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Show ('out I anil clirMlauliy. f.ditor Dtictcl Acir I learn by alalelnuoof your paper that a reverend gentleman of this city baa publicly declared that thocourla have decided that "Ibis Is a Christian nation." This is such a rcmaikable statement from a prof erred Christian minister, that I cannot but express a few thoughts relative to the truth and prcpflcly of tuch decision If ever made. The question atlifi by virtue of what law coulJ such a JuJr. neut bu rendered? Courts aro sup posed to act by authority of and tl decide nil cases nnd questions In conformity con-formity with liw, Tho actions of courts without law would beoxtrbuuly ridiculous If not positively absurd. The Constitution of our country forblda tho maklug of any law "re spectlng an oslabllstimuut of religion. " Am I to suppose that the Constitution has leeu wantonly violated; that courts aro acting upon tinconstltutluu al provisions? This wculdloiolf the ruverend gentleman'a statement bu correct. Certainly such a condition of things could not add much to the Christian character of the country nor to the reputation of Itsjudlrlary. The met that neither thejudtclal nor law-maklm departments of the country coun-try can Imve anything to do with le-llglou le-llglou In their otllrlal capacity, Is per-hsju per-hsju somewhat auggestlvu of the con-dltlon con-dltlon of the country as to lie Chris tlaulty a country In which It can have no cncoiirsgemt nt from tbesource Indicated. Bo far aa the courts are concerned, Infidelity or atheism Is Just as good, and has the samu rights and liberties! aa Chrlnlanlty. Why tbu ruv. gentleman ahould appeal to such a sourcu for defense ol tbu nation's puilly Is somewhat Inexplicable, Christianity, I freely admit, should I Ihe prldu and boast of this groat nation; but wu muitiearch for and find It eliovt hcru llinn In Its courts. Tin. few Christians that aro In the land ri cognize Christ as Ibe Author of their faith; that the doctrlnea and princllei Hu taught concerning Christianity, nnd thu ructlco of these prlucq les, are necessary to con-atltutu con-atltutu a truu Christian and maku men rollowurauf tlioChrlst. This admitted, we llud our-elves nuder thu necessity ol turning to Ibe lllble aud to thu ministers of thu day to llud uvldenco of our natlon'a Christianity. We ruly upuu the lllble at uvldeucu of Christ's lifts and teachings, and by examining cloicly wu may bu ablu to arrlvu at Just concluiloiih In refereucu to our country's cLIiue. Christ's luleel.n to earth wu hcrsld-ed hcrsld-ed with thu cry of "Peace on earth, good will to mnu." This was thu naturu and character uf the (ioepel taught during Ills ministry, llestrovu to reconcllo thu children of men to Ood, by their doing Ills will; and to istabllsh peace and fellowship among men, by bringing them all to a unity of that faith and doctrine which lletaugbt. There was but ono fellh, one Uosjl, and one baptlim, to which all mint submit, to lw recognized recog-nized by Him as His disciples, obedience obedi-ence to which secured to all tho samu sjlrlt. Having the same faith and (assessing (asses-sing tbu samu spirit, made men one, even as Hu and thu 1'atherf weru oue. "Hxccptyueruonu yonrunot mine," Is Christ's declaration to his followers. No matter what sect or occujiatlon they catnu from, His most uvrntst prayer for them wot that they might become one. Without this oneness In faith aud spirit thero Is no positive, practical evidence of Christianity. 'lo believe that Christ dltd among men and Is the Personago he claimed to be, dots not alono make men Chrts liana. Men without nny religion, aud uven devils, believe Hits much ns well as tho professed Christian mlnlitem who havo lived both In hit day an 1 lu our day. jloth history and tradition havu stamped a belief In Christ's lllo upon thciuluds of both saint and .lnner;but It Is no uvldeucu uvl-deucu tojay of n holy life for n man to say he belluvet lu Christ. A life con-fouuableln con-fouuableln all things to tho doctrine aud prluclilesllu ttuiiht cau alone tie evldiucoof lovo for Him. "He that hath inf coinmauJmcnta and keepeth them, he It Is that loveth me; tl n nun lore mo huwlll keip mywordt;and my Father will lovu him." B.ejaku Jesus. That portion ot the world called Christian It today, as In Christ's day, divided an! subdivided Into a multitude multi-tude of faiths and organizations, all at varlaucu with each other; so much to that maoy will not commune with another an-other sect or society than their own. A similar statu of things ozlsted In thntlmu of Christ when men wire zealous lu keeping tliu law, but III ricogulzwl none of them at Ills lu their divided and discordant condition, 'lhey uereoppoacd to thooneness ard spirit of the Oospcl which Ho taught, aud which His followers weru requlrid to cherish unu towards another. From Ihe history of tbu past, and tho union required of ineii In Christ's dav, our nation iriseuts a mott nil-clirlatlaullku nil-clirlatlaullku iipirarance; an I the uianv ticlt that nte crying "Lo hire, and lo thero It Christ," are to many evidences that they are Indeed aim-Cliilst aim-Cliilst lu split!, us well as In the piac-Ileal piac-Ileal develo) ment of Christian life. If Cbrlst were to como again to earth lu our day, Hu would find ample cjuio to say to the sects, aa of yore, "l.xcept ) u are ono yo are not mlue," Leaving Ihtiu aud mauy other like scrlj tural ovldemrs which might be given lu support of this cardinal doctrine doc-trine of Christ, that !ovo,iinlly, lellou-ship lellou-ship nud erfect communion must characterize Ihe !l7ce ot tnou to mike them acitbillu to Him, brief riler-elite riler-elite must lo inadu to thu clerg) of our duy who ihlni to bumlul-tert ol Christ to lhuieopIe. lhey aru Iho cists of nun who r or-sltt or-sltt lu miln'nlnliiR this constant ifrlfo and Ulvlslou, multiplying nit iiou snt, sot lelyu pon soiluty, both recog nlzlug mid cultivating the revalllui, tiUi-oiduut lallhslhst constitute our nutlons of Cbilsllsully, riilawaan imminent featureofen coursgi ment held out to the few eon veils made at thu Isle revival meetings held In this oily. They could name their uwu minister, aud chose tho society with which thoy would t connected; thus simply consigning oonverlatua condition of recognized disagreement In church standing and fellowship. As a cla-s of mon, It Is pitiable to know they nre not what they should be. Wo ilo not always find them re I resenting In their lives tbu life of their Master thu meek and lowly Jesus. Too many of them are educated edu-cated as other professionals aro for the mcro turposu of obtaining a good living by their aervlces. THemlnlt-tcrlal THemlnlt-tcrlal circle hat not power to claim Its ratikt from tho Infamy anJ criminal dhgrace which ao frequently ac; car In the J utile Journals, and which strve to make Christianity a Mss and a bye word with the observing mala of the people. There aro loo many among them who are as willing to send people peo-ple to hell as to heaven, should they hat priilacllatgren with tbem ns to the vro) and mode of getting there. It Is n notorious fact that many of the Christian ministers are forimost aud unrelenting lu their ;ereuillou aud misrepresentation of other ioclrtli'1 as Christian as themielves, wtisti en It It no. beyond recollection that a young min In this Christian nation hail lalth enough In Uod wheu convened con-vened to religion, toaikof lllm which of tho many churches he should Join, and when he received answer, and proclaimed It lo thu world, that hu was to Join none of them as being the Church of Chrlit, a ttorni of perietu-Hon perietu-Hon arolo frum these pious, religious leaders that never ceased whllu he lived, and the few who allowed favor to the young man and llrieiidcd him, were made sharers with blm of the same demonlau hale. This was In our land of religious liberty, where no law Interfered with a muu't lalth lu dud, and where no court was eui posed to tell men how or whit Ihoyehfiuld worship. Home ten yeara since, thu Crimea committed lu onu year by rululitcrs, and publlehed lu thu ubllo papers, weru gathered by one man to tho number num-ber ol 1101, and Ibesowero pre-umed In bu not one-lentil of the nclual number lerpelrated liv the Christian c-lcrgyof our nation. Tbcee crimes wero com-roltted com-roltted by ItlJ preachers, who were convicted lu Ihu courts and their esses published. This possibly may bu thu reason why the rev, geiittiman ol this city makes referent e to tbo courts being cometeut to decide upon Hie Christianity of Ihu nation bearing euch fiults i f rlghleoiistie-s. In which It Is alleged that the clergy, ns a class, commit com-mit more crime lu proportion lo numbers num-bers than any other. Other lmtanea may bo considered; such, for Instance, as an Internal fratricidal waiif years' duration Ihu despoiling of nearly one-third of the nation by rob! cry, and by expending millions of money lu tho uoblu Christian Chris-tian work of destroying hundreds of luoiuumlsot lives and leaving millions of sorrowing wlvis, children and friends whosu cries havo ascended to heaven while mourning their loss Then there Is thu haughty prldo aud arrogancu that reigns supreme throughout through-out the land In thumldit of allluence, while tho desplsoJ, neglected, starving poor aru eking out n mlserablu exlit encuwlth none to illy, aud to whom dtuth would be a welcome relief. All these, with the dally crimes committed whloh aic enough to "maku the angels weep" might bo put In Ihe scales nnd weighed In contrast with our natlon'a excellence, and then let that Uod, who will not look u;ion sin with an) degreu of allowance, Instead of the natlon'a court, decide by thu slunUard of rlghteouiness upon tbu nation's na-tion's Christianity, Whllu this revolting condition of things exhibits a vast amount of li J iocrlsy nnd downright wlcne Iness, wu know the nation has n vast num. bsrnf devout worslilpjiers who rever ence Clod and recognize Ihu mission ot Jesus Christ in Ha true signlflcancu so far ns their hnowledgu e untiles them to com(reliend the truth as through Him revealed. Theso may be considered ns the salt of tho earth, by virtue of whole Influence many may lw laved. Court! may by Investigation know something about men's crimes, but their knowledge of men's faith and religion Is too trilling to pais a reliable Judgment that will secure Iho endorsement endorse-ment of Christ lu Ihelr decision. Christianity Is not a matter uf mils conventions to bu detcrmlued by msjorltles, but Is Individual property, the value of which cau only be appreciated appre-ciated by lUroticisor. H. W. 11. |