The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-02-15


BILoyp B91zmU: i gsisvsd -
much that / could mot b with JON in per
son at your late convoeation, though !
was in spirit. Il il becoming that We
shguM organize . Church from which
shall b excluded whatever u offensive TO
our tastes, for il is notorious that the
churches Of tho land have, Tor the most
part. had little regard to our wishes in
their dogmas and creeds, and especially in
their mode Of applying the so-called doc
trines of the Bible, of late. And not Of
late only, for the memory Of man runneth
not to the time when the preaching Of the
Gospel, by certain class, was not often
sive. / am pleased with the idea Of call
ing our new religion Democratic reli-
gion. This is philolegically ~ we'll Is
philoeophically proper. The origin Of the
word democrat is legitimately traced to
the two Greek words demon and krates,
and hence we have right to apply this
name to that form Of religion which suits
our views.
As l may not be able to attend your
next meeting-the one at which our ritual
and creed must be perfected-you will al
low me to make a few suggestions.
want, among others which your own
minds will readily suggest. the following
articles of faith !:
ARr.I. 1--WE hold it to be fundamental
to all happiness and all religion of our
kind, that We be LET ALONE"
You will recognize in this a reproduce
ton of our ancient creed. (See Mark,
chap. |, v. 24) 1t was the meddling of
Christ with the business of others, that
first gave rise to this expression, "Let us
alone," and which was so significantly
and appropriately reproduced BY Brother
Shaw, at your late meeting. Had Jesus
only preached Christ, and him cruel.
fed." and "let us alone," several thous-
and hogs would have been saved, on one
occasion, aud no little disturbapoe would
have been avoided generally. / insist that
"let US alone" be FIRST in our creed. II
is all We asked l 300 years ago; it 10 all
our brethren in the South asked when
they stole the property of the Federals
and seeded; and it is all any one asks
when seeking to enjoy the largest liberty.
That thieves and rebels appropriate it.,
should not deter us from oui rightful use
of it,
ART. Ii. preachers must not NEEDLE
with politics"
Aside from the fact that for many years
brothers Cox, Odds, Shaw and their like,
have been making politics so dirty that
preachers ough. to be ashamed to meddie
with them, We have abundant proof that
it is fraught with incalculable mischief.
If John the Baptist had preached Christ
and him cru Gifted" and let politics alone,
he would have saved his head. besides
saving no little domestic disquiet in
Herod's family. What was it his bust.
ness if Herod had married his brother
Phillips wife +?
Ii the Savior had preached Christ,
and him cruci6ed," and not called res
pectable people "the children of the dew
H., and otherwise meddled with politics,
be could not have been condemned to
death by Plate. 1t was not until the
charge that he breaches politics, Gin
veigheth against Cesar" was made, that
that officer consented to condemn him
Peter charged the Jews with crucifying
Christ, and for this they logged him.
Why could he not "preach Christ, and
him crusihed," and let politics alone ?
Was not the cruci6xion an act of the
State! Why should men. commissioned
to preach the gospel, NEEDLE with poll
tics Paul got himself into trouble, aud
Ephesus in great uproar in the same
way. He would preach politics. And
Luther and Calvin and Wesley and thou
sands have suffered from the same cause,
and SO should Henry Ward Beecher and
Granville Moody, aud all who leave off
preaching Christ, and him crucifed,"
for politics. Let us have no politics in
our church, but let US be careful to SO
weed our creed as not to exclude us from
politics. That would be a enforcement
not to be desired.
OF the divine right of white man to
larrup negro, and of Democrats to re-
sort 10 the sword and faggot when out
voted, OF course, you will make due men,
ton. 1t might be well, also, 10 incorpo-
rate some suitable article in defense Of
taking little toddy for our stomachs'
sake. that We may be in no danger of in
terruption, in future, by preachers of the
Carey school. A. DEMON.