A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
Religion
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin, Benjamin
Churches of Christ
There are spiritual-minded persons in almost all the parties around
us; and if we determine to know nothing but Christ, nothing but pure
Christianity, and confine ourselves strictly to the clear revelations
of heaven—preach the pure gospel of the grace of God—preach Christ,
and determine to know nothing else, while a mere carnal and worldly
priesthood harangue their assemblies on politics, mix up church
and State, law and gospel, turning their religious organizations
into mere political engines, the very thing we have condemned the
Romish priesthood for, thus wounding the feelings of all the more
spiritual-minded members and splitting their parties asunder, thousands
of them will seek a church where the name of Jesus has charms, where
the Lord is loved and worshipped, and where the true worshippers
worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Let us keep the way clear
for such, receive them to the fold of Christ, and show them how they
can serve God and get to heaven, whether they can ever understand the
slavery question or not.
Many of us have labored long and hard and sacrificed the main energies
of our lives in gathering the many thousands to the fold of Christ that
now throng places of public worship, and we can not remain silent and
see them scattered by the indiscreet and imprudent course of brethren,
in thrusting upon them, and seeming to think that their souls’
salvation is suspended upon their rightly understanding the question of
American slavery. We admonish the brethren to have nothing to do with
any such question in the church. The Lord has not required the church,
the preachers, or religious editors to make any decision, or to hold
any particular class of opinions on the subject, nor can any man be
blameless and push any such question into the kingdom of God. _We will
stand square upon the Bible, by the Lord, the apostles, and every man
who will stand by them._ The Lord direct us!
PRAYER BOOKS.
The Church of England has abounded toward her people in all wisdom and
prudence. In doing so she has supplied them with the “Prayer-Book,” not
only for weak members, who can not pray, but for her strong members,
specially the clergy, giving the very words they must pray on all
occasions. In this exuberance of her benevolence she has supplied a
deficiency in the will of God, an omission in the law of God, an item
that Paul overlooked when he “shunned not to declare the whole counsel
of God;” an item not in the “all things that pertain to life and
godliness,” mentioned by Peter, nor in “all Scripture given by
inspiration,” mentioned by Paul, to “perfect the man of God and
thoroughly furnish him for all good works.” There are many among
them that can _read_ prayers, as they have them in print in the
“Prayer-Book,” and do _read them_, but we are not aware that they have
any more that can _pray_ than those who have no such “Prayer-Book.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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