The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-19
The Church Burdens.

ing up his statements for little. In the
first place | am gla to have it known that
there is sufficient generosity, even amonc |
the comparatively few persons who do give
for religious purposes, to enable one te say |
of Rutland county she gives 100000 per |
annum for this object. 1t is creditable to |
the county: no honorable man would think |
it otherwise. If the county paid no more
than this sum for the support of immoiali-
ties which the christian religion seeks to
overcome we should all have reason "to
thank God and take courage" Anti
Creedst himself would gladly join in the
anthem of Thanksgiving.
His lament that it should cost the COM
munity so much to maintain "the
churches seems TO me to be unnecessary,
inasmuch as it i! voluntary matter-men
are not compelled to pay this tax-they
are compelled to pay the expense of arrests
and trials and jail-lodgings, and all that
sort of thing which unbeievers help to
make necessary but when it comes to the
matter of tier religion, men do much or
little, as they will; and they have their
full reward, for, she that soweth little
shall reap little and he that sowcth plen-
teously shall reap plenteously"
Again, what Anti-C reedist says of church
debts and mortgaged church property is
very well said. The New York papers
have been saying the same thing and they
are right 1t is great misfortune which
we all appreciate that so many churches
are in this insolvent condition. If instead
of a church attendance in any village of
$50 persons, land 80 to besr the burden of
finance" the entire $50 should take hold
and do their proportionate share, fancy it
would help TO raise some of these obnox-
ious mortgages. But find ii far easier to
sit here and write an article for the news
paper than to put my hand to this work OF
helping TO pay bills.
Now, if it be not asking too much of you,
desire to say word about the question
which though addressed to ''the represent
alive men of each denomination, " may also
be considered by one of the humber class
The question expressed, without hypothe-
like Christi" Yankee as | am, ii would be
a suitable and perhaps sufficient answer to
ask this other question "Does Anti
Greed make men mole like Christ ?" Well,
perhaps so do not remember to have
been told that the inmates of warehouses
and prisons were, before their crimes, as a
general thing, notorious for being regular
in attendance at church on Sundays; or
very forward in asserting their faith In our
blessed Lord, or over jealous in departing
5 from iniquity, all of which had supposed
: to be marks of likeness to Christ. TO be
|, sure, all men who go to Jail may not be
r theoretically unbelievers or anti-creedists
!, nor are all who go to church believers; but
y :, somehow it has gotten hold of my wits that
u u man is known ordinarily by the company
= he keeps. Now, pleasantly aside, have
), an idea that creed does make a man more
u like Christ. OF course it makes n vast diff.
e ference what mans creed is, but for my
70 part / would much rather a mar
u ynnld bold to-'-|>-.S qaUteu by "Anii.
~ Creedist' than to cut himself of
a from all sembance of allegiance to our
u Lord. Better to have creed founded on
y some of the verities of christianity than to
3 go wholly adrift upon the restless waters
y of unbelief. But, better still to have d
>, creed which has come down from the re-
mote past, if so be, it took its origin among
e the Apostles and godly men who had been
=, with Jesus and learned of him, than to have
e one born in the bewilderment of this Ia tel
- age when too frequently 1.-THE theory OF
y ones church" is substituted for the sure
y testimony of Gods church. Briefly, (foI
" l am using too much of your space
u would have the creed which began in the
:, primitive centuiies-which was always and
u u everywhere held by the christian church
~ which, besides being founded upon the
- Holy Scriptures, has also the certain test
mony to its genulneness, of the historic
y, church, eating back to a period when hei
= unity had not been sacrificed, and bearing
= the stamp Of the six general councils
- This, need not cay, is "my creed.
=, Many who are not of my way of thinking
y about some things, nevertheless as heartily
- believe in the apostles creed as do. They
believes it, like myself, because it is Ger
tainly proven out of the Holy Scriptures
though | 90 further and maintain. that it il
4 witnessed unto by the history of the las
- l SEQ years, a history which must stand
as 1t has always stood secure against every
= attack made upon it by the opponents Of
q the undivided church. For it is the same
l. record by which alone any man can sue
cessfuly defend the genuineness and au-
thenticiiy of the Bible which we all appeal
| III ouPpOIt VI Oui pCt thcU
J. res of creed;" but which some strangely
/ overlook when "lhe faith once delivered
to the saints" is the point in dispute, The
Bible and the history of the church must
Vt stand or fall together. For, good and suit
It able as the Bible may be as direction &c
q a holy life, it has no authority over men'l
belief, If 1t came not from Christ rs the
head of the church; and no man can say
,e that it came forth from God by inspiration
o who does not base this statement upon the
=, history of Gods church in the world. Now
- he who consistently accepts this witness tc
the truth Of the Bible, will also discover
=. the remedy for the ills which disturb the
10 benevolent spirit of can't Creedist," viz
the one church which holy men who spoke
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost
rs never hesitate to cali ''the pillar ant
?. gr- und Of the truth"
N Believe right, do right All yes, let ut
cease to be anti-creed, believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, be baptized in this faith, and
a do works meet for repentance; thus shall
l. we be found with our Lords friends, and
not under the lead of one who 1900 years
ago grumbled about the two hundred pence
e which might have been given to the poor.
e CREDo.