Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-07-13
Political Sermons.

The New York Observer, religious paper
Of the Presbyterian order, remarks
g 1t is with painful apprehensons that we
observe in the speeches Of clergymen, in the
tone Of portion Of the press, and in the de-
pertinent of the people, gathering determi-
nation TO make an issue with the government
on this question, and, if possible, 10 prevent
the execution of this law. 1t is time to pause
when this doctrine has any semblance of favor
in the public conscience. A spark Of fire may
explode magazine, and ages may not be able
TO repair the mischief
When certain rash men, in October 1919.
invoked an armed resistance TO the fugitive
slave law, and profered the crown of martyr
dom to those who persisted in the fight, a
thrill of horror struck the heart Of the people
and the authors Of the infamous sentiment
were fain 20 hide themselves from public re-
Duke by a quasi denial. Is there aught in the
present circumstances to make that doctrine
less atrocious now than then {"
4 congregational clergyman, writing to the
Journal Of Commerce from Boston, in enum-
Grating the political sermonizers, and stating
the proposed future action of the clergy, says
g What is to be the result Of this politco-
clerical warfare upon the laws of the land and
the constitution! Judging from the past, {
portion Of the clergy may be speedily ashamed
Of their conduct, and become Gospel preach.
ers. Those who persist in such preaching
will either drive portion of their hearers
away to seek a Gospel church, or will drive
themselves away, to debauch any other people
they can get to hear them. As a consequence
of the whole, many Of our congregations vii
become divided; new, and, perhaps, entirely
independent Congregational churches will be
formed, and many will find religious refuge
in the Episcopal church, as BY far the mos
conservative denomination we have among US
and who, so far as we learn, have little or nc
political preaching in their pulpit.
IT the annals Of the past in New England
were searched, our clergymen would find mos
instructive lessons with regard TO the influence
of political preaching. In the old federal
times Of 1912 and following, the late DR.. Bur
ton, of the Congregational church, of Thet-
ford, VT, drove eighty of his parishioners to
the Methodists, in body, by his political pull
pit harangues. The late DIR. Parish, Of By
field, made himself and his parish much trouble
for the same reason and further, had regrets
on the SUBJECT when he came TO die. There
is much of the ecclesiastical history of the
CongregationalistS of this period that is emf
nently suggestive at this time. If the Con
gregational denomination in New England.
which, for various reasons, in the past, has
given the chief forces to establish and sustain
other denominations, is DESTROYS of becoming
small and beautifully less, let it adopt aboli-
ton as principle of the body, and encourage
political preaching"
There is no doubt, in our mind, that mucl
of the spirit of resistance to law that mani
tests itself in riot and characterization, is 10 Be
charged upon the clergy. How long have
they talked about the ''higher law which
frees man from obligation TO the laws o
country and constitution Did not Parker
and others openly counsel the use of colo
steel and bullets in resistance to the carrying
out plain provision of the Constitution
And, have not a large portion Of the clergy
followed under the lead Of Parker Do the,
not denounce in their religious meetings The
fugitive law and the law for the territorial or
ganization Of Nebraska and Kansas! Yes
and the perfectly natural result of much of the
teaching Of the pulpit, resistance to Ino. Cler
gymen allow themselves to become excited
under fancied political evils, and instead o
going into the pulpit to preach the gospel as
Christ and Paul preached it, they rave on po
litical questions. aud in public religious meet
ings, declare themselves ready to ''join hear
and hand against the laws Of the land
Shall we expect anything better than mob rule
and mob destruction while such state d
things exist Is il strange that the officers OF
the law are shot down while in the perform
ance Of their duties, and that houses Of wor-
ship Objectionable to the "higher law poiti
clans, are burned TO the ground, while such q
state Of things exists Not at all When
mob law comes to be consecrated as pious
work by the clergy, it is high time for the
true patriot to defend the integrity Of the law
and maintain the sacredness of the blood-bought
UNIoN which is the bulwark Of our liberties