Vermont Telegraph

MISCELLANY.
From the Herald of Freedom.
THE PRIESTHOOD.

Opening the eyes of mankind to the uselessness, and what is worse the dangerous and deadly character of this mysterious order of men, would be the greatest benefit ever done the race. The use and necessity of a priesthood, in keeping the people in subjection to temporal tyranny, I confess—and deplore. Tyranny cannot control the people without it can play upon their superstition. The physical force is always with the people. They are the many, and their oppressors and rulers are always the few. The few can rule the many, only through their ignorance and their fears. As instruments to keep the people ignorant, the tyrant breeds his learned professors—who monopolize all learning and teach it as a mystery—and clothe it with a character as nearly supernatural as it will bear; and as instruments to keep the people afraid, Tyranny maintains its priesthood—a trained band of players on human superstition. In the old world's despotisms, monarchy, at the head of Church and State, wields its lordly universities and its hierarchy—schools of mysterious learning, to which the poor can have no access—and a church as aristocratic and arbitrary, as nobility or royalty. There they have kings and popes, in visible, confessed shape. They make no secret of their tyrant claims to authority, and make no scruple to own, that they claim sovereignty over the people, and will enforce it by the sword. Here the people suppose such priestly and kingly power to have no existence. It is a fatal mistake. Political supremacy here is attained by cunning and fraud. It is despotism, while it lasts—only there is rotation in it. The rotation does not however attach to the people—a rotation of relief. They have no relief. There is rotation and succession of tyrants, but no rotation of endurance and exemption on the part of the people. They have to work and maintain a perpetual, unremitting political despotism. And it happens with us, that we have to maintain a double set—called national and state governments—both indirectly sucking at the people's jugular, and disclaiming all the while that their drink is blood. The priesthood come up on us in a like insidious shape. They disclaim power, and republicanize their ecclesiastical forms, so as to humor the democracy of the people, and then ride rough-shod and steel-corked, over their bosom. Our Popery is as decided, as sovereign, as despotic, as Rome's ever was. And far more dangerous. It is disguised. It is too crafty to be open and confessed. It has learned prudence, from the fate of ecclesiastical tyranny, when unmasked so as to excite the anger and resistance of the people. It accordingly disclaims all power. It denounces Popery and vaunts itself a protestant. Under that protestation lurks the full-horned dragon of popish despotism. It is priesthood. Popery was nothing more. Popery was priesthood confessed. Protestantism is Popery concealed. In the matter of priesthood there is no difference.

Now I say to the people—a priesthood is an order God does not create, and man cannot bear. You may quote ancient precedents. All I say to them is—they are not of your times. Our times are here. They are realities. They are certain. They are for us. We are here.— Our times are our matters and our business. Ancient times were for the people of their day. Let them and the future take care of themselves. The present times lay upon our shoulders, and to them we must attend. We know that in our times, mankind are equal by birth, and that humanity is one. A Priesthood is incompatible with this equality. This we know. We do not want a Priesthood. We cannot endure it. Our God is our friend—not our enemy or tyrant. We know (by his help) that he has warranted no spiritual rulers over us. He is no despot, and he maintains no vicegerent despots on earth—either in kingly or priestly shape. The religion that needs a priesthood to teach it—or to carry it on, is self-evidently an imposition and a sorcery. Does not every body at once and always see, that a religion to be true and useful to mankind, must be one so plain and simple, that it would be level to the comprehension of all !. The need of it is as extensive and as essential as air or water. Can it require a learned priesthood then, to interpret it, and dispense it! Self-evidently not. Nobody can doubt this—or ever would, unless educated out of their senses. God is every body's priest in other words, every body is his own priest, and his own king. Every body ought to be. Men cannot ordain it away. Every body can be and ought to be morally and spiritually right—and if they were, you never could make them religiously afraid, or impose priesthood upon them to play upon their fears. This nobody can doubt. As a result of the tyrannies, the English people abroad are bowed down and crippled subjects. The American people here are what they call themselves citizens, private citizens—sovereign people, with rulers over them, whom they sweat to maintain. Our people are also lay-men—under a servant priesthood—called clergy, or more plausibly, ministry. An employed, appointed ministry. The people are properly styled lay. They do lay— prostrate and submissive under the clerical order. The whole order of divinity among us, claim and exercise all, and more than was ever claimed or exercised by Popery in its palmiest days. It claims it, whenever its supremacy is questioned and it is obliged to speak out. Individuals deny it, when it is handy, and to deceive the people, when anti-slavery charges tyranny and popery on their order.— They deny it then, but the denial is not sanctioned by the brotherhood in grand council. Nor would the individual be sanctioned or tolerated—who should come out against the brotherhood, and deny that it is divinely appointed—is a divine and not a human institution—is of God and not of man's appointment. Any clergyman, who should deny the brotherhood a divine character, and say they were not set apart by God, with power to represent Him on earth, and command in his church militant, would be at once disowned and deposed. The brotherhood may depose a preacher, so that he can't officiate, and so that the people may not employ him, or the church acknowledge him as a pastor.— What is this but divine power ? It is all the Pope ever claimed, and more than he could ever long carry out, without resistance and revolution. Under this state of things our people are laymen. The church is bound hand and foot, soul and body. The worshipers of Juggernaut are not more thoroughly fettered to their idol. The people out of the church, are overawed, and have to maintain a cautious reverence and silence. The church worships. and the people, although outcast by the church, and doomed to perdition, help largely to maintain worship. The negro is enslaved, and is a beast. He is perfectly unhumanized, and made a thing, instead of a person. Our religion and priesthood crush his very humanity all out of him. There is not a particle of it left in him, so far as they have the potency to eradicate it, and the negro is accordingly reckoned in the country, a mere tool or utensil, as much as a cart or a hoe is so reckoned. And it is all religiously right The word of God has so ordained and sanctioned. The Priesthood recognizes it, and denounces, with inquisition fierceness. the claims set up by the abolitionists in the negro's behalf. Anti-slavery demands the recognition of negro humanity and human rights. The priesthood casts a divine and withering scowl upon the daring demand, and curses it as infidel. The issue is making up before the people. whether or not anti-slavery is sacrilege and whether or not the priesthood is divine. And if it be divine, anti-slavery is ungodly and blasphemous. This is the great issue making up in the anti-slavery movement. The priesthood have struck a blow at the movement. with the mace and battle-axe of its divinity. The people look to see the movement stunned and thrown back, and its advocates perish miserably by the visitation of God. Anti-slavery boldly shouts to the people, that the weapon it is struck at with, is diabolical, and not divine, that it hits not—but in the false estimate given it by the people and that it challenges its divinity before God and man—and defy it. So the combat is coming. A word further, for I am hurried for time and straightened for space.' Would you do away all preaching and teaching. and all ministry! I answer, no. Do away nothing but this usurpation of being divinely appointed. Let the people know that God has no special order of ministry on earth, and that whoever claims to be such is an impostor and tyrant—and there will be preaching enough of the right sort. Every man then has a right to preach. The people have a right then to hear and employ and pay whom they please, and he must speak without authority, and be heard for his good reasons only. Then truth will stand a chance in the world, and truth only. Now, whatever is clothed with religious authority is received, and truth has no chance for a reception or a hearing. I want to say a good deal more on this all-important, vital theme. It is the theme of themes. But no more now.
—Herald of Freedom.