Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-09-04
Politics and Preachers.

Fortunately or unfortunately ssor the ministers
of the present day, the politicians ofthe so-ealed
Democratic party, hsve become self-constituted
guardians OF the pulpit; and assume that poll
tics are so upholy that they can have nothing to
do with mans morality OF religion. When
ever minister of the gospel dares to preach
against national SINS to rebuke iniquity in high
places; or preach upon some moral question in
which they are interested; at once they howl,
Political preaching, cries the stumper; Political
preaching, shouts the demagogue. The pulpit
is deseera:ed chimes in the blear-eved wretch
reeling under the load on bad whisky that he
carries Beautiful defenders of the morals OF a
people.
Now political sermons are rarely ifever preach
ed; and all the cant about the union of church
and state, is a humbug so shallow that surely
the most ignorant cannot be deceived thereby.
In what then consists the sin of the pulpit? 1t
is plain, as long as pro-slavery divines by mis-
representations of the Bible and against the
whole spirit of the book. are striving TO prove
the dark curse to be right, all is well. But
when the promises of 4 nation are about to be
ruthlessly broken and the prayer of three-thou-
sand five hundred elergymen, representing the
religious sentiment of the descendants Of the
Puritans, goes up to Congress, praying that the
hand of the destroyer may be stayed; when they
thus meekly ask for bread, there rises one, base
enough in treason TO deserve place OF eminence
in the family of Judas Iscariot and he gives them
a stone-denies their right TO petition. When
men by millions are crushed beneath tyrants
power and slave-hun:ers are sent to outrage the
religious sentiment of the north, BY threatening
punishment the most severe If they shall dare
to feed the hungry, or give shelter to the poor
painting fugitive. if the minister, then faithful TO
the calls OF suffering humanity. speaks out for
the right, he is loaded with abuse and insult.
And when virgin sell is stained with the blood
of freemen and the crack of the slave-driver's
whip is heard in free territory-and when a
doctrine, under the guise of Popular Sovereignty,
that will not only let slavery into free territory
but if carried out could present no barrier to
the admission of community of Polygamists
into the confedaracy-is advocated-when these
things are notorious and ministers speak out,
they are meddling with politics. And so if the
question was as to the admission of nation of
PolygamIsts the pulpit must then be silent on
the sin of Polygamy; and so with every other
moral question.
But If as some affirm, none in the north are
in favor of slavery, why object TO the minister
preaching against it? Why, if all are in favor
of stopping its extension, why not be willing to
be excited by seeing its enormi.y, to labor more
diligently TO prevent its progress? But another
cause OF the abuse of the preachers is Gas the
opposition affirm) because the ministers are all
on one side but how does this happen, were they
ever before uni!edly arrsyed ON the wrong side.
How does it come too that they are leagued with
the South, who are unit on the question of
slavery extension? the pretense is certainly too
gauzy to deceive; by their works ye shall know
them.
The minister as citizen has the same rights
as any other citizen, and as a minister he has
obligations resting upon him that must be dis
charged in behalf of suffering humanity, and
if honest and fearless, he will discharge them
unintimidated by threats. The morals ofpoli-
tics, if right, are the same as the morals of the
Rible; and now, if ever. in view OF the strides
of tyranny, should free pulpit throughout the
land speak out in condemnation of the wrong?