The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-07-18
LIBERAL CHRISTIANITY,

agitates the otherwise profound ant
placid intellect of the Alleghen,
Evening Mail. DIR. McCosh, presi
dent of Princeton college, has discov.
cred that ''among young men who g
cut from the different colleges every
year fewer and fewer accept the cleri
cal Office" The Mail may possess
itself in peace. DR.. McCosh is right
in his statistics; but the deduction
therefrom is not correct that morality
or religion vii! suffer in consequence
Of the decrease Of clerical aspirants.
The truth in this country has never
before in all its history been so thor
oughly inpregnated with, or more
under the influence of widespread
moral and religious belief, than it is
to-day. There has been an awakening
in this respect which has hitherto
been unknown. But it is evident
that old forms are being ignored and
set aside and that hereditary creeds
and dogmas have been set aside. The
strict and conventional observance of
religious discipline has disappeared in
many respects. And mankind be
gins to think more and more for itself
But aside from this lack of observance
Of mere form it cannot be truthfuliy
said that the present generation has
s:rayed very far away from the solid
beliefs of the fathers. In other words.
the spirit OF liberality which now i'm
bues affairs has served the purpose of
abolishng superstition, and of destroy
ing pernicious sectarianism to no little
extent. 1t is not now sin, for ex-
ample, to cook or eat better dinner
on Sunday than any other day in the
week. 1t is not now, to CARR out !
ias illustration, the strictly religious /
thing to eat cold or uncooked victuals |
one day in the week and breed dys-
pepsia and indigestion in the name of
the Lord, amen. And as the world
advances these developments will in
crease. And that is all there is of it.
The influence of such developments,
however, will be to divert the atten-
ton or ambition of young men from
the life and career of the cleric. As
rapidly as forms are thus overthrown
and practical reasoning established i'm
their stead, the attractions which have
hitherto surrounded the ministry as a
calling and still prevail to exalt cler-
gvmen as class above the level of
their fellow men. will disappear and
the inspiration to the vocation of the
pulpit will not be SO frequent. And
the pulpit itself joins responsively to
public impulse in this respect. 1t has
laid aside, except in restricted ircles,
the old-fashioned way of doing things.
and now steps down to an acknowl-
edgement of its fallibility or engages
in discussions of progressive and
liberal aspirations. But the latent
and dominant forces of morality never
The world does not grow
wicked as it grows older. The first {
and paramount demands of society, in
Ill its relations, ar, that honesty and
aecency and responsibility shall be
subserved by all its mem
bers. And when that demand is COM
piled with there remains but little to
be done before recognition of
higher power and a subsection to higher {
influences is asserted. The Agnostics {
may at the same time assert them
selves; but the true inwardness of
natural faith or reliance upon a
authority. an acknowledge .
ment that there was beginning of I
mundane things aud that the end of i
them is not in the putrescence of the t
grave, will always rescue poor and ,
aoubting humanity from actual Athe-
ism. And this reliance, this inexpli- t
able faith which is akin TO supersti- 1
N but stronger All more rell than 1