Daily globe., 1879-03-16
JUDGMENT ON THE CHURCH.


JUDGMENT ON THE CHURCH.
For the time is come that Judgment must be-
gin at the house of Cod. PETER Iv:l7.
Recognizing the fact that those who pro-
fess the most are often the least worthy, the
apostle declares that the time has come
when they must be judged. If he, in those
early days of the church, when zeal was at
it's height, found room for fault, how much
more is that complaint warranted to-day.
One reason of the present demoralized con-
dition of the church is that it has been too
long exempt from criticism. Writers have
regarded it with sort of veneration, and
have therefore shut their eyes to its faults !;
the dignitaries of the church have denounced
IS proclamation all efforts to expose the vices
that have found hiding place within its
sacred precincts, and have therefore deferred
those who have sought to inspire purer re-
Egion, from the attempt. Fortunately for
the world and for the cause of religion, there
has been revolution, and the divinity that
doth hedge about a clergyman is respected
no more. The excesses and vices of many
the clergy, have brought upon themselves a
deserved condemnation, and have thrown
down the barriers that have heretofore pro-
tected them from public scrutiny and public
criticism. Now they, as we'll as ordinary
mortals, are amenable to the public for
what they do and for what they profess.
The SUNDAY GLOBE does not wish to be
captious in its comments upon religious
people. It has only the sincerest respect and
veneration for true religion, and will never
be found among those who scoff at sacred
things. But it has hearty detestation for
all shams and hypocrisy, and does not hesi-
tate to expose and denounce them, wherever
found, whether in the pulpit or the pew. It
has, perhaps, taken advanced ground in pre-
suming to criticise men who have supposed
themselves to be exempt from criticism, bnt
it has done so simply because the necessities
of the case seemed to demand it. There is a
common superstition that as soon as man
joins the church his acts become pure, and
that, therefore, he shall he regarded as supe-
rior to the common run of mortals and can
not be censured for whatever he may do.
We have sought to dispel this superstition,
and to judge men by their acts, Independent
of their professions. We have condemned
men who professed godliness because they
did not live up to their professions.
We have asked judgment upon
those who, while wearing the
livery of heaven, are constantly doing the
devil assiduous service. In nothing that we
have said has there been any reflection upon
true religion or upon those who live up to
their professions, whether they belong to
one sect or to another. Yet we insist that
s!acle to the progress of religion. What is
it? A mere congregation of people, most of
them in attendance upon public worship be-
cause it is fashionable few because they
are sincere in the belief that Eworship is due
to deity the remainder because they believe
that religion is convenient cloak under
which to hide their rascality. To look for
those who are truly sincere would be like
searching for grain of wheat in bushel of
chaf. The need of the church is grand
overturning-a judgment that shall result in
wedding out all of the unworthy elements that
have of late brought such disgrace upon the
cause of religion. It needs, too, a
revival of true religion, which shall
discard all sshams and render by
pocrisy odious. This is the duty of the
church to itself and to the cause of re-
ligion. Only by driving out the unworthy
who bring it into disrepute can it hope to
escape invidious criticism. One thing may
as we'll be understood as not: The days
when man became exempt from criticism
when he entered the church have gone by,
and unless he properly conducts himself
there he will receive no greater consideration
than if he had no part or parcel with such
an organization. The church has ceased to
be sacred except SO far as it's members show
by their lives that they are regenerate. 1t is
no longer house Of refuge to which every
rascal may fly for immunity from blame for
his misdeeds. ''The time is come that judg-
ment must begin at the house of God,'' for
there We look for exceptional honesty and
morality but find it not. Therefore it is Just
that judgment should be asked.