Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-12-15
i GEMPIaIS APPEAL.
sfnMoNs ADpRrssED .ro 'rna cLER

\ EAkA u EhHtG n d n IA N RA-
4 - -------- -----z-----E----=----
sERMONs Addressed TO THs CLER.
GV-NO. s.
From the san Francisco News letter. .
Cut itelown, why eambsreth it the ground u
Luke, XIlI z.
Now our parable Is OF fig tree which
fIourlshed greatly in 3 vineyard 1t grew
green and leafy, aud spread its broad
shadow around, and doubtless thought
itself great ornament to the spot, and
took "a itself all the promises of scripture
concerning fig trees IN general. Perhaps
the time had been when it, too, bore
its harvest Of fruit with its fellows, and
men ate OF II, and went away refreshed (;
but now It felt that It did enough for
mankind when it drew up the rich nour-
! ishment from The soil round its roots, and
I transformed ftintO. massive branches and
[ spreading foiiRge But it bore no more
: fruit therefore, che Master was not sat
I islied With il, aud gave c0mmand to cut
I il down. And when that nat went forth
7 we hear OF no miracle done to save il.
I It's usefulness being passed, God himself
would not iuteTpOse in its behalf Is not
( the parable a. true now as thep2 Ia the
/ body Of man lei muscle become useless
ana how soon it will dwindle away. 10
/ a community let GLASS; once fulfilling
an office OF wide spreading consequence
/ to the social economy, cease to accom-
piish the results expected OF 1t, and the
day Of It's doom is not far of. Either ia
the storm of revolution, or by The quiet
I force OF desuetude, it must pass away.
The remuant, the vestige of 1t, may
remain, as the ruined castles and
abbeys OF Europe point with
skeleton finger TO the time when
bsrons set kings and nations at defiance,
and prissts..rO the laws of God aBd man
under foot But IL viii have life and I
mower among men no more. Every {
nee that bringeth not forth good fruit .
shall be hewu down and cast into the {
firen So NAV IL ever be. Letthe belief I
that so it surely shall he. comfort US who .
live In such forest OF trees that bear 30 .
fruit at all, or only evil fruit; let us look /
carefully, too into all that grows and
doHrishes around US, for only that, the
very roots of which are true, shall resist
the power Of time-time that tries all
things, and ruins and sweeps away all
thing, save only the eternal and uD-
changeable truth. For that, let no man
fear; It viii abide when seas and conti-
nents have changed their places, and
when the things of To day are sll for
NJ
ish and pass away; and there is no need
to mourn over this, Tor better things
come IN their place. Time was when, in
the ideas Of man, no nation was COM
plete, no government was secure, without
q king. Now the freest and most vigOr-
Gus nations upOn earth have no king, and
self government as the highest
form Of national existence. Time was
when marriage was no better than legal
izad cOncubinage, snd cOncubinage itself
was held as lawful and right, not iBJur.
Gus to the State, and not degrading
i'm its influence. Time was when
among all nations, the father possessed
the right Of life and death over his chill ]
iren: they We're his, body aud soul, from ]
the hour of birth to that Of death, and :
be might do as he pleased with his own. ]
Now, these notions Of the ancient world
have all passed away, or linger only !
among 5he weak, deau, old nations of {
he world. With them have passed the
Institutions tG which they gave birth, and
which were t,.eir fit XpTessiOn-desp1t- )
sm, poIygamv and slavery. Is il better ,
lE worse since then2 Have men lost or T
gained by this passing away Of what was {
,nce held TO be the highest and divinest y
ruth Distorted, mutilated, mixed ,
u more than equal parts with ialsehOod, I
o the men of those days it was truth i
he best truth they could grasp, because
he best they were lit for, and therefore it Z
hTove and fiourished, and tIey Lhrove U
nd iiUuris ed under If, unth it bore '
hem no more fruit, and then it was cut o
own To make room for the better things
hey had attained to. Time was, too, \
when mans only idea Of worship was
acriiice, blOodshsd, or offerings made TO 0
ppesse an offended deity, TO avert some Z
ate of unknown horror. To such wor- g
hip as this, the Office Of the priesthood Ii
7as a necessity, and in so far as man a
till cliugs, however uncOnsci0usly, 10 Il
his dark ancient notion, SO far are v
be clergy still a necessary evil upon Il
be earth, a broken reed for the weak to p
san upon. IL is for this reason, also, a
bat the teaching Of the clergy Of all O.
scts aud creeds always forms, more or e
sss distinctly, this notion of worship e
nd this notion of the D6ity in man. n
heir own existence depends upon it. fI
hen this is gone into the tomb OF the q
cad and buried past, the work of the q
.ergy on earth Is done, the season Of sc
leir fFuitfHiness is ever they, toe OF
lust pass away. They struggled hard in
gainst it for the tithes of mint and v
lmmiu and anniseed are pleasant TO a.
ave; the high seats in the synagogues, al
0d the greetings in the market places, OF
re as tempting to them to-day as to the b!
cribes and Pharisees of old. And so, oI
henever a kenan writes, q Theodore sc
srkeT breaches, or COiensO questions, ia
nat more piteOus spectacle is there, 81
hat sight more tit 10 make men laugh
I'D angels weep, than the clergy and
leir believers, rushing to bolster up and "
h.a faFl affif 1ph
ave chosen 30 suppose is the church of al
cd i is plain That they, at least, do vi
lt believe that Il can never be shaken, Or
that the purposes of God concerning ps
can never fall short of their fulfill ga
ent. The weak among them-and they A
e lhe most numerous-cry out, and in
lnestly believe that the heavens them OF
ives are falling; the knsves-and they th
e the stTOngest-wOuld move the hea- II
ms; ayl if it We're possible, would th
axe God himself upon his throne to W,
AXE their position tenable a little te
uger, just a little longer yet, TO last wi
eIr tame: and the good men and true, Wi
1o dare not lie, and fear nothing in
is world or the next 50 much as what
faise these-and they are everywhere No
q heaven OF the mass-must come forth ov
lm the midst Of their brethren. Are on
ey not doing so now? They must co
Mess aEd not be afraid saying: We so,
e not hOiIer than you, we have no
yht 10 be called your shepherds we du
E not wiser than yau and we have no ceI
Int 20 teach you we are children cry ne
z in the dark; we will learn and not 81
aeh." Ha men Of the clergy, ye who We
re not face in your own souls the dark as
aces OF your theOiOgies, come forth
" auu speak the truth. as men I ca,
at love God should do; tell US IA,
.nkly how ignorant you are, and how he
stsken you have been; tell us frankly nm
az you knoW no more than we do, he
en- not half as much that the savage or,
0 puzzle you with his questions, and IF
2 child can teach you wisdom. Saw IN,
emily that you are disappointed in that
uT preachings and your prayings, your IN,
ptisms and your holy days, and all am
ur endless mummeries, have not made me
u one whit better men than you were cor
lore. And hencsforth trust God ms
lie more, and yourselves and your M
lcient Order a little less; come forth TN
of that into the real world and live snr
sre with Us, work with US and suffer Nc
-h u, and confess yourselves men like
; believe no longer the lie that comes mo
thed in authority, rather than the bos
th that comes clothed in the naked ev,
jesty Of facts; believe in God that
de all the laws OF the universe, and {
a part Of them only. If We love him foil
I his truth, from which good fruit only "
J spring, cut down, cut down YOUR anC
YES, this barren dg-tree. Perish il is s
st, whether ys Will or no, for its day jud
ruitfulness is past il does but cumber will
ground. ENOCH ASPFR ans