Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-11-11
SUNDAY. NOVEMBER II. 1866.
NON-POLITICAL RELATIONS OF TIIE
CHURCH..
Discourse by Rev. Stuart Robinson, Of
Kentucky.

DIR. STUART RoBINsoN, the eminent Pre-
byterian Divine, Of Kentucky, delivered
discourse at Greenwood Hall, Cincinnati, o.
Thursday night, on the invitation Of aum
Der Of citizens, on the non-political relation
Of the Church. II was a most able and in
s!rucliye performance throughout; but WI
can only find room for the snbjoined ex
tracts, which will be found very interesting
The Christian theory is:
]. That there are two divinely appointed
social ordinances besides the iamily-on,
the civil power from God, his creator, with
the sword TO protect and conserve the per
sons and property Of men in society; the
other the spiritual power, with the key al
ia symbol, from Jesus Christ the Mediator
that concerns itself only with man as the
sinner, and concerns only his spiritual in.
terests. Neither the civil power with its
sword can enforce the laws and propagate
the principles Of the spiritual government;
nor can the power Of the KEYS be used to en-
force the laws and propagate the doctrines
Of the civil government. For the proof Of
this YOU need only refer TO Christ's claim to
be king and lawgiver-yet declaring: "My
me a Judge and divider over you?" and to
the whole history Of the Apostolic church.
=. The rule Of faith which is to direct the
civil government is the law of nature, equal
ly obligatory on ali governments, whether
they be Christian or Pagan. This law the
teachers and jurists in Pagan nations have
developed and applied just as successfully as
in Christian nations. As PUFFENDOBF re-
marks, Book second, chapter thirteen) all
atmit that "the law Of nature may be learned
from reason alone, though Revelation throws
light upon IT," The ethical laws developed
Ia "Ciceros Offices" in his letter TO his
brother, on the duties of a Governor, ifdili-
gently observed by the rulers Of our country
for seven years past, would have saved us
many an outrage in rights Of property and
person. The heather jurist ought TO put
many an American jurist, legislator and
military leader 10 the blush Most thought
ful men to-day would take the Pagan CICE-
RO, ARISTOTLE or PLATO, in preference to
the EcclesiasticO-political BEECHER, BEL
LOWS, and otlrer leaders who have assumed
20 dictate the policy Of the country, as a spe-
cially Christian country. Onthe other hand
the rule Of faith which is TO guide the spirit
nal government is the revealed word of GoD
the statute book Of the Great King. Ru-
iers spiritual, must speak what it speaks,
and be silent where il is silent.
3. IL follows that political y a term not pre-
dicable Of any right acts Of the Church, nor
ecclesiastical of any proper acts of the State
Nor can there be any coordinate iuris-
dictiOn. Nor can there be any mixing Of
the two powers. But as ANDREW MEL
VILE stated the case, "the compounding to-
gether Of that which God hath sundered,
tends over to the corruption Of all true reli-
gion"
The notion OF religion as an engine for
the aid Of the State is wholly pagan in its
origin and nature. In ancient times among
all Pagan nations alike the statesmen and
iurists could not conceive of governing
nation without the agency Of priests and
prophets Every war was a war Of religion
against religion. Every battle fought was
conceived of as settling n question Of theol-
ogy and Of the relative power of the local
gods Of the combatants. You may recall
the case of the Old Testament history Of the
Syrian king Il Kings, XX. 23) who went
up against Israel with his proud array
of chariots, and his thirty-two allied
kings. who, while drinking himself
drunk with his princes in his tent,
found his army panicked, and all his
hosts slaughtered by each other in the
fright" After the modern style he appoint
ed committee on the conduct Of the war"
% inquire into the cause Of his defeat; who
reported as the cause Of the disaster. "Their
gods are the gods Of the hills, therefore
are they stronger than we; but let us fight
them in the plain" So they proposed
next year TO try il again with exactly the
same force, and draw the Israelites down to
the plains, when the Syrian gods would feel
more at home Though with q shrewdness
worthy Of more modern times, this theologi-
cO-military committee sought to make a
sure case in their theology by the incidental
hint" and let us put captains military
men) over the chariots in place ofthe kings,
and take the kings away'-(that is, the
drunken political generals. This case illus
trates the universal conception of ancient
pagan nations. Religion was the grand en-
ginery for ruling the State. Priests and
augurs were just as essential aS lawyers and
generals. Long ere the Christian Pope sat
upon the seven hills Of Rome a far more
powerful pontfr sat there before him. The
Pontifet MAXAIUs, of Pagan Rome, with the
college Of priests and augurs, was the real
power Of the State, without whose sanction
no election could be held, no important
measures Of the State be adopted.
Now, the principles for which We contend
are simply the principles of the Reiorma-
tion-especially in Scotland-as more fully
snunciated at the era of the American
Revolution by the Presbyterian and Bap-
tisi Dissonters in Virginia and finally en-
bodied in JEFFERsoN's act Of 1888. These
principles we find set forth in a series Of
al H.,
terry, drawn by such men as WADDEI. whom
WRr has immortalized as the "blind
preacher" bv SCoTcH WILLIAM GRAHAM
and SrANHoPE SMITH. From lhefrs memo
rial of Hanover Presbvtery 20 the Legisla-
ture Of Virginia, select the following:
"Werather conceive that when our Blessed
Saviour declares His Kingdom is not Of this
world, he renounces all dependence upon
State power. And we are persuaded that if
mankind were left in the quiet possession of
their inalieaable rightsan privileges, Chris
tiauity. as in the days OF the Apostles, would
continue 90 flourish in the greatest purity by
its own native excellence and under the all
disposing providence Of Con. We would
humbly represent that the only proper OBJ
iects of civil government are the happiness
and protection Of man in his present state Of
existence; the security OF the life, liberty
and property Of the citizen.
"JEsUs CImsr hath given sufficient au-
thogity TO his Church Tor every lawful pur-
pose; and il Is torsaking his authority and
direction, Cor that Of feeble men, TO expect
or 20 grant the sanction Of civil law to au-
thoriEe the regulation Of any Christian So
oleiy.p
II will be seen al once that here is the re-
vival of the ancient Scotch testimony 10
she completeness and independents Of
CHRrsr's spiritual government and differs
only IN going one step in advance TO the
iirst practical inference from that doctrine,
Which inference their peculiar circumstances
prevented the Scottish fathers from making.
TO perceive the connection between this
bin and the memorials Ct the Presbytory i
needs only that We cite a sampleof Mr.. JEF-
FERsoN's bill. Ii declares, among othe=
things, that the attempt TO eoeroe the mind
by civil penalties is a departure from the
plan Of the author OF our holy religion.
That the iInuious uresumption Of legislators