Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-06-03

Dfeu OcotI decision ana Its consequences Tho
disease, like run oftyphus fever has reached its
lowest stage. Will there be reaction of ma
ture towards health? Is there strength enough!
At this point does conscience act under the
" ord of God? At this point is the word Of
dod being applied? The Divine Spirit is pres
mt as power of individual salvation, but
still, under habitual indifference, there may be
palsy OF the conscience in regard to this sin.
An individual was met recently by friend.
who asked him how it was with him, and he
said he had been busy all winter in the revival,
and was at Il morning prayer-meeting every
morning at six clock In the course OF the
he was asked how he felt in regard
to the iniquity going on in Congress. Oh, said
he, don't trouble myself about that at all ;
and as long as and my family get enough to
eat and to drink, Congress may do what they
choose | havs no concern about it. Now of
what possible avail can be whole churches Of
such Christians, or what effect can tuns of such
plety have upon the morals of the community,
or how will REVEALS of religion reach the sins
OF the nation, if piety is content with eating
and drinking, and attendance at six o'clock
morning prayers, while the nation marches
steadily to wrath and ruin?
Ii the Church at large are under such iniat-
uation, then indeed the nation is ready to per-
ish for the Church is the salt of the earth, tho
conscience of the nation, and if the salt have
lost its SAVIOR, wherewith shall it be sailed? If
the conscience of the Church is corrupted and
darkened the nation has no means of knowing
its own evils and may be far advanceH toward
irremediable destruction. The conscience of the
Church is the only conscience that pretends to
be guided by the Word of God and by that
Word living conscience Of the Church and
ministry must be the nations Waterman.
One of the darkest and most distressing symp-
toms in the progress of this inquity is the in
sensibility of the popular conscience under out
RACES that we once supposed if ever any approx
imation to them were perpetrated were even at
tempted, would set the nation in Il blaze. Even
Mr.. Webster used to talk of the danger of ex-
periments upon the conscience of the country,
but we find no hazard attending them Out
rage after outrage is quietly endured, till the
people become accustomed to be trampled on,
and conscience utters no romonstrance. A fear
full paralyzing power, Il spell Of stupelaction,
an nsenssbility unto death, is on the nation ;
and the Church and the ministry that ought to
act as the nation conscience, are drugged and
possessed with the devil Of silence. So that the
people are not arrested, not alarmed not made
sensible what Satan's work is being accomplish
ed upon them. This is fearful treason against
God and His Word, terrible betrayal of prn-
cple.
| 1t is as if the nerves Of sensation in our sys-
TEN refused to warn us of injury by the sense
of pain, SO that, as under the power of chloro-
FORM our bodies might be hacked and manned
and we not aware of it; as in drunken stupor
u man might be fatally burned and not know it
until too late. So if the Church and the minis
try, being God'sscntinels to the nation, are bri
bed or dragged into silence, the nation by such
treachery will be fatally ruined ere it is aware
and will utterly perish in its own corruption.
Yetstil, we talk of the worlds conversion and
here in these anniversaries we drive all the null.
tifold machinery of the societies we have set ir
motion, while every day our power to manage
and to keep them from the villainy OF our owr
example grows less, and we go Boosting of oul
health and strength and prosperity, with this
terrible disease, under which we may be stagger
ing as adrunken man upon the very last verge o
Gods endurance.
The indulgence, maintenance, protection anc
defense of this sin, is the one great obstacle
against the missionary influence and work.
cripples us, it manaclos our energies, it palsie
our efforts. We in the condition of a MAI
whose whole left side is paralyscd, 50 that al
the strength and lille of the right side are occu
pied and tasked with keeping the palsied hal
of the body from falling. We are like MAJ
INDUCING in the use of ardent spirits to a de
gree just bordering continually on intoxication
so that all the soberness left is but just stuff
Gent to keep him out of the gutter. We ar
unfit for Gods work for overcoming the idola
try of the nations while we are in slavish sub
lection to.tho worship of this Moloch at home
And this is the upshot of all our splendid train
ing, all our vast gifts from God, all our prepar
ations by truth, providence, and grace, for tn
worlds deliverance from sin and Satan Is !
such an agency, or the instrumentality Of sucl
a people, that can be relied upon for the world
conversion? Eighteen hundred years Chris
crucifed has been known and preached on cart
as righteous Judge and Saviour for the poo
and'heedy, the oppressed, and the children 0
:, the needy, and yet, in these days, and il
the nation now Wanted as the foremost Chris
tan nation upon the face of the globe the iniqui
j.. ty of Slavery itself has been revived and main
tanned as the missionary agency and institution
; of the Gospel And all this comes from hidn
; instead of revealing that divine life which
: the light Of the world, which is the dscloSur
and destruction of sin, but being Withheld
: leaves the world in darkness, and the church t
be the nursing mother of the worlds abomina
tions. As in the absence of the solar ligh
there is nothing but cellar vegetation, and tn
= nourishing and running wild and free OF mon
sters that shun the light and love the darkness
SO in the absence or concealment OF Gods or
Il sickly, plllid, bloodless sentimentalism o
i compromise and cxpediency takes the place c
vigorous, virtuous life, and gigantic forms ofin
Il iquity breed and thrive. The tremendous dei
potism of slavery is the result of the policy {
: silence in the churches, silence in the pulpit, S
u lence of the ministry, the dallying and withho
: ding of the Word of God.
n Where can such things end, if continued
4 And if the conscience of the people is not reach
4 ed and reused, what hope is there that tn
h wickedness of the Government will ever be a.
/ rested They will go just as far as the poop
/ will let them-for their conscience is alwaN
! lower and more inscnsible than that Of the pee
a pie, batnever higher The conscience of tt
/ people is the last defense of Liberty-the la
d clement of righteous power. If the conscienC
@ Of the people can be set right, then there is hoy
. in God. If they disavow and throw off this il
n EQUITY, God Will not lay 1t to their charge: bl
Il if they do not resist it, God will certainly Wis
i it upon them; he will let them be destroyed |
It it. They have sown the wind-they shall rea
i the whirlwind.
e Here then, are demonstrated the responsible
s. and duty Of the church and the ministry, t
C Gods appointed fundamentally for trainir
y and awakening the conscience of the peopl
IF How can national sins be reached in any 9TH
rs way? And how in this way, except only !
st the Word of God, which is the sole instrumel
e in the hands of the Spirit of God to conyin
l. the world of sin? And how is the Word of &c
T, to be applied, except by the ministry, sustainl
" by the church for this purpose, and on the Sa
1t bath, when God gathers the people beneath
hearing and its power! The whole salvati(
1t ofour countryside whole possibility of REDEEM
ton from the sin ofSlavery-rests on this que
tion viii the church and the ministry