Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-10-23

acter at once in its simplest and
largest sense; az right-doing-the
faithful, patient pursuit of all moral
excellence; as aspiration and toll
toward perfect manhood, man
hood firmly planted in infdelity to
all human and earthly relation
ships, and bound by conscious and
vital kinship to the spiritual power
of the universe. This religion,
when fully developed, will recog-
nize goodness as the one thing
needfnl; it will find the noblest
employment for all lofty and spir-
ltual faiths in applying them to
produce integrity, purity, love, Joy,
peace, in the lives of men; it will
! find in such fruit the best approval
of the faiths that nurtured it; it
will, let us hope, by making men
morally better, and purifying their
minds of the animalism, bitterness
and selfshness that dim the moral
vision, enable them to discern as
by intuition the great spiritual
realities about which we question,
thus making good the promise that
the pure in heart shall see God.
While a religion Of character will
thus be in the strongest sympathy
with spiritual faith, it will not
condemn any man, whatever his
belief, who in his life is pure and
benevolent; it will not be afraid to
accept the teaching Of Jesus, that
| the supreme test question is whether
we have ministered to the hungry,
the naked, the sorrowful, and the
SHINING. 1t will affirm without
reservation that the only real her.
esy is wrong-doing.
Further, it is to be remembered
that "Ohristianity" and "the
church are no longer convertible
terms. The church, as an organi-
zation, has immense moral power ;
in the very principle. of organiza-
ton it builds on the social element
which is among the strongest
forces of human nature; and
among its instrumentaliiies there
are many which are most admirably
adapted to move and control men
1t includes measureless influences
of sympathy, memory, association
no comprehensive outlook tOwarl
the future of religion can fail tt
. take large account Of the organized
church. But, after all, we shal
!, find at the present day some Of tn,
purest and most beneficcnt aspect
: of Christianity outside of the pail
of any church. The imposition o
a creed at the church door seems t,
; shut out some of the sincerest ant
! most spiritual men and women
and though the church loses them
: they are not lost to the community
: OF the great moral reforms Of on
. day, some, like the temperanc
! movement. have been taken unde
the care of the church but others
like the anti-slavery cause, and tn
present effort for political reform
have had to find leaderships else
where. Some of the creates
achievements of the practica
Christian spirit, in thought anC
life, have been wrought under tn,
Z Indifference or hostility of th,
| church. 1t must be said that to
! ward these dangers in our CONNER
: cial and political society which Civ
most concern to thoughtful men, tn,
church, as an organization, fails t.
: display any sensitive apprehension
; and energetic opposition as she
shows toward church innovations il
philosophy. Not unnaturally o,
IllogicAlIy, from her traditional
: standpoint, she is lar more enthu
! siastc in the work Of "saviny
souls " than in that of purifying
the government, or raising th
standard of public and privat
morals. 1t would not be unjust t,
! add that those denominations an(
those churchmen who are most ser
: viceable in these directions are to
great extent-by no means exelu
IL siyely-those who are under tn
: open ban, or at least the marked
suspicion of the ecclesiastical ma
! iority, as of unsound or doubtful
I orthodoxy. Many times before nov
the " heretics" " have been the sal
that kept life in the church, and i
may be so again.
But, after all, the church is no
u Christianity. Even if the churcl
i should fail to recognize the suprem
acy of character, aud thus wed faitl
, to free thought, we may still lool
= with hope to that large and vita
Christianity which is nobly ex
pressed in literature, and more no
bly, expressed in countless humble
: lives, to meet the emergency. A.
= Abraham left the land of his faith
: ers, as the children Of Israe
: marched through the wilderness t,
: the promised land, as the pilgrim
/ fathers turned their backs on th,
7 Harlem Nicer and Zuyder Zee t,
build a new nation in the free West
so man still leaves behind him tn
! old abode that he has optgrown, t