The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-05-19
ELkTON, MAY 10, 1894.
POLITICS AND THE PULPIT.

Rev. DR.. Parkhurst on Tuesday
delivered one OF his incisive and
clean cut addresses before the
Alumni Association of Union Theo-
logical Seminary. 1t contains much
wholesome truth, fearlessly told. We
quote few sentences which may be
read with profit, both in the pulpit
and the pews.
Nothing" said DR.. Parkhurst, "should
be allowed 10 interfere with the pulpit's
prime obligation to convert men, women and
children to Jesus Christ in their individual char
acter and then he went on to argue that where
ever men rub against one another the pulpit has
something to say, or rather it ought TO have
something to say. This exchanges the oblg-
alton of the pulpit" he said, land should effect
and m odiiy the preparation wherewith young
man equips himself for pulpit service. The
problem is not only to save men from He'll but
precipitate Heaven by constructing as much
terrestrial Heaven as possible with the materials
already at hand. Cur theological semlnares
are beginning to recognize this History" he
added, is going up hill and not down. Here are
certain moral ideas to be pushed. Who is going
to push them if the pulpit does not? Are you one
of Gods prophets, visoned with an eye that
sees right and wrong with something of divine
distlnctness of sight? Or will you let wrong
remain as ethical rot closing your eyes to it say
ing, "Thy kingdom Gomez The old Hebrew
prophets were statesmen. They could not he lp 1t.
They huL.- their arms about almost every thing,
There is not great deal of craftsmanship in the
pulpit to day, and outside Of the pulpit there Is
none that know Of. There is lenty of politics
but not craftsmanship. Politics is craftsmanship
with the moral questions left out. Politics alone
is worse than pure depravity. 1t contaids Just
that tincture ofdecency which makes 1t unreliable
would rather cope with ten wicked men than
one politician He Is like OF those agile little
beasts which when you put your hand upon it 1t
is gone and when you take your hand away it is
there. Craftsmanship used TO abound at Wash
ington. say nothing about Albany, How long
has it been since anybody at Washington has
stood up in the strength OF Il Sumner. a Wilson
or Webster? We used to have speeches there
that rang across the continent and cleared the
air for a decade. 1t takes something besides
brains to lift TO higher tone the national
conscience. fear, too, that should not be
much better rewarded II we searched for sta tes-
manship in the newspaper press. When you
come to consider the secular press as q moral
force, you will soon see its weakness. | do not
mean that there not journals in this city that
are not moral quickeneIs. 1t is fact, though
that the daily prss is run and administered by
its business end. Craftsmanship requires an
ethical element, but ethics do not pay. If you
20 into the ethical business you must dispense
with terrapin. Statesmanshlp must be found in
the pulpit. Ninety per cent of the civic and
political questions being ethical. what reason is
there which prevents pulpit prophets from mar
shalling the army OF events? They used to do it.
Why not now? l am talking about holding
the sceptre over the conscience of the paopIc, and
swinging them into beat with the pulse OF the
heart of God. l do not believe that virtue ever
respected the pulpit more than it does to day.