The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-11-07

erywhere 1t almost ceased to deal with |
morals or duty 1t lost all edge, all di |
rectness of application to the real ques
tions and interests of human life in this |
world 1t was no longer addressed to the |
conscience. but to the taste, to the ethet
ic Judgment The sweep of the new TIM
carried US out OF the region and condi
tions in which it had been the function
OF the pulpit to rrhuke thu sins ot men
to quicken and reiptorcr their cnn-csrn
ces by faithful teaching ot the moral
requirements OF Christianity. The effect
of the new hunger for wealth and display
extended to religion and its organic
activities The new tide OF worldliness
rose everywhere. and submerged to a
great extent church which 1T found
open and without defense against the
food. The conditions OF lie. the tempt
atiops and entic.mrnts. were new The
alluremeDts to greed and dishonesty
, were appallingly strong The religious
people OF the country in general had no
| adequate training or moral discipline to
prepare them to iace tn" new toes he
| church tailed to meet the needs OF the
time She did vastly better than those
who did nothing, than many OF her crit
| les. But that was not enough
The disintegratIon of religion ha- pro
ceeded rapidly There are now several
features of our national religions lIie and
| thought which must be- noted in anv real
| study OF our present condition N" one
statement or affirmation can be made to
include all the truth The religion of
our country cannot he studied adequately
or successfully in the churches of the
large cities alone What OF th- people
in the smaller towns, the villages, and
country neigh bof hoods What is their
relgion2 The church Is now. for the
most part, a depository OF social rather
than of religious influences Its chief
force or vitality is no longer religious =
There are still, OF course, many truly re
ligious people in the churches, who sin
cerely believe the old doctrines embodied
in all the creeds. But these are every
where a small minority. and they are
mourpfully conscious that the old relig
ious life and power have departed from
the church. They distrust the methods
of the modern revivalism. and do not feel
at home among the younger members of
the church, with their advanced views
and fashionable, thorough going worldli
ness They are alarmed to find the at
mosphere and tone OF the church broom
| ing more and more secular and business
like. These people, who thus represent
| the better elements OF former state OF
| things, are the real strength OF the evan
gelical Protestant churches. so Tar
| religion is concerned, and their character
| is one of the most wholesome and truly
| conservative forces OF our national life
They are not liberal in their views. but
they are sincere They live pure and
good lives. They speak the truth. rare
virtue now, and they can he trusted With
any body's money They will do what
they believe to be right, though all men
deride or oppose, and at any cost to
| themselves in business or worldly inter
ests But they are too few to regrnerate
the American church. though their iDf1u
ence is highly valuable in resisting snme
| OF the evil tendencies of the age. Most
of them are old. and they have few sue
cessors among the younger people They
have already done most of their work.
and their number and strength diminish
from year to year.
For a very large class of which We may
next speak the church furnishes oppnr-
tunity for Pheasant social lite. which is
in no way different from the social life of
amiable. intelligent people out of the
church that is there is nothing distinc.
lively religious about it For this class all
the barriers and distinctions between the
church and the world have been remov
ed. Church work is tor them. in all its
| torms, kind of sacred amusement Pub
lie worship, with its pulpit nratory and
modern church music. il An sc thetic en
tertainment They have developed a
religion which IS not religions THY
nave learned how 10 h- Christian sc
cordiDg to their mraning. without >rli
denial, or any abrid sm-nt Of the pleas
ures, pursuit~, or ambitlon- of people who
ack no~le ledge no religious obligations -
They are the most Intelligent members
| I.~f, oh. ,,,f
They are decorously moral, conforming to
the easy, worldly criterion of people OF
like social position They are nearly al
able to live com fortably. possessing tht
| necessarles OF lite and few of its luxu
ries. They are not usually scrupulousiy
truthful or conscientious, and do not be
lleve it possi BILE to maintain very nigh
standard OF justice or honesty in business
life. They regard the golden rule as i'm
practicable and with more or less sincerity
deplore the existence of insurmountable
obstacles in the way OF Obeying 1t They
, do not believe the creeds which they
| subscribe when they join the church. anc
generally make no secret afterward o
their doubt or disbelief respecting vari
GUS tundamenta doctrines of Christiani
, ty But they have horror of all dissen
) which takes man out of the popular
church. and show no respect for the pie,
! of conscience In such cases They are al
optimists, believing that things are sur'
I to come out right They dIstrust per
! sonal earnestness in religious matters
but are capable OF selfsacr,fice or actor
, for the public good in ways approved b!
their class, while they are without ths
qualities or temper enabling man Il
3 serve an unpopular principle or cause. =
: They give largely for all kinds OF chari
7 ties. In them the religion popularly
l professed has spent it's force, and the,
? can contribute little to aid in the mora
regeneration OF the country. They ar,
1 almost destitute OF moral insight, ant
. have little confidence in principles, trust
ing entirely to management, to policy
and to present success.
T. Their ministers are men ofintelligenc
. and OF considerable culture They be
: lieve even less than their people of tb
! | doctrines of their creeds. They general
1 ly avoid doctrinal subjects in preaching
= and have for some years based thei
: teaching mostly upon utilitaran grounds
. They have for themselves accepted ra
tionalists beliefs far in advance of wha
they teach, and consider themselves en-
e | gagged in a most necessary and useiu
work,-that of leading the people gradu
ally onward in thought and knowledg
by carefully giving them the truth a
they are able to bear it. Their caution
: is extreme, and they thus sacrifice what
t ever strength may belong to courage ano
8 outspoken sincerity Their teaching il
s far less advanced and rationalistic thar
. the habitual thought of their hearers
e They do not understand the real tendeu
! cies of the time, lacking the insight ane
the synthetic judgment which result from
| Independent search for truth. and from
4 heartiness of conviction They greatly
= overrate the success of their system o
: repression.-of keeping back most o