The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-04-08

l
tianity teaches the brotherhood OF man
and the fatherhood of God. Sectarianisn
labors to build up itself and its party
Christianity labors for all mankind. Sec
tarianism is of man Christianity is o
Christ. Did Christ ever teach that prayers
and preaching and tears should be with
held from any class? But sectarianism
does. Did Christ ever lock and bolt his
doors against the poor and needy? But
sectarianism does.
! Did Christ ever squanter the peoples
money in building gorgeous temples,
while poor wretches froze to death in the
streets, and starved to death in garrets and
cellars But sectarianism does. Secta-
rianism expends much of its vital force in
erecting magnificent churches, into which
Gods poor are afraid to enter. Sectarian-
ism talks about fashionable churches"
and respectable church connections"
u u q
Here is priest who refuses to pray over
the dead body of fellow-man, while
Jesus Christ and his apostles spent their
lives almost exclusively among the very
worst classes of society. Suppose the man
has not lived right, am l to be his judge ?
Suppose he has not died as | think he
should die, does this justify me 10 putting
a reproach upon his ashes :? @
Does Christ need any such work as this
When poor, penitent thief cried to him
on the cross he gave him hope. When an
outcast Magdalen was brought into his
presence, and company of respectable
Pharsees clamored for her blood. the Mas
ter had compassion on her. He detested
her great sin less than he did the spirit Of
the self-righteous hypocrites who would
have stoned her to death. A modern
priest refuses even prayer over a poor,
ruined old msn-while Jesus sat for
hours preaching to fallen woman. Be-
cause he was kind to her, and took great
pains to enlighten her, did he therefore
san elton her sin? He sought to bless
the woman, not to curse her. His effort
was to save, not to destroy her. He saw
in her one of Gods creatures, terribly
soiled and defaced, it is true, but still one
of Gods creatures; and his great heart
yearned over her, and he diligently labored
to restore the marred image of his Father.
But do we do this ? Do we labor in this |
way? Do we thus seek to win the out
cast and abandoned back to paths of yir-
tue 1t is sad truth to say, that--with |
rare exceptions--we do not What is |
the difficulty7 Why, it is not fashion,
able it is not respectable to do SO. Let |
poor, forlorn wretch, of this description,
beseech modern christian lady to take |
her in from the street, and try to save her,
will she do it !? Dare she do it? Her
heart may prompt her to do the good and
Christ-like deed, but then, society, the
church, the minster--what will these say
And so she forces back the fountain of |
christian charity to its native source. Nay,
she will do more than this, she will join in
with the rabble throng, and trample upon
a poor worm already writing in the
gutter And this is what some people
call christianity do not ask you to re-
ceive them as social equals but / do ask
you, in Christs dear name, to extend to
them as much consideration as you do to
yoar poodle dogs
Suppose, further, that ministers Of the
day were to follow closely in the footsteps
Of their Divine Master in these things
would they be sustained l am safe in
saying they would not. A false public
sentiment metes and bounds their sphere of
operations, and beyond the lines SO drawn
they dare not venture. For my own part,
thank God that | am restrained by no
church canons-the relics of barbarous
age, when it was supposed that the
prayers of the living could affect the status
Of the dead--nor, in the discharge of
what | conceive to he my duty,
10 | care for public sentiment. | am
reported in some of the city
papers as being willing to visit any place
n my capacity as minister of the gospel.
am neither afraid nor ashamed to enter
my place where there is solitary hope
If doing good. will pray over the dead
md acaM the living, wherever and how
aver / find them No matter how de-
fallen; the gospel which
preach is for ALL. The Christ whom |
preach camet to save sinners. lie is the
Jesus of all Bethlehems, the Christ of all
.ges. In tones Of whitening irony
,ould they but have seen ibid he pro-
,laim that he came to save sinners, not the
righteous. The whole, he said, have no
need of physician. | came to medicate
'ick men; and the scker the man, the
sioatOi uio ucou VI PuySlCIdu Dut now
$ it now? l will tell you. 1t is disgrace
o church to contain many of the poor
md hitherto abandoned classes of society.
You shall hear it said of church, in
erms of deep reproach: "Why, there are
10 many poor, common people in it," All,
10 you forget that it is written of the ;
Nazarine: 'The common people heard
lin gladly" The very charge preferred
gainst him while on earth was "He re-
eiveth sinners. and eateth with them"
n his name, cry, come on poor hearts !
There is room here for you all You may :
'e abandoned and deprayed, but we will
tive you chance for your life. You may
ring reproach upon us, and cause us
much trouble, but we will not forsake you.
Until you go beyond our reach we will
pursue you. In our efforts to do you good,
We may receive many ugly scars but this
hall be our proud distinction: We re-
eiced them in trying to seek and to SAGE that
rhich acdS lost !