St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-08
The Pastor Of the First Bap-
tiSt Church Is Out on the
" War Path.
He Proposes to Clean Out the
Present City Administra-
ton,
Because, He Claims, the Laws
Are Not Enforced Against
Gambling.
Twelve Members Of the Con-
gregation Will Assist
st Their Pastor.
John Calvin as a Leader"

John Calvin as Leader"
The above was the subject of Rev. w.
S: Vail's address yesterday morning,
before the Universalist society, in the
Grand opera house. How the subject
was treated the following synopsis
clearly indicates:
If the establishment of great insti-
tuition In which a main idea became
embodied as principle is leadership,
then John Calvin may be called a
leader. If mans name is OH the lips
OF a thousand inquirerS, at at time when
there seems, beyond all question, the
greatest upheaval i'll recent years
in the thinking world. then il is proper
to speak OF him at this time. And if
every earnest man who lives and fights
for cause breaches sermon by his
life, then it is proper 10 preach, taking
John Calvin as Il text.
Tbs manhood of John Calvin was a
stormy one. Repression by the hand of
power was the rule of the time Only
a brave man dared change his opinion
in those days, but the time was full of
brave men. From the day he turned
his back to the Roman church his rest
was gone. He was launched on a
stormy sea, and he saw every danger
that ever threatened a man in q savage
age plainly before him.
His sermons were productions of the
most Importance, and all the
Beauties Of Service,
all the charms of music which were in
tended to please, were left out. In his
marriage there were none of the smiles
and vows and love notes that properly
belong to the experience of the young
1t was very buSinesS-li6e in its charac-
ter. He was austele in his home, but
very simple in his habits. He did not
feel that he had any abiding place. The
cyclone sweep of revolution might touch
him tomorrow and carry him in it's
course. He aimed to practically unite
chnrch and state, and to supervise the
amusements, the opinions, and the ae-
tiOns of the people. This made his life
one long battle.
He established q system that was
logical. strong as iron, and. from his
point of view, unanSwerable. 1t has
been cut Off little by little, like the
shore of the sea by storms, until one
after another of its landmarks have
disappeared. Every system is tiled by
the conscience, the reason and heart of
Humanity taken as a whole. and by that
humanity will in the end either be es-
tablished or destroyed. A man breaches.
the world casts him out; he dies in the
mountains. but his word still lives.
An0lber elaborateS system that cap
lures the world and holds men for cen
lures, but his idea fades and dies with
0ut apparent cause. Why is it? Be-
cause men
Raised a Protest
and complained so much that humanity
listened and decided against the idea
p Such is the case with the system of
john Calvin.
1t has the death rattle in its throat.
He left a church with leader alleged
infallible. He must put something in
his place if he rejected the p pc.
In his place he put al infallible Bible.
According to him every word was
spoken by inspiration of God, and was
the vO ce of the Almighty. Humanity
protested. 1t said: Surely God would
not by command give women to shame
and children to the sword" Surely
Eclesastes should not be compared to
the sermon on the mount" surely
when tired st. Paul rested from hard
work, and in moment of enthusiasm
wrote letter to some brethren, he did
not suppose he was making Bible"
And such PresbyterianS as Drummond
are saying: Religion made the Bible;
the Bible did not make religion
Calvin believed in election and repro
baton. He believed i'll infant damna-
ton, of course. if any reprobate infant
happened to die. He believed in fate.
He believed that pleasure was sinfal.
He fought with the desperation of
fanatic against games and paStimes. He
wrote sermon about
Tle Spnnle-Flakes
Of fire rising from the molten sea of
l,rN1 Il Inls. L, IL
ing over the baniSterS of sapphire and
topaz in heaven TO see their less fort
innate brothers and sisters and children
of their own loinS rolled in sed of fire,
sending their groans forever to celestial
regions, where the glorified, after feast
ing their eyes, turned, and. bowling,
wnrshi p ed the God who, for His glory,
had produced this result. And when a
prOvidential man was blown to the
shores of America. and entered q pro-
test against such doctrine, boys were
hired to pelt him with mud, and he was
m0bbed by Christians!
But, though John Murray died, his
soul marched on: and in his column to-
day we are having long line of re-
cruitS. And [ say. with John Stuart
Mill. that such God might overcome
me, might cast me into the furnace. but
worship Him | never would and never
could! But humanity has sustained the
complaint OF the brave, and the brim-
stone hell will soon be numbered with
the doctrine of infant damnatiOn-men
will swear nobody ever believed it,
John CALVIN lacked pity. His in
f1uence burned good man at the stake
But pity makes men sentimental. Not
very many of them. Where | know one
human dove l know thousand hawks,
which delight in tearing out the eyes of
their victims. | do not think we need
worry much about sentimentalism at
present.
We are passing through trying time.
Out of the general body of religious be-
lievers will emerge some changes of
opinion. But because | believe it is
a part of the evolution of the divine
plan; because believe in soundness of
the spiritual instinct in man, and be-
cause L believe the Father is with us
now and here, | look upon the final out
come as something most desirable.
80 Patterson Bros,