Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-03-10

! pret it. Those countries Wnlcn nave IL
not are almost as happy and as great as
those over which Rome sways her para
! lying scepter. Look at Ireland, Italy,
Hungary, Poland, Mexico, South Amer
lea, Spain, Portugal, France, even Aus
tria, and every other land which can
neither think, feel, pray, believe, act, or
interpret, without Romish priest; and
there you behold the saddest commen-
tary upon the truth of what we claim.
On the contrary, behold England, Ger
many and America, with all their faults
in religion, and what contrast! Be
hold even cOld-hearted Russia, the light
of whose Bible but fiickers dimly
along her frozen shores, and yet even she
eclipses the glory of Rome, whose hier-
archical magniticence and pompous
grandeur Is obscurity and darkness.
Blessed be God, we live in land of
liberty, both political and religious,
where we can worship God under the
benign shades of our own vine, and al
though molested with none, as yet, to
make us afraid. We can stand here,
to-day, as religious freemen and preach
the word of God; and whether right or
wrong, none are compelled to accept
or reject our views. This is in part the
'sglorious liberty of the children of
GOd"-the offspring of the gospel which
James calls "the perfect law of liberty"
Jesus came to break the shackles of
despotism-physical, mental and spirit
ual, and let US not abuse nor loose our
liberty. The surest way of maintain
ing it is by giving the Bible to "every
creature" and by holding forth the
precious volume as the only rule of
faith, hope and practice among Protes-
tants and to the world. 1t is certainly
the only true foundation of all free gov
ernment, whether political or eeclesias-
teal. The sun is shining again on the
shores of the old, the old country.
New light CLEANS over the fields of the
reformation-all along the shores
of the Rhine, the Baltic, and the
Adriatic. Glory gilds again the Alps
and the Apennines; and the tide Of gos-
pei light rebounding on the western
shores, rolls back to the east over the
now desolate track of its cnce triumph
ant march westward. All along that
track, ateach successive step of progress,
the Bible has been replaced by ritual
ism, under the strength and shadows of
which true Christianity has ever dropped
and withered. Now again, the afflicted
nations of Europe, under the strides of
the gospel, republicanism and liberty,
are recuperating their long lost vitality,
and are rallying to the standard of
truth, hope, freedom and prosperity.
The Protestant synod of France, last
June, assembled as q sovereign body for
the first time in two hundred years; and
although in large measure rotten with
its lOng-fostered corruption, yet, under
the leadership of NJ. Guizot, and others,
it declared again for the orthodoxy of
the Bible, though by small majority.
Likewise in Spain, Russia, Germany
and other states, the work of true evan
geliZation is going on. Even Italy seems
about to sing the glad song of redemp-
ton from her benighted thraldom. The
woman of the wilderness confronts the
woman in scarlet at the Vatican, whose
thunders are hushed in the sound of the
gospel, and the banner Of the cross again
f1aunts its peaceful folds in the face of
st. Peters.
But let us be true to the liberties of
church and of the State in this country,
since they are both free, which is the
result of the Gospel. While church and
State have no organic relation what
ever, yet they are morally essential to
each other in maintaining the true
foundation of their freedom, Uiz., intel
ligence. faith and virtue. To this end
we must secure the Bible, uninterrupted,
purely translated and faithfully preached
to the perishing millions-fo "every
creature'-of this country. Let us not
repeat the history of Europe; for, to be
free, this is our mission. We must ed
ucate the people, and give them the
open Bible. Let them ever drink at the
unObscured fountain of that classic lore
which is the consecrated and inspired
repository Of Gods word. The banners
of idolatry, despOtism, icentiousness
and infidelity wave already in insolent
triumph over this country. We must
bear aloft the standard of truth and love,
unfurled to every breeze. AS the old
corruptiOns and errors of Europe, fester-
ing and breaking there, are foisted un-
der disguise upon us, the evils of this
land are thickening fast. Behold our
own oityi What did our venerable and
simple and pious fathers know OF Sun
day shops, bar-rooms, picnics, excur-
siOns, brass bands, beer-gardens and
infidel lectures-making Gods Sab
bath holiday of revelry, villainy and
blood? Who taught our people to make
holiday of the Sabbath? What did
our fathers know of public and obscene
carnivals, church festivals, raffes and
the like? Who taught us thus TO desc
crate the house of God and our public
morals? Are these not dark shadows
which false churchianity-a Christless
Christianity-easts before it? Are these
not the prevenient corruptions and arts
by which it first produces social, re-
ligious and national decay? Are these
not the insidious steps by which we are
naturally and unconsciously being en-
SHARED and charmed, as other nations
have been, into the fatal folds of a
deadly ecclesiastical anaconda? Stop,
reflect, arise, awake, my countrymen,
or be forever fallen. By all means edu-
cate your own children, and give the
pure, free, unfettered, Holy Bible to the
people. Nerved and animated by a
still higher mOtive-the salvation of
immortal souls-again we say, give the |
world the Bible. 1t is the bread of life |
itself, cast upon the waters-the troubled |
ocean Of human depravity. 1t will re-
turn after many days, bringing in count |
less millions of the redeemed, who shall |
glitter like jewels in the diadem of our
SaviOr's glory, and in the crown of your |
own rejoicings. Feed the perishing
millions upon the bread of life. Let the |
world have this only fountain of true
" star of Eternityl the only star
By which the bark of man can navigate
The sea of life, and gain the court of bliss
SecurelS only star, which rose on time,
And, on its dark and troubled pillows, still, |
As generation, drifting swiftly by,
succeeds generation, threw ray
OF heavens own light, and to the hills of
God
The eternal hills-pointed the sinners eye"
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
The officers and executive committee |
elected for the current year were as fol- |
lows the pastors being vice-presidents |
eT-O6fciO):
Third Presbyterian church-Rev. E. |
Nj. Richardson; E. II. Porter, preSi- |
dent, Joseph Venable.
First Cumberland Presbyt'n church
Rev. L. c. Ransom; Henry Craft, C. |
Curtis.
Central Baptist church-Rev. S. Lam
drum, d. D.; Ben. May, treasurer, S.
NJ. Jobe.
Alabama street Presbyterian church
Rev. j. o. Stedman, d. D.; Cyrus john
son, Howell E. jackson.
First Baptist church-Rev. G.. A. Iof- |
ton; Joseph Bruce, X. G.. Craig.
First Presbyterian ehurch-Rev. f. |
II. Bowman; James Elder, Thomas r.
FarnswOrth.
Second street Methodist tchurch-Rev.
f. c. Slater, d. D.; M. Z. Cochran, S.
II. Dunseomb.
Christian church-Rev. David Walk;
r. G. Daniel, H. A. Littleton.
Congregational church-Rev. A. Z. |
Hon. J. f. Bigelow, DIR. s. J.
Quinby.
Second Presbyterian chureh-Rev.
w. +. Boggs, Henry Wade, NJ. L.
Meachan.