Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1851-02-13
From the New York Herald
The Clergy and the Fugitive Slave Bill.

There was certain class Of ministers OF the gospel
in sections of the country who denounced from the
pulpit last struggle with Great Britain unholy
and unjust war, who denounced from the pulpit all who
aided and assisted the government prosecuting it, and
who eXerted themselves their prestly character and
as individuals bring defeat and disgrace on the Amer
lean The TRADES of abuse, the wholesale denun
cation and the quantity of vitUperation which was
poured fourth by those amiabe disciples of the meek
and lowly Jesus could scarcely be credited il not
that their were preserved and many OF them
printed and ed for the wonderment and amazement OF
posterity Those sermons show TO what an extent oil
ianaticsm the clergy will 90 when they lose sight OF
their calling, and throwing aside the emblems oil peace
and array themselves in opposition to government,
to law, and to the opinions OF mankind Some clergy
of that day openly counselled dsobedienee TO the
laws OF the highest tribunal known to government,
and threatened to, if they did not actually exeommunl-
cate, with 'be book, and candle, the prac
tice in former ages but with fierce denuncanon all who
stood by their country in that struggle"
We had hoped that no such exhibition would ever
again be made by the clergy of any section OF the Uni
ted Stateswe had hoped that in our day. at least we
would witness cergymen unrobing themselves and
preaching dsobedence to the laws to their congrega
TONS denouncng Congress for passing them, because
they did not agree with their private Judgment, and
counselng fanatics like themselves, TO violate the law
even unto the death But we have been disappointed.
Ii has been done this very city, the metropolis oil the
Union-the of art, refinement and cvlllzation-and
with churches Astounding in every ward While We have
benevolent institutions without NUMBER and missionary
while we have societies for spreading the peaceful Coo
trines of the Bible before all mankind, we have clergy
men who advocate murder and counsel ugtves TO shoot
down all who attempt arrest them IN pursuance oil
law which, if constitutional all are bound to obey and
il the reverse can be aside and declared nul by
competent tribunal One of the most atroclous and IN
famatory discourses that has been delivered from the
pulpit since the passage Of the Fugitive Slave law IS
one of the Rev Charles Beecher In relation to that
measures he held the following language, which we ex
tract from copy of his sermon, recently from the hands
OF the printer
Ths law then is wrong in the sight Of God and man
it is an unexampled climax of sin 1t is the monster in
iquy of the present age, and 1t will stand forever on
the page of history, the ylest monument Of lHamy
of the nineteenth century Russia knows nothing Ike
IT, Hungary besses God that she suffered from
anything worse than Haynan And nations aiar OH
pause awhile their worship of blocks OF wood and
stone, to ask, what viii those Christians do nexta
"God from his throne, who beholds all the nations oil
the earth, looks down, and Christ who hungers ana
thrsts-is naked sick and in prison with one OF the
least of his brethren, looks down to see what gigantic
of guilt. what accumulation OF shame and
SIM is proceeding its consummatlon Tor remark
that there Is yet one thing guilty than the act OF
passing this law There yet step wanting to rem
der complete and awful in the sight OF God mighty
guilt and that step obedience to the law. That IS
sin even more exoustely sinful than the making of the
law itself for two reasons first, because it has the
whole righteousness Of the law ITSELF and secondly, be-
cause it has the whole atrocousness Of stab al the
of conscience, and of private Judgment
ssIf this law is obeyed what does Christian do, and
why does he do ita answer, he commits act of pi-
racy and he does il because the law says and be-
cause he obey the law right or wrong, as long as
Z is law These are the elements Of guilt m the
obedience of this law First what II IS; second, why
4 is. First, piracy; second, Popery..
Whv does any ina CINE he ought 10 obey the law
What is the Jesutieal plea which ndustrously ncu
,ated by the high priests Of Moloch and Mammons Il