Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-08-12

horted only TO ABSTAIN lToth tie out"dIt
acts of religion. But they have repell
ed this pernicious falsehood. and true tt
conscience, and truth, and God, hav'
welcomed death in every form, rattle
than be recreant to him who says
Whosoever shall confess me befor'
men, him shall the Son Of Man als'
confess before the angels of God. Blu
1 l(the only alteraatireJ he that denietl
me before men, shall be denied before
the angels of God"
| pass, now, to the other argument
1t is, that, if religious freedom be more
than the right to think, then we are ask
ing too much; we are pleading thai
American citizens may have license to
preach everywhere their opinions, and
thus even to assail the religions which
are established in other lands. Bishop
Hughes says:- .,ay. ..i..r. .s
"If he should happen to be Miller
ite, visiting Rome, it shall be his prlyl'
lege to pitch his tent in front of St. Pc
ter's church, then and there, under the
protection of General Cass' doctrine,
to speak and act according to the die
tates of his conscience. He will under.
take to prove tha, the end Of the world
is al hand, &C., &C., &c. t.,
Now, as freedom peaceably to wor'
ship God and to obey the ordinances
of Jesus, is one thing, and the right Of
aggression and propagation another
thing, it is enough for those who have
petitioned Congress simply to say. that
all this reasoning is wholly irrelevant, a
mere evasion of the question. Let our
citizens in foreign lands be permitted to
erect churches, to assemble for worship,
to observe the christian ordinances, to
marry aud bury their dead with their
own religious forms, and let them be
protected in these privileges. This is
what we ask. That it has to be asked,
is disgrace to the nineteenth century,
to the christian name, and TO humanity.
And that a christian Bishop should as
sail and abuse Senator in Congress
for advocating, in his place, this privi-
lege for American citizens, is thing
which will not believe that Catholics
themselves, if they be American citi-
zens, can be brought to commend, 8
Les, it should bcsupposed, however,
that we Protestants see any forceiinthls
logic Of Mr.. Hughes, let me considerit
| for moment. What is it but the stale
sophis,ry of reasoning against thing
from its abuse! lmgff
In his Encyclical letter of 1882 the
Pope declares that liberty of the press
is "never to be sufficiently execrated,9 .
and that uubridled liberty of opinion"
is "that pest of all others mos, to be
dreaded in State" The Archbishop
will, of course, not complain if sup
pose, that, between the Pope and him
self, there is no difference of opinion
on these points. Aud, l presume, his
defence Of view, soabhorrent to Prot
estauts is to be found in the argument
of his letters. He will say ,hat such
liberty may be abused. Now, passing
the freedom of the press, l maintain
that full liberty Of religious "pinion.-
yea, full liberty to preach and advocate
RELIGIOUS opinions, is right which
should be accorded to all men, and with
which governments have nothing to do
so long as those temporal rights, which
governments are appointed 10 protect,
are not violated. In confning the ends
of civil government to temporal objects
let it not be supposed that compare
them with spiritual things. But gov
ernment is not organized to regulate
spiritual things. The Banks, the Rail.
road Companies, and other organize
tions, are con,rivances for certain speci-
fed objects; and they will best accom-
plsh these ends by attending to the
Office for which they were created. 1t
is so with civil government. 1t is nm
apparatus for temporal ends; and it will
hes, subserve its design by adhering to
the purposes for which it was ordained.
Banks, Railroad Companies, and other
corporations may furnish facilities to
those who are propagating religion but
they have nothing to do with settling
theological questions. And SO with the
State. 1t may indirectly aid, it ought
TO protect tho citizen in his religions
rights but it has no more authority
than the Bank or Railroad Company to
prescribe religious creeds Or forms.
ltis Just nothing to reply, that, if the
State be not sovereign over religious
matters, then licentiousuess and iufideli'
~ and thousand abuses may be ram
pant BE- it SO, what ,henl All liber.
ty NAV be abused, and civil liberty is
constantly abused. IF one sort of free
dom is to be extinguished, for fear Of
its abuse, so must all sorts of liberty aud
thus arguing against good thing be-
cause it may be abused, it will follow,
that absolute despotism is preferable to
free Institutions.
Admit possible abuses of religious
freedom; better bear them, than inllict