Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-11-26

Sasy enough for men and women to sit
down and criticisn the pew and crit
icise the pulpit. and criticise the ways
of raising church money. and criticise
the choir loft. but | want To tell you
that the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ is not only purer in thought, but
that the leaders of the churches as
well as the common people are purer
in their spiritual lives.
More Tolerance Now.
There is more tolerance and human
tty in the modern church. In ancient
times no mercy was shown by the lead
erS of the church to he'etics. When
they heard of men who differed from
The doctrines of tie church they imme-
diatelv got together their thumbscrews
and instruments of torture. They start
ed forth with sword and spear and bat
tleaX. They said. IF you will not be-
lieve as we believe we will cut out
your tongue and blind your eyes and
cripple your feet and burn your homes
and slay your sons AMI daughters"
Read the history of the covenanters.
Read the story of the massacre of st.
Bartholomew mt Paris. Read the his
tory of the dark ages. Look ut Charlie
magne trying To convert his kingdom
by having the priests drive the masses
into the water like herds of cattle and
there baptiZe them by rhe wholesale.
Christianity became n matter of polit-
ical allegiance. Individual conviction,
spiritual purity. devotion to Christ,
counted for little in those times. Men
did not read or think. They accepted
without question the dogmas of the
leaders of church and state. some of
whom We're men will out principle,
openly immoral of life. Let us thank
God that we did not live in those
times. There is still much to he de-
sired We are still far from Christ's
ideal. but as we read of those times of
spiritual and moral dark less we realize
how far the church has advanced.
Well" says some one. what is the
good of going way back to the dark
ages to find that the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ is better spiritually
today than it was in the past? Why
not try 10 draw your illustrations a
little nearer ut hand?" The result Is
the same Conditions in the early part
of the last century We're In startling
contrast TO those of today. The minis
try i'm those times was largely made
up of men who entered it not on high
spiritual grounds. but rs means of
making genteel living. Their service
was perfunctory and lifeless. Their
moral character was often reprehensi-
BILE. The highest places were held by
men of genius but of Christless lives.
The clergy of those times were men
like Dean Swift. of when 1t was said
that when he was in the pulpit he
was so much Il saint that he ought not
to lie allowed to go out Of 1t. and when
he was out of the pulpit his life was
so evil that he ought net to be allowed
to enter it," With spir tual leaders so
destitute of the power Of Christ, what
could be expected of the people?
So lax were the ideas Of the Christian
church hundred years ago that after
a presbytery meeting IT, was the usual
custom for the presby-ery to adjourn
to nearby tavern. ana all the minis
tiers would there openly drink their in
toxicating liquor the same as the ma
jority of the sports of race track
would now drink. The assistant pastor
Of my Chicago church told me when he
entered the ministry every minister Of
the presbytery which ordained him,
wifi hn nf fe1
drank intoxicating liquors. Yet he
Furthermore stated that within q few
years he lived TO see ell the ministers
of his presbytery total abstainers and
out and out temperance advocates. with
but one exception. Among the records
of II presbytery in the western part Of
Pennsylvania have been told that one
church elected one of its members an
elder because that man on the day Of
the laying of cornerstone of the
church furnished barrel of whisky,
so that all who came to the corner
stone laying could drink as much as
they would.
"Those Good Old Times"
l would sooner live in my present
modest home than in he damp rooms
where Mary. queen OF Scots, had to
dwell. And as for the habitations of
my grandfathers and grandmothers,
they We're places no li;ing man would
now put up with for moment. We
sentimentally talk about the andirons
of the old fashioned fire hearth. Did
you ever try the luxury of one? Most
of the rooms of the old farmhouses had
to he closed in winter. because they
could never be kept warm. In the
bedrooms the ice would freeze in the
pitchers. In the kitchens our grand
fathers would be hugg ng the fires and
burning their coat tails ON one side of
them while they We're having a whole
carnival of chills playing hide and seek
on the other side OF their physical anat
omies Then our gran1fathers, for the
most part, had the pleasure OF dressing
without any wooden underwear next
to their skins. They had the luxury OF
malarial fever. scarlet fever and diph
iberia, which used to ravage almost
every house on account Of poor water
and drainage. They had the luxury of
sitting IN i'm the house at night anti