Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1857-03-14
Lecture Of Rev. Mr.. Penman.

We went to the First Presbyterian Church on
Thursday evening, and found q large audience
assembled to listen to the lecture BY Rev. Mr.,
Pepman of this city. His subject seemed to be
the Relation of Christianity to Governments and
the Divine Origin of Republics; though We arriv-
ed too late to hear it definitely announced.
The speaker exhibited much strength of thought
and ease and appropriateness of diction. The
manuscript seemed in the way, lettering some
what the grace of his delivery. His resources of
language seemed ine1haustible. His SMILES and
metaphors were elegant and highly appreciated ;
but the verbose quotations from the dead langua-
ges were deemed, by the ignorant vulgar, to par
take slightly of the pedantic. K, '..'N
The proposition upon which he based his argu-
ment was broad and strong, asserting that NOR
al, mental and physical vigor are necessary to
the growth and Indispensable to the permanency
of Republics, and that these three elements of
strength are fostered and developed by inculca-
ting the principles of Christianity as revealed in
the Bible. Wherever the study of the Bible is
universal, that people are always distinguished
for moral worth, a healthy intellectual growth,
and ell-developed physical prowess. The on
ly government, said the speaker, ever given by
God to man, was Israel, a confederated republic,
theocratic in its origin, and democratic in its ma
ture and its purpose. And when He provided a
ruler for a monarchy, He expressed the design in
that pertinent language-"I give you king in
my wrath!' 80" Foa 1919 s-- .a-
Yes, said the lecturer, bind the Golden Rule
upon the wheel of Despotism, and it cannot make
another revolution. He spoke Of the influence of
the bible in removing the shackles of the ancient
serf, and remarked that Oriental Slavery never
existed long under the radiant beams of a pure,
free Gospel. He said that, of all nations, ''the
rights of persons and property are best protect
ed in our Christian America !"-but forgot to tell
his hearers that the right of property in persons,
is protected, with even more vigilance than that
He bestowed a patriotic eulogium upon our ssglo-
rious Republic''-but omitted to add that it il
only a semi-republic-that Republicanism recog.
nizes Individual Sovereignty, and means gov
ernmen. which derives its powers from consent
of the all goverDed--while Sin Christian Amer
ica'. there are SOC, 900 more saues than there gre
voters! lie exhorted Sour quasi -Refcrmers" tc
"remember that :he doctrine of equal rights does
not mean q social dead level" True, Mr.. Lee
turer, but it does moan that all oppressive
restraints shall be removed, and every man al.
lowed to seek and find his own level! The igno.
rant man must be inferior to the intelligent-the
lazy man to the energetic and industrious--tht
vicious man to the virtuous and refined Christian
They cannot be equals, but let the dsproportior
be their oscn, not an artificial distinction of So.
ciety, because they chance to be white or black
Republicanism-ase expounded by the Greeleys
Stewards and Summers Of the day-is, we under.
stand, quite abominable in the eyes of the Rev.
erend Lecturer-but if he forti6es himself upor
his true proposition of Thursday night, tha
Christianity is opposed to Despotism, and reason'
thence, fairly and consistently, Republican Ere,
Soil-ism is a natural sequence logical neoessi
ty! Sophistry, with all its seductions and induc
tions cannot escape it.