Litchfield enquirer., 1868-12-24
;. HitfBdelo Gnquirtt, Litchfield, Ct. Thursday, Dec. 24, '6S.
 GEO. A. HIcKoX, EDrsoR.
Christmas.

present not of the past; we deal with the living not with the dead. Hence that re- ligion. whose birthday weEcelebrate to-mor- row, comes fairly within our province.
 history of tho first fourteen centu- ries,of Christianity is one of fdeclne rather than of progress. It came upon civiliza- !. ton radically defective; it first dealt with n society based on slavery, and governed by i despotism! Itcould not save such socie- b tysfronA destruction, and it was awfully corrupted by 1t. We are apt to be misled when we read of wholesale conversions of the servile population of the Roman Elm { piro, or of their barbarous conquerers. The B Christian was nearly as much convert to ! organism as the pagan to Christianity. A 5 savage'or slave might be baptised into its ' faith, but not into its practice. Adegraded Christian church imbibed much of the spi- rit while copying the gorgeous ceremonial of the heathen temple. An adroit hierarchy shifted it's saddle from tho back. of the fal7 lon Roman to theback of tho conquering 22Goth; but it was always Superstition that arpde.f By the side of such Christianity, tl,esMahomme1anism that robbed it of half it's population. that surpassed ifs culture, seems earnest, pure, and intelligent. So- ciety flor time plainly tended backward from the example of the Apostles to the cx- ample of the ,Patriarchs. Wo doubt, in short, whether tho Christmas of the year of our Lord 14G8 saw world much inn proved in Christian practice upon tho world on which the first Christmas dawned. The seed hadsprouted, grown and produced much foliage, but little fruit.
 It is only during the last four centuries that Christianity has been practiced on q grand sclle. Itis essentially the religion of the poor man, and, till gunpowder was invented to do away with unlimited wars tillipfinting was invented to do away with unlimited ignorance, the poor man had no chance Then, at last. the religion of equal ity, of democracy, of progress. could reach and elevate the very substratum of humanity -1could begin it's truemisson. The Golden Rule lies attlie root oftrue republicanism, ,as we'll as at the root of true religion. Aris- tocracy me- ts nothing but unsparing con- demnation in the New Testament; that day ofEqnalityiwas coming, it could not deny, but it has striven hard to postpone that day till the Day of Judgment. It is be cause the interests of Progress and tho in terests of Christianity are the same, that, while false religions invariably dwindle be fore tho advance of civilization, the trut religion. has gone on hand-in-hand with it We are aware that there are apparent ill stanees to tho contrary. In France. a cor rupt hierarchy, in alliance with a corrnp monarchy, was overthrown by an infide partyaof progress; but close examinatiol @ dsclnses tho fact that Voltriro stlld tho atht -ists overthrew priestcraft by turning it
 own gospel against it. The French Revo
 lution stole it's democracy from the Ne, Testament and falsely credited it to pagan aristocratio Rome. | Yet no reasonable mal can Gleny that this great movement accom- plisled much for humanity; for tho wea pons of Christianity aro for any to use wht will; they are not the property of ''those !wlio profess and call themselves Christians;
 and the history of our century abounds il the victorios of those who have practiced tn
 Golden Rule over those who merely preach s cd 1t, Tn fact tho Christianity of our da, runs its greatest risk from it's -loudest ad vocatess fren those who kill n Gospel Q Progress by prcyerting it into a Gospel O Conservatsln; from those who destroy
 Gospelof Liberty by calling on Reason t falId6wii before tho authority of Christian I.evites, of Christian Pharisees. ta s# Whateyer differences of opinion ther mayfbe.regarding the advance of Christian fuids. within tho past few centuries, ther can, be lses doubt of the magnificent advanc in Ghristiaa p,acfiee The merciless war and tho, nerciless politics whichwere man' $, only trade, four hHndred years ago, no lon ger bring disgraes on the -name of Chris tianity,od A slebased. filthy, ill-fed populace decimated by :war.Iby famine, by pestilence has mado long stride towards. health morality, industry, intelligence, manhood Instead of tliat contempt for. hnman. life that delight in human suffering, that terri ble hardness of man Towards his 3fellov man. which characterized the society 0 our forefathers, tlis century compassion ates even crime, aud slrinks from the mil
 puuishments our humane courts woul
 sometiaesso inaiet.l Even the relIgio, of the great Reformers seems. liars
 to the Christians Christians of the Ninetecnt
 century. The wronght-iron Calvinis who made Holland, H4e aFegenensted Scot land, aud settled aNew England. come in fors A,c Ipfge arg esa sllare of I this sort a censure. Wehhlieyeiteo be fhoroughl. must He HHleam4 m4tayBaye beeaTaatonslier lan' moreeeusistent bnt he was not . harshel r.ligidaasst stla;nt the c, stiaa aest ia tle La theran or Anglican mould. Whicheve
 way ys turn. ge see great improvement The asDNrities ynf fhris sfi.,, N ooku x,f 3l