THE FATHERS by Laura C. Hutchins

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 8, 1860

THE FATHERS.

By Laura C. Hutchins

The fathers! the fathers! how oft we are told, The fathers thus spake—the tradition is old— You surely must yield, when we tell you 'twas done When Christians in heart and devotion were one. They were never deceived, for they could look back, And walk with apostles—the very same track. These earnest opposers seem never to see, That the fathers, perchance, were not what they should be.

The fathers so lauded, were nothing but men, And the fathers are now, as the fathers were then; The fathers were men; they were men uninspired, And often their zeal by fierce passion was fired; And who by the fathers is guided to-day, Must be shifted about in a pitiful way. The fathers' opinions most surely have come, Through the hands of the mother of harlots at Rome; (And who can remember the period, when She taught not for commandments the doctrines of men.)

Their words are as dross, and their words are as gold, For the fathers blow hot, and the fathers blow cold; (And why in obedience to Jesus I pray Shall we not cast the title of "fathers" away; Addressing the Christian as brother, aye, brother, And meekly like children, love one another). We want a firm standard by which we may try The words of tradition, praised never so high. The Bible! the Bible! is precious as gold, Above all tradition, though musty and old.

A Judas might follow the Saviour and Lord, Might carry his money, and list to his word, Yet a traitor at heart, he must naturally covet The silver, the price of his Master, and love it; And Jesus well knew, how voracious and bold, Were the wolves in sheep's clothing, and thus he foretold—

And Paul the apostle, the aged, must say, The apostasy worked, even then, in his day, And he spake, oh, so plainly, the warning still rings, Of self-loving disciples, who mind earthly things; How plain that they go with the world hand in hand, And lay for their safety, foundations of sand; The early apostates crept secretly in, And soon did the body partake of the sin: They committed their notions to parchment, and ink, Thus making the ointment perfumed, to stink!

The Bible our standard, speak safely we may, Of the works of the past, and delusion, to-day; The Bible to guide us, our feet shall not slide, 'Neath the rock in the desert, we safely abide; The Bible! the Bible! the Bible! is gold, Above the traditions of ages untold.

LAURA C. HUTCHINS. Ganges, Mich.