The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-01-24
DisnIfied Eebuke OF Political Preachinr
by the Bishops Of the Episcopal

. ! election, that party politics was fcfTton
and they wcre bound to preach party poll
tics. was the most irnpudent dogma ever sc
up by ecclesiastical arrogance. The AFRO
gance Of the dogma consisted in this: As
citizen the minister had right 10 form hi
opinion whether the democratic party whicl
supported Mr.. Buchanan, or the black re
publican party which supported Mr. Ere
mont, were right. But he had no NOR,
right 10 that opinion or to impose it upor
others than any other citizen out of til.
pulpit. But the political parsons" claimec
that they had a sacred right to take theil
private political opinions into the pulpit
and by virtue of their office, "deaI danna
tioa rotnd the Ind" upon all who would
not take their political opinions as holy gos
pei.
The political parson" said to every dem
ocrat or national whig who attended his
church and paid him for preaching the gOs
pei" Ny politics is religion, your polite:
is san, and therefore it is my duty a min
lister Of Christ 10 preach politics in the pu!
pit, and you are bound, as nay parishionc-
to sit quietly in church Sunday after Sun.
day and listen TO my dcnunciations Of your
principles, your party and your candidate
for the presidency, and to pay rre brsides
for abusing you, because this is my 'reli-
gion,' and am an ambassador for Christ,
and in his stead exhort you TO be recon
I cilcd to freHt0nt." Not as st. Paul hath
/ it" row then We are ambassadors for
! Christ, as though God did bcsecch you by
! Us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye re-
/ concilcd to God" Such was the basphe-
! nous peryersion Of the commiss On Of hca-
/ ven made by the political parsons"
! Presuming upon the just reverence OF the
people for the pulpit, these political priests
pretended not Il see themselves as others
saw them; the mere partizlns of Fremont,
and net the ambassadors f0r Christ TO
/ prohibit slavery Ia Kansas, lay law Of Con-
grsSS, they affirmed was rcit9t0a. 10 main
tain the right Of the people OF Kansas to
determine that question for themselves, they
pronounced Sii.
/ Now where did the ministers get the au-
thority 70 pronounce one political opinion
religion and another political opinion sin !?
VINO made him judge over other men S
/ political conscicnccs: Who inltIt1ted him
/ q NicegereB; of Christ to put fSrth the dog
ma of the immaculate conception OF the
Fremont party, and the damnable hcrcsy
/ Of the democratic party? How then can
the minister, who has 50 much less capacity
! to understand the Constitution and the laws
. Of the country, and the rights and equality
Of the Safe, the corlpacts Of the Union,
and the fitness of men 10 adm mister govern
ucnt, than the Intelligent laymcl he insults
!.om the pulpit have; how can he assume to
aay. my Fremont politics are religion, and
your Buchanan and Fillmore pol'iss arc
sin :" /. bac@ republican pceachcr has
+ : right 10 lay down th,a dogml from his
pulpit, the democratic preacher nos the sam =
right II lay down the opposite dogma, and
proclaim democracy religion, and black re-
publicanis,n sin: and who is the Council or
Pope or Prcsbytery to decide between them
IN the Church whi-h dogma is religion and
which IS sin:
The conclusion Is ojyious. II t.. Minis
ter is to decide what kind OF party politics
is rel -iou Ia Dc preac,Ic in the pulpit, tacrc
must be p0ittcut paris es 70 med al ever
the Land. When l II II s;er is TO he settled,
Z his creed in po,ii:S vii, become as imp ,rt-
a.. rs his cree / in faith. Ii plrish calls
n.ni.tsr and he says ie91ss sS "a w4rpi5+t III 5+t i}
tie him. If he says grace and the 7 ini;y,
the UnitarianS VIII not se.tle Him. If he
holds 10 immersion, the COngrega'ionaists
reject him. If he bee'es in infant bap-
tisn, tho Biptis.s wiz not support him. AL
this they say is right and essential to har-
Inony in the Churches. But here comes an
abolition Fremont parson, and he contends
that we cannot ask him what his politics
are, but mist sit under his political preach
ing which we abhor, and pay him for abus-
ing US and our party, every Sunday.
Ii this is the clergyman's plea, we must
test his politics as we'll As his creed before
we settle him or keep him Domocrrts VII
not settle or pay minister to abuse them
for their independent exercise of the rights
Of citizen. If they will preach against
the democratic party, all democrats must
! cease to pay such pulpit b-a sle.s, AMI iill
. place where they caa worship God and
not be required to worship bleeding kans ,s,
or an:i-sl4yery. or Charles Sumner, or John
{. Fremont We would have no iemo;ratic
political preachers. Discard them, If they
carry politics into the pulpit, As readily
you would discard a Kansas "shricker for
frecpom.' Build mp church whose corner
stone shall be Christ and him crucifi .d :;
and if you cannot find or found church
which you can enter without the pulpit ora
tor insulting you by preaching against your
political opinions, stay ut home and read
the Bible and good books
1t was remarked in the recent el .ct;o OF
canvass that while all t'ie 9th d:nom na-
tons, especially in New England and N.w
York, had moro or less of these political
brawlers in their pulpits, the L .'iScopsl
church and the Catholic church never car
ried party politics into their prayers or se'-
mons. Tho only instlnce known in the
former, was that of the Rev. Mr.. Tyng, IN
Philadelphia, who was discarded by his con
Cregation fJr it, AMI is now setting himself
up as sort of Orthodox Theodore Parker,
preaching to q miscellaneous throng in
museum.
The heading of our article points the
moral Of this gross alterations from the de-
cancics OF the Episcopal Church; and it is
no matter of surprise that sober men Of all
denominations who venerate religion and
love the solemn and peaceful worship Of
God in the ministration of the Sabbath,
should have their attention turned to this
contrast between the political and n,n-polit-
ical churches, and should begin to prefer
the latter as the only peaceful house Of God.
Soon after the attempt OF Rev. Mr.. Tying
to turn an Episcopal pulpit into party ro,-
trum for Fremont. the General Convention
of the Episcopal Church foi the L. States
was held at Philadelphia. North and South
met together in bro;hery love. They dis
cussed the concerns of the Church, and not
a word of politics sectional asper'ty was
breathcd in their midst. IL lcasd Chrtstala
Union in tAis glorioas cirH Union ~ ours
At the close OF the Convention the pasto-
raj letter, approved by all the bishops rep
reseniins the diocese of every state, and ad-
dressed to the clergy and laiiy OF tho church
in the United States of Amer a, was de-
Eyered before the General Convention. and
has since been read in all the Episcopal
Churches Wequots portion OF this calm
and Christian appeal which is peculiarly
adapted to the condition OF those churches
whose ministers have desecrated the house
of God, as the Jews of old did the Temple.
If tnc political ministers will not read,
mark, learn ard inwardly digest" it, let
ter than party politics, read it and teach it
to them. Aud il their ministers who have