Washington sentinel., 1854-04-11


| thank him for assigning them in this paper the
low position in which he wishes 70 place them
What is il
".The undersigned clergymen of different rel-
gious denominations in New England, hereby In
the name of Almighty God, solemnly protest.
"'In their official characters as ministers Of Al
mighty God, and in his name, they protest against
the passage OF the Nebraska bill.'
snow, sir, these are educated gentlemen Ihey
are men of experience in their vocation. They
understand the true and solemn import OF the
words here used; and / have not the shadow OF
doubt that they meant TO enter protest, as
the language imports, as protest, through them.
of the Almighty God himself, speaking to TINS
Senate"
In another portion of the same speech, he
added:
" Well, then, sir, the whole paper proceeds In
the same name and by the same authority; and,
among other things, they protest against the mea-
sure great moral wrong, breach oi falth
eminently injurious TO the moral principles OF the
community subversive of all confidence in
| tonal engagements, and as exposing us 10 the
| righteous judgment Of the Almighty. All that is
announced by these gentlemen, as ministers OF
| God, affecting 10 speak in his name.
!. The Interpretation OF the paper, SIR think II
is impossible 10 mistake; but have said that
think TOO much importance has been attached 10
it, Whether this is 10 be understood as n denun-
citation Of the judgments of God, or as predic-
| ton of his judgments, deny the authority TO de-
nounce and ! deny the gift Of prophecy and
therefore think we need not have troubled our
selves further on the subject
now pause for the purpose of inquiring Of
each of you, reverend gentlemen, in which one
of these speeches was it proposed to deprive
you, or any other clergymen, of your preroga-
tiyes as citizens" in consequence of your
"office as ministers ?" In which one do you
find "an outrage upon the privileges Of a
large and respectable body of citizens z"
have proven affrmatively and conclusively
that each and oil of the senator's against whom
you made this serious charge did, in the de-
bate to which you REFER distinctly recognise
and concede to all clergymen, of whatever de.
nomination, the undoubted right to petition
government for the redress of grievances" un-
der the authority of the Constitution, in the
same manner and with the same force as all
other citizens You viii therefore permit me
to suggest to you, with entire respect, that it is
due to your own character, "as ministers Of
the gospel Of Jesus Christ" as citizens, and as
fair men who are bound by high moral and
religious obligation to do justice to oil men, to
Withdraw the injurious imputations you have
made upon the reputation of these distinguished
senators, and to make an open and public
confession of the injustice you have done them
in connexion with myself. You must do this !;
you cannot fail to do it, unless You claim, by
virtue Of your "office as ministers" to be in
vested with civil and political rights and pow
ers not possessed By citizens as such, not
secured or conferred by the Constitution or any
other human authority, but of divine origin,
whereby you are empowered, ain the name Of
the Almighty God" to command the Senate
to decide a political and legislative question in
the way YOU shall indicate!
After careful and critical examination of
your protest against the Nebraska bill, and of
your resolutions in aliirmance of your divine
right to denounce that measure, in the name
and by the authority Of the Almighty, | fear
that it is your purpose to claim and exercise
this prerogatiye of the Deity upon Legislative
and political questions. Let me recall your at
tention to this remarkable protest:
g To ais hoRoyaJle Senate and House of Rep,eSen-
fatircs Of fhe United Staies tm Congress Assem-
6ed.
" The undersigned, clergymen Of different reli-
gious denominations in the northwestern States,
citizens and ministers Of the Gospel Of Je-
sus Christ, hereby, in The name OF Almighty God,
and in his presence, do soemnly protest against
the passage Of what is known as the Nebraska
BILL. or any repeal or modification Of existing legal
prohibitions of slavery in that part Of our national
domain which il is proposed TO organize into the
territories of Nebraska and Kansas.
We protest against il as great moral wrong ;
as breach Of faith eminently injurious TO the
moral principles of the community, and snbversive
of all confidence in national engagements; as a
matter full of danger TO the peace, and even exis-
tence, of our beloved Union. and oxposins 10
| righteous judgments Of the Almighty.
| "And your protestants, as in duty bound, will
ever pray"
With the exception Of the description of your
locality in the northwestern States" instead
/ -. &c al. ~l,k.,1 &C
the words Gas citizens" this protest is an ex-
act copy Of the one presented to the Senate
from the clergymen of New Englandupon which
the debate occurred which you have condemned.
After reading that debate and seeing the ma
ture of the objections urged to the New Eng
land protest, it seems that you determined to
| present yourselves to the Senate in a two-fold
capacity-the one as citizens" and the other
as ministers Of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ"
Nobody questions your right no one denies
| the propriety Of your exercising the constitu-
tional right of petitioning government for re-
dress of grievances in your capacity as citi-
zens nor can there be any weliounded objec-
ton to your adding these other words, T" as
ministers of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ" if
done only as illustrative of your relations to
society and of your profession and occupation
in life. This was not the obnoxious feature in
the New England protest. The objection urged
to that paper was, that the clergymen who had
signed it, did not protest in their own names, as
clergymen, or citizens, or human beings, or in
the name Of any human authority or civil right,
but they assumed the divine prerogative and
spoke to the Senate " in the name of Almighty
God"
With full knowledge that senator's in the
debate to which you have alluded, understood
the New England protest in this highland as
asserting divine power in the clergy Of this
country higher than the obligations of the Con-
stitution, and above the sovereignty the peo-
pie and of the States-to command the sena-
tors by the authority Of Heaven and under
the penalty Of exposing them to the right
eous Judgment of the Almighty" to vote in a
particular way upon given question, yon
now rcadopt the protest and repeat the com
mand in the identical language in which it
was originally issued. This looks as if it was
your fixed and deliberate purpose, as clergy
men, to force an issue upon this point with the