New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-05-02
CryURCH AND STATE.

A CORRESPONDENT who does not Gas we dog
approve the general terms in which President
Lincoln requested our people to observe the
3Oth ult.. as q day Of fasting, humiliation and
prayer, says: :;
take tue Proclamation 10 DO simply 40 appes from the
Chief Magistrate Of the nson to the religious sense OF an
acknowledge Chritin people calling npon them TO assem-
Bile to,eter az Chyians to inpore tho Divine
mercy and help time Of greet National danger and dis
treas do this from compul.on. but iron, that
spontaneous feeling OF humility and dependence on God
which Of the Christian heart. Although las
you .sy) creedlcss n.tion yet hope. Sir not
Cnrae one and sey tina. the President ought to disr.
gard the Christian sentiment Of she great bulk oil the people
out Of Difference to handful g! non'Chr'ans "
mel unreasonable end absurd as would b@ pal
pable vo,ic Of that respect for the opinions Of nors'
which underies all free nni.utou' And VIII further
add TIA, be true las you seem TO assume bat We do NOT
nation recognize the Divine authority OF Christ and Of
His religion then the Presidenps Proclamation " entirely
superuous and little short Of blssphemy And day
ing and p,.yer spponed on this principle Of ignoring the
Divine suhority of Christ would Il to me, be Tar moro
likely to provoke Gods dhpeasure against US Is nation a
10 insure His mero inerpostion for our de'vesnce anu
salvation. Fer God out Of Christ is consuming n's
Our correspondents mistakes above seem
to be these: i. He assumes that majority
of our people are Christians in his acceptation
If the term. which may be true, but is GER
tainly not proved. 2. lie assumes that the
religion of q majority of its people is neces-
sary the religion Of q nation, which is not
true at all of our country, whose institutions
are based on the axiom that religious belief is
an individual matter, with which Governments
have properly 10 concern whatever. 3. He
assumes that the President called upon our
people to fast and pray as Christians, when in
fact he desired only those who are Christians
to so pray, expecting Jews Deists, Mormons,
&C., to pray according to their orn convic-
tons Of Divine truth, and not according to
his, nor to those OF the presumed majority.
Respect for the opinions Of majoritcs" is
proper in its place; but when Shadrach
Meshack, and Abednego were required by it
to worship the golden image Of Nebuchadnez.
gar, they refused, and were justified in so
doing" majorties" having no right to die
tate crceds or forms Of worship to ninorities
Now LET us look ut the main question in
the Light OF reason and common sense: The
President eIhorts the American People to
humble themselves before God, confess and
forsaks their sins, and invoke tho Divine for
giveness-and a great many do so. Nine-tentbs
Of these 1--WE presume and our correspondent
will no. dspute) do this precisely as our cor
would have them. The other tenth,
being Jews, Deists, Socinians, or otherwise
iDlmical to the orthodox faith, duplicate God
according 10 their own convictions rather than
oar correspondents Ia the fact that they do
so, or that the President invites them to do so,
to yitiate the fast altogether, rendering the
prayers of the Orthodox nine-tenths Of no
avaii We trust our correspondent will not.
on reflection, have IL so.
by the ways wbor. docs he ind the pas
sage be quotes as Of Holy Writ, For God
ont of Christ is a consuming fire !" We shall
have right Of action against the American
Bible Society if they have sold us a copy of
tho Bible as perfect from which so important
passage is excluded. How dare they take
such liberties with the Word Of Godi Ed.