The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-08
Consistency, Thou Art Not a Jewel

Consistency, Thou Art Not a Jewel.
Editor Morning News: A communica-
ton in your paper this morning signed
Consistency" and written with all the
bravery of an anonymous attack. deserves
a few words of passing consideration.
From an instructive sense of the sacred
ness Of the themes, IbaVe always avoided
a discussion of sacred subjects in the
columns Of the public press. Your re
pOrtcrs will bear me witness that | have
always declined to furnish my MSS, or
an outline of my remarks delivered in the
pulpit of my own church. When
an anonymous assault has been
made upon me, land [ have had
my modest share of these) |
have always iendeavored to receive it
with becoming modesty, and to take to
heart its lessons-wise or otherwise. But
there is something so deliciOuslY illug-
trative of the point made on Sunday in
the long and involved sentence in which
Consistency, sums up the burden of my
iniquities, that / cannot refrain from
showing that consistency is not, in this
instance at least jewel of the first
water, but is, as far as its Christian as
poets are concerned, somewhat pasty.
Let me say, earnestly, heartily, that of
the true and earnest Christian life found
in every church and patterned after the
pure and perfect example of Christ, the
world cannot have enough. The most
rampant infdelity has never one word to
say against that, and the world is quick
enough to know it when it sees it. But
of the narrow and self-righteous bigotry
that masquerades under the spirit of the
master, with a harsh condemnation for
every one who transgresses its narrow
rules of conduct and who transcends its
limited field of faith, there never has been
but one Judgment, and that was expressed
years ago by the Lord: For We shut up
the kingdom of heaven against men; for
We neither go in yourselves, neither suffer
We them that are entering to go in"
1t is this spirit which the great world
of reason, morality and intelligence would
cast out of the Christian church. and
not one particle or iota of the pure spirit
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. consistency
is astOnishcd that I should be so lost TO
the spirit Of my master as to do all these
dreadful things he lays to my charge,
without coming up before the grand jury
of TIE public and handing in his name,
but it has always been characteristic of
this masquerading Christianity to be cas-
tOnished'' al anybody who differed from
its ethics or it's dicto. 1t was ''astOnished"
at Christ who made a man every whit
whole on the Sabbath day. 1t was 'as-
tonished" at him when he healed the sick,
opened the eyes of the blind on the Sab
bath day. Doubtless it was also 'as-
tonished' when he said that "the Sab
bath was made for man and not man
cor the sabbath" 1t was more
than astonished probably, when he
oarned round and sand to the psendo-re-
igionists of his day:
'Ye blind guides, which strain at a
gnat and swallow q camel!"
There is 10 need for me to refer to the
logic or the scriptural texts of this anony-
nous author His ignorance Of the use
OF the one is only equaled by his ig-
norance OF the true and modern interpre-
tation of the other, and both are only sur
passed by his bigotry-but that is char
acteristic of men who have forgotten how
to sign their names
CHARLES II. STRONG,
Rector of St. Johns Church