Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-05-25

olved In this case
SPEECH OF REV. J. o, BAcKus' D. In
DR.. Backus then obtained the hoor' ano h
poke as follows: ..or,osn. 4
mon The principles involved in the paper now
,efore the Assembly, bus simply TO appeal, not 4
10 the generosity Of the booy laienVHuHn ,sS
much disappointed that this tning 30 iaineu win WIN
my friend Dr.. Bfecklnridge), pnt 70 i% sVvu I
sense and christian judgment, py Simply ,,s ssA
ment Of facts, which may aid US 70 ,n,wslnsens {
h,otbs, from Oxford has said, to make, but
simnly to inform this Assembly what 10 the state
Of q most important part Of the Presbyterian
Church. l claim to know something Oh the
churches which with my brethren | have been
oarefullv seleoted to represent. have Deen more
than a quarter of o century pastor oi one OF
thosa churches, and three fourths Of the churches
aronnd ua have been formed during that time;
and heing formed TO great extent OF colonies
from Me- church with which ! am connected,
have been brought into peculiarly Intimate re-
lations with those churches. l may say 'nen
that those churches present as fair type OF
sbyteriansm-!he exhibit as good evidences
of christian character--as can DC iounu any
where. They are active In all modes OF ex-
tending the Redeemer's kingdom. The rres'
hvterv of Baltimore contributed the last year to
aon,e of our benevolent Boarde, perhaps iull as
muoh "a the whole Synod Of Philadelphia
Now Baltimore and Maryland, the territory
covered by our churches, are intimately asso-
oiated with the southern part OF our country
MARYLAND Ia a slave State, and although baltl-
more has only 5000 slaves out OF population
of 96 600 colored persons, and although the
nun,ber of slaves in the State is decreasing, yet
we are closely bound to the South by this insti-
tuition. We are also connected by other do
mestic relations-many are from she Soutn-
many have married there, and many sustain
various other sOcial relatione--so our business
relations are principally with the south, and not
few men III our city have all they are worth;
shut up there in the shape Of debts ana mer
chapdise. At this time also, 1t 10 claimed that
there are {, 600 Marylanders, and 3OOO OF them
Baltimoreans, now In the Southern army-many
ofthem from our best families. minister weekly
| to the families Of three prominent commanders
| in the Southern navy--tWo OF them gentlemen
who have enioyed the religious training OF my
venerable friend DR.. Breckinrdge. All our
congregations are similarly situated from one
4 to two.thirds of these various congregations
| sympatbize with the South. Nor is this strange
according to the ordinary workings OF poor hu.
mau nature II is 10 be expected and to be dealt
kindly with. AT any rate such Is the fact:---
Now all these people-many OF them Delng
among our very best and most useful christian
people, adorning the dortrine OF the gospel-are
very sensitive on the subject Of the interference
Of the Church with the political relations OF
their friends. They hold the doctrine which l
have supposed to be the aoctrine Of Presbyteri-
ans, that the Church has no right to decide mere
political questions. They do not hold that re-
| ligion has nothing TO do with politics, they do
not hold that We are not to obey magistrates,
nor pray for them. They receive all that the
i Confession of Faith teaches respecting the duty
of fidelity to civil government But they hold
that the Church and the civil government,
while both are divine Institutions, have differ
ent spheres; and that while the State is to pro
tect the Church. It 10 not to intrude into its spir-
| itual sphere; and while the Church is 10 obey
the powers that be as ordained Of God, to pay
tribute, and TO pray for msgistrates, II is not to
meddle with questions purely political. And as
many of our duties are mixed, both religious
and civil, the Church Is only to treat 30 much
of these as is moral and comes thus under its
province.
To this am sorry to add, that there is an i'm
precision that there 10 q disposition and an en-.
deavor among some in our Border States to
separate the churches In those States from this
General Assembly, and erect an independent
Synod, for the present, on this principle. And
doubt not that very many whose sympathies
are with the South are not disinclined to CO.
operate with such movement. In this state Of
things, iDjudicious, questionable, or harsh &C.
tion on the part Of this body will throw the
whole weight Of its influence on the side of any
so disposed II will irritate, ALLEVIATE and ex-
cite those sympathizing with the South, and
prepare them for such q step. do not say
thar even In this event would despair Of their
maintaining their present relations. Butno man
knows outstanding Dr.. BreCkinridge's posi-.
tive assertions, which have 80 often found not
j verified by results, that have lees confidence
in them-no man knows what will be the con-
sequence. We all believe that the adoption Of
) this paper will hszard the peice and unity
of our churches. II such should be the re-
. suit and these churches should separate from
: this Assembly, there is reason to believe that
D on the restoration of the country, they coult
y not remain independent, but would unite with
q the Southern General Assembly. On the othei
/. hand, If their connection with this body Is pre-
n served, they will prove in my opinion the mos
a hopeful instruments in the restoration of 0ul
!. whole Church-a result most desirable for the
q skae Of the harmony Of restored country. AS DR.
!. Rice has said, when q country is torn VIC nee(
bandoges to hold together the broken parts til
. they can knit. What better bandsges can tht
a country have than our united Christian church
! es2 The Synod of Baltimore consists of tht
a Presbytery Of Carlisle in the State of Pennsyl
!. yania, the Preebyteries Of Baltimore aud Levi
!: in Maryland, the Pfesbytery Of the Potomac il
a the District of Columbia, and the Presbytery o
v Winchester in Virginia. Winchester and
= part Of the Potomac have gone to the Southern
r. Assembly. But they have been affectionatel
d united with rs. Their whole region is com
a meroially united with Baltimore, and doub
a not that on restoration Of the country the
/. might come back TO us, when they would not b
II willing to come back to purely. Northern Syn
"a Od-and thus all through the Border States s,
. that the preservation Of these churches In tn
h Border States aifords the best promise of tn
O restoration of the whole Church, which l re
o gard as pre-eminently desirable for the Nortt
Q and the South, enthusiastically and ciVily. o.
!. the other hand, If by any indscreet action yol
q now run the ploWshare through these churches
a you may do inoalcuabe injury to all the interest
concerned DR.. Breckinrdge incidentally in
n formed me the other day, that but small por
' tion OF the churches in the Synod Of Kentuck,
r are self-sustaining The same Is true in Mary
a land, and doubt not in Missouri If then yol
I, divide these feeble churches, who can tell wha
I injury may ensue7 Indeed how little can they
3 bear sgtations, distractions, alienation in thes
4 troublous times7 Esa 7HE W5
i Now, in my humble opinion, the question be
4 fore this venerable Assembly s simply this
v els it so necessary to pass this or any simila
4 paper, that it ought to do Il with the risk o
' dis.racting and dividing all the churches in thu
4 Border States-of casting them of for years
4 if not forever and losing all their influence Il
' restoring the whole Church on the reunion 0
: the country7" We are told that there Is n
3 danger Of any such result. The great majority
3 of those who represent the Border States on thi