The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-09-12

ruption in politics; the desdness Of the
church; the development Of trusts;
the SfoUth o. mooopolies; the wealth
Of he few; the poverty Of the many J; |
the hgutaiity Of crime the Dissertation |
Of gns Sobbath; the increase Of in6del- |
ity the rapid growth Of immortality,
and the general drift Of the nation
from the Bible and Christianity.
I am no longer surprised At the condi-
ton Of the church, the country aud
the age. when think that our bishops
and great preachers, with . few ex-
cspti0ns, have tined with cor
rupt politicians, gamblers, saloon men,
Sabbath breakers, money changers
and the
0YPkkssoks or THE POOR AND WEAK.
Instead of driving the money chang
ers from the temple they are invited
In and made welcome. Dare any one
think for moment that such preach
ery are preaching Christ, living his
spirit and representing bis doctrines
to the worlds Christ's doctrines, prin-
ciples and spirit would change all
these things and would bring about
an era of well-being to mankind. The
trouble with our age is that Christ is
not being preached in great churches
by our great preachers. | mean Just
what say;
CHRIST - NOT BEING PREACHED
In one Of the great Methodist churches
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
IfDr. AcIntire and Bishop Warren
are preaching Christ, how Is it that
the longer they preach, and the more
fine churches they build there is the
more immortality, drunkenness, crime
and poverty? I stood on the Sixteenth
street viaduct last winter and saw
poor women and children picking
small pieces Of coal to keep
themselves from freezing. They
had to be careful that the
feet Of the corporation horses
did not crush them. Horses, l suppose
that belong to some Of the members OF
the big uptown churches, a mile OF
two away, their high sxlaried pastors
and their wealthy congregations.
thought Of the fine sermons that would
be preached for the entertainment OF
the rich, but that nothing would be
said about the
INJUSTICE AND WRONG HEAPED UPON
l THE POOR.
Great churches In whose pulpits
stand men sending forth peals of i'm
Questioned OratOry for the pleasure of q
few rich and favored, and never q
word for the thousands Of poor, hungry
and cold Of humanity, who have heen
brought to this distress by the very
men who are sitting enraptured by
such elOquence, is about as far from
hus, NJ. -, - <,Fr ~c,&. L
en- Is from hell. Some women and
children picking up coal in the great
rich city Of Denver to keep them from
freezing, while the other women and
children in the same city are worship.
ing God (p) ina
TWO sHUNDRED-AND-F IFTY-THOUsAND-
DOLLAR
Methodist church only q few blocks
away, with the added luxury of soul
enravishing music from a thirty thou
sand dollar organ. Does any sane man
saint or sinner, believe for a moment
that either of these pictures is the
products Of true Christianity? If the
people in the bottoms were not sc
poor, the people on the hill would no,
be SO rich. If the people on the hill
were not 50 rich, the people in the bot.
toms would not be SO poor. Yet We have
d. DIS. and schools of theology that
are teaching that both these conditions
are the result Of Christianity. Car
we hope to change these conditions
while Bishop Warren and the Other
chief watchmen and shepherds are liv
ing in fine mansions in Denver and
University Park; are clothed in purple
and fine linen, and are faring sumpu.
oualy every day?
A large portion of the men who sit
in the pews of our great churches, and
hang on the words of our bishops and
popular preachers, are the men
WHO ARE CORRUPrING POLITICS.,
depressing the poor, debauching
wOmanhOOd-are the men who moi
OnlG listen to great preachers bu,
pay them high salaries and
build the fine Oh urches. Oul
bishops aud great preachers are living
in such style of opulence and affiuence
and moving in circles of such magnifi-
cent splendOr that the poor cannot
pay the bills and cannot therefore,
HOPE FOR THEIR SYMPATHY.
The ministry should live such a plain
simple life as to be able to breathe the
air of full freedom and perfect indie
pendence, which would enable them
as ambassadors of God to be faithful
and true to all classes of men.
Our great ministers in this State
with Chancellor Mcdowell, last fall
and also last April, joined hands with
the cOrrnpt republican politicians
gamblers, saloon men and fallen women
Of Market street to redeem" the State
and city. They succeeded, and as one
of the results Of the "redeeming,'
Denver was never 20 nearly turned
over to the criminal elements, and
gambling and prOstittion were
NEVER so FLoURIsHINa AS NOW.
A fine lot of "redeemers!" Preachers
chancellOrs, university professors, sa-
loon men and gamblers etc. A fine
lot Of "redeemers"-such a lot as re.
deemed Babylon, Tyre and Rome JUS,
before those great powers fell, A fine
set of reforming preachers, preaching
little about Christ in the pulpit anG
flirting with gamblers, etc.
The fact is that bishops and leading
ministers have gone away from the
true work OF watchmen and shepherds
1t is to-day IS DR.. Hamilton said in an
| 0uOACSS uCAOIC Vic COlOE8UO confer.
ence at Boulder, last summer, that "a
hireling ministry perpetuated slav.
cry"
Just so now, a hireling ministry il
J perpetuating the crimes and wrongs
and expressions and injustice and cor.
ruptiOns that are undermining society
Our bishops and editors and score.
taries and the pastors of our large
churches are pandering to the rich anc
corrupt elements
FOR THE SAKE OF HIGH Salaries.
and are living in splendOr and affiu
ence, while millions of men, womer
and children are in distress and hun.
dreds are starving. Is such an effemi.
nate and luxury-l0ving ministry a.
this likely to raise its voice for Cod.
glory and mans good? Has world
pandering and wealth gathering min
istry ever done anything for the poo1
and needy in any age Of the world. .Ol
under any religious leader, whether