New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-04-10
10 regard al the nations Of tie Western Word ~
III tied in . conspiracy ssainst then.


The sermors lately preached BY the Rev. Dr.
Chserer in reference to the Dred Scott decision
give The Hrald, as well as The ". y. Oserrer,
great desl Of annoyance. But their observations
upon that subject evince total Misrepresentation OF
the petition which the clergy occupy in this coun-
Try. They are quite mistaken as TO the conclu-
sions to be leeitimately drawn from the fact that
DR.. Cheever preachss such sermons I" he does,
and that those sermors are eagerly listened to BY
large audiences, representing he most intelli-
gent enlightened and conservative classes Of the
community" This participation of clergymen in
the political discussions Of the day is represented
a. an attempt to upset our present form OF govero-
ment, to overthrow our representative aud judicial
systems and to establish theOcracy in theit place
The present political excitement, which fnds eI-
preston even in the pulpit, is described as afane
excited By few fanatics and enthusiasts, VITO are
urging and leading the people on 10 great politi
cal revolution, gradually spreading from pulpit to
pulpit till it is likely to end in putting the whole
country in baze.
Now, this view of the matter commits the not
yery uncommon blubder Of putting the cart before
the horse II mistakes the cause for the effect. IL
s rot the clergy who are exciting or who have e1-
cited the people; it is the people who are exciting
and stirring up the clergy. The last persons 10 the
world TO lead of in any revolutionary movement
are the American clergy. The clergy are in all
countries conservative by instinct and position, and
in 90 country more so than in this. We speak
here of the clergy Of the regular sects, in the enjoy
Il 81 at. hI;aha1 nnsitnn The
very wsy in which our clergy are paid, their total
dependence for tie support of Themselves and their
families on the good will of ther Pensioners,
makes it impossible for them to fly in the face of
public sentiment or to attempt to lea1 on,
80 long as il remains doubtful whether the
people will follow them. Their position is such
that at all times they are more disposed to wait the
moveme nts of the public than to become the sdvo-
Gates of new and doubtful opinions. This has been
VIGOROUSLY the fact on the Slavery question and the
spitations connected with il. The clergy have all
alopg held back snd taken such conservative
ground as to caufe it to be proclaimed by the lead
ers of the Anli-Slayery agitation that the Church
was the bulwark of American Slavery. 1t may
safely be .et down, when the clergy take up topic
not exclusively religious or moral but having a po'
htical bearing ALSO that they are folio wing, not
leading. In go doing, they are giving
voice not merely to their own opinions
and feelings, but to the opinions and feelings
as we'll Of the great mass of those whom they ad'
dress, The preaching of political sermons is an in
dication not merely of strong political feelings aud
prevailing political excitement among those who
L,k -; &c ar poiitica1 faali
and prevailing political excitemen! among those
who hear. It is MOI DR.. Cheeyer who is so much
the responsible party for the sermons of which Ia'
Herald ard The Observer complain, as those large
audiences representing the most intelligent enlsh!-
entd and conservative classes of the community
who flock to hear those sermons. That doctrine of
passive obedience to whatever takes on the form of
law which The Herald and The Observer would
repre,ent as the only foundation of government,
lever was accepted in this country by either priests
or people and so long as spark of freedom re-
mains never W IL be- The American clergy preached
against the Stamp act in spite Of its Enforcement
by Lord Mansfield. They take, and will take, a
similar liberty Of preaching against the bred Scott
decision and the attempted usurpa,On of the slave
holding majority of the Supreme Court. Both in
the che case aud in the other their preaching ought
to be set down not merely as the expression of
their Own opinion hut as the prevailing senti
Dent Of the intelligent and religious portion
of the community of which they form
part. In these cases the clergy are bat
spokssmen for the people. 1t would be CT no use,
if it were possible, TO gag and silence them. lis
u:eless TO deLour them far attic, or conspra.or
or preachers Of treason. They merely give ex-
preston to public feeling strong that it can no
longer be Bept under So far from kindlng con-
iagrstion, they are but vents through which the
copfsgration already kndIed bursts sat. The Oh
urrer cannot reasonably e1pec. that hanging
Cheeyer-to use its own elegant physiological
quiet matters. There s the whole audience thai
n,tens TO him. and similar audiences all over the
country to be hung toe.
The Albany Atlas has achieved undesirable emi-