large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb_20
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
English
8677
It is well to honor the Pilgrims for their many stanch and admirable qualities, but it is only fair to recall that the morbidity of their religion made them less healthy minded than we, and that many of their practices, such as the well recognized custom of "bundling," were indications of a people holding far lower moral standards than ours. IT IS WELL TO HONOUR THE PILGRIMS FOR THEIR MANY STAUNCH AND ADMIRABLE QUALITIES BUT IT IS ONLY FAIR TO RECALL THAT THE MORBIDITY OF THEIR RELIGION MADE THEM LESS HEALTHY MINDED THAN WE AND THAT MANY OF THEIR PRACTICES SUCH AS THE WELL RECOGNIZED CUSTOM OF BUNDLING WERE INDICATIONS OF A PEOPLE HOLDING FAR LOWER MORAL STANDARDS THAN OURS
raphic statements of drunkenness, blasphemy, stealing, and immorality in all its various phases. There are countless church records which duplicate this one of the ordination of a Massachusetts pastor in 1729: "6 Barrels and a half of Cyder, 28 gallons of wine, 2 gallons of Brandy, and 4 of rum, loaf sugar, lime juice and pipes," all, presumably, consumed at the time and on the spot of the ordination. Even the most pessimistic must admit that long before our prohibition era we had traveled far beyond such practices. The immorality seems to have been the natural reaction from morbid spiritual excitement induced by religious revivals. Poor Governor Bradford never grasped this, and we find him lamenting (1642): "Marvilous it may be to see and consider how some kind of wickedness did grow and break forth here in a land where the same was much witnessed against, and so narrowly looked on and severely punished when it was known." We hear the same plaint from Jonathan Edwards a century later. RUNKENNESS BLASPHEMY STEALING AND IMMORALITY IN ALL ITS VARIOUS PHASES THERE ARE COUNTLESS CHURCH RECORDS WHICH DUPLICATE THIS ONE OF THE ORDINATION OF A MASSACHUSETTS PASTOR IN SEVENTEEN TWENTY NINE SIX BARRELS AND A HALF OF CIDER TWENTY EIGHT GALLONS OF WINE TWO GALLONS OF BRANDY AND FOUR OF RUM LOAF SUGAR LIME JUICE AND PIPES ALL PRESUMABLY CONSUMED AT THE TIME AND ON THE SPOT OF THE ORDINATION EVEN THE MOST PESSIMISTIC MUST ADMIT THAT LONG BEFORE OUR PROHIBITION ERA WE HAD TRAVELLED FAR BEYOND SUCH PRACTICES THE IMMORALITY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN THE NATURAL REACTION FOR MORBID SPIRITUAL EXCITEMENT INDUCED BY RELIGIOUS REVIVALS POOR GOVERNOR BRADFORD NEVER GRASPED THIS AND WE FIND HIM LAMENTING SIXTEEN FORTY TWO MARVELOUS IT MAY BE TO SEE AND CONSIDER HOW SOME KIND OF WICKEDNESS DID GROW AND BREAK FORTH HERE IN A LAND WHERE THE SAME WAS MUCH WITNESSED AGAINST AND SO NARROWLY LOOKED ON AND SEVERELY PUNISHED WHEN IT WAS KNOWN WE HEAR THE SAME PLAINT FROM JONATHAN EDWARDS A CENTURY EARLIER
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
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download/librilight/large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb.flac