The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-18
Political Preaching.
A REBUKE.

10. desired by some OF his people to preach
|, the poIitical questions of the day. I'm
sssad of complying with the request" says
HE Observer, che gave them sermon that
<bught to have made every intelligent CHRIS
A;an among them heartily ashamed of having |
been so ignorant of the province OF the pulpit |
lhnd of the duty of pastor, as to presume to
hesire him to come down from the high call |
ling of Code minister, to tell them whether
|lho vote for Lincoln, Fremont or Mcclellan
4lTbe attempt was unworthy of christian citi-
4'zens. and it was very earnestly and ably re-
&lbuked."
n The sermon has been published, and we
.Imake an extract therefrom:
n "Ah, beloved, passion is now sweeping the
Hworld away And when his flock seem to
n have lost their seif-possesslon, there Is no
4 time when it is more necessary for the spirit
! ual guide to guari his presence of mind and
\ hold firmly and steadily the helm. All else
d 10 driving before the storm, wet, and rolling,
4 and helpless with the wash of it's pillows.
might indeed stand here as you have desired
q and as a mere man tell you the passionate
II warnings of my heart at this hour, how L
II tremble as consider what may be the con
sequence of mems acts who differ with me
1 lie rolling heavily, too, in the trough of the
general sea. Consider the consequences of
compliance on my part with such request
Consider ID as a precedent establishing the
principle of political preaching In this pulpit.
Il Though may agree with you to-day, how
I know YOU that in the next political crisis, |,
II or the pastor you may have may not agree
n with your adYersaries? Seek to establish no
. dangerous rule. o seek not to surrender to
II ,bo adoo cd ri uh1nb Of
right your own heritage. l warn you, pre-
II serve, as priceless jewel, your political in
4 dependence of the church. The sacredness
u of that Independence is founded upon the
eternal principle that adultery, that the
\ yoking together of incompatible elements, is
q primal source of all sin and confusion.
81 warn you. Go not about TO drug the
church with the political wine that shall in
4 toxicate her and unfit her for her calm and
delicate work. As citizens we are all equal
you and I :; and when ON that platform of
Il citizenship. any one of us-you or mount
VI the rostrum, the equality between speaker
il and audience is not broken, for any one can
il answer. But here the case is different
II When | mount this pulpit the equality Is
u gone. our relative position here is in harmony
] with the fact speak as priest, you merely
i sit to listen, and can make no answer.
II hold you all at disadvantage; and rightly
clare TO you the eternal word of God, TO
II which there can be no answer. If [ use this
/ vantage stand for other purposes. l am
4 recreant to you AID to your rights. There Is
n blasphemous impertinence in priest either
Il debating in prayer to God the will OF his
4 people, or, on the other hand in his ignor
! ance, substituting his own crude political no
/ tiohs for the great hidden perfect will of God,
\ and then debating them as though from God,
/ to His people. 1t is high crime upon the
i sacred political freedom of the people. and a
daring insult to God himself"
Rev. Mr.. Carroll, of presbyterian church
in New Haven, has recently delivered a SER
mon. in which he speaks emphatically against
preaching politics" He says:
l adjure all isms and ignore all secular
and political themes In the house of God on
the day of God, either preached or prayed
land they can be quite as easily prayed as
preached and are, when the minister in
lea ding the deYotions of an entire people in
tones the shibboleth of a party; when he
fails to present the desires and wants COM
mon to all spiritual and becomes a high
priest before the throne representing what is
partial and political, generally debating to
the Advise and Most High God the time and
way in which things shall be done, and if not
SO done, implying reputation of Divine au-
thority and the Inauguration of rebellion
against him.
In all places and in all times | have oppos-
ed to the full extent of my ability, the intro
ductlon OF evil, secular and political -uuestion
into the hands of God, aud / do not mean
necessarily party politics, or those that play
directly into party hands, but also that ming
ling of public and political affairs into the
ministrations of the pulpit. which brings up
and discusses in this sacred place and time,
those topics of particular interest which oc.
cupy the minds of worldly men during the
week.
I deprecate such course. ~ because |
regard it unscriptural-as degrading my high
calling in Jesus as an unwarsntabls substi-
tute for a gospel message. What is the min
ister's calling? what should be his message?
Paul answers in 2 Cor. v, Is, 81: And all
things are of God, who hath given us to him
self by Christ Jesus, and hath given to US a
ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God
was in Christ, reconciling the world to him.
self, not imputing their trespasses upon them:
and hath committed unto us the world of re
conciliation-now then we are ambassadors
for Christ as though God did beseeeh you by
US /; we pray you in Christ's stead be We rec
onciled to God. For he hath made him to be
sin for US, that we might be made the right
eousness of God in him.
(2l IF lawful, it is unnecessary. Surely
this topic Is prominent enough. Further ven
tilation and here, is needless. Already it
absorbs the mass of men six days out of
seven, already, by invading the sanctuaries
of our land, has it eaten out the very heart
of spirituality, SO that revival of Gods work
In such lions is an anomaly-already does it
threaten to usurp a permantly paramount
place in the house of God, and the hearts of |
his worshipiers damandinp even now conf,r- |