The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1863-02-13
BEL AIR. MD. FRIDAY MORNING.
,ebels, the said McPheeters has been

rebels, the said McPheeters has been
stimulated and encouraged, if not led on,
by his wife, who openly avows herself a
rebel whereby the said McPheeters and
his wife have forfeited their right to the
protection and favor of the Government
in their present position, and have become
promoters of rebellion and civil discord.-
Therefore, it is ordered that the said Nc
Pheeters and his wife leave the State of
Missouri within ten days after the service
of this order, and that they take up their
residence within the free States north of
indianapolis, and west of Pennsylvania,
and remain there during. the war; and
that said McPheeters cease from this date
to exercise the functions of his Office with
in the State of Missouri, and that he de-
liver to the Clerk of the Session of Pine
Street Church all books, records and pa
pers belonging to that church.
1t is further ordered, that the church
edifce, books and papers, at the corner of
Eleventh aud Pine Streets, be placed un-
der the control of three loyal members of
Pine Street church, namely, George P.
Strong, James M. Corbitt and John M.
Ferguson, who shall see that its pulpit be
filled by loyal minister Of the Gospel,
who can invoke the blessing of the Head
of the Church upon the efforts of the Gov
ernment to re-establish its authority.
By command of Major General Curtis,
E. A. DICK,
Provost Marshal General Department of
Missouri
We publish the foregoing order with
sentiments of astonishment and abhor.
renee which cannot be suppressed. God
forbid that any American should hesitate
to express his sentiments towards such an
order, and the spirit which dictates it.
The order explains itself. Observe
carefully the charges here made as the
grounds of banishment of Christian
minister. 1t is not that he is q REBEL
1t is not that he has taught treason. 1t
is not that he has committed any crime
known to law 1t is because he as Pres
byterian minister, in the General Assem-
bly, of the Presbyterian Church, has used
the influence of his ministerial character to
prevent that body from taking political
action, and because be as servant of
Christ refuses to take any part whatever
in the contest which divides his church,
his city and his country. We have read
the entire history Of this case in St. Louis,
as published by the abolition accusers OF
DIR. McPheeters. There has been long
correspondence between him and small
minority Of the. members of his church,
scarcely a bakers dozen of them out of a
congregation of many hundreds. These
men arrogantly style themselves. ''the
members of the church who are in favor
sustaining the Government" thereby in
timating that all the others, nine-tenths Of
the church, are disloyal. But neither
they nor any enemy of the clergyman
have as yet attempted to show any disloy.
al acts or Words Of his. The whole con
troversy is based on the acknowledged
fact that he has consistently preached the
gospel in its purity, and steadily refused
, to use his character as minister on either
l side of the political controversy. A ridi
! culous accusation is ,made-so ridiculous
: that our readers will hesitate to believe il
/ when we state it-that he actually, in ad
7 ministering the ordinance of baptism in
> his church, did baptize child, at the re
3 quest of its parents, By the name of a late
f Governor of Missouri, now general ir
: the rebel service!
!, The correspondence is very remarkable
3 On the one side, the selfappointed in
. structors of the minister demand that h
: shall preach sermon for political purpo
: ses. On the other hand the Doctor calm
8 ly shows them the duty .of the minister
! and expresses his determination to adher
b to the preaching of Christ alone. Al
9 immense majority Of his church agree,
: with his views They wished on Sunda,
r to hear of God and heaven, not of. th
+ turmoils of earth. The following oxtrac
d from letter of Dr. McPheeters, publish
IS ed before the order of banishment, show
: the noble Christian stand taken by him
= and illustrates the violence done to tn
J. Presbyterian Church and its holy charac
i ter by the order Of Gen. Curtis. Thi
/ letter is actually referred to in the orde
IS as one Of the grounds Of the Danish
e ment:
,r "Some of the members of my churc
l. claim that in virtue Of the relation j
10 which / stand to them as pastor, ,tha
81 they have right to demand, and the
eIhave demanded, my written opinion an
IS personal position upon the civil and pt
pf llitical questions which now agitate th