The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-13

ground, and said, " All these will | give thee
apd the glory of them, if thou wilt fall down
and worship, me-" he always calculated his
tade retro with such prornptness and energy
that Satan executed a retraite, which Cellarius
might have envied but, unhappiy, he forgot
the latter half of that, omnipotent adjuration
and concluded it by an awkward mistake with
1t is written, Thou shalt worship-the Church
Of Rome, and that only shalt thou serve"
Thereupon Satan, delighter in compromises
resumed his poursuite in a more mastery man
ner, showed him in a moment of time all the
kingdoms of this world, and said, /" All these
will give to the Church of Rome, if thou and
the like of thee will only bow down to fotter a
little, to hold thy tongue when thou shouldst
speak, to speak when thou shouldst hold thy
tongue, to compromise a little with the wrong,
In order that what thou deemest right may the
more surely preval-to be little false to men,
in order that thou mayst be the truer to God ;
and, in short, to cruelty thy pride, by STOPPING
as Christian to use means for the furtherance
of the interests of thy church, which, as a gen
tleman, thou wouldst kick me, and Justly, for
proposing to thee to use for the furtherance of
thine own" Whereupon the Bishop blushed,
groaned in spirit, but bowed put cloak upon
his conscience, and suffered the fend to slip
under 1t in the likeness of fox. 1t tore him.
de was too honest to be happy, though he was
too resolute to show his pain. He was noble
and a grand idolater. May God have mercy on
has soul. Let us sinners beseech thee, good
Lord, that all those whose consciences of his
sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be
absolvedl
What, my readers, do l hear YOU, instead of
saying, Amen thanking God that you are not
as other men are, or even as this Romanist?
Are you then, rare and happy human being,
Ia1
trade, your profession, your politics, your
church, Does your brave hand push aside
everything which would come between your
soul and Him, your knee bow down to Him
alone -? DO you, respectable sir, never stoop to
bow down very little TO Satan, for the sake of
the cotton-spinning of the North, or the cotton
growing of the South, or any other sort of mon
ey-making at the East or the West? for the
sake of the Wing party, or the Democratic
party, or any other political party? OF course,
We all know that the Union and the world
would tumble to pieces, if you did not, just as
Bishop Devereux knew that this world and the
other would tumble to pieces if he did not but
you know, besides, that there is such thing as
standing serene amid falling world; " and
so you stand upright, and let the party, and
the money, and the cotton, and the Union, too,
if they must, take their chance, and trust God,
as Bishop Devereux should have DONE to man
age His own affairs in His own way, without
! Satans powerful assistance. | honor you, and
acknowledge that you deserve praise, such as
my hips are scarcely worthy to utter. AS the
husband is, the wife is :" and therefore need
not catechise yours. | am sure that neither
does she bow down to Satan at all, neither for
interests, nor fashions, nor "society's' sake
She loves her servants, her poor Irish neigh
bors, and even more, mIabiie dict,t, her par
uenae neighbor, herself, and persists in acting
accordingly in all circles and situations Her
sweet voice has always It's sweet word to say, to
and for the oppressed, friendless, or slandered
IN spite of the frowns or sneers Of all wilful or
| preludiced oppressors, or slanderers, i'm crilio-
line or broadcloth.
| But you, reverend Protestant, may ask YOU
one or two questions? Satan has devised for
| you bride as high and as subtle as, though
less gorgeous than, that for which your Romish
brother fell at his feet. Do YOU also prove
stronger and wiser than he? 1t has been quite
in vain, | am aware, for the tempter to repre-
sent to you that he is wealthy, and would, for a
triting consideration on your part, induce your
parish to increase your salary, and himself
make you very handsome presents. That was
not the bride l meant. You are not to be
bought at that price it is lower even than the
cardinals hat But Satan is fascinating and
inclined to be fond of you. With all his faults
there is really something very striking and
picturesque about him. Though you regret his
delusion, you must own that he is evidently
sincere III thinking that wrong is right; and il
you do not, by telling him that it is not, impru
IDENTIFY shock his prejudices, he will find that
out for himself by and by, perhaps. He is fond
of controversy, and very ready to believe any
excellent doctrine you please, in the abstract,
provided you will not call upon him to practice
it before he is ready. He even enjoys hearing
you condemn your neighbors for any sins
which he is not at present in the mood for. He
only begs you to bend to him so far as to put
off to a more convenient season the discussion
of one or two, which he and his most particu
lar friends are just now indulging in, and to cen
sure those of your brethren who are disposed
to NEEDLE with them prematurely He is
fashionable and influential and if you car
only keep him in your sect, he will do great
deal to decoy other members into it. 1t is very
important that your sect should increase. You
look upon its increase as the only means fol
the salvation of the world. Notwithstanding
all which, when, in your secret prayerful
watchful soul, voice deeper and purer than
that of any earthly policy bids you to speak
You speak the truth and shame the devil, and
let him bounce from his seat, bang his pew
door, stalk creaking down the aisle in the face
of your aghast congregation, and take refuge
in that of your rival, the Episcopalian, Baptist
SwedenbOrgian, or Unitarian. Very well.
was afraid that there might be some Jesuits
and devil-worshippers, in our DAYS and churches
as well as in those of Pascal and of Rome
but see | was mistaken.
| Herman also made Constance introduce him
to some Of her old friends in the SisterhoOd
He found among them much to admire and
| no 70 Ia md
hints for imitation as well as warning. to bo
carried out, perhaps, hereafter. He made her
admire approve, and smile, with him. and ex
ercise a little calm discernment in winnowing
the wheat from the chaff.
"These good ladies'" he would say, age
Christians in their lives, as you who know them
testify, IL patience and abnegaton of self and
devotion to others can make them so and in
their creed they SO, too, to the best of thei,
knowledge. They obey the teachings of those
whom they were brought up to believe their
God-appointed guides. l, for one, will never
condemn them for their faith, till l have ex
celled them in their works. They were deli
cately bred, you say, and some of them, see,
delicately framed; yet they devote themselves
willingly, and even checrily, year after year, te
the relief of squalid poverty, sickness, and igno
rance. They are amiable, forbearing, and
thoroughly kind to one another. For theil
sweet sakes, may the sins of Popes and Cardinals
yes, and of Protestants, too, be forgiven; fol
these humble, sanity women belong, think, to
the Church Of Christ, as well as to the Church
of Rome. Among their fervid and unceasing
prayers, how many, it is sad to think, misdirect
ed to Saints and Virgin, some may yet reach
the Father, in the name of the Son, and-who
knows may help the souls of some nominal
ly enlightened Christians, who, proud Of their
enlightenment, forget to pray, and, glorying in