Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-09-29

W. y ttNtS. Shhtth'n.
ueOE.ITlCAe. E'REACg1IN(iS.
The Lancaster. Pa Mi,ii,gcncer has the
following in i,rnri 70 ir,,tr Of Judge Jer
cmiah :. Black
Some time age Rev. Allied Nevin, Of
Philadelphia, in conversation with Judge
Black boldly announced his belief that
preachers should discnss rol'ical affairs in
the pulpit. To this the Judge i murrcd.--
The conversation wss continued for somc
time in On earnest bu, friendly manner. DR..
Ncvin having expressed a wish o. continue
the discussion through the newspaper pre- s,
Judge Block took up his cha lengc without
hcs,taticn. The frat letter Of Dr. Ncvin
appeared in the Philadelphia Erening Bnils.
TN. . few days ego. We publish today
the able and crushing ireply Of Judge
Black.
This great letter from Judge Black comes
Al Al opportune moment. II Vas only day
before yesterday that we Jaw In the Harris
burg Telegraph frantic. appeal To the cler>
~. They were called upon to come to the
aid Of the Radical cause which is 40 evi.
IDENTIFY iast sinking. II the wishes Of such
papers as the telegraph prev,il. we .halI
have the present political c nt,st transferred
from tho stump TO the pulpit We hope
Ministers Of the Gospel will not So far forget
their holy calling again. n they should the
duty Of Democrats 10 plain. They should
At once completely withdraw all support
from the men who thus prostitute the house
Of God into political hus,ings. This should
10 done che momen, any such outrage is At
tempted
srDas RLAcA IN RIrLr TO REV ALFRED MI
viN, u.
4 Letter rhich erery Nan should Read.
Nv Us.R Sir Your letter addressed 10
Ias through the Philadelphia Erenia Baiie
fiN dieappo'nts me; because DID not cx
pect il to come In that way. and because it
does not cover the subject in issue between
us. But II ] am silent your fri,;is will say
with some show Of reason. that you have
vindieated" Toi,tieai ireach.ng'' ;, ,rium ph
anlly that oil opposition Is conf"unded I
must therefore speak freely IN ieply. do
ing ~, mcnn to say nothii inconsistent
with my great respect ior your high char
aclet IN the Church and in the world The
admirable style and temper Of your own
communication deserves 10 BIZ initiated.
fully .,ncelc the right you claim for
c.ssgym to select their own themes and
handle them as they please. Yo. say truly,
that neither lawyers, nor physicians, nor
any other order Of men have the least aus
tbortty T. control you in thesc particulars.
HUT you vii! NJ, deny tina, this IL privilege
which may lie abused YOU expressly ad-
init that aone clcrgymcn hare abused II.
and By DONG 80 dia more than any other
cl0ss 81 msn 10 commerce and continue tie
late rebellion" While, therefore, We can
assert no power to dictate your conduct.
much lc>a TO force you, We arc surely not
VIZ ny when We 6ntrtdt YOU to impose upon
your@lpcS those rcsuictsoas, winch reason
anu revolution have shoNa TO be necessary
for the good Of the Church aud the safety Of
civil snciety.
scknuw ledge that YOUR commis sion il y
very broad one. You must declare the
Whole counsel OF 70 d. to The end that an
ucrs may bc convinced and converts hml,
NJ ~ their moat ho, Faith Truth. Justice.
temperance. humility, mercy, peace, bro,h>
crly Kindness, charty-thc whole circle Of
Christisn virtues must be assiduoisly
taught 70 your hearers and il any OF them
DO inclined To the opposite vices, you are to
dsnouncc them without fear, nv private al
mention. by open rebukc, or b, Q general
delivery of the law which condemns them
lou are not bound % pause IN the perform
sncc VI this duty because Il NAV offend =
powerful ruler Of . strong political party
Nor should you shrink fr,l il, when bad
men, Tor Their own purposes, approve wha,
YOU 10. Elevate the moral chArsct,r T.. en-.
l'shtcn lhc darkness. and purity the hearts
o. those whe are undsr your sp,,i,ual charge
at Oil hazards; tor thia Is che work which
your great Taskmaster has given you 10 do.
and lie will admit no excuse for ncrlcctnr
It.
But this 10 precisely what the political
preacher is NOT in thu habit Of dong. Ne
d,rects the attention Of hi. awsy
from their own ains to the sins.
real OF imputed, Of other people. Nv teach
ing his CO. grcga,ion that they arc better
than other men he FILE their hearts with
cell -concsit. bigo,yy, spiritual pride. cnyv.
haued, 0Atoe and observation-disclosures. In.
stead Of the sxhortaticn, which they need.
~ ssks the beam out Of their own owe. hc
incit' . them to pluck the mote from their
brothers. He does not tell them what they
ohali do to Be saved, but inslrucss them very
carefully how they shall act Cor the dcStruc.
ton Of othera. lie rOuscs and encourages
to the utmost of his ability, those b, u,al
paseions which result IN riot, bloodehcd.
spsilstiod. civil war and eensral corruption
Of morals.
You commit . grievous error in suppos.
" teat politics and religion are 10 mingled
together that you cannot preach one n tn
out introducing the other. Chris, and His
apostles kept them perfectly sepera,e. They
auaounccd the gscat facts Of the Gospcl 10
each individual whom they addressed.
When these were accepted the believer WAS
told TO repent and be baptized far the re-
mission Of his sins, and afterwards 10 rem
late HE own life by the ru!es Of . pure and
perfect morality. They expressed no p,c.
ference for one form Of (;oycrnr,cn, ov.v an.
other. they provoked no p ,i,.cal reyolu.
tons, and they proposed no lesal re-,
forms. IL they had done SO they
would have fatty contraaics.d the decl.r.
alton that Christ's Kingdom vas not Of this
world. and Christianity itself would have
died out In balfa century. But they accept.
ID the relations which wese created By hu.
man law. aad sxhesesd their disciples 10
discharge faithfaliy the duties which arose
est o. them. Though H. lsws which detin.
= ths authority Of husbands, parents, mas
tern md ns9ist,ase wers q bed q human
Rsr.ssssty could make then. ret The Early
Chdsetaae sentsntsd themselves vith teoc6.
iss ncdess:ioe IN y. :zsrcise Of legal pow.
e6saisoes ard 0dsaity upon vives. el,;ldren.
sAvos ~ sshjeess. They jeised IL 20
cla0oes tt Or aeAinst eng administr,tion.
but simply tsssided against rim before ~
emily tribunal which Christ ever srcc,el on
earth thse u 70 say, the conscisncs Of :
stnoer hiuns>lf The vice Of political n, each
tss w:s wholly unknown % the primitive
.1nnS<s s. eoo~