The New York herald., 1851-12-20

hustipgs, Influencing elections, and becoming q.
most Wholesale dealers in votes of parishes and dis
tricts. They came over here complaining Of the
upgodly union Of church and State. No doubt they
we're sincere st the time; but they did then
know the pride and ghtiness Of their hearts
For they themselves, ss som as an opportunity Of
fered, did the very same thing; and from the ums
when this union commenced, the history OF tnn
church is little else than history Of the state ~
which she was buried alive In the height ot tneir
zeal for religious liberty and rights, they exclaim-
ed, they protested, they suffered; they went on
pilgrimage; they came over mere 70 nstituts PuIe
system Of religious democracy, where all might
worship God according to their own views; and
finally set up an ecclesiastical despetism which al
lowed no such rights and liberties. Various reasons
have been assigned tor TINS alomsy; s Gss 'ns S ,
about; and when there was an opportunity Of stick
ing herself up the very top Of the tree, she could
not resist the temptation, Under the reign OF es-
tablshsd Congregationslism, rights and liberties
went for nothing. The Puritan was grim affair.
Baptsts were prosecuted, imprisoned and banished.
Quakers were tried, condemned and hanged. All
whe differed from the established sentiments, were
stamped to the dust. The freemans dearest privi-
lege-his right Of suffrage, was taken sway, for
none might vote but members of the established
church; and the very men who ded from e,ole-
sasticsl intolerance at home, set up on the free s,
of America compulsory ecclesiastical system
equally oppressive and intolerant. The church,
then, was q mere exhibition of Esau's hands
and Jacobs voice; -::..h GOAT skins laid over
the smooth other neck. What adght! Mini ters and
magistrates meeting at the gallows to hang poor
Quaker for his religion Mrs. Hutchinson was
condemned and banished for heresy. A number of
Episcopalians petitoned the Assembly of Massaehu-
setts for the right of suffrage, eligibility to Office
with permission to unite with Congregational
churches, or TO- form one Of their own; and what
was the answer The court ordered them to be
fined and i'm prisoned. There was but one remedy
for this state of things, and that was total revo
luton. To see parcel of grim Puritans trying q
~. t-.~c co-L ~r1 -.
liars because they asked leave to 60 t. church,
could 10 lopgor be borne. There is telling what
churches will do when they have the power of the
State to carry out their dogmss. They are not fit
quacks at government and it is natural for them
to turn it to bad use as it is for one quack to
run down another.
Mach is talked in Europe about the balance of
churches. They keep the balance of power, and are
kept by it. They produce q constant action on the
pnblic mind, which reacts upon thom in return, in
about the same degree, rs action and reaction are
equal. They are a constant check on each other;
and altogether check on the war spirit that is
abroad; on the Cuban invasion men, as well as on
the scheming avarice, licentousness, immortality
and in6deliy of the age: Ii there were no churches
Austria, Russia, England, France, Spain, and tor
sught We know, other countries; then draft US
and send US to the fight, and stop at hons
themselves to collect the taxes, and to keep the
whole United States, inculcating the spirit Of
harmonious cooperation and obedience to the
laws, We should become an aggressive, lawless,
and divided people; one State would back out Of
the L Union could not exist. Our legislators could
no more keep things in a right trim than ancient
legislators who were always obliged to call in the
assistance of the religious principle. But now,
while they are legislating at Washington and the
State capitals there are hundreds of thous ands of
going about in all directions pre- aching, teach
ing, visiting every cottage and hamlet, psrmeating
the whole mass Of society TO the furthest of from
tier, and intoxicating full and conscientious obedi
ence to the laws they make; gathering the chill
dren into schools, making them learn the duty Of
the citizen, and imbuing their unoccupied and yet
plastic understandings with the ideas Of union aud
vast assistances to legislators; and legislators
could not do without them either. But if any one
of these churches should preponderate and destroy
the balance Of JSwer wo be to our civil and reli;
liberty goes with it, for it is the shadow Of it, and
follows 1t ss the shadow does the body. You can.
not take away the body and leave the shadow be-
hind, try IL % much as you please. Yet every
church has q tendency to seek the supremacy, and
then turn round and crush Others. ''Csnning, who
state sman, knew this" (said Lord Broug CHAM,
nimadverting on the Duke Of Wellington's admi
nlstration) and his plan was to emancipate he
Catholics and dissenters together the blundering
Duke emancipated the difseptsys first, and every
bedy knows what trouk,.s and bother ne had after
wards TO get tna Catholics emancipsted" Suppose
the Catholics predominated, do you think Bishop
hughes would be tina. meek aHd lowly Jesus,
amongst US, which he Is az present or would he,
like Cromwell turn out the members, lock the door,
and put the pariame Mt house in his pocket! Every
sect would tyrannize If 1t could Even the pure
meek hearted Puritan could not resist the tempta-
ton, as na1y poor departed Quaker could testify
If he were here. But, frsm the Improvements still
making in our means Of fcommunica :ion-if we are
to believe some Of our islkely we
shall hear from tbem.
The established Congregational church did
establishments whatever, and has about cured US of
that evil The law requiring church membership
as qualification for citizenship and suffrage, was
as bad as the English corporation snd test acts.
which required all officers, civil, military, naval,
to be church men bers; aud ss q qualification for
office, to take the sacrament thrice every year.
Why, TO be sure, men would be religious. II Is
enough to mako Q revival Congregational bap-
question agitated the churshes whether man was
not entitled to baptism In virtue Of the faith of his
or II she had none, his grandfather
he answer Of the counsel was evasiye, and left the
entered the ministry, and numbers more became
members the church went about with the State
carcass on her back, and cried, Who shall deliver
me hon thi, body Of sin and death ~ The revo-
luton cut the Gordan knot which nobody could
unite, and released her from her burden. though
STILL in the state Of Connecticut, some traces Of
the union remained as late ~ 1916, and Methodist
ministers were fined for marrying members Of their
own church.
Corgregationalism now is a different affair. II
has spread into all parts Of the Union, and done
much to check the Romsnizng tendencies Of other
which are closely watched by Con-
gregational ministers, and frequently remarked up
on from the platform and the pulpit The people
Of this sect are determined and impulsive. ON the
subject Of epscopacy they are uncom promising, as
may be supposed from their pedigree Like their
own Cromwell, they are not only talented, but
haye faculty OF infusing their own dispositions
into the public, 80 far as they get audience Their
Influence on the CON immunity is for the most part de-
mocratic, 10 the proper sense Of the word. Their
ciple, and to convey strongly the idea that public
opinion Is omnipotent. Their equality Of votes
levels all distirctions, and continually repeats in
people, ears that God made all men equal. They
have changed in this respect since they came down
rom the throne Of the colony, and are now pretty
sort Of citizens and much respected as
. religious body. During the revolution we see
little Of them; for. amid the commn.ions and Ak