Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker Discourse volume 1.djvu/377

Rh staple from the maternal earth; who expends strength, skill, taste, on that staple, making it more valuable; who aids men to be healthier, wiser, better, more holy, he does a service to the race; does the world's work. To get commodities won by others' sweat, by violence and the long arm, is Robbery, the ancient Roman way; to get them by cunning and the long head, is Trade, the modern Christian way. What say Reason and Jesus to that? No doubt the Christianity of the Pulpit is a poor thing. Words cannot utter its poverty; it is neither meat nor drink; the text saves the sermon. But the Christianity of daily life, of the street, that is still worse, the whole Bible could not save it. The history of society is summed up in a word; Cain killed Abel: that of real Religion also in a word; Christ died for his brother.

From ancient times we have received two priceless treasures: The Sunday, as a day of rest, social meeting, and religious instruction; and the institution of Preaching, whereby a living man is to speak on the deepest of subjects. But what have we made of them? Our Sabbath—what a weariness is it; what superstition defiles its sunny hours! And Preaching—what has it to do with life? Men graceless and ungifted make it handiwork; a sermon is the Hercules-pillar and ultima Thule of dulness. The Popular Religion is unmanly and sneaking. It dares not look Reason in the face, but creeps behind tradition and only quotes. It has nothing new and living to say. To hear its talk one would think that God was dead, or at best asleep. We have enough of Church-going, a remnant of our fathers' veneration, which might lead to great good; reverence still for the Sabbath, one of the best institutions the stream of time has brought us; we have still admiration for the name of Jesus. A soul so great and pure could not have lived in vain. But to call ourselves Christians after his kind of Religion, while we are keeping slaves and stoning prophets—may God forgive that mockery! Are men to serve God by lengthening the creed and shortening the commandments; making long prayers and devouring the weak; by turning Reason out of doors and condemning such as will not believe our Theology, nor accept a priest's falsehood in God's name?