, 1877-03-31
A Plea for the Better Glasses.


"Tsut meanwhile, what is the church
doing for the mhItttude oI persons Who
need Christianity OF u different shape ?
! The thousands who have become dissatis
! fed with the Advrntists. and with the
Holiness Bands und with the domestic
economy that pmys for money and a
barrel Of -four, thnt supports life by
prayer instead Of industry. There is a
mighty throng sf statesmen, Of lawyers,
of doctors, OF scientific lnen, of readers
and thinkers, who have quite deserted
the church of the age "A thr0ng mighty
in their power over, not only the present,
but over the future. IL cannot he
denied that while upon one side mul-
titudG is seen coming toward the sanctu.
AIRY II large and valuable company may
be seen ON the other side, going away.
The idea OF miraculous call
INTO the ministry has let loose into the
world hundreds Of teachers who, instead
of leading the people upward, have
helped them back toward u superstition
that would almost shame monk Of the
dark ages. Many are now preaching
what they call the Gospel, who possess
only a highly wrought emotional nature,
and an extreme ignorance OF the history
and principles oI religion.
Now, | believe mans heart is changed by
the Infinite Spirit, but l believe the
church has long erred 10y daring to de-
eide upon the manner by which. or the
person to whom, such new life comes.
A righteous man must be con-
fessed to be concerted man. The church
Possesses no analysis by which it can
0pen heart and find that morality 10
not regeneration. Hence, we OF
the church should always hail every up
right religious man as brother. Let
me repeat that Christianity must study
anew the times, and if possible, must
confess the apyight man to be the convert
ed man, and must gather into its sanctn-
AIRY thousands whose religion has been
simplifled by the generations of retlec-
tion that have separated the true from
the false, and the valuable from the fool
ish and incidental. The law
yer, the statesman, the patriot, the phil
anthropist, all demand religion that
shall blend with these days of earth, and
help it in its liberty, in its laws, it's arts,
ITS letters, its hon0rs, Its pleasures.
These noble ones believe in Immortality,
but they believe that good earth is the
best stepping stone to Heaven.
Thus must the Christianity of our day
retit itself to the new era. 1t should not
remain neglectful Of the fact that there
is rising up a class powerful in e'iuca-
ton. and in reason, and in virtue, class
that does not fill our jails, but that
makes our laws, that sits on the judges
bench, that shapes our literature. that
molds our social life, class which uei-
ther the clergyman nor the theologan
will dare pass by in his effort to plant
Christ in the human soul. To them
Christianity must come in wonderful
simplicity, in all the moral splendor of
Jesus Christ come chanting the beati-
tudes come NOT longing like the Afri-
can, to escape earth, bus come with the
impulse of heaven loving the education
Of duty done, and feeling that the best
Immortality is that which springs up out
of the most honorable tomb. The best
resurrection awaits him who dies not as a
worm, but rs hero. Rec. DaUid Suing,
Of Chicago.