, 1877-12-02
religion as a rule Of conduct aud religion as

There can be no question cs to the reality o
this separation. Itisnotorious that with the grca
majority OF teachers, alike in the Protcstan
and toman Catholic Churches, the emphasis o
preaching is Ibid now, und has been Tor ages
on the dogmatlc anu pictistic elements OF &c
Iiglon rather than on the moral and practical
on faith and feeling and not on Gecds and pri11
ciDies- What is the grand object Of all thos
'plans OF salvation" " which constitute SO larg
part of the popular theology, what especial,
OF this very doctrine Of the atonemcnt Oh whicl
such enormous emphasis is laid. but to find ou
some other way in which person can cscap
own life and conduct: Nine-tenths Of the pulpit
Of christcndon have been occupiet
for ages, arc occupied to-day, il
showing that personal merit has nothing
to do with salvation, but that 1t was all wrought
| ont for the believer 1,SO0 years aro through Tux
merits Of Jesus Christ. Even with those preach
CTS who recognize in some degree the impoC
| lance Of the moral element Of Christianity, and
make it prominent part Of their preaching
Us, Of course, thousands do-it is not All equal
quality which Of itself aud independent OF
faith i'll Christ will ever help in the salvation OF
the soul, but only as an clshoot Of piety, ard
dependent for all its value It's being done out
Of love to God. To be good citizen aud an up
right and honest man, never to have sold vote,
or watcred the stock Of railroad, or cheated
| the futllcr'css aud the widow through Q
savlngs-bank or an insurance company, and
never to have put one IS hand wrongluIy into the
| United Sattes Treasury, ull these nre repre-
sented as utterly worthless, from the religious
! point Of view. rs compared with one drop of the
atonng blood OF Jesus Christ. The highest
virtues Of the natural heart, honesty, fidelity,
AID personal goodness. all those OF which We
in government, In the Church itself, have been
stlg1natized over and over again as only $ the
filthy rags Of our own Righteousness" Get q
new heart, plant within you new principles Of
-,
in His blood--this the Church has sala is the
true way Of getting good morality, this the
thing and the only thing, which is needed to
control anu perfect the conduct. and while the
traitor, the cheat, and the murderer, spend
ing their whole lives in sin and then
using some word OF faith at the last gasp,
have been represented As going directly to t!lc
peace and joy Of Heaven, the man who for
seventy wears has been good nei.hbor and
upright citizen, but has had no such technical
religious experience, is spoken Of Us eter1lally.
damned, Or, at best, Us having in his death no
hope!
flow could it be otherwise than that such
teaching should result sooner or later in break
ii'e down the power OF religion is q rule of
life, and bringing into the Church and into the
world great flood of immortality! II good
morals and good works are Of no more value in
salvation than good muscles and good health,
rs the world has been repeatedly told; if the
soul is to be saved wholly by the merits Of
Christ and not at all by its own, as the pulpit
for ages has been proc1aininE; if piety will
produce everything, including honesty, and
honesty nothing ut all, not even itself,
t::cn it is almost inevitable that the moral elc-
nlent of religion should be neglected. Men will |
:4lways raise that in spiritual, the satne as in
things, which will gam them the most
good III the markets to which it is to be sent, |
whether Of heaven or earth, leaving that WHICH |
is uucallcd for, no matter how precious it may
be in itself, unsought and undonc.
%t.Sr r-5kt<
the Church. It has planted to thcEspirit: alone,
planted only one kind of seed, and now it won
1crs tila: 1t does uot get two kinds of fruit,
morality and p'e'y; wonders that its religion
locs not act more powerfully on the conducs
Ind the lite; has to turn asc, like the Episcopal
Convention the other day in Boston,. from its
rori1 Of stopping sin in theuorld-wllat satire |
III its mcLho1s!-and ask anxiously how it can
too it ai1ong its own members. It IS rcpeti- |
ION OF the very thing that was charged Of old
gainst the pharlsees-'naking tie law- Of God
II none effect By their traditions rendering the
principles Of righteousness power
ess br the delirerancc of q Gog1natic theology.
here are some crrors the same Us some truths,
hose SEED u takes the ages to ripcn. And the
lurs that holy Elcn for centuries have been
ttering against morality and our own personal |
canwe llel putting tile two
hi.lgs together: are they not III the strctest
sanncg cause and cf1ect!-arc now producing,
OF only in the world but iu the Church, ti.eirr
l
upton. |
And the remedy, the means by which the |
'hs1reh can make religion act more powerfully us
rule OF conduct: it is simply to begin where it
1T OH ares ago and bring up the moral cle-
tent Of religion side by side with the spiritual :
lot one word is 10 be said against piety itself
here is no possible daneer OF tile world having I
20 much OF it. The emphasis laid upon It (
erer Tor one moment has been too great The I
aly trouble is in having been emphasized ut | {
1e expense OF morality and in mems trying to | {
akc it do the work OF Two separate things.
is contrary TO the Bible contrary to reason, r
'ntrary to the whole analogy of nature to |
oppose that one can plnnt to the spiritual |
eultics aud reap u moral fruit. GOD has | ;
ven to every seed its own body; whatsoever ! !:
man soWeth taat also shall he reap. These | -
2 the two great trespassable laws alike =
the g, world and the soal. The. Church might
we'll cypecs graIes to grow off of thistles, Or
I'll aud wheat OFT OF rosc-buslcs, as that no1l- y
t. and uprightncss will conlc OF piety aud =
&c. Both are good In their places, both help t
| to each other. when they o,lce are started. b
lie way is to plant both kinds Of sccd-oiatt | Y
the moral nature, lonor and respect it, Just q
c same a. 1t has Y that Of the spirit. 1t is Il
lie We got rid Of the uld slur alnut "prtacn-
tn sacrificing the grAndrst interests of society -
i humanity on the altar OF an artificial dog -
3; Lime that We were done With hearing men L
&C Froude testify that ali their IiTcs in =. -.
Christian land they hare never heard :, =,
e ser'non on the simple duty Of llaaEsty The 81 81
'.1lcation ol honesty, goodness, t5h 6obricty, ~
d personal Righteousness is the only ~ u.
I'd -or1aincd way in which ne ean have honest -
od, true, sober. and righteous men, And ~ ~
,en the Church does this with the suu1e en- y
usasm and carncstness that 1t has used SO
~ In preaching pacty, tnes and not till then. | II
Il it make religion act powerfully as rule of sc
nduct- =.
bt
TTJE E,AJ r, 1vTcT, st
'L1G1oos INTELLIGENCE FROM IDAHO, ORE ~ ~