New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-02
MIR. CHOATE on RELIGION.

The Essex. street Church, in the City OF Boston,
enjoys the pastoral supervision of the Reverend
Nehemiah Adams, and the distinguished confrster-
Dzation of the Honorable Rufus Choate-a CON-
bDation Of felicities which hardly any eccesasti-
cal body Of this age or Of any country can boast.
The twen.y fifth anniversary Of the settlement of
Dr. Adams was held las! Monday evening" and Mr.
Choate made beautiful speech upon the occasion,
in which be principally advised the congregation to
study the Greek and Roman Languages, and BY no
means to abstain from the perusal Of William
Shakespeare, author Of Othello and other dramas.
Passing into consideration OF the ministry OF
DR.. Adams, Mr. Choate declared tina. its chief
chsIm for him had been that the Doctor had
never preached anything but pure and unde-
filed religion, and had never hurt the
feelings of the Honorable Mr.. Choate, who said:
Never in an Introductory prayer never 10
hymn, occasionally or in the ordinary course of
public worship selected never by any illusra'
" tioI in any sermon by any train Of association,
" right or wrong have | been carried back into
" the world that had left" From this it will
be seen how exceedingly Mr. ChOate has enjoyed
his religion, and how much the Church must have
enjoyed him, and how perfectly serene everything
must have been in Essex street. That 10 why the
Rev. Nehemiah Adams has been presented By bis
congregation with q piano valued at 800; and
with $4,000 in hard cash, and "Other valuable
" articles" In truth Mr. Choate argues this
matter with bis usual profundity. He,r him
"Tbe great concrete of practical politics, the
workings Of our special confederated system,
1.-THE laws ard conditions Of our very artificial
" Ds,onsity, will he--the clerUman-permit me
" to inquire whether or not bis deep studies,
" atiuHoe It drSso iHtDitu, have enabled
him TO know anything at all OF these :"
That is TO ssy, a clergyman may understand
Shakespeare, and should understand Greek aud
Latin, but politics be cannot understand. HE
will have IL arr I'd from his Bible that the Of
oman is Of kindred blood, but cannot know how
" far these glorious generalIties are modified BY
"ciyil society"
Mr.. Choste is clearly advancing. Some years ago
hed:cOvered that the generai.ies OF the Declaration
Of Independence arc gttering, and now ne has dis
covered tia. the ger eIaties Of the Holy Bible are
glorious. Ia fact, If We understand him at all, be
Wou cut OIL The clergyman IRON all interest," III
human sffairs, from all direct interference with
government without which there could be no
churches ard no religion, from judicions direction
of tie political sympathes aud emotions OF hsPa-
rstioners, from all attempt TO save them from pas
sion and sef.hress, and maintain good conscience
in their poit cal relations Now, Mr. Choafe
has resd something OF history, as Is quite
evident from the countless historical illustrations
which crowd bis phrases; and he knows that in no
age st all T, marabe for hum,nprosress or religi.u.
development, have piety and politics submitted to
any such divorce as he proposes If We would
have our religion worth anythiDg-have practical
influence and decided value-we can no more
separate it from our politics than we can s,parate
it from our domestic relations. If there be in the
question Of Slavery no moral element-if it be per.