Christian Manliness
By BISHOP M. WRIGHT, D. D.
Even from foes, true Christian manliness commands
respect. Its opposite receives merited contempt, even from those whom it serves. As a
gallant foe is honored above a whining dog, so is manliness esteemed above mercenary
obsequiousness. Though hated by ungenerous adversaries, yet its enemies pay tribute at the
graves of its true exponents, as they did at the obsequies of John Quincy Adams and
William Lloyd Garrison. It is admired, though dreaded, just as to his sharp-shooters
Morgan said of General Frazer, the mind and soul of the army at Saratoga, "I admire
and honor him; but he must die."
True Christian manliness has been exhibited by the fathers
in our church in their firm, courageous opposition to the great evils with which they were
brought face to face. In the very origin of our church they had to encounter slavery, a
system of robbery, tyranny, cruelty, fornication, and contempt for the most sacred of all
ties, though our national colors floated over its ships groaning under human merchandise,
and our national courts protected its collies and legalized its markets, John Wesley
justly pronounced "the sum of all villainies." When we think how long it was
sanctioned by our government and people, we blush for our nation and for humanity. But our
thoughts are cheered when we reflect that our church fathers refused this vile system a
place in our communion. They opposed it manfully in the slave states and in the free. They
excluded it, which was the only practical method of preventing slave-holders from sealing
the lips of our pastors and people to the abomination. How unworthy it would have been to
have shifted from our prohibitory base, for pro-slavery smiles and patronage and gold. Do
honorable hands need blood-bought gains?
But how much more unmanly it now is, to apologize for our
anti-slavery position! Is our glory to be turned to shame? Alas that two of our college
presidents—one from Iowa and another from Pennsylvania—should shade our glory!
Alas that more than one higher officer in the church should say privately, that our
prohibitory position against slavery was a mistake! But the public reason for thus abasing
ourselves is from the false premise that Christ and his apostles did not antagonize, but
did tolerate, evil institutions. These reply from, their seats on high: "Thou
thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself!" This premise, which the soul
of the Savior abhors, would have closed his lips, and those of his apostles against
Phariseeism, Sadduceeism, idolatry, concubinage, and "the abomination of
desolation." Let any iniquity but make itself an institution, and the church must,
"Hands off!" So of gambling, liquor-selling/Mormonism, spiritualism, Shakerism,
KuKluxism, Freemasonry, slavery, brigandage, or any other form of Satanism! Institutions
are so sacred that we dare not touch them adversely, even though their consecration is
from the kingdom of darkness! What logic or what authority will sustain those who would
thus bring our glory to shame?
Not less manly is our constitutional position against
secrecy. It is from conviction of right, against a towering and wide-spread evil. Not only
is our position manly against institutions of darkness, partiality, and deceit, but it has
brought to our ranks many manly adherents of our cause. It is manly to secure to them
their refuge, but it is most unmanly to try to sell them out for imaginary proselytes and
gold. It is unmanly to acknowledge the validity of the constitutional compact for many
years, and then turn around and repudiate the contract, when it furthers one's ends to do
so; just as it would be unmanly to repudiate one's own note that had been acknowledged
tacitly and verbally for many years. It is unmanly, just as it would be unmanly for a
"man" to live with a woman under a marriage covenant till other loves entered
into his heart, and then allege flaws in that covenant, that he may abandon her and
legalize his evil lusts.
How soon shall our grand record on temperance be also
apologized for, and cried down? The liquor dealers associations are powerful institutions.
They have numbers, influence, and wealth. We have reached the time when we need not be
surprised at any stroke at the foundations of our church honor. To be sure the attempt
would not be manly, but nevertheless, it is not very unlikely that some one of elevated
position will tell us ere long that liquor institutions are exempt, by the example of
Christ and the apostles, from the antagonism of the church. Our record on temperance may
be condemned. Then our glory would be turned to shame, and the shame of our nakedness
would be exposed on the banks of the new river of sophism! Alas, shall the canker cry out
from the midst of the fine gold, to apologize for past refulgence!
Christian manliness is sadly at discount with too many. It
is time that our people should awaken to the situation. We need manly views of the
necessity of a Christian denomination in this age that will rise higher in moral sense
than those recently emerging from heathenism and still surrounded by it; that will rise
higher than those who could baptize the rum trafic, [sic] "the sum of all
villainy," and the harlot of secrecy. The Lord has use for a denomination of high
moral standards rather than for one of growing alliance with worldly institutions. Our
trust should be in God. Trusting in him, manly view, manly courage, and manly perseverance
in dauntless effort for the right, will give us the victory.