The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-08-29

eral years past. has been Irelentlessly pur-
sued by the politioOreligious fanaticism Of
tfhc times, has lately been made the recip1
lent Of d new indlgiiity, which for utter
grossness is almost without parallel even
In these days when persecution for opln-
ions sake is 50 common as hardly 10 excite
attentions.
| 1t will be remembered that something
more than a year ago, this gentleman, owing
L to the political pressure which was brought
j to bear against him. was driven from his
i position MS pastor of the Lutheran church
lin the town above named. MIR. Il. was, and
lis Democrat. A controlling majority Of
The members Of his church were radical adj
herents of the dominant political party, and
rs such looked upon him as no longer 1T to
minister to them in holy things. They ae-
cordingly made up their minds aud laid
their plans to effect his dismissal. Their
tpurpOse was soon accomplished.
It Is proper to remark here, that the NAL
contents In his church did not charge him
: with any want of fidelity TO his office as
their spiritual guide. Nor did he make
: himself offensive to them by the Obtrusion
of his political sentiments upon their at
tentiOn on any occasion, and much less
: when standing in the sacred desk on the
Holy Sabbath. He had his opinions on the
great questions Of the day, and, like au
honest man, appreclating his rights, was at
no pains 10 conceal them. On proper Oc-
casions he gave expression to his cOIIvic-
tions, but they formed no part of the sub
stance of his public ministratlons. His Sin
: seems to have consisted solely In the fact
, that constrained by the best light he could
obtain, he had to stand politically just
where he had always stood. He was by
conviction and in conscience democrat.
: This was enongh. He must be sacrificed.
4 mn ftaf hn "a OWL Ha tot
: be driven from his pulpit and II, as the re-
suit, want and misery came upon him and
his, all this was without avail TO check the
relentless spirit by which he was pursued.
I Mr.. h under these circumstances. was
left to the choice of one of two alterna-
tives, either to encourage new church or
ganiZation headed by a number of friends
who were constrained by this high handed
| procedure to withdraw from the old con-
, gregatiOn; or practically to abandon the
work of the ministry altogether. lie
= chose the former course, for the reason that
: he did not feel at liberty to relinquish the
claims of an office which he believed him
self to have been called of God to fill
He might have sought II field of labor In
5 some other locality; but to have done SO
n would have seemed to involve an admission
i on his part that his course had been culpa-
- BILE. and that the action of his opponents
in nejecting him from the pastoral Office IN
Muitll kt nlu HNlNtN tbE NtiiEh. WIS lOb III
= from being just. He could not thus yield q
seeming acquicscence in decision respect
ing himself which he and all Others knew
c to be nothing short of an unmtigated out
rage; and we honor him for it. His good
# lnaine was causclessly assailed, and he felt
! that he must stand up In its defense, and
8 that too in the presence of the parties who
struck at him the worse than murderous
e blow. His mind was made up. He deter
mined to remain. A new congregation
u was organized, and he became It's pastor.
II Shortly after this the Synod of which
G Rev. b. WAS a member held its annual ses'
j., sion. This body, being almost to man IN
political sympathy with Mr.. BIS. enemies
took up the quarrel of the latter, and thus
: our friend found trouble in new quarter
i The Synod without finding cause for the
lutterance ofa single word of censure agains
: the actual fomenters of the original dis
!, tirbancc, made upon MIR. B.the peremptorJ
y demand that he must desist from his effort
" Ito build up the new congregation, ant
: urged those who had identified themselve
!, with il to desert him and return to the ole
y lchurch from which thoy had been virtNallJ
u op poilod. Mr.. B. felt constrained by M
!, imperious sense of duty to ignore thi
:, gratuitous counsel and to proceed with the
:, work he had in hand just Us he would have
y done if the counsel had not been given.
~ At the late meeting of the Wittenburg
= Synod, in Bucyrlls. the subject came before
y, it a second time. When asked whether he
y had obcyed the instruction of Synod, his
- prompt answer was that "he had not obeyed
= and that he did not intend to obey; that
. the question was one over which Synod had
: nothing more than advisory authority, and
= that rs the advice given was not such as Ia
y commend it to the approval of the parties
y y concerned, there was no choice left but tu
g set il aside" A committee was at once APP
!, pointed to take into consideration Mr. BIS
/ a. -
: Judgment the ease required. In due time Il
: report was made, closing with motion to
strike the name of the Rev. w. G. Barnett
from the clerical roll of Synod. The ques-
4 tion was taken, and the motion sustained by
= n stric; party note. Mr.. BIS name was
stricken from the roll
BY this act common deeeney, TO say
q nothing of christianity, was outraged. A
\ more high handed procedure it were diff
y !, cult to addHee In the records of the worst
= days of ecclesiastical tyranny. A man is
eXpelled from Synod, not because of any
gross moral offense laid to his charge, not
because he had transgressed the just aIi-
n thOrity of the body of which he had been a
prominent member, not because he had
been guilty of preaching any damnable
. heresy, but because the men, the ministers
G who sat in judgment on his case took cOun-
h sci of passion, political prejudice, that vi
y cious instructress to whose pernicious whis-
, perings the just will never lend listening
lear.
: We have known the Rev. w. @. Barnett
{ for years. lie is a man of mind, having a
: clear head, sound Judgment, ready wit,
and with an open. warm, and generous
e heart. We regard him as an upright,
honorable, and conscientious christian
s gentleman. That such man against whose
moral character neither interest nOrmalaco
has been able to lodge even the shadow OF
!, an accusation. should be made to suffer n
= penalty like this, may well excite our
wonder, and must, unless the sense of justice
in us be dead, call forth our indignant re-
buke. That a body of christian men, bound
by the divine law of charity to stand up TO
the last for brothers good name, should,
without even decent pretext for the blow,
c strike that brother to the ground, gives
: evidence of stride in the way Of estrange-
Incnt from the teachings of Christ many
degrees in advance of anything for which
we were yet prepared,
Mr.. b. has been u labOrious minister OF
? the Gospel for seUenteea vedrs,and the living
y witnesses of his fidelity and usefulness In
fire several fields he has Oeeuniad can h,.