The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-29

ship, but she then speaks as citizen
and not as a preacher, and whatever he
has to say should be said in the study
or on the platform, certainly outside of
the pulpit; he has no right to use the
pulpit for the expression of his particu-
lar views as citizen" when the min
lister enters his pulpit he becomes the
interpreter ofthe gospel and deals with
spiritual and moral issues, applying
them practically with all the intelli-
gence in his power"
1t will be answered that the coal
strike, to preaching on which the bish-
op refers specifically, raised such
moral issue, but it was not an issue
which separated itself from the general
principle of the Gospel Of Righteousness,
of universal application. 1t was only a
particular manifestation of human sell
fishness and human. lawlessness. More
over, before the preacher undertakes to
pronounce Judgment he must be sure
of his facts. And what were the facts
of the coal strike? The miners, struck
to get certain advantages for them
| selves. That was right enough. They
| wanted more wages for less labor, and
| they had a right to make the demand
and to refuse to work unless 1t was
granted If their employers had set
out to force them to work on the old
conditions by violent means moral is
sue of vital Importance to society and
even to religion would have been raised.
So also if the workmen used violence
to enforce their demands and to keep
other men from working an issue dis
tinctiyely in conflict with the principle
of the Gospel arose. Now, what hap
pened? From the point of view of the
Gospel which side was the offender?
| What is the Christian principle 1t
is that earthly struggles are of no es-
sential Importance except as means
through which to get the Spiritual tut
ton requisite to gaining the salvation
of the soul in future state. That Is
the Christian ideal, and without 1T the
Christian religion Is a vain philosophy,
utterly impra cticable In a worldly sense
It Is to teach all men,, miners and
everybody else, that the face Of the
Lord is against them that do evil" that
the heavenly reward is for them only
who ''eschew evil and do good and seek
peace, and ensue it,
In obedience to these Christian pre-.
cepts, Bishop Lawrence admonishes the
clergy that the duty of Christian
preacher at all times, and more espe
cially at this time of labor strikes, is tt
preach 1.-The Gospel of personal right
eousness to the people of his congrega
ton and the children of his Sunday
school, and to develop "unselfishnes
and self-restraint in the character o
his parishioners." 1t is not to ASSUME
state of facts in a special controvers!
and to ignore obvious facts which con
f1ict with the assumption, allying thu
Christian pulpit with falsehood, but t.
hold up before men the Christian idea
of truth and justice.
If Christianity is more than debat
able system of social philosophy il 1t i
religion of supernatural authority ant
efficacy Bishop Lawrence rightly indi
Gates the only function proper to it
preachers: There is too much preach
ing to humanity too little to the indi
vidual man; too much about labor, to
! little to inspire and comfort the labor
, err too much about the nation, too lit
tie about the ul.'--New York Sun.