The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-14

bodies Of the country-its conferences. ooun-
ellis, and dassemblies--have for the last three
OF four years exerted more influence on
leading national questions than has been
exerted by All the political caucuses and CON
venuons Of the came period. For instance
(spealing Of the New School General Assem-
bly,, we recall with delight the scene which
we witnessed in that body when it met in
Brooklyn two or three years ago, and gave
unanimous vote for impartial suffrage, before
any political convention Of equal magnitude
had uttered word on the subject Without
the help, sympathy zeal, and cooperation of
the Northern churches, the war for the Union
would have been failure. But If the nation
had need Of her churches then, She has equal
need of them now. What this Government
lacks is moral quickening: religious ideas
must be made to penetrate political statutes:
Christian principle must take the place of
party expedency; in short the Republic. if
1t is to promote the welfare of its citizens
must be remOulded upon the basis Of Chris
tianity.
A Church that has no influence on the times
in which 1t stands, might as well have be-
longed to former age. II Is a happy omen
that the American churches, which for twenty
years were dead, have arisen to newness of
life Nevertheless, God forbid that we should
settle down into the easy and smooth-tongued
business of praising these churches or their
pulpits. Our religious, like our civil insti-
tutions-our religious, like our civil, leaders
are equally full of faults and flaws. Both
alike need Gods grace and mans forbearanoe.
The Church, like the State, ought to be pruned
with busy knife of criticism to keep its
branches fruitful and its leaves green. ''Shall
not judgment begin at the house Of God Y'
Yea, verify. But when one Christian denomina-
tion congratulates itself and defames it's rival,
it is generally a sign that both deserve,
equally, the same condemnation.
Let every minister, therefore-whether in
the Episcopal Church or the Presbyterian,
whether in the Baptist or the Methodist-ask
himself the question whether or not he stands
in an ''imbecile pulpit" If a man ordained
for the ministry is without sacred passion
for his work, certain 1t is that he makes ''an
imbecile pulpit" If his heart burns not with
love towards all his fellow w-creatures, high and
low, then no matter what culture may sit upon
his lips, he is the weak master of can imbe-
cile pulpit" II he is ashamed or afraid to de-
clare ''the whole counsel of God, F" he is poor
prisoner in tan imbecile pulpit" If he is an
idolator of his own creed, holding that every
man who believes something different is a
hereto and infdel, he is the unannointed pro-
phet of "an imbecle pulpit" If he goes to
the General Association only to make an exhi-
bition of pitiful narrowness, meanness, and
bigotry, he publicly puts himseltin the pillory
over heresies of others, but publishes volumes
of heresies of his own, he shows an amiable
foretoken of San imbecile pulpit"
1t may be that Presbyterian moderator, in
taking the trouble to sander single denomi-
nation has spoken a measure of truth of ALL
If so, better then were it for those who felt
the scourge of small cords in the Masters
hand driving them from the temple, than for
those whom His divine Indignation at this
moment frowns upon, blasts, consumes, and
shrivels in 'an imbecile pulpit"
Arise, John Knox, and preach before the
General Assembly Awake, Martin Luther,
and burn the Pope's bull before the General
Association
Oh, for a stalwart pulpit Ia pulpit muscu-
lar with the strength of strong men Ia pulpit
to shake the land and be itself unshaken =
pulpit to fight the general enemy, and not to
stab its faithful friend Ia pulpit to deliver
the bolt of Gods wrath, and yet utter the
''still small voice pa pulpit to fling down
or pick up the gauntlet of defiance to all
evil Ia pulpit to Keep unrolled the perpetual
banner of the Holy War Ia pulpit clothed
with the shadow of the Cross of Christ la
pulpit covered by the wings of an unseen
dove