Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-11
The Church in Missouri.
The Persecution Of the Clergy.
Interesting letter From a Preacher.

LIE IeFS6CublOu VI In6 -OISfSy'
Interesting letter From a Preacher.
Correspondence Nashville Christian Advocaie.
Here, in this broad, free State, with its
rich, rolling prairies, its fertile valleys, Its
long, winding rivers, and railroads, its noun
tains of iron, and acres Of lead, its counties
Of coal and mines of silver and gold, yield
ing 10 the husbandman, the miner the
trader, the manufacturer, the capitalist, and
all classes of industrious, honest, energetic
men, the richest harvests of wealth, we have
the humiliating burning shame Of a Gospel
ministry fettered by law and prescribed by
political test oath Ministers Of the Gospel
are ousted from their pulpits, banished the
State, slenced by civil authority, bound over
to the civil courts fined and imprisoned for
the great crime (?) of preaching Jesus and
the resurrection" to perishing sinners. And
| yet they ucU preach; and though bonds and
Imprisonment await them" the "word Of
God is not bound" but is still the "power
Of God and the wisdom of God. Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than
men,
The ministry Of Missouri are self-sacrifc-
ing, heroic God-fearing men, who count not
their lives dear unto themselves so that they
might finish their course with joy, and the
ministry which they have received of the
Lord Jesus TO testify the Gospel Of the grace
o. God" Some few Of them have not the
nerve TO meet the issue, but bless me there
is a moral heroism in the men who 'count
all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord" that
would sublime an age, and raise vast armies
for Christ from the seed of the Church"
Many Of the preachers who have taken
the test-oath prescribed by the new Constitu-
ton, now regret it; and those who have not
will neither take il, leave the State, nor quit
preaching They will obey God rather than
man, and suffer and dare, and, If need be,
die 'for the testimony of Jesus and the Word
of God" None of these things move us.
We expect in all good faith, to "render un-
TO Caesar the things which are Caesars, and
unto God the things which are Gods but
never subordinate the latter to the former,
"God helping us"
Tell the brethren of the Church who are
inclined to rejoice that Providence has net
called them TO labor and suffer in Missouri,
that it is a small thing to suffer reproach
for the cause of Christ, for "if we suffer, we
shall also reign with him" We are not in
clined to murmur or complain. We are al
ready Injured to toll, and can now "endure
hardness as good soldiers" Many of us
have taken the spelling of our goods joy
fully" and are now ready to "go to prison
and to death" rather than to compromise
the conscience or the Gospel of the grac, Of
God, by acknowledging any other Head Of
the Church than the Lord Jesus. While the
ministry Of the Church suffer more, per-
haps, than that of any other Church, yet it
is a matter Of rejoicing that, for the most
part, they care good men and true" Many
of them have been arrested, some more than
once, and almost invariably at the instiga-
tion of Northern Methodists, Some give
bond for their appearance at court, and go
on preaching Christ; others refuse TO give
bond--demand trial, and go to Jail. In
some portions of the State our preachers go
TO their appointments to find the churches
occupied by Northern Methodists, who,
hearing Of their appointment, make theirs
just one hour earlier, and then hold ON till
two or three o'clock in the afternoon.
Sometimes rufiian crowds assemble at our
appointments, yell like fiends, throw stones
at the house, enter the church, kick over the
benches, break off the plastering, and some
of the "lewd fellows of the baser sort will
walk up to the pulpit and lay great pieces
of plastering on the Bible while the preacher
IS preaching and many suRh like things. If
the preacher enters complaint, he is arrested
and taken off TO the nearest prison. But,
Notwithstanding these, and many other such
things, the Word Of God is not bound, but
grows nightly and prevails among the
people, and thousands of precious souls are
being converted to God, and uniting with
the Church. Precious revivals of religion
have been experienced in nearly every regu-
lar charge in the State. Our Church is
strengthening her hold upon the confidence
of all rejecting, right-minded people, and
our prospects were never more encouraging
as Church.
The present persecution will but prepare
us, through the fires Of suffering, for the ma
iesty of triumph, and the glories of final
victory, whose peans shall swell and roll be-
meath the bending arches of Immortality
and treEable the very thrones of light. Tell
the brethren who sympathize with us, that
the Church Of Christ has never produced
sublimer moral heroism, since the Apostles,
than the pulpit of Missouri furnishes to-day.
"And if we be offered upon the sacrifice and
service of your faith, we JOY and rejoice with
you ALL" Some of our noble, holy men, are
often required TO pass through scenes Of de-
rison and persecution, not unlike those that
attended the heroic Wesley and his cola
borers, and, like that good and great man,
We can say, "the best of all is, God is with
u.s." Our churches were never more crowded
with solemn, attentive worshippers, our min
istretions were never in so much demand,
and our preachers never preached with more
"power from on high" Their speech, and
their preaching, is not with enticing words
of mans wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power"
Many of them seem to have caught up the
mantle of the iScended Caples, and have a
double portion of his spirit; many have
seized the silent trumpet Of the battle-worn
Robinson, and buckled on the FURNISHED
armor which he so suddenly exchanged for
crown and robe" and are gone forth TO
battle calamity for the +" king of kings"
Tell those who have the care of all the
Churches, that eve are troubled on every
side, vet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair; persecuted, but not for
saken; cast down, but not destroyed" We
have the promise, "Lo, | am with you
Away"
| expected Just to itemize few facts for
your readers, when | began but out Ofthe
abundance of the heart the mouth speak
eth" and the pen writeth. ] expect, before
this reaches the eve of the reader, to he look
ing through grated windows, or, perhaps, 10
be thrust into the inner prison" for the
testimony of Jesus and the word Of God :"
whence may emit the next light for your
readers. MAY peace and prosperity attend
you! May the Advocate and its nameless
Editor live a thousand years, and the Editor
and reader outlive the AdrOodte million
of ages, where suns never set and glories
never pale J..
Feb. "a, 1866.
THE RUNAWAY WOMAN OvERHAULED- |