Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-07-18

| am constrained 20 stop and ask what
are our ministers, who are supposed to
be the Opposers Of all sin, are doing
am sorry to say that find them ever
to our bishops, throwing their influence
in favor of all these sins and crimes.
It is a sad state for the church, and a
gloomy condition for the country, when
the ministry and the corrupt and Grim
inal classes are working side by side,
AS the preachers, saloon men and other
corrupt and vile classes are doing.
The time has come when every true
minister of the M. E. church, from
our bishops down, must take stand
squarely Of Gods word for justice ,pur-
ity, and truth. 1t is enough to make
night and sin themselves blush to see
how the ministry, including our bish
ops, are pandering to the world, and
uphOlding crime and criminals.
From the sermons coming from our
pulpits to-day, it would seem as if our
preachers had not the faintest idea of
the nature Of the divine mission to
which they claim to have been called.
The prophets, Christ and the apostles
were the true ministers of Bible his
tory, and they are to be our patterns
in subjects, manner and methods.
If the Bible teaches anything on the
subject of the ministry, it teaches that
those who go to the world with this
message Of salvation are to give up the
world; its wealth, its honor, its care,
its glory, and be wholly consecrated
to the welfare of mankind. The true,
the loyal, the courageous Waterman
warns against all danger. The good
shepherd looks after all the interests
of the lambs and sheep. 1t was the
great unwased multitudes that Jesus
beholding in pity and compassion, said:
81 hey are as sheep without a shep-
herd" The average man-pleasing ser.
mons to today on some effete subject
of the past, or some irrelevant subject
of the far-away future, will no more
feed and satisfy humanity than they
will the sheep. When Jesus said,
Feed my lambs-feed my Sheep he
meant that his shepherds should take
particular care in looking after the in
terests of humanity, as the shepherds
care for theirsheep. Not looking after
the rich aud strong and favored ones,
and neglecting the poor, and weak,
and sick, and dying. Not giving all
their attention to to Capitol hill and
letting the people on the river
go to perditiOn. 1t is not expected that
a shepherd will aid wild beasts to de-
strOy their hOCks, but our spiritual
shepherds are aiding the saloon men,
gamblers, corrupt republicans and
prostitutes to destry their flOcks.
When the history Of the ministry of
today is written it will read strangely,
and sound more like the dOings of pag-
an priests than the Methodist minis
try. There is nothing in the world so
powerful and effective as a consecrated
sanctlied, spiritual, live and courage
GUS pulpit. On the other hand, there
is nothing so pale, so cumbersom, so
weak. so lifeless, so contemplate, so
useless and so COwardly as a man.serY-
ing, money seeking ministry. A min
istry that is so far lost to the spirit of
of the master that it can preach to
please the rich and the corrupt, who
are violating every law of God and des-
ecrating every sacredright of man, IS
in q condition that should arouse a
sleeping church and a slumbering age.
Just as the preachers stood for the di-
vine right Of the kings in the days of
Cromwell, and for the king and nobil-
ity in the days preceding the French
revolution, and upheld the stakeholder
in the anti.slavery struggle, or our bis
hops, elders, editors, college professors
and pastors Of our great churches are
standing by the rich and supporting
hem in outraglng the poor. They
have been ana are standing by the
REPUBLICAN, PARTY,
a party that has become the most COR
rupt organization in this country. This
party has demOneti2ed silver and has
filled the nation with poverty and
tramps. 1t is now the champion of
the saloon; UNFOLDING gamblers, pros.
titutes, corporations, trusts and mono
poles, aud still the preachers are sup
porting it. This party has brought
millions OF prosperous people to pow
erty and charity and has broken up
happy homes, and still the preachers
support it. This party has brought
this nation to the brink Of moral and
financial ruin, and our bishops and
great preachers support it, For men
to pretend to preach Christ and then
go to the ballot box aud support the
worst men, the most devilish and in.
fernal sins and crimes of this axe, IS
about the boldest and loudest hypo-
crisy tbat has been made open to The
world for ages. How much more
staunch supporters of sin can our
bishop become than to favor the licen-
sing of saloons, and support party
that now favors licensing the prostitu-
ton of wOmanhOOd! This is worship
ing at the shrine of the rich and vile
with vengence. | am no longer sur
prised at inelliciency of the ministry;
the corruption in politics; the deafness
of the church; the development of
trusts; the growth of mOnoplie3: the
wealth of the few; the poverty of the
many; brutality of crime; the desecra.
ton of the Sabbath; the increase of in
fidelity; the rapid growth of immoral.
ity, and the general drift of the nation
from the Bible and Christianity.
l am no longer surprised at the con.