The Washington union., 1857-04-16
From the New York Journal Of Commerce
POLITICS In THE CHURCH.

Among the evidences of the wisdom of our civil
fathers wisdom that seemed dictated from Heaven
is this that in constructing the republic they meddled
not with religious matters in any such as incor
poratc religion with the State True, they acknowl-
edged God and solemnly appealed to him as tho Supreme
Dsposer of Events for protection guidance and
Their weakness and dependence taught them to do.
They revered the Church. they respected the ministry
To connect them with the State would desecrate the
sancty of the and impair the dignity Of the other.
NIy kingdom is not of this world " said the Founder of
Christianity, but then he said also, Rcnder unto Cesar
the things that Csrsars,' fully acknowledging the
powers that be, ordained of God, but asking aid
from them in the propagation of his religion Accordingly
its pcst trumphs in the process asepatc
ton and it when the divine injunction disrcgarcd
that the power of the State invoked and corruption
and darkness followed Tempted by the smiles Of Con
santno, the bishops began to lose their spirituality,
forget the right of their strength and to rely
carnal weapons for the prosecution of the against
sin. In later ages the produced the same
effects and in nation kingdom has true religion
prospcred except the people have rccured to first
principles, to the original doctrines Of the Bible,
teaching the best philosophy for guidance into all truth
Henry the Eighth undertook to monopolize both re-
gous and political power in the rcalm while he served
his lusts, and made all serious things farce.
When constitution formed, the world history
before fathers turned to the past and
they not slow to extract the most useful lessons
They formed our institutions ON strictly civil basis,
excluding all Erastan ideas, while they opened this
free continent for the widest diffusion of Christian truth
by men who should feel moved and be authorized to
engage in the work. They allowed the VOLUNTARY
full sway in religion, not seeking to emhar
rass it in any way whatever They never admitted
the word ToLERArIoN into their system for that would
have been to prerogatve in religious concerns
aI az
Free and sought no dominion over them Admirably
has the system worked Churches have filed the land
But of late order Of things is attempted to be
established. Some of the teachers of religion flushed
with their freedom seek to dictate to the
civil power to dcnounce the peaceful provisions of the
constitution and to invade the sanctuary of justice
Uneasy spirits found in ecclesiastical bodies who thirst
for reform and demand revolution First they occupied
themselves with resolutions but these do satisfy
them They call for discipline, where the power TO
administer discipline does not exist does not in the
general assemblies of the Presbyterian church They
publish books against slavery, in which the ground is
taken that slavery il epugnant to all the instincts and
sensbilites of our moral nature, the Bible itself
ought not to be believed if sanctions toeates
ccrable system because then it would violate all the in
stincts ofhumanity But all the doctrines of the Bible
so agreeable to the natural man. Must not believe
IL because il comes in conflict with his preudices his in
clinations his passions preconceved opinions Wo
supposed this of the very truths which IL teaches
as clearly as it teaches anything for that book declares
that he natural recciveth not the things Of the
spirit of God Grave dvines, however are in their
tslavery enthusiasm, endcavorng to push all sorts Of
,bsudites upon the sacred volume lest il should furnish
some mercy the STAKEHOLDER. They trust the
Bible to utter its language plain and obvious to all
minds in its teachings this subject but
must bend IL to their false philosophy and flse phi
This position of antagonsm to the obvious
eacngs of the Bible ought to convince them that they
the pretended retomers obviously wrong and must
her their doctrines far they conflict with
he Bible, or their Christianity.