The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-06-23
Politics and Religion.

it's organization, has been an unconquersble ble
opposition 90 the union Of State and Church;
and in their fidelity to this doctrine have
they ever deprecated any and every act, how
ever apparently innocent in itself, that tend.
ed in the remotest degree towards an inter
ferance on the part of each with the exclr
sive rights and prerogatives of the other. i
is our regard for this paramount doctrine o.
pure Republicanism that makes US view with
such alarm the fanatical course of those rec
ligious bigots and fanatics who in their blin'
zeal against the institutions Of the Southern
States, would invoke that interference which
in the end always proves most detrimental
to the interests OF the church, and derogato
ty to those meek and humble virtues which
constitute the highest ornaments of christian
character.
For several days past the general associa
ton of the Congregational Church of Hi
nois has been holding its session in this city
In regard to all political matters we humbly
conceive that we have not only the right
but that it is also our duty to complain o
their action, and to criticise it with such &C.
verify as their invasion of the rights of the
secular body justly subject them. We learn
with regret, that among other worldly mat
ters, the laws of domestic slavery, in all
their moral, social and political bearings
have constituted one Of the main sta pies OF
their solemn deliberations, since the com.
meDcement Of their session. AS a sample
Of what they have been doing in this line
we copy from the Daily PGntd9rGph OF Mon
day, the following extract from it's report o
their proceedings on Saturday:
"Much sympathy and feeling was excited
and manifested by this body when the repre-.
sentative of Ohio referred to the persecution
of the Christians, known as the "Oberlin
rescuers,' now undergoing trial and condem.
nation at Cleveland. And to prove how
deeply this association deprecatss and de-
tests the action of the court in which said
rescuers are being tried, and the laws which
encourage such acts, the following resolu-
tons were presented by the Rev. Mr.. Pat
ton, and on motion were adopted by accla.
maIion
RESOLVED, That the members of this asso.
citation deeply sympathize with the christian
brethren in Northern Ohio, now having trial
of bonds and prisonment-sufer!ng per.
secution at the hands OF the ofiters of the
United States Government for their sympa-
thy with Christ's poor, and for their disobe.
dience Of the iniqIitous fugitive slave law
and are glad to learn that they take joyfully
the spelling of their goods, knowing in them.
selves that they have in heaven better and
more enduring substance
"ReSolved, That in recognition OF the fact
that they are our representatives., and that
for US and for Christ they are ambassadors
in bonds, we recommend that donations to
aid in defraying their necessary expenses for
legal costs and fines be forwarded at once
to the care of the editor of the Congrega-
tional Herald at Chicago for transmission.
"Reyolved That the prosecutions OF the
friends of the friends of the slave by the
United States officers call upon christians
to pray for grace that the church OF Chrlst
may be now as Of old witnessing church
for the truth in every appropriate way"
In the above resolutions the representa-
tives of the Congregational Church OF the
State of Illinois undertake to denounce the
legal prosecution of the Oberlin rescuers as
persecution-the Court and officers who
engaged in this prosecution as psrsecutorS-
the Fugitive Slave Law as an "tn'quttouS" "
enactment-and eulogizing the robbers who
come under the penalties of this law, as their
"christiun brethren, suffering persecution for
their sympathies with Christ's poor" Gall
runaway negroes y &c. The doctrines,
sentiments and designs Of the abolition and
kindred societies sink into utter insigHlt.
canoe when compared with the implety, the
dangerous tendencies, and the absolute eX-
travagancies of these mad cap bigots and re-
ligous fanatics for in all political organi.
cations there is not only constitutional
right and freedom of opinion, but an open
field for the free combat of that opinion by
public discussions. party tactics, &c. but
when the church Of God condescends TO en-
ter that arena, opinion is stripped of all its
freedom by the inexorable rules OF discipline,
and all fair and open rivalry and competition
destroyed, by substituting as the standard Of
political action arbitrary rules OF moral obi.
CATION for the written charter Of our political
freedom. When the church undertakes to
establish rulef ofpoliticul right, circumscrbe
the powers Of political government within
the boundary OF its notions of right and
wrong, then it will be that for our constitu-
tionaI republic will, be substituted the worst
and most oppressive of all despotism-a the
ocrdtic democracy.
When these men, in their capacity as a
church, declare the fugitive slave law to be
an "iniqutous" law, thereby absoving all
OF its members from that obedience which
they owe to civil authority, they not only
bring reproach upon the beautiful system Of
our government, which has placed const'
tutional barrier between union OF church
and state, but they bring dshonor upon that
church whose founder and great high priest
has said : "render unto Caesar the things
which are Cesar's," and whose greatest
apostle has said : "The powers that be are
ordained OF God, and they that resist shall
receive to themselves Observation-Disclosures
Statesman.