The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-12-15
For the Democratic Adrocate.
A Short Sermon by Sinner.

BRETHREN IF you will turn to page 29l of
that most romantic and delectable History of
New York, written, as is alleged, by one
Deidrich Knickerbocker, of delicious memo
ry, you will find the following paragraph,
which have chosen as my text:
| "a cunning politician often l,hrks uRder the
clerical robe; things spiritual and things
temporal are strangely jimbled together. like
drugs on an dpothecdIyS shelf, and IN
stead Of q peaceful sermon the seeker after
Righteousness hath often political pamphlet
| thrust doIon his throat, labeled tcith piotls
tert from Scripture -
! Now | have grave doubts whether there is
single rational human being in existence
without Il religion of some sort Ii may not
! be orthodox; it may be born of diseased inn
/ agination, vague and undefned it would
never coincide with so-called revelation or
theological conclusion" and yet, all the
/ same, it is a religion, and a thirst which,
arising from the soul, asks a drink Divine.
/ As natural outgrowth of such feeling in the
individual, there is a strong desire to meet
with some one who, having put to practice
/ these theories Of his. or better ones, has come
/ to occupy IL loftier position. and to be justly
/ celebrated as n good man; and this conceive
/ to be the real origin of the feather, or preach
! er. and the standard Of fitness which appeals
even to the most ignorant as being just.
! Some sinners are speculative in their en-
deavors to further satisfy themselves rs to the
! correctness of their theories, and love a
| teacher who does not
! "Creep along the coast, but steers
Out i'll mid-sea by guidance of the stars.
| But it is always religion that must be the
objective point in such speculation; not poll
tics or the sciences that justly claim dis
tinction and distinct teachers. Others are
satisfied as to theory, and only desire to be
treasured in extent. Others, again, who go
to church hungry and come away starved to
death, come at last to personal application
of the Spanish proverb, which says: "Since
we cannot get what we like, let us like what
we can get, which application, in such in
stance, it is hardly worth saying is a failure.
Others, yet again, to whom religion is mat
ter of great moment-the greatest, perhaps, of
| life-become so disguised with the hippant,
brainless, soulless manner in which the
Mysteries of 0mnipotence" are dispensed,
that they deny the power for good of partic-
| ular churches, and grow sorrowfully in the
belief that their preachers are only fit to per-
petaate the Ancient Order of Lazness. This
is painful conclusion, and yet not overdrawn,
nor beyond the experience, perhaps, of the
least of sinners.
If, under any circumstances, the ideal man
exist for US, he is most likely to be met with
in the person of a moral or religious teacher,
else not at all; and so the world has come to
love such men as Cicero, Frederick Robinson,
Carlyle, Emerson and the simple unworldly
Apostles, about whose head Art, in her loving
fancy, has painted the daTeoIG of goodness.
Some sinner may say that this is all very
fine, but the age has past that gave birth to
preachers of such earnestness, gentleness and
strength of purpose, and that we shall never
look upon their like again. God forbid Is
not religion the same now as then? Have
not the wants of humanity and its obligations
increased? But the truth is, my dear sinners,
we are willing to put up with far less than
this ideal state of things; we would be glad to
respect men who, assuming its obligations,
stick to religion as such, and do not trail ''the
cloth" through the mire and slush of petty
political squabbles.
If they cannot be great in an intellectual
sense, let them be so in moral. Practice is
precept's aptest illustration. What business,
dear sinners, has professional politician
teaching religion in its subtle sense? A rare
bit of comedy that If the minister, turning
politician for the nonce,
Throws aside his book and gown
And from the pulpit steppeth down
to take up with that which in itself is but of
momentary or no interest at all, what excuse,
IN Heaven name, VIII he give G0u or man
for ever having occupied the ''sacred desk"
so often alluded to 4? A horrible bit of trag-
edy this
But, my sinners, we are charitable-have
more of it than is dreamed of in the saints
philosophy-for we believe that
Good will be the final end of ill.,
and being all of us aware of how
1.-The loftiest hopes earth
Draw lots with meaner hopes
there is only left to US to turn Spaniards, and,
because we can't get what we like, continue
to want it like men and sinners that we are.
Long. long ago, the feet of those who trod
In priestly paths were beautiful and white;
Grand pilots they, who with beck nod,
Led men to where the star OF hope, all bright,
Throbbed Sweetly underneath the feet of God,
Making bright day out of earth'S darkest night
No politics for them. no bitterness
They put their holy callngs to the proof,
Leading men up to where they stood. aloot
From all the dust and noise of worldlineSS.
And ever on their lips was that sweet word
Ones fancy hears it still, it will not cease,
The silence of the centuries is stir'd
By that remembered salutation-"Peace"
And so, with these idle rhymes of friend,
l leave you, but before do let me give you
my peace, which is only that of the
CHIEF OF SINNERS.