New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-05-29
POLITICS AND THE PULPIT.
From The independent

Journal Of Commerce IN the three articles WIN inc
above title This we shall now do. Not as amere
matter Of difference between two newspapers
but because the questions raised are vital and no
opportunity to dhose right opinions should be lost
Thousands will read even this long article as
reply 10 a thorough and persistent attempt OF 'ne
Journal of Commerce 10 deny the rights oil tne
PULPIT. BY circumscribing It's topics who would
hardly read an essay on liberty Of conscience I'D
erty Of speech the duties u Christians OF inc nat
ural rights Of men.
IL he subject Of american Slorery ProPer
tonic for the CA,lst.an Pulpit
There is 10 difference, We thinE, IN any demon
nation of Christians On this subject. Single indi
xidnsls there are who would refuse the least men
tion Of the subject. But 50 generally Is II the
,n;.;on nj Christian ministers that the subject
.Lonld enter in some measure, into their minis,ra
tiop,. that We may safely say that 1t IS the public
sentiment Of the American Pulpit that Slavery IS a
lawful topic.
There are differences, great and serious. But
they are not here. How often, and how earnestly
this subject should be discussed; the nature ana
extent Gifts evil and gult-the responsible parties
the remedies for II, and the duties OF men as IN,
diyiduals; and Of Christians as members Of
churches and Of Conferences, Conventions, Assem-
bies. or Associations, as Ecclesiastical bodies
upon all these questions there IL, as might DC cA
pected wide diversity; but none as " inc iAc'
The, an anprouriate times and IN an appropriate
-, ,ba morals of Slavery should form some part
~ mint roinistrations. Every minister must de-
terrnine the method Of preaching on slavery, from
his own disposition the wants oil bis HOOK, and the
circnmstances OF the community; and no one man
can be a model for all men. But we think that
few men In the North would TO say, In the
present state Of public enlightenment, that they
have never, an any Wdy, spoken 70 their people on
the sin OF Slavery.
The issue between the Journal Of Commerce
and The Independent IS not whether the Pulpit
has a right TO speak politically OF Slavery but
whether il has right TO speak OF 1t morally and
relieioasly; whether it has & right 10 speak n al
The charges Of the Journal are not that we have
preached on legitimate theme In wrong spirit
it is not that we have preached on the pohtlcal
question OF Slavery instead OF upon the morals OF
Slavery The charges are unmlstakaoIe tna' the
sin OF the Pulpit lies in touching the subject IN any
manner whatsoever with the single remarkable
exception which we shall in due time mentlon).
Those whom the Journal Of Commerce charges
with Sabbath and pulpit dissertation, have never
held the duty OF preaching on the political relations
Of Slavery. They have declared that slavery ha1
the most vital moral and religious bearings; and
that a Christian Minister, on the Christian Sab
bath in the Christian pulpit, ought 10 inform his
people of these religious aspects OF Slavery. TINS
ia the doctrine Of Anti Slavery men as body.
Those who desire to go further are few; and
though their right is respected their practice is not
accepted, as the Journal Of Commerce full well
knows, by the great body Of anti Slavery men IN
the North. THIS is the docIrlRe OF The Ihdepea-
dent. ~,
in an article, which thought 10 be iHprudentb by
an excess of prudence, most cautiously carved out
their position and gave the pulpit almost less
" bplleye
The Journal copied portions OF this EXPOSITION oil
The INDEPENDENT such as this;
"Tboussrds Of religious assemblies there are, Ia every
one OF which, every Sabbaihday, The minister conduct
I'M The devoons OF his fellow shipes Ohers Inc pel
lion that God would enignten the ignorant raise up me
degraded and deliver the oppressed 10 many Christian
,h, AnehTs, may be dethroned the affairs Of super
be- overturned but also that everywhere me ROD o.
cline lineage may stand up In The freedom OF the sons
Of God"
And this:
And "a for the preaching doubtless thousands OF ser
mons are preached every Sabbshday which no man could
hear and sIdy dgesto bis spiritual edhcaion and 10
his sou's health, without some quckenng OF MS moral
stpse against all Injustice without some Determination
OF bis viii against lending himself however indirectly 10
ne crime of opening market for the sale OF human
beings Ifihis what The journal q Commerce means 9y
preaching Free SOism ID The pulpit on the SaooAh e
assertion Is quite true
No man can mistake this claim 20 a right TO han.
die Slavery upon moral aud religious grounds
What SAYS the Journal TO these very paragraphs
The Indspendent admits enough to convince any reason
able man that charge which We brought against P3
non OF the clergy Of preaching and praying Free s0nsn IN
their pupiis On The Sabbath "a vel founded"
The Star (') contributor to The independents
in an article expressly defining his IDEAS OF tue ia
ties OF the pulpit says;
marry questions medde with candidates. ake sides
with this or that messde but mat II Is bOundio st
fouh v hal principles should guide Christian 10 pot
cal action, Waatsssr party and r'taoIf regard TO mel
swss"
Could anything be more explicit
But one of two courses was open to the Journal,
either TO 0gTee with these views and drop the dis
cusson or to disagree and prolOng the attack upon
them 1t chose the latter. 1t says expressly that
we DO not introduce politics into the Pulpit, IN the
usual sense Of that word
-Noi Thai they bring into the pulpit party politics.
although in there near approximation 10 Il
Free soism in lie technical parry sense expresses
The idea IN black and white
Ii meets our distinct avowal that it is not Slavery
as an economic question: as political question,
but 40 a religious question, that We claim for the
Pulpit-by replying;
would be suitable pansiOn Of thought aud increas
I'd iervor Of expression the speaker sdvsncedsnd DO
aci upol his hes a gul2r Free Soil Abolition Lecture
No man can read the three articles of the Jour
nal but especially the last, written after The In
dspendsRf had fully disclosed its ground, without
admitting that the Journal Il Commerce has pro
scribed the whole topic OF Slavery, III all its rea-
tons, and under every aspect from the Pulpit
How any man on earth could have failed TO see
that Of al questions that ever agitated nation
the question OF the debasement OF 100000 men,
subject to, and VIGOROUSLY enduring the utmost
food ofsensuallu lust untaught without Bibles or
hgious teachers, without family rights, subject 10
sale and wide dispersion with every pinch of the
owners purse-is a question IN which the religious
sde is tie side OF sll others, frst strongest, most
memorable, we have 10 faculty or experience
vherewith to conceive. But so it is.
Its in vain to parry this truth by denying these
facts and affirming that hundreds of thousands OF
slaves have Christian instruction. What lfthey do F!
There are millions that do not As a body, through
out the South slaves are not relgousy Instructed.
Tie Charleston Is. c. Observer declared, some
years ago, that Throughout the bounds Of the
Charleston Sy nod Presby terisn there are at least
me hnndrad honsand slaves sneaking III. same