Washington telegraph., 1865-10-11
Cnsncn AND STATE IN Mrssounr-TnE

and disabling clause IN the constitution OF the
State Of Missouri, is hooking to the moral and
polite sense Of every just person, that ii al
most prscludes the hope of any quiet govern
ulent in that State, whilst il NAV b. in force.
II is the same case pretty much in Tennnesse
where this distrsnchis mert has also the aaac-
ton OF the constitution.
They 90 very Tar in MISSOURI. Thry en-
deav ored to prevent any minister, Of any de-
nomination from preaching the gospel Of Christ
who ia any manner aided or abrtied the caus-
OF the South. The Republicans, there think il
altogether mistake and deridrd old fogyisrn to
suppose that the gospel should have "frce
course. run, and be glorifisd." Heretofore the
protestant people OF America have been behind
the times It seems, and have neglected the good
old precepts of the seventeenth century in the
mother country, when test oaths, and oaths VI
supremacy, and other political oaihs without
stint were thought to be necessary TO enable
honest men called Of God 20 declare glad It'd
irgs. Even the sturdy pilgrims " New Eng
land forgot to persecGte, except FOR religious
errors.
The church generally in Missouri, however,
does not take kindly TO the new dspensstiCn
and remains troubled with old fashioned doubts,
as to whether it is rot the du,y Of those who
feel called of God, to proceed with their work.
The 18Th annual association Of Missouri Bop
lists was held at BOonvii.e ON the 18th Of Au-
gust lag. The Bsstists from Vi old we've a.
ways troub. some srt-thA. is ~ all VII.
will and the word or Sod. The mantle - giU-
rions old Roger Wiil,aaI. has fallen on some O.
them.
So these Baptist ministers, fifty-three 10 mum
Der al the meeting, !ook il into serious CONSIDER
alton, whether or nos they would be fulfilling
their mission to saul their mouths and have
done with all earnest methods OF saving sin
ners.
After mature, and patent d5libeTsiions''(we
wonder at the patience, whilst We commend H.
they substantially agreed in tde following rua-
sons Tor declining the oath required 0y to- new
Constitution, cordiiion upon which they
20 preach 10 their i,ilow-u1rB. and their res
pectiye chUrchrs. Gospel Of the Grace of cod 40
/. 1t IS il conflict with the Constitution Of
the United States.
We deem il il conflict with that instrument
in the following particulars:
j. IL inteIier-s with the freedom of worship
ing God. The Federal Constitution savs: Con
gTess shah make law respecting ihr .ssaE-
lishmrnt of religion. Or y ohiJiiiug the Tree y1-
trcise thereof. Now his new Constitution
does interfere with ''tIr Is-e exrrcis. thereof
in this, that IL undertakes to say wno shah, aEu
whe shall not, preaCA vi Oiiiciate - i-s minis
fhu. tp.TiEiutr many .hu-gh.E rI.t
whole denominations VI their chosen ryI.L Llcus
teachers
=. 1t is er post taeto in Is operations. Wherr-
as ths Federal Cons ,li IiiYI SAWS: No sr g1st
foeio law shall b, passed 80 Il Furthermore ays:
NO State shall pass any bill. ot attaIhd,r III a.
post facto law Art. /, Sec. l0.)
3. Ii makes every minister who refuses to
take it become w.ut IS esaiIist himself.
4. We cannot takc this oath brcause X il nh.
Just in its operations. 1t pubishes minister's for
that which is now by iisrit made a crime, while
all other classes VI men, equally guilty, not
equally punished.
5. We cahlor take this oath because it pro-
poses TO punish ministers TO what is really no
crime against any human law.
8. We cannot take this oath because this
would be- TO aeknowl.dge authority u tic
State that does not belong to il.
The State does nUj confer The right 20 preach
and it therefore cannot take il away Minister,
are called .! GOO 10 preach the Gospel Ihe
Churches set lcIn apart and ordaiu them 20 tn
work. Now for the State to prohibit them. l.
.or it to fly in the face oi DiN IN hority, and
undertake to lrgislate for the Churches VI
Christ. But this no Government on earth has
any right to DO. God has given u1 Govern
nieut ON earth any night to say 10 one of his
ministers You shall not preach the Gospel"
nor to fine or inIpIisOn him for doing It, To
preach Gods Word is not , crime Dot a duty.
txarfllx at l.f
WOE Is unto him II lie does not do il. II Cor.
ix-i6)
:. We cannst take this oath btcsuse IN go do
ing We would Acknowledge thzt human author
is is above divine, and thus condemn all thr
foregoing Scripture examples, and sacIihce thc
great principle for which Baptists have cont nd
I'd and suffered ia all Governments wherein they
have lived. since the Christian Era down to the
time of the American Revolution.
We do most consciy ntiousiy believe that the
trainers o. our new Constitution have gone, 50
TAR as prohibiting the preaching of the GOspl
is concerned, hey ond iheir legitimate authority
We believe they have no right 10 require this
or any other oath of any minister condi-
ton on which he is to preach the Gosp"l; ana
that in doing so they have been guilty OF ai.d
rr-enacted that same intermrddiug with diyin,
things which has already caused 50 much per-
secution in the world
Let the ''powers that be- If they think il
inst, prohibit cur voting, soitmnizing Inarfiagr,
or an thing else not belonging to our duty a.
mi isters and we will submit, bat our right TO
preach is as mali, nabe our lives; our obliga-
lion to do so is divine, aud we cannot torrgo IT,.
Indeed we feel that IL this case principle is in
volvrd that il will never do to surrender. II
the civil authority has the right to impose on,
oath, it has tn Iight le impose another, aud an
u her, and anot ct, aud So on al tf.faHRm.
And Il il has the righ. 10 prohibit cur preaching
on any CONDITION, it mas ti- right to dictat TO Us
what we shall and what w snail not preach ri,
Christian theology. We hop the civil authoii-
ties will consider and respect the position we
occupy.
If they will not, why there is no alternative
left us but to suffer as fathers before us sal
fered, trusting to the future historian and 10 iu-
ture generations to do us justice. Bur above
ALL we must trust to the final .JuGEa of the rU-
ieFs and the ruled 10 svenge our wrongs and re-
ward our suiierings. For the present we may
reap nothing but odium. Persecu oTs have al
way claimed that they were doing rif hr. and
felt at liberty to heap upon those they punished
all manner of opprobrious epithets %. it may
b. done unto us but we viii draw eonso-
lation from the words of our Master dressed