The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-24
Popular Parsess-The Degradasisa Of
Sacred Once.

SaCro0 Omcc.
In the days Of the primitive Church, when
men gave up their lives to the propagation
of the religion Of Christ. society altogether
stood on q very different basis from that il
stands on now, and We can hardly expect that
the Gospel should be preached in this nine
teenth century city a. it was in Ephesus and
Antioch. Preachers in this day have chosen
quite other models than the Apostles. No man
gives up his house, his home, his friends his de-
sres, his ambition for distinction, for the prides
and vanities Of the world, and simply labors to
make men better-to save his own soul and
the souls Of other sinners. We have written
no man does this-but we mean that no man
popularity known l. sstrong in the Scriptures
does it It may be done still by a. many men
as ever; but they are men who keep out Of
public sight. The men generally recognized
as the pillars Of Christ's kingdom hereabout
are of another sort Their first requirement
seems to be that their devotion to the service
of God shall pay them so much year-Just
az ii it were devotion to mammon, in fact. Just
as if prayer were merchandise, and the power
to perceive and expound the ways and mys-
teries OF Providence, tho sympathetic mag
netism that strengthens waverlng faith, were
to be disposed Of by the quantity, like gum
shellac.
Different conditions Of society render it in
cvitable that the preacher of the Gospel should
in many respects, to some degree in all re-
spects. perhaps stand on different footing
from, that ho hold uhor paul wea . x,roa cho.
but 10 it wise in the parsons to annihilats all
those characteristics of their Office in virtue oil
which for so many centuries they have been
respected and looked up to - guides above
the influence Of worldly passion and evil!
The pastoral Office has been regarded as one
apart from all Others in consideration Of the yir
tues it implied, the very frst Of which was self
abnsgation, if not selfsacrifce. Mon gave
up the world" for themselves to teach sinners
the way to better life but how much giving
up of the world is there in the conduct of the
distinguished preachers Of our day, the
Beechers, Chapins and so on They give up
the world for . church that pays ten thou
sand dollars in salary, and II one in another
State offers twelve thousand they make the
change. In their pulpits they get the reputa-
ton as ssyers Of smart things, and ON the
strength Of this go about the country peddling
their opinions on every sort Of subject in
lecture rooms. By such practices the famous
parsons Of the period are breaking down the
lingering respect that people have for their
sacred Office, and are coming to be regarded
simply as men who pursue . money-getting
avocation.
We know 1t Is the common answer to all this
that even parsons must live, and must maintain
the dignity Of their position in social circles.
II man has no other dignity than that which
is to be maintained by broadcloth, brown stone
fronts and extravagant living, he has mistaken
bis vocation in attempting TO be mediator be-
tween man and his Maker. II he has not those
gifts of heart and mind that carry their own
assertion in his acts and thoughts-if he follows
this vocation out Of any other than holy pur-
pose-if he associates his Office mainly with
the thought Of his income, then for him the
Church Is = market and not temple, and ont of
respect to his high place he should relinquish
it to those who will ill it more worthily and
himself take to novel writing, iecturing, or the
political rostrum. where he may properly dis
pute the popular applause with Wendell
Phillips, George Francis Train, Sojourner
Truth, or Captain Rynders.