Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-07-18
A pREAOMER To PRBACMERS.

ABOUT 'SW0ablDR UlOOuy bWodb LOT bDt
NEEDY and friendless, and then turRiDH
around and, by acts, driving ,hoss
same souls to poverty, squR' or sS SnTO,
and damnation! TODD 40 IN on ~
past, pretty words of friendship D. and M
acts Of oppression have marked tbC
history OF the ministry as a clasl
through all ages. The Methodist
church is becoming quite a hospital fcl
the breken-dOwn presiding elders anC
preachers who have made themselves
through selfshness, to be burdens on
I he church. This ought not to be
n, e church should press an aggressive
cam, 'aign against the sins Of the age
instea, of nursing so many burden
some CHI 'rges.
FEED MY LAMBS"
To the you ug ministers: There is
no line of WORK, or thought, or life,
more noble thar The ministry. 1t is a
broad field for exp. 1nslon, gr with, de-
yelopment, heroism, courage and self
sacrifice. Make natula, the Bible and
the Holy Chest your te,acheIs. Take
truth tirst-hand; Drink a. the upper
fountains. Thousands of ministers
are destroying their powers for useful
ness by taking truth secondhand. BE
free. IF the son shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed" BE as free as
the sunbeams, the ocean waves, the
storms roar, the earthquakes tremble;
be as free as nature. God can and will
inspire men TO day, il they will only
throw themselves in The current of His
power and purposes. Truth and can
DOR young men, compel me to say that
the old ministers now on the stage of
action are failures. "They have been
weighed IN the balances and found
wanting" No generation of ministers
ever made more signal failure than
the old ministers now in the arena.
This is not mere opinion, but stern,
historical fact, Bishops Hedding and
Simpson. and the men OF their days,
both north and south, gave as an her
itage to this nation one Of the blOOdiest
wars of all history.
COwARDICE OF THE METHODIST
CLERGY BEFORE THE WAR.
While in Georgia, in 1852, Bishop
Heddlng witnessed at an auction the
sale of a number Of slaves: THE
bishop rode up as close as he could APP
proach in his sulky and for some time
witnessed the scene. Husbands and
wives who had grown old together, pa
rents and children, brothers and sis
tiers, were here severed from each other.
probably forever. The most affecting
scene of all was the separation of a
mother from two interesting children.
1t was a scene such as his eyes had
never witnessed before, and it moved
his whole soul from its very depths.
The bishop felt so Indignant that he
spoge to northern friend on the
ground and denounced the outrage. A
few days after this scene had tran
spired, one Of the preachers came to
the bishop anG told him that his re-
marks to the northern friend had &C.
casioned great excitement, and advised
the bishop to be careful what he said
upon that subject. The bishop did
not think it unwise to follow the cOun-
sells of his brother preacher" This is
a sample CT what mean when | say
that not only the old preachers on the
stage, but those of the last generation,
were and are failures.
For bishop of the Methodist Epis-
copal church to witness such scene as
this, and for fear Of popular opinion to
smother the indignity in his heart for
go years and never preach sermon
against the great monster, slavery, is
an illustration of moral coWardiCe that
not only cursed the last generation,
but is cursing this one also. If the
ministry of the past had been true TO
the right, and not so Obsequious to the
slave power, the war of the rebellion
would never have Occarred.
OUR PRESENT CONDITION.
See what the bishops, editors, elders
and old preachers now on deck have
bequeathed to US. They have left to
us a desecrated Sabbath, about 3,000,-
900 Of drunkaRds, an annual death har-
vest for perditiOn of about 10000
drunkards; 100000 saloons; patriotism
almost dead, expiring; 4 200, 0O0tramps;
the rich growing richer, the POOR grow
ing poorer; the rich in power, control
ling the navy, army and government;
the general government the most cor
rupt the world ever saw; two saloons
running full blast in tile capitol of the
worlds republic. These are only a
few of the conditions that a compliant,
complacent, obsequious, time.serving
and man-pleasing ministry have left to
this age for solution. And amid all
this degeneTacy and moral disintegra-
tion, these old brothers of ours are
not turning over hand to save or re-
form the age. They are so busy with
the saloon men, gamblers and scarlet
women "redeeming' the state, that of
course they have no time (Y) and less
disposition to spend their time on
triiles. 1t would never do to neglect
such weighty matters as "redeeming'
the state and city, if the church and
Sabbath, and manhood and justice, go
to perd!tion.
Such a ministry as this never biazed
out new highways for progressive and
marching humanity. A ministry that
will protect rich rogues in the church
and support corrupt republicans in Of
flee can always be depended with gam.
blers and scarlet women as redeem
ers."
WHAT ARE THEY HERE FOR ?n
We have not a bishop or great
preacher to-day who is laundering
against sinners and cOrruptiOns that
are over turning our homes, the church
and nation itself. Our great preach