Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-09-13


TO the test every form of ecclesiasti- !
cism, in many cases broken their
idols and scattered their hosts ''like
The leaves of the summer when au-
tumn hath blown.'' Like another
mighty man in the worlds history,
solitary and alone he put the ball in
notion" though he well knew that
to do so was to invoke the dire wrath
Of the clergy upon himself. By his
boldness and manly daring he broke
the fetters Of centuries, liberated the
captives bound in chains of ecclesiasti-
cal darkness more Calling, if possible,
than southern slavery, and opened
the prison doors to those that were
bound, declared the consciences Of
men free and gave them Liberty to
read the word Of God and interpret it
for themselves, untrammeled by the
mysteries Of the ages that a supersti-
tious church had thrown around them.
To gain this end, cost the men who
did the work sacrifice of everything
that they possessed on earth. Their
names were: cast out as evil they
were denounced in the vilest manner
10y the dominant parties of their, day,
and no epithet was too vile to apply
to them; yet with an unfaltering
trust in God, they pressed onward
and upward, and many Of them saw
the work of their hands and were sat-
isfied. f5asia' s"a573n a5 e
Now, to borrow figure of speech,
another king, that knew not Joseph,
has come upon the throne-or, rather
another set of preachers, who either
don't know or don't care about these
matters, have come into place and
power and are giving vent to some
strange ideas. Recently from chris
tian pulpit the announcement came
that men have 70 right to think, il
BIZ 90 thinking, they clog the wheels
Of the church. Freedom of thought
with him was the right to think as the
church thinks, and, to do otherwise,
was to totally disarrange the plans Of
the church. Such freedom of thought
as lie advocated, is close kin to that
freedom of election once declared by
Napoleon the First to the voters Of
Paris, when he said: 'sYou can vote
for whom you please but do you sec
that park Of artillery planted yon-
der?' OF course Paris voted that
day as Napoleon voted. 2
If such speeches were of sufficien,
dignity to command criticism, or il
I've could think that any respectable
number of intelligent men endorsed
them, it would be strong presumptivt
evidence of retrogade moyemen,
from the MONDAY light of the las
half of the nineteenth century to tina
darkness Immediately preceding th'
reformation of the sixteenth century
Will church members consent thus Il
be hoodwinked. by those who pretent
to teach the great lessons Of tn
Master, in order that ecclesiastics
slavery may be set up once more il
the land? Verify, progressive me-
lare hard put to- it for something Il
lsay. z s. s.ss
| But there are few preachers VIII
aspire to be clergymen, who hav
chosen the profession, like the lawye
or doctor, as q means of making
living in this world, and taking th
chances on the world to come, hoT
ine, no doubt, in the classical lar
sfguage of Mr.. Micawber, that ''some
thing may turn up," and these al
greatly disgruntled if they do not g
, their biscuits buttered on both side
and sugar in the middle. This clas
, don't contain many who practice sci
, denial to any large extent. either |
: dress for themselves or their famiiie
When divisions in churches con
: about, If you will look closely, ye
Z will find one or two of these in Il
: immediate vicinity. They are ext
: good at getting up factions in congr
: cations, and then attempting to carr
r out their views regardless of the r
suit to others. So far, the got
sense of the masses has succeeded
4 holding these men in check, but tn
: are very restiye. It is a good n
: dance when such men abandon Il
/ pulpit and devote their time 70 U
4 advocacy Of temperance, or other p
litical reforms. The church is
Il place for the display Of fanaticisl
Neither is it place TO conceal a
J other kind Of crime or looseness
s conduct. A church member "
s makes contracts with his brother
] his neighbors, and then disregal
" them, is In a most unsatisfacte
place In the church. Owe no n
,e anything, is the divine iajuncsit
At a church officer who uses ms on
to promote his worldly sehem