Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-03-19
POLITICAL.
The Northern Pulpit.

unhappy condition of the country is attribu-
table in great measure to the political teach
ines of the Northern pulpit Bishop THoMp-
SON, an able divine of the Northern Metho-
dist Church, has recently preached and pub
lished sermon which is thus referred to by
the Episcopal -uetAodist, published in Balti-
more -
The good Bishop is in state of unspeak>
able delectation. He is delighted with the
present and intoxicated with thoughts of the
future. He looks around on the moral revo-
lutiops of the time and discerns the pure har.
blngers of au approaching millenium. He
views with delicious complacency, this ma
Jestlc Repub!ic "rcpOsimg after aTctories the
gTdHdeSt a nation ercr dchieUe6," and the
more remarkable that they were "achieved"
over her own people whom ''the best govern
ment the world ever saw" had somehow per
mltted to reach point of alienation that COW
cred the land with blood He sees the Con
Sress OF the RcPublic, not exactly reposing,
but sitting up all night to destroy all rem
nauts OF repubioansm over a third of the
country-and the good Bishop is delighted
with this commencement of the s;noblcst era
tho world ever saw" He sees devastation.
misery and death blotting in great hideous
patches the tarest portions of the nations
map, and the picture takes the form of "a
Continent of Bibles, Missions and united
evangelical and enlightened Christian enter
prizes" The only shadow that can be sun
posed to feck the brill;ancy of the BISHOPS
anticipation, might be vague apprehension
that he and his colleagues are in danger of
being suddenly taken up like Elijah and COM
PEELED to exchange rrematurely the glories of
Methodist Episcopacy for the less dazzling
teiicitics OF the upper world, whose angels the
bishop strongly suspects ofenvyiug his posi-
ton. One paragraph of the sermon will be
enough for our readers:
eve stand in an age Of freedom. when tv.
rannies are crumbIing, and peoples are un-
rising, and Magma Chartas are writing: in a
republic the greatest the sun ever behcld. at
a time when she reposes after victories the
grandest nation ever achieved in the no.
blest era the world has known-at the open-
ing of the last battle of its great moral con-
tiict. Angels. methinks, might envy US our
places, and fold their wings, and incarnating
their moral powers stand with US foot to foot
and shoulder to shoulder. We stand in n
continent of Bibles, Sabbath,schools. Mis-
sions. and united evangelical, and enlighten-
cd Christian enterprises"
Now, we honestly think, that in our huns
bic transformations way, we are doing a more
apostolleal work than Bishop. Thompson.
I'VE are c0ntCnding earnestly for the faith
once delivered to the saints" and are doing
what we can to uphold the truth in the midst
OF porvcrse and stiff ncckcd gcneration.-
1etlt any angel, in good standing in the 9th
er world, is ''cnyious of our place" and dis
posed to "i0ld his WINGS" and ''inrarnate his
immortal powers" aud take a turn at editing
the Episcopal Methodist, VIC are ready to
exchange al the fslicit;es of this ''Continent
OF Missions" brother Ccnam's included; with
all the privileges and immunitics of this great
"reposng" Republic, which the Bishop
seems to think most fascinating when asleep,
and bctake ourselves summarily to a place
where the wicked cease from troubling and
where enlightened and cnterprising Missions
aries do not break through and steal IF
we stand in an age Of freedom" it seems to
us to be making very free with what we Used
to rely on as the securities of liberty. The
"trce" are very free indeed. They do what
ever is right in their eyes. They are free of
the law both of God and man. There never
was greater freedom on the deck of Z piratc
They are unfettered as the Nvatar-the con-
scious incarnation of God-knowing all
things, judging all things, and ready for all
things searching hearts and pockets with
equal completeness, condensing freedom into
the short Ineligible and practical form of
military court martial; and charging the
area OF liberty by the simple process of ma
tonal disfranchisement If "tyrannfes are
crunCLtmJ' here, we do not see the process
satisfactorily. We would be glad to think
the Bishop did. But he has been taking the
"Haschisch," until he has those ssoptics''
which are privileged
''Te sec what is not to be seen."
"Crumbling" indeed Thaddeus lauobs ot
the in ntiIOctiOD Tbo rs
cording to Robert Breckenridge, is the natu,
raj cemcnts of governments, has not harden
cd yet among the stones and bones, on which
our tyranny is fixing its throne IF sspeopEe
are uprising" We would like to know where
they are. We sec millions of our own blood
many OF the most noble and good, cast down
and troddcn in the dust-and we see millions
more, and Bishops among them, making iron
yokes for theGnecks of these PROSTATE Amer
lean citizens. If new iuqqaG Chartqs' are
writing for other folks, we wish somebody
would send us the old one It would be
novelty to our children, who arc acouaipted
practically with none but this present no
Quest era the 'dorhd has hno,Cn," as it is illu
minated by revelations of TIE higher law.
nashlnS Historically from the divine confusion
of Wendell Phillips and his inspired coodin.
tors, and registered in the holy resolutions of
Methodist Conferences devotinr to them
selves, with pious fervor. the houses of yyor
ship and miscellaneous plunder of an invaded
and conquered Church. We wonder that
bishop Thompson was not ashamed to emit
from his Episcopal pulpit such composition
as this. We wondeg that he had no more re-
gard for the solemn truths of this awful time.
We wonder that any man with heart in him.
can look over our blood stained country with
exuitatIon. We wonder that any creature.
not sucked by wolf, can see cause for erat,
ulation in the ruined homes. and decimotcd
families, and embittercd hearts of millions of
people who have been subjected to brutalities
never endured within the pale of civilization,