Gospel Herald, 1860-06-09

              GOSPEL HERALD.
Devoted, to Otirlstianity, Morality, the Interests of SatDT-iatli Soliools, Social Improvement, Temperance, Education, and (jeneral Ne-ws.
"BEHOLD,   I   BEINO   YOU   GOOD   TIDINGS   OF   GREAT   JOY  ....  ON   EARTH   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TQ-WABD   MBH.'
VOL. 17.
DAYTON, 0., SATURDAY, JUNE 9,1860.
NO.6.
SELECT POETRY.
From The Befor
Washington's Prayer.
BT AUQtJSTUa llAHMAN.
Not in tlie bliizoned marble fane, Before the altar, robed in ffUite,
Where Superstition's gorgeous train Deiile in "dim religious light;"
Nor wliere rouged F<asliion'3 brazen otieek Turna up -with heaven-dissembling guilt,
Where vanity .appears most meek—
It was not there the Chieftain knelt.
But in the forest solitude.
Silence, and death, and foes around, (His comrades, breathless fainting, nude,
Slept now alioTC, now 'ueath the ground,) His great truth in a tyrant's hand.
The truth yet by the world uufelt. Shrouded in -war his native land—¦
"r-was there' twas then tho Chieftain knelt.
Not babbling from the printed page.
In parrot worship, beating time. Nor scaling heaven iu holy rage,
Or poising rhetoric's flight subliine; One heaven-turned glance, a single tear,
An eye that spoke a steady nerve, Hands firmly clasped in faith, not fear,
His only words, "0, God, preserve!"
Not mine to paint the heavenly bands
Who -K aitod on this child of earth. Or sing the praise of many lands
'i?hat yet shall celebrate his birth; But give me out-lawed truth—give't me
To cherish, publish and defend, Then, if I bend my soul, or knee,
t feel, 0 God, thou art my friend 1
ORIGINALITIES.
Writlen for t)u Gospel Herald.
Sacrifices Must Be Made.
No. 2.
BY F. S. M'KINNBY.
As followers of Christ, wo aro called to "take up the cross," and submit to somo sacrifices for His sake. The Christian's life is a warfare against the -world, and the flesh and spiritual wick¬ edness in high places; and therefore we must strive against many of tho passions and propensities ofour nature. But O, my Christian friends 1 how small a sacrifice is it to resign enjoy¬ ments, which are little more -than ideal, while every comfort essential to human happiness, is still retained! The eonsideration of the happiness we may be the means of diffusing in va¬ rious directions, ought to be far more than a compensation for tho slig-ht sac¬ rifice (if it may be so called.) If -we wish to behold a work of reformation going forward, and Zion beginning to appear beautiful, and. glorious in the eyes of the sects, and world around us, we must arouse ourselves from our indolence, and seize upon every means by which so desirable an end is to be accomplished. There is no plan, by which so powerful impressions may be made on the minds of the followers of Christ, as by eloquent and enlightened preaching—especially if his diseoursoa be enlivened by vivid representations and striking facts. Nor ought it to be considered as deviating from the preaching df the gospel, when such subjects are introduced into the pulpit. l?or they are intimately connected with the progress of truth; and the gospel can never .extensively take ef¬ fect, nor its principles fully acted up¬ on by Christians, till such subjects be pointedly, and publicly  brought for¬
ward, and undergo  the most serious and solemn consideration.
But it requires to be carefully at¬ tended to, that no minister come for¬ ward, publicly to denounce covctous- ness, and to attempt to stir up Chris¬ tians to liberality, who is himsell known, or even suspected to bo under the influence of worldly or avaricious disposition. The most vivid represen¬ tations, and the most pathetic appeals of such a preacher would only rebound from the hearts of his audience, like an arrow from a marblo wall. For how can a man who is continually aspiring after wealth, liyjj)g_.in splendor, yet grumbling continually, on account of the smallness of his income, and who seldom gives in proportion to his abil¬ ity to any philanthropic object, how could such a one expect, by the most splendid oration, to produce a deep and moral impression upon his hear¬ ers? Christian churches shouldstrict- ly investigate the conduct of their members, in relation to the portion of moans they devote to religious purpo¬ ses. Those members of a church whose income is generally known, and who are remiss on this point, ought to be calmly reasoned with, as to their duty in this respect, on scriptural grounds, and in accordance with the principles, and obligations they admit as Christians. And if they resist every argument, and admonition addressed to them, and refuse to give a fair pro¬ portion of their substance to the ser¬ vice of Him, from whom they deinved it, they ought to be suspended from the peculiar privileges of the Church.
The Church of Christ has, undoubt¬ edly, a right to take cognizance of its members, as to this point, as well as when they are charged with a broach of duty in any other respect, or found guilty of a direct violation of the laws of God. We are too apt to imagine (and custom has too long sanctioned the opinion) that the censures of the Church are only te bo inflicted on those who are guilty of what the world terms scandals; and many professors of religion are thus led to consider themselves as acting a dutiful part, if no such scandals can be proved against them. But the non-performance of duty is equally sinful, and as regularly denounced in scripture, as the direct commission of vicious actions. 'Tf thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; doth not He who pondereth the heart consider it?"— "Who.so hath this world's goods and seeth his brother have need, aud shut- teth up his bowels of compassion from hira, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" The unprofitable servant who hid his talent in the earth, is not ac¬ cused of drunkenness, uncleanness or any similar crime, yet, because he misimproved the talent committed to his trust, he is doomed to the same punishment as tho most violent work¬ ers of iniquity. "Cast the unprofita¬ ble servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." It ia by tho regular per¬ formance of duty, more than by freedom upon vicious practices, that the reality of christian principle is displayed. There is perhaps noth¬ ing that more thoroughly tests a man's christian character, to  his  own con¬
science, and in the eyes of others, than of his voluntarily devoting a portion of his time to the service of God.-
As my sheet is now about full,at some future time, by your permission, I will close what 1 have to say on this sub- nect in one letter.
Marion, May 2&th, 1860.
WrtUmforfht Gorpel Herald.
Ther e is no Eeal TJnion on the Creed B asis
BY H.  SIMONTON.
From the history of the past, we learn that the native spirit and dispo¬ sition of all creeds in the head or in a book, is to supplant and devour each other. It is not in their nature to be content for others to stand side by side with them. Each one is striving to obtain the largest possible amount of power over the affections and actions of men. 'Whore and when a certain given amount of theological power is gained over all others, there is no hesi¬ tation in asking aid from the strong- arm of civil power; at le.ast this has been the case with several of them, and they continue to manifest the same selfish spirit, as in former times, where they are permitted to rule in the hearts of their devoted, but de¬ ceived friends. I say deceived friends, for the want of a better word to ex¬ press the sentiment. If the revealed word of God is right and infallible,- as a rule of faith and action, for the Christian world, then all creeds, as a rule of faith and action, are wrong, and those who defend them as such,are deceived. Others may difl^er With me in this sentiment, but this is my.hon- est convi.^tion, and others may hold different; but we may and should hold this honest difference of opinion in peace and good feeling.
(Dould the thing bo done, the .Pres¬ byterian creed would eat up, that of the Methodist; and tho Roman Catholic, the whole of them put together, with as good an appetite as the rod of Mo¬ ses did that of the Egyptian Magicians. Such has been their manifest desorip- tio-n in the past ages of the world.
They have not the elements of Christian affection and orotherly lovo, in the parts ot which they are com¬ posed, when manifest in religious ac¬ tion ; if they have, I for one have not been able to perceive it. I admit that there may be, and there is. Christian affection and brotherly love among ' many of the Greed Churches, or mem¬ bers of them, but it is not because the naiwe constitutional disposition of the several creeds inculcate it; but it is be¬ cause the people are better than thoir creeds. There may bej and often is, the spirit of christian sympathy and toleration among the people, but it is not to be found in the nature and spirit of the creed system ; but it is because the good spirit and word of God abides in, and rules over them.
As before stated, the native element and spirit of all men and creeds, as rules of faith aud action, is conquest, the one over the other. Bach onede- sires to be tho leader, . and give tone and character to public religious sen¬ timent, and have all others bow in due reverence to their selfish dictator.— They may tolerate each other, when",; and where, public sentiment will force them.    The English  Cro-wn tolerates
the French, American, and other forms of government; but this is not tho na¬ tive element of the stern old Lion.— It is the wish and desire of that gov¬ ernment to have the British Lion rule all nations. So it is the desire and in¬ tention of the .American Eagle to place his feet on a central point on the globe and cover the extreme points of the earth with the tip of his wings, and reign supreme over all nations, and be the form of civil government for universal Empire; and may God graiit the desire.,
So it is, with all men-made creeds, from that of the Mother of religious abominations, down to the latter day saints of Salt Lake City. Creeds are in the way of the word of God. The word of God was given to be the only infalli¬ ble rule of Christian faith and prac¬ tice, for the church. It was designed to cover the whole ground, and reign supreme in the hearts of all men.— This it can never do, while the bit¬ ter spirit of the creed-system is so pop¬ ular among men.
The power of creeds, over tho judg¬ ment, affections and actions of men, is much less at this time than in former years. The contest between thespirit of Gospel Liberty—the liberty of the Sons of God—and the selfish, cruel bondage of creeds, has boon warm for many years, and continues so; but from evidences from ditfcrent sources I think the perfect .Law of Liberty, the vvord of the .Living God, is obtaining stronger, and stronger hold on the hearts of thinking christian men and women; and creeds, as a test of evan¬ gelical fiiith, are losing thoir hold. ¦
This is just as it should be; and I hail with much pleasure the unfolding signs of the times, as good evidence of a more liberal sentiment in tho chris¬ tian world, in which condition men will see themselves as they are, and other men, as Christ has made t|iem—froet But, to do this, men must como out from under tho creed system into the boundless ocean of the love and free mercy of God, Liberty of conscience, a,nd freedom of opinion, must be ex¬ tended to txll, of every nation and peo¬ ple. Anything less than this, will not fill the Divine arrangement.
As an ardent lover of liberal senti¬ ment, I rejoice to see and feel the liber¬ al, Catholic spirit, feeling and action, now being manifested by thousands in tho different religious denominationa, in this and other nations. It is the mighty uprising of noble Christian hearts above the selfish, sectarian character, native and anti-christian spirit and tendency of creeds, to hold in mental and spiritual bondage, the precious souls redeemed by the blood of Christ. Only permit Love to have its perfect work, and a better and brighter day will soon dawn upon the Church of Christ. Let nothing stand in the way of the liberal arrangement made by the Divine Father, to bless the world, and creeds will soon be found among the things which havo been.
The Gospel has the power to do the work, when and where it is permitted, to rule in the hearts and actions, of men. The transforming power of re¬ vealed truth will purge out all that is of men, and leave the hearts of men as large and liberal as tho truth is full