"Just God! and these are they,
Who minister at thine altar, God of right!
Men who their hands, with prayer and blessing32, lay
On Israel's ark of light.
"What! preach, and kidnap men?
Give thanks, and rob thy own afflicted33 poor?
Talk of thy glorious liberty, and then
Bolt hard the captive's door?
"What! servants of thy own
Merciful Son, who came to seek and save
The homeless and the outcast, fettering34 down
The tasked and plundered35 slave!
"Pilate and Herod friends!
Chief priests and rulers, as of old, combine!
Just God and holy! is that church which lends
Strength to the spoiler thine?"
The Christianity of America is a Christianity, of whose votaries36 it may be as truly said, as it was of the ancient scribes and Pharisees, "They bind37 heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. All their works they do for to be seen of men.—They love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, . . . . . . and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.—But woe38 unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Ye devour39 widows' houses, and for a pretence40 make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.—Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe41 of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment42, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone43. Ye blind guides! which strain at a gnat44, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but within, they are full of extortion and excess.—Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy45 and iniquity46."
Dark and terrible as is this picture, I hold it to be strictly true of the overwhelming mass of professed47 Christians48 in America. They strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Could any thing be more true of our churches? They would be shocked at the proposition of fellowshipping a sheep-stealer; and at the same time they hug to their communion a man-stealer, and brand me with being an infidel, if I find fault with them for it. They attend with Pharisaical strictness to the outward forms of religion, and at the same time neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. They are always ready to sacrifice, but seldom to show mercy. They are they who are represented as professing49 to love God whom they have not seen, whilst they hate their brother whom they have seen. They love the heathen on the other side of the globe. They can pray for him, pay money to have the Bible put into his hand, and missionaries to instruct him; while they despise and totally neglect the heathen at their own doors.
Such is, very briefly50, my view of the religion of this land; and to avoid any misunderstanding, growing out of the use of general terms, I mean by the religion of this land, that which is revealed in the words, deeds, and actions, of those bodies, north and south, calling themselves Christian3 churches, and yet in union with slaveholders. It is against religion, as presented by these bodies, that I have felt it my duty to testify.
I conclude these remarks by copying the following portrait of the religion of the south, (which is, by communion and fellowship, the religion of the north,) which I soberly affirm is "true to the life," and without caricature or the slightest exaggeration. It is said to have been drawn51, several years before the present anti-slavery agitation52 began, by a northern Methodist preacher, who, while residing at the south, had an opportunity to see slaveholding morals, manners, and piety53, with his own eyes. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord. Shall not my soul be avenged54 on such a nation as this?"
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narrative
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n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的 | |
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strictly
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adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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corrupt
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v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的 | |
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impartial
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adj.(in,to)公正的,无偏见的 | |
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climax
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n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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misnomers
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n.使用不当的名字或名称( misnomer的名词复数 ) | |
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loathing
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n.厌恶,憎恨v.憎恨,厌恶( loathe的现在分词);极不喜欢 | |
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contemplate
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vt.盘算,计议;周密考虑;注视,凝视 | |
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missionaries
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n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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wields
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手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的第三人称单数 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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meek
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adj.温顺的,逆来顺受的 | |
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earnings
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n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得 | |
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salvation
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n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困 | |
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forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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pious
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adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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ravages
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劫掠后的残迹,破坏的结果,毁坏后的残迹 | |
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wholesale
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n.批发;adv.以批发方式;vt.批发,成批出售 | |
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defender
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n.保卫者,拥护者,辩护人 | |
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scatters
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v.(使)散开, (使)分散,驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 );撒 | |
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hearth
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n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面 | |
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desolate
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adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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revivals
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n.复活( revival的名词复数 );再生;复兴;(老戏多年后)重新上演 | |
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fetters
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n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 );束缚v.给…上脚镣,束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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rattling
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adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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psalm
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n.赞美诗,圣诗 | |
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dealers
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n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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dealer
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n.商人,贩子 | |
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erect
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n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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30
garb
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n.服装,装束 | |
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semblance
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n.外貌,外表 | |
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32
blessing
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n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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33
afflicted
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使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fettering
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v.给…上脚镣,束缚( fetter的现在分词 ) | |
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35
plundered
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掠夺,抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
votaries
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n.信徒( votary的名词复数 );追随者;(天主教)修士;修女 | |
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bind
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vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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woe
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n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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39
devour
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v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
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40
pretence
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n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰 | |
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41
tithe
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n.十分之一税;v.课什一税,缴什一税 | |
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42
judgment
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n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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43
undone
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a.未做完的,未完成的 | |
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gnat
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v.对小事斤斤计较,琐事 | |
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hypocrisy
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n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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iniquity
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n.邪恶;不公正 | |
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professed
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公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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48
Christians
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n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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49
professing
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声称( profess的现在分词 ); 宣称; 公开表明; 信奉 | |
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50
briefly
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adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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51
drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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52
agitation
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n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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53
piety
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n.虔诚,虔敬 | |
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54
avenged
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v.为…复仇,报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 );为…报复 | |
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