Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker volume 3.djvu/159

146 parlours of society, and sneaks up and down the aisles- of a meeting-house, and crawls into the pulpit, lifting up his cowardly and devirilized face, and then with the words and example of Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Esaias, and Jesus, and Paul before him, under his eye, in a small voice whines out his worthless stuff which does but belittle the exiguity of soul which appropriately sleeps before him in the pews, not beneath him in spirit, only below him in space. I know men who want such a minister, that will "preach the Gospel," and never apply the Christian religion to politics, to business, to society, to the life of the family or the individual, not even to the church An admirable gospel for scribes, and pharisees, and hypocrites! Glad tidings of great joy is it to the hunkers and stealers of men: "Religion nothing to do with politics ; the morality of Jesus not to be applied to the dealings of man; the golden rule too precious for daily use I " Such a man will "save souls"—preserved in hypocrisy and kept on ice from youth to age I How he can call his idolatry even worshipping the Bible I know not; for you cannot open this Book anywhere, but from between its oldest or its newest leaves there rustles forth the most earnest human speech, words which burn even now when they are two or three thousand years old!

How much a real minister of religion may do! He deals with the most concerning of all concerns, what touches the deepest wants of all men. How a man in such a calling can be idle, or indifferent, or dull to himself, I see not. The covetous man may be weary of money, a voluptuary sicken with pleasures, and one ambitious and greedy of praise get tired of new access of power, and loathe his own good name; but how a minister of religion can ever tire of toil to bless mankind, is past my finding out. How much a real teacher of absolute religion may bring to pass! Earth had never so palpable a need of a five minister with living religion in him, I care not whether you call it Christianity or no—but the feelings, the ideas, and the actions of such a religion as human nature demands! The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers—where are they?

No man has so admirable an opportunity as the minister to communicate his best thoughts to the public. The politician has his place in the Senate, and speaks twice or