The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-20

nau seDt GApElea DOWN 20 inspect ana re.
] view OUR country, socially. politically
and morally, in 1856. Suppose the
Angel to have heen cent t-:k or The
came mission in 1876. Nhat changes
for the worse would Gabriel have report
ed back to Heavep3 Would not the
depreciation be greater than thisty-five
cents 10 the dollar7 Now things are
looked upon with indifference that twen-
ty years ago ould have filled the coun-
try with horrer. Grimes are committed
with impunity now that q quarter of a
century ago would not have been 30 much
as named. Men are caressed and hon.
ored now who would have been spurned
by the meanest. Public continent has
slidden down hill, and We all helD to
| make up public sentiment. "In social
life, there. was once such d thing as 3
loes of caate." Is it so now2 "It seems
that nobody has any caste; or there is
NO way of losing It," A charity not
taken from the Bible will condone any
thing in those whom It is policy to sns.
tain. Benedict Arnold betrayed an
American army to the British during the
Revolutionary War. When the war was
over he made England his homo, and on
one occasion presumed to make his ap.
pearance at Court, and sought the notice
Of the sovereign. He was scorned and
officer who held tie post of New Orleans
self and friends off the private plate of
the unfortunate citizens, has been petted
and honored by his own Commonwealth
and the National Assembly. Demorali-
zation among the American people is
universal. OF course there is a great
deal Of good left among us, but it is not
of that high grade that we had before
| the war.
| The churches come in for their quota
of this evil. How has the fine gold be-
come dim, when pastors salaries, mission
money and church-building funds can
only be raised by "fairs," "grab. bags. :"
lotteries" and "rafiies" An eminent
divine was called to the pastorate of a
| church in one of our leading Cities in the
South after the war. The City had suf-
fered much from its having been occupied
by tho armies. The Doctor found the
church-building sadly out of repair. In
legitimate ways he tried to raise funds to
put the house in good repair. Failing
all round, he assembled the young men
OF his congregation and submitted the
question to them. They heard him with
interest, and replied: Doctor, if you
will let us get up horse-roce for the
benefit of the Church, wc will raise you
as much money as you wunt." These
were not exceptionally immoral young
men. Recently o Church was turned
into q shooting gallery" and the young
people Of both sexes had "big shooting
match to raise money for Church pur-
poses" A very expensive church-build-
ing was but last year erected in one of
! onr most enlightened and religious States.
The space between the upper and lower
floors was padded with eaw-dust. The
explaining tho ulaiter TO visitor,
said: "We may want to occupy both
rooms at the same time, 20 we put in this
stufing to deaden the sound. The young
people have dancing parties for the ben
/ eft of the Church, and sometimes these
parties fall on the evening when the old
folks are holding prayer meeting down
stairs. We have it so arravged that one
won't interfere with the other" Even
the New York Tribune takes the fashion
able churches and pastors to task sharply
for their extrayagancies in theatricala
and sensationalism, and soberly exhorta
them to return to the legitimate business
of their callings, and preach the Gospel
to their congregations. While speaking
OF decentralization among churches, can
dor compels me to say that many embez-
elements and defalcations have occurred
among ministers and mission-agents, and
some Of the saddeat chapters in moral
suspension are those that record the dis
graceful conduct of ministers of the
Gospel.
1t all goes to show that there 10 a moral
suspension, and that old-fashioned hon
esty is below par.
II.
| But moral resumption % a1hat zee need
How is it to be obtained?
Let ministers and all ChFistians-yea
all men everywhere-take their reckon.
ings again. Let them climb up into
Mount Zion for their observatory, and
fix their moral telescope on the Sun oi
Righteousness and see how far in the
eccentric they are wandering, and by the
centrifugal force of Divine Grace lei
them return to their proper orbits.
/. Let churches "ask for the old paths; -
let them return to the former ways-the
Scriptural ways of raising funds for Gods
cause. Let them no longer make God's
Temple q gathering place for fairs and
lectures ana entertainments. Let them
leave rafiiing and grab-bags and shooting
matches and balls to the world where
they have always belonged. One of the
grandest teachings of Christianity il
cross bearing-the making Of sacrifices
Said Paul: II beseech you, therefore
brethren, by the mercies Of God, that ye
present your bodies living sacrifice
lholy and acceptable, unto God, which il
lyour reasonable service. Ard be moi
iconformed TO this world" A sacrifice il
something unpleasant, done for Chris
and his cause, but when you advertise te
| give fifty cents worth of oystera e:5
coffee for fifty cents, where is the ;dea O
socrifice3 Present your bodies living
sacrifice" said Parl. I submit the ques
ton, Are balls and raffles and entertain
ments, is The name Of Christ, calculated
! to remind one Ut cross-bearing and cru
I citixion of the feshf The idea of sacri
flee is being rapidly eliminated from on
minds in our - ont modes Of raising
church funds, ink the Lords way o
, raising money ~ his cause Is to give, a
} gift, what you wish to bestow, and do j
; unto the Lord. Churches should exer
cise mere rigid discipline. There ha
been a svusiDio Gvviiuv. in It's exercis,
} iuLce the war.ssA buses crept into tn,
! churches then, and In many cases hav,
J never been fesYeted out. ! know of bu
pne denomination Of Christians who hav
had the nerve to enforce discipliu
Ei against defrauders. ! refer to the Prim
tive Bapfists, commonly known a
), Hard Shells" They have invariably
excluded such of their members as hnv
availed themselves of homestead an,
bankrupt laws to evade the payment O
, 4 AAraS,- = II. H. ~