The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-09

ers singing home to heaven, will be tri-
umphant in the world when the foolish
men who are now assailing it shall
have have faded out of human recollec-
ton,
1t makes the blood Of honest men boil
with indignation when they see coward
ice and treachery to truth in the Chris
tian pulpit, There are many faithful
ministers, and others who are unfaith-
full. Think of men calling themselves
ambassadors of Christ repudiating
what He endorsed, crucifying instead
of preaching Him as the Saviour OIL the
lost, and using the picks OF their crlti-
cism on the foundations OF the falth,
while they allow sordid seltfshness and
greed in their pews to go unrepuked.
When a man sneers at the miracles OF
the Bible and denies the resurrection Oh
Christ he ought to leave the pulpit. tie
has no more right to remain ana ac-
cept the emoluments of the holy ONCE
than has the government othclai VINO
has turned traitor to continue In office
and receive salary from the govern
| ment he is seeking to subvert, Such q
man is an impostor and deserves the
execration of his fellow-men l grant
every man has a right to think as he
pleases, but when preacher loses faith
in the supernatural inspiration of the
| Bible, when he renounces the Blpie
openly as the absolute authority in re-
ligion, when he exalts the spiritual con-
seriousness in man above the Word OF
God, manly straightforwardness re-
quires that he shall withdraw from the
ministry, and If he refuses to do so the
people should compel him. An open
and pronounced enemy is more worthy
of respect than traitor or hypocrite,
If the spiritual consciousness in man Is
the absolute authority in religion, then
the settled convictions of the best men
have no more weight in the realm or
absolute authority than the widest
fancies of the most pitiable crank that
exists, and Furthermore, the gift of the
| Bible to the world was as unnecessary
as money would be to a wealthy man.
If the Bible is only book of devotion
like any other good book, will the Solo
mon of the New Haven preachers
please explain the difference between
the individuals and nations that re-
ceive the Bible and those that respect
it. If it is not the Bible that has made
| the difference between this nation and
China, what is it? A congregation that
will hear such sentiments without pro
test must be either profoundly dense or
amazingly patient.
I think. sir, 1T is shocking that preach
ers will waste their opportunities in ad-
vertising sensational topics to draw a
| crowd, that they will ridicule the faith
which has survived centuries of dire
| persecution, that they will sometimes
give their approval to certain forms OF
Sabbath breaking, and at the same
time allow goddess and immoral self
Indulgence to go without the condem-
nation it deserves, through fear Of
making themselves unpopular, while
they are supposed to be feeding their
hearers with heavenly food and receiv-
ing salaries for SO doing. Plain speech
is needed in these times, and / make
no apology for what I write. What
right has any man, whether he be q
dwarf or a giant to unsettle the faith
Of the people in the Christian religion
If he were laboring in the interests OF
honest doubt seeking to get the pear
of truth regardless of his own reputa-
tion, his conduct might be excused
but when for the sake of cheap noto-
riety he Is willing that the shadows o.
discredit shall fall on the temple of di.
vine revelation, as Is even joining
hands with those who are seeking Il
demolish 1t, he has forfeited the conf
dence of the public and is fit subjec
for pity and prayer, If not for unquali
fed contempt. A man has no right t.
question the historic accuracy of doc
trianl soundness of the Word of God
He might as well question the founda
lions of the earth as question the su
pernatural character of the holy book
Higher critics, infidels, rationalists ant
all the rest have been trying to destro.
it. They have died, their implement
have worn out, but the grand old rocl
of truth remains as firm as ever. TIL
Bible has been In the world in it's pres
ent form nearly two thousand years
1t is Transforming thousands of mel
to-day It's divine origin has been es
tablished by evidence as varied as it
voluminous. The solitary character
who are disputing it's right to absolut
authority in religion might as wei
expect an army of mosquitoes to kee
back a tornado, or tallow dip to ex
tinguish the sun, as expect that thei
silly criticisms of the Bible will chang
the great currents of Christian thought
. I would like to say much more, bu
have not the time, nor have you tn
I. space to spare. believe the suprem
duty of the Christian ministry is t
preach the truth, not to pick holes l
1t, to encourage faith and hope In thei
hearers, not unbelief which leads
despair They should be absolutel
fearless and turn the search-light c
the gospel on the abominations of mod
ern society, having sublime disregar
for themselves and sublime trust |
the one Who has said go preach M
gospel" Those who preach their ow
: vagaries, and call such preaching ad
. vanced thought, higher criticism, libt
raj Christianity, those who waste tim
c Continued on Sixth Page.)