Year: 1879

eouable and truth loving God2 1t
seemed that there was a growing dispro.
portion between religion and morality.
give, said Mr.. Beecher, superior posi-
ton to morality over mere worship, not


that the two should ever be disjolned,


but if we are to lose either of them,
morality must remain and the other


must go. In this l am in the spirit of
both the Old and the New testament,


because, although the morality of relig-
ion may be crude and unripe, there can
be no upper development of religious
sentiment which Goes not spring from


basis of absolute morality.


RELIGION WITHOUT MORALITY.


1t was the prevalent tendency Of the
churches to inspire Righteousness more


than vigorous morality conscience
| toward God more than conscience to-
ward man. The efforts Of the High
| Church party to enhance the feryor OF
| sectarianism in the guise of devotion


were the phases of this tendency, as on


the other hand were the ''revivals of re-
| ligion," the earnestness to get everybody


into the Church, rather than to educate


those who are already in. The desire to


save souls was a great deal more talked


about than desire to make souls hon


est. The consequence was that the


Christian religion had very largely failed
| to make men able to bear the tempta-


tions to which the times subject them.


Still, the Church was incomparably su-


perior to all other moral influences, and
if, incomplete as it is, it should now sink,


the whole country would have cause to


put on mourning. 1t was true the men


who squandered their money, who defal-


Gated, ran away, gambled other mems
funds, robbed banks and desolated wild
ows and orphans, had largely been mem


bers of churches. and this fact had low


cred public opinion of the benefits of
Church religion. 1t was sad day when


men not malignant or bitterly critical


could say that a mans membership of a


Church afforded no presumption that he


was trustworthy.


THE ABoMINATIoN OF CHURCH DEBTs.


Where churches had brought them


selves under pecuniary obligations which


thew could not discharge they had set up


an effectual bar to the progress OF the


Gospel If their conscience was not


strong enough to cause them to pay the


debt it would not prevent them from re-


sorting to sharp practice in throwing 1t


off; nor would it prevent the devil from


taking possession of it himself. A church


that was extravagantly shingled with
mortgages and tried to get rid of them in


a way which would be esteemed dishon


esty in a merchant would never have the


blessing of God 1t was even worse in


the case of Church than it was in that


of a merchant 1t was expected of the
latter that he should be both borrower
, and lender. The church was not com
mercial institution. 1t was avowedly an


institution to teach men good morals.
1t stood perpetually as it were, before q


Judgment seat. For such an institution
to lead the way to reputation was to


put Christ to an open shame.


It was the glory of the doctrinal


preaching of the past generation that Its
aim was conscience. If its error was


metaphysics, its motive was to force
mighty lever to work upon men, and il


produced its effect AT the present time
, there was a great deal of sentiment II
!, religion. 1t was emotional, bct there
! was a vast amount of moral teaching


that could be only addressed to the i'm
! agination. 1t had not the strength bu
, had all the weakness of the past theolo
gies, No fault was to be found with sen
!, timent in religion, unless it was OF the
. diffusive kind that accomplishes no gooc
: in men. 1t might throw iridescent hues
!. upon the imagination, yet man might 81
a thousand years under such preaching
q and it would have no more power tt
: strengthen his good impulses than the


moon has to better the harvest. 1t wa


beautiful thing to shine on lovers whel


they were walking and talking In tn


evening, but it would be poor bushes


to read by its light, Sentiment in relig
!. ion has a right to live, but when it is thu
;. dominant element it can do no good, /
q only pleases.


Sensationalism was another feature o
:, modern religion Much of the sensa
= tionalism attributed to the pulpit wa
really created in the newspapers. Itwa
1 quite in the power of reporter to sit II
/ a congregation and, when preacher II
. the glow of his subject forgot his gram
q mar and struck out right and left t,
: take notes of just those fervid, odd, ex
h trayagant or humorous utterances which
4 strike most forcibly. 1t was not the ser
!. mon which appears in print the mex
4 morning 1t was as if a man had picked


up beetle and had presented it as
: specimen of summer in North America
Is 1t was not the breadth of the discourse
: its direction or its power that was given
n 1t was easy to pull out plum mere ana
u plum there, like little Jack Horner II
{ his corner, and set men laughing. VIII
= was the sensationalist? 1t was not tn
= man who was misrepresented, but tn
a. man who misrepresented him. Iher
" was not unfrequently another variety c
10 sensationalism into which the preache
4 was forced by the pews. That man wa
e. orthodox who attracted great man
'e listeners and who make the silver ring i
e. the hat, and he was rather wea
le brother who could not raise the vino
le Something must be done to pay the IL
81 terest on the debt and the running e.
ie penses. In this case who was the sens
p tionalist-the pastor or the people? O
AZ was it both of them together? On tn
~ other hand, the pulpit was not to r
ID ceive lessons as to manner and matte
er from those outside of the Church. Th
ID true test was not in the exterior; it We
8. a question of bringing forward tt
le truths in such shape that it should brea
ey through all forms. Let the preacht
&C. take such means to lift his people to
q higher plane as shall be agreed upo
es between them. 1t was no other body
Us business. 1t was an impertinence IN ar
ng community to 60 into church and dl


tate to the minister what he shou
% preach. Woe to that system OF preac
M ing which attempted to run all sorts
,ly men out of one little hole! man h'
an right to differ from his fellow me


But while individuality was permisslh


in the pulpit the sensational in religic
-, must not be confounded with what W
'n' vital. The preaching that only awaken


transient pleasure was bad, if it we


exciting and unconventional, and ev
~ worse if it were dull, drowsy and eftet
- - 1t was mischievous to excite the de
Nv ~ feelings of a congregation without givi
~ ~ them some channels of operation.
aio az the other hand there was in a great ma
,ri' ~ pulpits no more irregularity than in