The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1868-10-02
Sunday Reading.

uhu olhcIS Plouols hhNiii'Vt, VIII hhu
something in the article below that will
perhaps arrest their attention. 1t is CO.
pied from that sterling journal, The
Leader, published at Baltimore:
We hear complaints of an increase Of
infidelny. The mceting-houses of the
land miss many of the accustomed at
tendants. Men who, before the was,
rarely failed to be present upon most
occasions of public worship, now ha-
btually absent themselves, and are in
clined to sheer Mt the pretensions OF
those they once revercd as teachers of
religion. 1t is a matter of some impOr-
lance to fix the responsibility of this
altered condition of society. Has the
lax morality of the war reacted upon
the easy religion Of half-hearted pro-
fessOrs, or must we look elsewhere for
a solution of the problem!
We doubt if ony one who has Observ-
ed the progress of events during the
past six years, and who is not blinded
by predictions in favor of some par
ticular religious organization, can fail
to attribute this melancholy state of at
fairs to its true cause, viz, growing
distrust in the professions of religious
leaders. A man who aspires to such u
position must be above suspicion. But
when the ordinary layman sees those
who profess to be raised above the pal
try passions of earth, as fierce in the
persecution of their enemies. as noisy
in their assertion of partizan fidelity, as
eager for blood, as ravenOus for spoil,
as the most goddess soldier in any COM
mand, he is certainly eXcusable if he
asks himself to what extent their lofty
pretensions are to be trusted. When
tried by the test Of their fruits, many II
protessed vine of the Lord turns out to
be n mere weed, capable Of producing
nothing but the snowy apples of SodOn,
which change to ashes OIL the lips.
The truth is, the war has been an
Ithuriel's spear, the keen point of which
has ripped off many shining DISCUSSES.
Touched by it, many reputcd angel
has started up in his natural character.
These are not isolated instances OF
apostacy. Whole religious bodies have
forfeited their allegiance to their Lord
and master to run after the standard Of
q party.
The great founder of the church de-
clarcd that His kigdom was not OF this
world. Appealed to over and over
again to decide questions which touched
His claims as King and His patriotism
as a jew, he nevertheless studiOusly
avoided all decisions of the kind ever
insisting that His was spiritual king
dom. His apostles reiterated the same
principle, and though they lived in the
worst days of the ancient world, their
writings will be searched in vain for
any political illusions whatever. They
!, al 60, 81, IN. 1sxysl
heart and conscience, and govern the
ways especially careful to draw a sharp
line of distinction between these two.
Their ideas of their duty and response
bility were far roo lofty to suffer any
condescension to the mere secular
st. Paul entering into the small squab-
apostolic advice to the venal ruffians Of
the Pretorian Guard!
Now how far did those preachers
who pretended to be the successors of
the apostles, the teachers of their doc
trine. the administrators of their discip-
line, follow their example, during the
progress Of our unhappy cortest!-
Nothing could be more unapOstolic
| tIldI tllclI COuuuCt 1HC
pulpits rung with denunciations of the
opposite party in the quarrel. Envy,
hatred, malice and all uncharitableness
characterized the discourses to which
their congregations were compelled to
listen Sunday after Sunday. The course
of their religious services proved con-
clusively that politics, not party was
the uppormost idea of their minds
~ Il
the order Of the day. They who pro-
fessed the religion Of love, ragged like
Aztec priests, and captives had reason
to congratulate themselves that teOcal-
lis had gone out of fashion. In short,
there was not a sin they had denounced
which they did not defend when it was
put in practice against their enemies.
whom they hated rs only protessed
saints are capable Of hating.
Over the war they threw the cloak Of
religion, and added the blasphcmy Of
claiming God as the alder and abettor
of the tumults they delighted in. The
organization they called a church was
enlisted in their party; all who did not
assent to every monstrous political here
sy they propounded, were denounced
rs enemies Of God and His church,
| hci, HOWcNcI, SOOll lcuIH W luuSH Ut
such idle thunders, and to know that
the weapons of the true spiritual armo-
ry lie far beyond the reach of such fee
BILE fingers. Fortunately for the world,
the church is not in the hands of the
''banking den OF thieves, thus to battle
and buy and sell the awful and majes-
tic wrinkles of her brow"
What wonder then that men who had
listened to such blasphemous twaddle
for years, at last became disguised p
What wonder that, when they thought
of the purer ages of the church, they
came to the conclusion that if Christ
had founded church, political preach
ers had no claim to be considered mem
bers of it? What wonder that they
turned their backs on men whose prin-
ciples proved so flimsy as not to stand
the test of the war? What wonder II
they recognize in some of the organiza-
tons which fondly style themselves
churches, mere Jacobin clubs striving
to form public opinion. to control legis-
ton, and to secure political prcferment
and comfortable offices for their leaders
Ia, hova1