Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-05-16

that they themselves may appear popu
lar, or receive the commendations Of
susceptible and indiscriminating world
How many SUNDAY Christians" ar
there enrolled upon every church re
cord, who never feel the influence O.
religion, or even think about it, unit
they CROSS the church Threshold In
this connection, let US mention another
class Of church members, who an
equally as false and more profane. Act
ing Christian men have been known tC
go to church in the morning, give In Q
bright experience, intermingled with
DARK seasons, when God seemed to have
entirely forsaken them, and the heav-
ems above were as unyielding as infiexi,
BILE brass, when the weighty cares,
heart-rending troubles, and multiplied
temptations Of this world. combined
into one surging billow, was about to
engulph them beneath its angry waves,
and soliciting the prayers of God's peo-
pie, were to all intents and purposes
strictly pious and perfectly sincere, and
before Him and the congregation re-
solve by His help to live more devotedly
and consistently to the pr0mptings Of
the Divine spirit and their faith! They
leave the church, mingle with the out-
side world, and stand upon the street
corners aud discuss politics and all mi
nor affairs the rest Of the day. Is not
that convincing evidence of the perfect
falsity of their professed sincerity and
devotedness? Do they believe no one
is conversant with their inconsisten-
cies? Do they think to deceive any one?
Poor fellows, 1t is only themselves they
are fattering and deceiving, and they
will discover their prolonged error only
when it is ''tO0 late" to retract their
folly of life time, and to save their
warped souls from burning perdition
Upon communion occasions, the grand
est and most significant of all religious
ordinances, acting Christian men have
been seen to rise from their different
pews. aud with bowed head and slow
step, pass to the chancel, there to par
take of the emblems which characterize
them as Christ's followers and show to
the world theif profession, and at the
same time they knew they were as un-
worthy to receive His broken body and
shed blood as would have been the vilest
sinner in the assembly! Can q man
live in q community, have daily inter-
course with his fellows. and they not
know his religious status and the true
depth of his alleged profession ? Nay,
thrice verify. Listen to the fearful judg
ment God says will be the consequence
of such blasphemy Therefore whose
ever shall eat this bread and drink this
cup Of the Lord, unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and blood of the
Lord. But let man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup. For he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not dis
to- kIoT r knI~y ~ fox
acting, Christian ministers of the blessed
gospel men who are beloved and trust
ed as fit subjects to hold communion |
with God, pure in heart and divine in
action-have besmirched the sacred pull |
pit In order to more successfully prose- |
cute some cherished purpose, or to gain |
some much coveted prize, and by their |
own acts stamped religion farce, save
only so far as mercenary interests are
involved, invited the derision of q |
frowning world, and poured the most
scathing contempt upon their former |
profession and position! Many acting-
Christian men, in every conceivable |
vocation of life, and for as many thou
sand different reasons, have assumed |
the yoke of Him, actuated by no higher |
motive than to realize the fulfillment of |
the carefully matured hope of further
ing some special end, facilitating their
enterprises, or replenishing their Golfers. |
Thus do they permit the gli,tering
splendor of worldly possessions to rule
which hinges their present welfare and |
eternal destiny-the religion of Jesus
Christ made an element of merchan-
disc. to be bartered and disposed of to
the best advantage and in exchange for
the perishing renOwn and aff1uence of
time, by unscrupulous and faithless be-
lievers! Is it not enough to make one |
shudder and his blood run cold to con
template such gross corruption and per-
fidy of mankind, and the awful yet |
just retribution that will inevitably visit
such desecrators? Is it any wonder
that after daily witnessing the numer-
Gus profanatiOns to which we have re-
ferred, and the hundreds of others that
we have not mentioned, that sinners
abhor any approach upon the part of
ministers, disregard the sOlemnity of
religious ordinances, deride friendly
and disrespect even the
true and earnest believer? And do not
these apostates, in a measure, confirm
the irreligious in their conjecture, that
if religion and all its attending ennoble.
ments are to be sacrificed upon the most
that it has simmered down to spark
of grace to a barrel of worldliness-a
ludicrous play in which all can engage,
irrespective of any change in heart,
mode of life, or design of purpose. At
ter calmly contemplating the innumer-
able detrimental effects such shameful
dissertations have upon the morals of
all, and the many thousand forms and
avenues which digress in as many differ
ent ways, but all of which eventually
lead to and terminate in misery, degra-
dation, and ruin, it would not be sur
prising to us if Judas Iscarlot, (were he
iiving,) the prince of falsifiers, deceiv-
ers, and hypocrites. would blush and
hide his face for shame, to behold the
cause of the very one he betrayed for a
paltry consideration, so insulted, and
belied, and degraded by enlightened
humanity. We fear many at the last
day will find that there is road which
leads from the golden gates of heaven
to the nethermost depths of hell! Neg
lect of duty will one DAY confront the
careless, like a grim, gigantic, restless
spectre, and remorse, fitting in its
footsteps, as feeting shadow, will
from its death like lethargy, which,
INK 6OIO c~b60AANouo AAOhotCAS WAA
clutch and choke them to death in its
sk fingered grasp! Oh, If we
could only indelibly impress upon ev-
cry heart, and write In flaming charac-
ters upon every brain, that the exhaus-
tion of Gods love and forbearsnce is
what formed and fashioned a sinners
hell! Oh! the lofty aspirations and
deep wickedness of finite beings Be-
miring their own souls in the filthy |
scums of the seething caldron of sin, in
their unholy and avaricious desire to
possess some earthly prize making
their eternal interests secondary to every
other consideration. Granting, as q re-
suit of all this assiduous prostitution,
we do succeed in obtaining every tran.
STORY thing of time, will they equal or
in any wise compensate for our loss of a
heay emily home, and tue perennial and
unspeakable bliss God promises that
the faithful shall have and enjoy? Or,
upon the other hand, will they mitigate
the tortures of perdition, lessen the1
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