The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1854-11-24
From the Dubuque Miners Register.
READ! PAUSE!! REFLECT!.!
KNOW EOTHINGISN REPUDIiTED
By a Methodist Clergyman.
By a Methodist Clergyman.

.Ny Vvy Dear Friend Before I left Du-
huque yourself and several other gentlemen of
various Christian churches requested the publl-
cation OF my sermon delivered on the 4th inst
long habit OF speaking extemporanrousIy has
made me careless of the preservation of either
sermons Or speeches which am called upon to
make from time to time Therefore, TO give
You my language or lotransier 10 paper my all
lusions to civil and religious liberty would be
impossible. But, with every possible desire 10
be brief, shall give my opinions 10 yourself in
regard TO the right OF every man worshiPpng
God according to the dictates Of his own con-
science, and just as freely express my fears OF,
and opposition to, every organization either Sc
cret or open which locks 10 the abridgement Of
this great principle, which is essential to the
very existence OF republican Government and
the uncorrupted worship Of the living God.
You, sir, are a Catholic am a Methodist
Your faith believe 10 be the result Of delib-
crate Judgment formed after a careful inpestga-
lion. Your convictions and devotions are con-
scientious. Just such are my faith and my de-
votIons, and the faith and devotion OF every true
Christian everywhere. | suppose you could
not orsake your religion and remain an honest
man; | am equally clear that | could not aban-
don my principles and retain for q moment my
self-respect and enjoy the approving smile Of
my Holy Maker and Judge, who kindly regards
tie iuGrn!tieS Of his creatures, and scrupaloGsly
abhors pretence or deceit. Then, my Gear friend,
what are we to DO On tie details Of our reSpec-
tive religious creedS we can never agree. Shall
you, therefore,, destroy ne or shall /, with a
superior clarity and enlightened firth, seek
your annihilation, because we differ concerning
matters which none but the wise and eternal
God can correctly determine? Is it an injury
10 either Of US that the other, standing upon his
responsibilities to the SHpreHe Judge ofthe unl-
yerse,choosrS 10 consult him alone, and diSre-
gard the esopnions of men, merely relating TO
things not OF this world? II would Insssft your
good sense to tanely answer these inquiries IN
the negative, for you had anticipated them all.
There is only one answer wkichSbas been con-
clpSiye to every reasonable worshipper of God
s.Lslevery nan Be fully pursuaded in his own
| mind, The Constitution Of the land, wisely
Eproviding for The political agreement of a multi
iagious religious sentiment, has guaranteed to
every man right 10 worship God according TO
the dictateS of his own conscience. And, for
TIE very first tisae in the history OF modern civ
ili2ation, our national government has not only
legislation, tie growth Of every sincerely devo-
ted body OF Christians, Irrespective OF their
name or formulas It is with regret that ] see
an attempt made in variouS portions of the coun-
try to create midnight cpnsorships and star cham
bers, for the avowed object Of diSfranchSlng the
Catholic population of the country, and waging
war of all others the most fearful and vindic-
tive--a warfare against religion. In the whole
history ofthp world there never has been time
when such secret organizations as the know
nothinGs were left with so shallow prPtence
for their combination as at the present; never
time when 50 little has been threatened by any
organized form Of Christianity as now.
In the first place, there is not majority OF
the United States m communion with any
church. There is very clear majority who
are not members OF any religious body, and this
majority would resist to the death the least
squirting at an encroachment upon their right OF
opinion In the second place, the government
does not, directly or indirectly, support by gifts
or fees any one denomination of Christians, and
ot course can have no preference in her choIce
among them. Moreover, the numerical strength
OF the COMMITMENTS Of the several dtnomIna-
tions is very nearly the same, and kept IN awe
by mutual watchuness. A mutual torbearance,
continued since the organization OF our govern
ment, las created Christian fraternity OF feel
ing among conflicting opinions unknown before
in the history OF Christianity.
The population of the United States was in
1850, 23,l9I,9lS and is now about 26, ,000,000;
of this number about 100000 are Methodsts
OF fevery order, 100000 are Baptists.
Who, then, that is not afflicted with super
,ffs,r ,t,,i,lp
tence for Formidable organization of religious
power in the United States Indeed, sir, if
there ever has been time when intidelity and
contempt for all religion had an ascendancy,
that time is now.
But, should time ever come when religious
intolerance threatens the existence OF free III
stitutionS, and resistance to ecclesiastical power
becomes necessary, even then know-nothinglsm,
or any other secret political organization, ought
not 10 receive the Countenance al any lover OF
free government. Secrecy and hypocrisy are
the favorite instruments of kings and despotS.--
No country can long remain free after IFS great
principles are abandoned, and the government
itself becomes the spolS of the tricky, s&uIking
politician. ! conceive the know-uothlng organ
ization of this character, or why the organza-
ton at all in country like ours, where every
man has voice in the legislation of the land
Where no privileged order is established or
countenanced by law, cannot conceive of a
single thing affecting those gentlemen rs citizens
which does not in the same sense affect every
other man in the country. II their designs are
just and patriotic, they are surely sustained BY
reason: and | think the same reasons which
have convinced them will also convince us OF
the same things, and there can br no necessity
for secrecy in the prosecution of honorable Pur-