The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-05-25
PREACHERS.

try engaged IN inc cause OF wrong,
and who, being 80 engaged. hate tho
men who arc enlisted in the cause Of
Right. These men during tho past
four years have sympothizcd with tho
rebel cause, and given all the moral
support in their powe'to tho Rebellion
Whatever belongs u tho Rebellion
they love, wha,eveNis against it they
hate. They are the stout defenders Of
slavery. they justified secession, and
they have somO excuse or jnsitifica-
tion for all the atrocities of the rebels.
Knowing the power of the churches
and the influence Of ministers OF the
Gospel, and finding them generally
against Slavery and Rebellion, these
mon have been more bitter and con-
temptuous toward this class than 10.
toward any class in the eeuntry.
We have before US AL article writ.
ten by ono Of thcso mon. 1t rails
against political pa'Ooms," and com.
plains that cant and religious hypocri-
81 are intruding themselves into every
department oftiEe Itcomplains against
those who SEQ tho hand OF God IN the
torrible struggo through which we
have just passed, aud wbinos because
the literature Of tho age is bcing flied
with tho sentiment oil tho "poIitical
parsons and "rcligious hypocritcs."
Rut God works out His sovereign
will, notwithstanding the complaints
of His enemies. He began with a
handful Of minister's, (wlom these men
call political parsons,") to overthrow
the great wrong Of the century. And
to-day the words of Lovcjoy, the first
conspicuous martyr Of the cause, OF
the Becchcrs, Of Chaplin, Of Chccvor,
of Phillips, and of host Of others
are found to have been prophecies.
They were tho men with iutcllects
made pure by religion, and with the
deep sense Of right and wrong, who
cav the storm brewing. They heard
the thunder growl behind tho noun
tains, and warned tho nation, but the
nation, dchauched by slavery, allowed
tho institution to spread, and grow
strong, and strike down free thought
and free inquiry, not only in tho
South but in the North. "The blood OF
the martyrsis the seed of tho Church, v
and that Providence, whose hard
these men refuse to SEQ in the great
war Just over, chose that the blood OF
ono of these political parsons, should
bc the seed Of the great party which
has saved tho nation. Elijah =. Love
Joy was murdered by pro.elavcry
mob at Alton, Iii lois, while defend
ing tho press Of tho Alton Observer
religious journal with anti slavery
sentiments. uo was tho first martyr
in America TO the principles of free
dom Of speech and Of tho press. II,
was murdered in free State by Sla
very. We can almost believe that The
angels IN Heaven roso up m indigna
ton and cntrcatcd God not to permit
tho outrage. But 10 saw the ond
from the beginning. The murder oi
Lovoioy was tho "cloud not bigger
than a mans hand, which spread and
grew into great storm OF FREQ thought
and anti slavery scntimCnt, This sen
timont bore Abraham Lincoln, tho
last and greatest martyr to the sam,
principles, 10 the Presidential chair
BY this time the cup Of iniquity ortht
Shareholders was iull, and Providence,
gavo them over to madness that they
might bo destroyed They made wal
upon tho Constitution and the Union
upon the Government, upon Liberty
aud Democracy, and upon the denrcs
righta OF a, and Abraham 1.incoll
atood, month after month and ycal
after ycar, INJECTING ono sturdy blow
nilcr another, until the monster OF Sla
very and Rebellion lay dead at his tcct
To day the Rebellion ia crushed, Sla
very is Destroyed, free thought ant
free discussion arc sacred, labor is dig
njicd, AMI Democracy is lriumphan
over Aristocracy. No class of mel
have done more toward this CRANE
consummaton than tho ministers
whom tho minions Of Rebellion an,
Slavery dcnominato political par
sons"
To call ministers political parsons
because they dcnounce Slavery an
Rebellion, is To call them "politica
parsons" when they donounco mur
der. Those mon put slavery with n
its attendant wrongs into politics, an
WHOM good men cry out against /
they attempt to silence them by tn
cry of political preaching. As we
might they put theft, or arson, or mur
der into politics, and attempt to pr,