Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-08-27

Wv 6AeoS Aeocher loWer the QlSnlty oi MS
ONCE !" by extending the amenities of life to
Publlcans and sinners, by eating and drink
Ing with them? Plainly he did not mean to
endorse their sins. He was making prac-
cal exemplifcation of his teachings the
whole need not a physician but they that are
sick " he meant to raise these sinners to a
higher plane of morals besides, he meant
to rebuke that self-righteous, Pharisaical
spirit, the bane of all Christendom, which
says, '' Stand by l am holier than thou"
Shall the disciple be above bis Master? Let
him 60 and do likewise What if the worlds
people and church members do mingle TO-
gether-the true leaven must be made con-
tiguoas before the whole lump can be leav-
ened.
Old School builds man of straw, builds
it to his own cost, and then trembles before
it. He says, When grave men, and even
ministers ARE attempting to inaugurate state
of society that will countenance dances and
balls as they exist to-day-a commingllng of
church members and the worlds people, of
saints and sinners-and call it rational
religion, that enhances the delights of both
the body and SOUL then we may tremble for
whatever in morals and religion is valuable" "
Now we cannot speak for the ministers i'm
plicated, but if he means to impute the above
to US, We simply deny making any such as
sumptions. We expressly said We did not
"approve ofall-night balls; that we regarded
them as war upon nature, and that we IA
vored no amusements in kind or extent tina
did violence to any faculty of body or mind"
Under this view of the subject, the form OF
religion we endorsed, which was 8" the nor
NAL life not of one faculty alone, but of al
in due subordination, does not appear quite
SO ridiculous as Old School would seem dis
posed to make it. Either he has made a
mistake, or his head is little out of level, or
are not willing TO believe the latter" let us
| be charitable" If to teach the normal and
harmonic development of all the powers and
faculties God has given US be dangerous to
the morals Of community, then Te plead
guilty. We do not see how any candid mind
can take exception to this view. unless he
discards amusements of all kinds entirely
and believes with St. Hugh that 1" this world
was all made for weeping and penancs. Ii
dancing be sin in and of itself, without re-
gard to time, place or circumstance, then by
| h. II
demned This is the very point to which Old
School should direct his battery, instead OF
appealing to popular, superstitious preju.
dices.
1t is novel to sec how this world is given
to straining at gnats and swallowing camels
Many good, pious people will indulge their
children in plays that are vastly more calcu-
lated to inspire the lower animal propensi-
ties of their natures without the slightest
compunctions of conscience, and yet they
would be shocked at the idea of their dane
ing under the inspiring and elevating indu'
enees of music.
Old School gives US graphic description
of the glory of New England institutions, and
ascribes them in the main to the influence oil
the clergy of the last century, grand in
intellect and uncompromising in principle .
This cannot be true Teligiouswise, unless the
relation of cause and effect be changed-un'
less bitter fountain sends forth sweet wa
ters, SO far as relates to primitive New Eng
land orthodoxy. 1t was the opposite spirl
evoked by the intolerance and bitter persecu
tions of the Puritans, preached by Roge
w Williams, embraced by such free spirits a
franklin, Jefferson and others who incorpo
rated into our Constitution the free tolera
ton of all religions. The strong arm Of tn
civil power was stretched out and saved Ne,
England orthodoxy from itself. But let us d
no injustice to the fathers-set down naugh
in malice, nor daub with untempered morta
through our sectarian biases. They ha
great virtues. though they were not relie
iously emancipated.
With the declarations, " Do as you woul
be done by. Blessed are the peace-maker
Blessed are the m erciful," they d" kne
with their Bibles,' and rose up to persecut
even unto death, those who differed frol
{ them in religious opinions. At this la'
period we marUeL at this-we cannot appr,
l. ciate such ''grand intellect and uncompr,
q missing principle" But now all histor
g proves that society will never rise above i
e idea of God. The stream will never ri
:, higher than the fountain. Our highe
n conception of goodness is the ideal of tt
e soul. Men will be like the gods they wo
% ship if their faith exerts its legitimate inf1u
ence over them.
, Now these primitive fathers believed in
l. partial Deity. They believed in a God tn
e loved Jacob and hated Esau, even before Il
IT children were born. They had no high
# concept tion of Gods goodness, than that
d created race capable of exquisite sufferil
of with the cypress knowledge that the existen
$ of some of them, at least, would prove
n them an endless curse. Yea, more. Accor
20 ing to their creed, " some were predestinat'
ie to everlasting life, and Others foreordained
everlasting death, and their number is
as certain and definite that it cannot be increas
y or diminished. In view of such confession
N Of faith what could be expected? Men
as not ' gather grapes of thorns nor figs
ne thistles" 1t took centuries of blood al
st burnings to develop the rights of consciene
IL but it dawned at last in spite of Old Schoo
. "sound orthodox preaching" But We a
is told these creeds have not been altered,
mt least within fifty years. Admit it, wh
ut then For aught we know the Pope's B'
ot denouncing the science of Astronomy as
y, {" damnable heresy subversive of Christian
in ty," stands now upon the records of t
Id Catholic Church. We presume the censu