart which
beats responsive to the magical touch
Of sympathy. The yearning heart
which reached out. as it were, in the
dark for support, which lonsed for a
home OF rest, found it not in that
stately preaching which was but
cold Formally. Those only went to
hea: it whose character, required
them to maintain fashionable po.
sition in society. The great under
current o. humanity, the mighty soul
of the masses, saw j and felt II not
What could be expected q. {hla class
but debasement and degradation?
But there was another class
There were many cultivated minds
persons who would be right, whose
impulses drove them to some religion.
Those were they who went oil into
the vagaries OF the day, some to
SpiriluaIi-m, some to Transcenden-
talIsm and some to Fourierism Too
ETHEREAL to be degraded, they sought
solace in pantheistc or attractive
philosophy The result has been
soen--a period of religious declen-
sion such as was never known. The
clergymen preached with as stately y
manner as ever, but wickcdness
run riot. The great mass of humani-
ty was outside of the church. In this
city there was at least onethird of its
population which never heard the
gospel preached! {
A new kind of preaching was in I
troduced. The Rev. Mr., Spurgeon
OF London, scarcely u years Of age
astonished that metropolis by the ,
wonders he effected in delivering ,
short, practical cxttnpore sermons. ,
They were simple aid yet forci5e.-- ,
They produced an impression far and I
wido. Thousands Of them were re- ,
printed and sold in his country, and G
10 these ser..,ons webelieve the pre- +
sent widespread excitement n tn ;
churches can be traced. The clergy :,
were the last to feel them. The re- r
'ival commenced in the iall at a small J.
prayer meeting in the old Dutch :,
church in Ann street, and has spread n
With astonishing rapdily. The cler- y
~ soon found it out and some (not n
ilD of our most fashionable ministers r
lave actually come down from their n
tllts and taken part IN the meetings .
We are glad IT, see it. Pure Chris,
ianity is pure Democracy, for it was
he great doctrine Of equality which
s such beautiful feature in Christi
eaching-. II the present revival Fl
hail succeed in breaking down some D
# the prevailing stiffness and formal N
y in churches, soften some Of the .
'urse- proud arrogance of the rich, T.
md hasten the day when mere u
wealth shall no longer be a criterion Il
f persons standing, it will have T
one a great and noble work, and ifit id
hould also effect great and beneli- .,
ent moral renovation in society and v
ecrease the number ofsaintly villains p
Who use the church as cloak for their h
ins, it will be long remembered as to
he great reformation of the nine u,
eenth century. -
New York Day Book.