New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-29
night after night crowds hsng upon his words with

ihsilpr awe and rapu,ous delight-;hat the wings Of
the prees bear The news OF fh', strange eoqoenee
the remotest bamle,s m the land ana every man OF
thought and tense pe,ceives that Gods own appointed
hampton Of liberty has at length appsaredthai the
Slave Power tremblvs aid peremptoriy demands that
this man nluet be sienced-that forthwith storm OF
cutsn bursts forth, and the old cry OF madoess
and entricy resounds every sde-that the dea-
cons become seriously alarmed aud hasten to rcmon
sate affirming that nc eterPrise rs an danger, me
MRS nW be CGcdtcG, and ali rH 6e l0st-but N VAN;
The five Of heavenly love and the light Of divine truth
bum brighter and brighter within him. AID ti'e more
an effort is made TO suppress them, the more respien
deu,ly do they shne forth.
This hypothesis, l atp persuaded, represents the
rebl history of the controversy between Dr. CheereI
ard the disaflec;ed members Of his church. lne
statements which they have put orih 'n the shds OF
accusatieis agaiDtt linn, appear TO me eA.eJulLsX
frivolous. II reens that this holy man, charged WIN
great message from the Lord, would sometimes, IKE
famous preacher OF old, fee h.s righteous sour 49,
within him at the spiritual blindness and colfness ana
yerveneness If hIs people, and especially oil n9ee
am org them 10 whom, above all otherr, he had
Iil BIT TO look in such crisis Tor sympathy anu sup
pcrt and that, in reply to their imsy snei
low views Of worldly policy, their pitiaoy selfish de-
mspd 10 coiDe his abOrs to them and their cnl'areh
and oil their upious attempts to fetter the W9rd OF
God. he would occasionally, with heart doubtless
full Of deep ssrow Let 1rn upon taeio niue % .ias
a full artillery which doing such signal execution
in his public mmistrai0Ds and that on one OCCASION
he do in the pulpit refer to the wonderful uproar
which might be created in the Alpine mountains
by firing off an cd rnsty gun. New WIN
ali due regard for the Importance 0, metkness
and gehtleness in pastor, do think tneIe are
times when other qualities are more especially ae.
manded and when, in the midst of deadly conflict
with prncipalities, and powers, and wickeaneses IN
high paces be receives from his officers unholy oppo
ston and worldly remembrance instead OF gody cOuh'
sci and sympathy, little sharp rebuSe and chastise
nient are by means out OF place. Ana II any gooa
deacon or other member chose to imagine that the
,4a.,o tlu
mansions in the vicinity Of the elg'6h SITE and tina
that old rusty gun aptly represented himself 1t Is
be hoped that he duly profted by the illustration
The most remarkable part Of this Singular doc
ument is. perhaps the Interpretation given to
the INJUNCTION of Paul to the elders of Ephesns
''Feed the flock over which the Holy Ghost
"hath made you Overseers." From this passage
il seems to be inferred that the flock Is close
Corpora 3D. with interests aud wants peculiar and dis
tinct from those Of ali other bodies, and OF all tae
world and that certain portions Of truth belong to H.
ard are its appropriate food while other portions may
belong to other ocks, but poisonous, or at least
exceeding hurtful as well unpaatabe to 1t. Now.
this might be a very convenient rule in certain ca ses
where particular doctrines, or commandments OF
Christ come tribingy in the way OF worldly interests
and PREJUDICE and taste; but how in this age and IN
this country, a body of deacons and members OF a
Protestant Church could have had the audacly TO set
it forth as the rule Of the Apostle is to me most in-
e1picable paradox. There ia not particle OF ISth
re vealed in Gods Word that is not infinitely dear to
every section and every member Of his Church
not q doctrine, not a precept, not pro-
mise, not threat, which does not furnish
precious and mott wholesome food for every true
theep Of his flock. And therefore the Apostle says in
this very address, have not Stunned to DECLARE
" unto you the whole counsel Of God" And be It re-
Inembered too, that in most important sense there
is no such thing as an ssofdted f9GS mere are many
q neither jew For Greek, Barbarian, Scythian, Bond,
nor Free" There is invisible, yet real aud III
dissouble lie which binds each to the other, and all to
L. xwz1, hQ
uttered by the weakest or the poorest or the owliest
of them all which, when known does not thrill ike Gu
Gle ctrc shock through the length and breadth of that
scattered host. Nay, more at every rising morn ana
come, and Thy will be done on earth, as it Is in
2 beaven.' In the tiuMphs of that Kingdom they
feel personal and inexpressible interest.
They mark every step OF its progress with exutant
ioy AS they see it advancing with It's hammered hosts
Q err icy mountains, and deceit sands, and burning
plains through regions where fendish supersttions
have for ages held leir dreary sway and behold the
mples of dolary fall before it, and righteousness and
pc and JOY begin their reign their hearts swell with
unuerable rupture while they repeat the prayer so
let thy kingdom come aud thus TO them there Is truly
no restriction OF Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, OF
10 Lakes Of the North, Or Cuffs OF the South.
As my object in this letter is not, Of course, to give
formal reply to the communication in question, which
doubt not will come, Ill due time from the pen oi
DR.. Cheever, if he should deem 1t worthy OF notice,
but merely to express my admiration of that great man
and my entire sympathy with him in the conflict In
which he is engaged shall only refer TO one point more
quote from the document "Nor, until the command
" thus saith the Lord, is as direct and personal to the
Christian minister as to Noses Jeremiah, Eze
kie or john or until he speak with like divine In
tuition and authority the Lord Jesus Christ do we
think his right to depounce those who differ from HIM
on questions Of morals or politics, as "hypocrtes
" white sepulchers full of dead mems bones and all
" unceanlness or to threaten them with the ven
" geaDce of Jehovah 7"
The doctrine here laid down. understand to be, that
Christian minister has no right to pronounce author-
tatyey upon disputed national or popular slas, or to
denounce their perpetrators. could scarcely Imagine
more dangerous heresy. 1t is true that the Christian
minister hears voice from heaven, accompanied
by lightnings and tempests. nor SOUND OF an
gels trump; but he does hear the whisperngs of
still small voice not less decisive or authoritative
the voice of the Spirit the Comforter promised by
Christ to his Disciples, when on the eve of his de.
parture, who should lead them into al trufh, ana
bring all things to their remembrance, Whatsoever
he had commanded them" Aud he has, moreover,
that truth embodied in the Word of God, and por-
trayed there in lines clear and distinct that he
fool. NAV not err therein" It would be strange,
indeed if the messengers Of God in these latter days.
with the lights Of two dispensatOns beaming on
their path, should have to grope their way In
comparative darkness, and were actually clothed
with less power and authority than the Prophets
of the olden time. 1t would be stranger still If it
had be en- given 10 ipfdel mind eighty-two years
ago. to discover and embody in a national docu-
ment, great Christian truths and principles when no
minister of the present day could surely grasp or If,
now, such men as Parker and Phillips and Garrison
could plant themselves firm and strsng as rocks where
Cheever and Barnes and Beecher and Tying must
tors about weak and uncertain the dashing spray.
There is no want Of light the subject of American
Slavery 1t shines forth from every page of Scripture.
Is there aDy want of light the sin of dolatry But
what greater Obligation ask, are We under 10 obey
the law, "ThOu shalt not make ~ myself any craven
imsge," than the law, "Thou shalt love thy neishbor
as tbyselfl" The remoastrants, presume, would
not require an audible voice, or any other pecu.
liar sign of prophetic commission, to justify