The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-09-17
RELIGIOUS PRESS.

From ZlOn'S Herald: If minister takes on a
worldly and political Character, his godly pro-
fession cannot cover, as golden robe the de-
formities of a political theory. The minister
must suffer all the consequences that legitimate
ly fall upon the advocate of party policy. The
two do not mingle well together and people find
it difficult on Sunday to separate the stump ora
tor from the Gospel herald Rev. Mr.. Be La
Matyr, now harranging his particular partisans
out of his UNCONVENTIONAL pulpits. He is an elo-
quent preacher. He was a useful pastor in
Brooklyn and in the West His ministerial
brethren respected and esteemed him. He filled,
graciously, important charges. 1t seemed, how
ever to him to be his duty to enter the arena of
political life. His Conference offered no objec-
tions, but as he was entering secular life, de-
manded that he should yield his purely ministe-
rial Office and take a local relation. We do not
wonder that when the Sabbath comes, his heart
signs for the pulpit and the most blessed work in
which man can engage. But he has now to
carry with him into the pulpit caucus orator,
who makes, during the week, honest, doubtless,
but very extraordinary and wild, speeches His
double" always confronts him, and Methodist
people don't like to hear modern statesmen" in
the pulpit. That is the reason why our excel
lent old friend finds the way to the pulpit in
Maine so hard a road to travel
MINISTERS FAMILIEs-The Presbyterian Ban
ner says, Every now and then some one seems to
take special pleasure in publishing the charge so
often refuted that the families Of ministers Of the
gospel are not only not noted for religious char
acter but rather for worldliness and ungodliness
All this has been time and again refuted by
most overwhelming arrays of facts gathered from
EurnDa nd
against it are accumulating every day If the
family of single minister or even one member
of that family goes astray, the occurrence is so
unusual that everybody notices it and makes it
subject of comment, while no such surprise is
manifested because of the alterations of others.
Not only are the labors Of ministers of the COS
pei blessed to the salvation of the families Of 9th
ers, but also to the eternal well-being of their
own children and their descendants for many
generations. If clergymen are often poor as to
money and lands, they are generally rich in the
intelligence, industry and piety of their children
The Christian Register does mot Join in the
fashionable derision of the Puritans;" but it
thinks mo special respect is due to that sort of
bigotry, ancient or modern, which Macaulay hits
off in his famous saying The Puritan hated
bear batting, not because it gave pain to the
DtdI DuG ptOduoo IL SdNS p4OaouIe W lLle SpGC-
tator Quite as little respect is due to that
sort of credulity which so readily receives as
truth this stuff about the Puritans and bear bait
ing, which never attracted attention till Macau-
lay appropriated it from Hume, with whom it
first originated. The truth is, all through his
History and his Essays as well, Macaulay is con-
stantly yielding to an impulse to sacrifice truth
to an antithesis. The Puritans, as whole, We're
devoid of imagination poetry did not flourish
among them, and they condemned the keep
ing Of Christmas and the eating of mince pies
not because they gave pleasure, but for the rea-
son that they were associated with certain forms
ofsuperstitOn The Puritan idea of government
was the reverse of that of the Cavaliers, who
sought to subvert religion to the whim and pol
icy of government, whereas the Puritans believed
in subordinating public measures to conform to
the law of God. To be sure, this was not sue
cessful but it was with this idea in view-that
the laws of God opposed horse-racing, bear-b bait
ing, and cock lighting, that these "amusements"
were suppressed and wouldn't every country
on the face of the earth be better without them?
This it was which led to the suppression of bear
batting in England under Cromwell; and the
foolish antithesis of Macaulay re-echoed in this
country will not change the historical fact one
whit.-Cbristidn at Work.