Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-07-19
THURSDAY, JULY II, 1856.
From the Ninnesotian.
POLITICS IN THE PULPIT.


Paul. on Sunday evening last.
The remarks in question certainly are not a
fair and righteous statement OF the real tone
and scope of the Doctors discourse. And the
contrast instituted between the sentiments Of MIR.
Tying and Dr. Y. to the disparagement of the
latter, is very ludicrous To those who know the
relative age, merits and standing OF the two
clergymen. That there Is Il contrast, ain happy
to say cannot be denied; hut let not those who
are unacquaintcd with the Episcopal Church sup
pose that it is the expo 'ition of any marked d,-
vision in that church upon tn principles in ques-
ton. On the contrary, Mr.. Tyng's remarks are,
as far as have yet learned, absolutely imp O.
cedented. The entire religious feeling in our
Church has been and is now hostile to all politi-
cal agitations, and fatal to all attempts to weak
Ell her organization by questions OF mere hum IN
devis.ng.
But do not our ministers approach any but
strictly theological topics? Certainly they do.
They 30 through the whole range OF practical re-
ligion, because practice Is invariably and forever
dependent upon and inseparable from doctrine.
And as occasion offers they touch upon that de-
partmcnt of religious duty which concerns mems
relations to Society as established by the wisdom
of COP. 1t is just this that DR.. Van lngen has
done to his sermon on Sunday evening last, and
Mr.. Tyng failed in the attempt to do IN his sc T.
mon in Philadelphia.
The Doctors sermon was setting forth of the
wckedncss of that one-idcaism which will sacri-
fee any possible interests of humanity ut the
shrine vi its god, anu which is SO shortsiShted
us to suppose that because its idea is good and
an essential one, therefore il is the only good
and essential one in the universe: the wicked
ness of drawing geographical lines and placing
all virtue on one side aud all injustice and wrong
on the other and the consequent duty of all
Christian men who love their country and would
relig iously maintain the peace and order of So
cety, to discoumtcnance all crazy, contracted and
one-sded radicaliSm, and base their conduct up
On those universal and salutary principles which
Gods law enforces.
Can any man dissent from such teaching? II
he can, then 1t must be that he is himself an in
corriglble onc-idea man. and If SO, who AND
what can reach hlm!
1t may be we'll To mention that many of the
ministers of ali denominations III Richmond, Va.
have lately sent forth over their signatures an
appeal to their fellow citizens drawn up in IL tone
absolutely conservative that there is no mis-
taking their position. And our Bishop of Nir-
gina has nOby cApOsed himself tn the assaults OF
partisanShip by his decided and Christian course,
in particular conspicuous instances, as well rs
i'll his general con .uct.
My reason for troubling you with this commu-
nicatiOn Is 10 bear witness To the unfairness vi
the editorial remarks referred to. | do nos sup
pose that the writer intended to misnterpret DR..
Van lngen's sermon, but basing myself upon
his own supposition, viz. that he is one of the
one idea men to whom the Doctor referred,
charitahly take it for granted that he looked at
the matter through mis- one-ldca glasses.
In answer to his question, "Will Mr.. Tvng be
expelled from the church, would say. prOba-
by not. air. TSng will he let alone, anu If he
follows out his present line of action he will soon
run out. Beechelism will find but IL feeble re-
sponse OF sympathy i'll our church in North,
South, East or " est. Nj.
Had the writer of the aboye article applied to
Us, his communication would have been admitted
into our columns, but as he has seen fit t. pub
lisl 1t in the Alnnesotion, we take the liberty Of
copying from that paper, with such " editorial
structures" as in our judgment the case demands
When politely invited by "A friend to attend the
Episcopal Church for the purpose of listening to
IL sermon upon g The Love of Our Country" VT
went there not to be treated to IL TRADE agains,
'' -ideaism," nor to hear s. one idea" ser
mon, nor rehnsh of the Union saving politica
speeches that for the last five years have cursed
the country, but we went there to hear somethin.
comprehensive, something high, something eleva.
ting and enrolling, and We came away-dlsap-
pointed and DISCUS ted. The Reverend gentle
man, DIR. Van lngcn, had just returned from th(
East, and in his own language he FASTENED to lay
before his hearers the precarious situation of oul
country, and pointed out, what to him appeared
to be the antidote, viz :-Rather submit to Sta
uery, ,rih all its eriis, and the aggression Of tn.
SLAVE PODer, than dissolre the Union. This wa,
the drift of his serm IN from the beginning te
the end, and while cOndcmning {" one .ideaism'
in others, he maintained his consistency by
preaching it himself! lie travelled out of HI.
way to abuse the Press for not CRYING out-:sSavt
Liberty paramount and Slavery subordinate. lie
seemed to decry everybody, every party, every
association, and by inference, every religious de.
nomination that would not unite with him and
plaster over the wrongs heaped upon the North
by the South, cringingly bowling the knee, and
all for one idea-to sdUe the Union! 1t was Elm.
phatically an out-and-out Union-saving sermon
covered all over with a want Of manly indepen.
dence, and to our mind unbecoming christian
man, and christian minister, and unfit to come
from christian pulpit. Some of the more libc.
raj minded of his own church claimed they could
see no point to it-that it was all preface treat.
ing OF the Union) and no book-a rambling owe,
the whole field, and a merging into sc one idea,'-
save the Union-and why? Because the Episco.
pal Church, as a Church had resolved to array
itself on the side of Slavery instead of Freedom
There were others, belonging to the Democratic
Pro- Slavery party, who applauded it as an ex-
cellent document, and who voluntarily and exul-
tingly offered to raise their subscription to the
Church in consequence of its delivery!
We have thus plainly and bluntly, yet honestly
and fearlessly, expressed our understanding OF
the Rev. Dr. Van lngen's sermon, and we have
been moved to do so, from the fact that the Doc
tors co-worker has seen fit to assert that our pre-
vious remarks were "not II fair and righteous
statement of the real tone and scope of the Doc
tors DISCOURSE" We can see no difference from
what we said then. and what We say now, and VIC
assert most positively, that the whole sc tone and
scope of the Doctors discourse,'' was denuncia-
tory of those who held that Slavery is sectional
and Freedom is national, and who are using their
best efforts to remove the curse from the land
that the Union was of far greater importance
than the abolition Of Slavery, or its non-exten-
sion, and that because the Episcopal Church ha d
resolved, or would resolve ut their next Confer
ence to put down agitation on the subject, there
fore agitation must cease. Thank God our voice
is not muzzled nor our pen guided by an edicl
from the Church, and we shall continue, as hith-
etc, to speak and write in favor of those great
doctrines taught by the Saviour of the world
even though the Pulpit should turn its back upon
us and cry out "one ides.,sin -
We turn to a c,nsids alton of some of she