Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-02-01
Established in 1913.
= = =
From the Evangelical Repository and United Presby-
u trrla na ,v-f for
What has the Church Done I?
BY REV. j. R. JOHNSTON.

''' ny REV J. R. JOHNSTON.
The war for the salvation of the govern
ment of the United States is at an end.
complete victory has been gained over brav
and daring rebels, and the country has al
ready drawn the long breath of relief snC
satisfaction. Of course, VIC all rejoice il
contemplating the glorious contamination
and with our rejoicing minele thanksgiving
! ia the God by whom we have been guideC
through the five dark years, and from whoH
| we have obtained the ability to achieve thu
important victory. Our rejoicing has beer
private and public, "a rejoicing that quick
ened US in our solitude, and thrilled us IL
ouf association with 0ur fellow mems as oul
thanksgiving has been FROM family altars
from social meetings, and from the great
congregation. 1t is quite natural that We
should look back in admiration and gSHti'
| tude to Abraham Lincoln, who cOnduck
the affairs of the country so ably durinA
such troublesome period of our history,
| and 1t betrays no weakness, il We even shed
q tear at the thought of his untimely fall.
We very naturally, too, think of the various
members of the cabinet, aud recollect how
they toled and suffered, that their duty to
the country might be well performed -
Grant Sherman, Sheridan and Thomas are
hardly ever out of our thoughts, and their
achievements arc the themes Of our firesde
conversation. We review in many c0nver-
sations, and in a thousand retrospections,
the campaigns, the marches, sieca,, defeats,
victories; the sailing OF fleets, the bofnhard
ment OF cities, the capture of forts. and all
the various incidents Of the eventful strug-
gle, with the agencies and appliances that
we're so proyidentially invented, and SO etfi-
GENTLY used. And thisis all right. We
cannot dwell on all these things too much.
They should occupy our thoughts and en-
gage our attention., so that we may the bet
ter appreciate the lessons of the conflict, the
meaning of its results and thus he able to
give the better praise to,God. Retrospect
ing in this way. and deriving all the salts.
faction and improvement it affords, it should
not be a forgotten duty to ask, What has
the church 'dane2 .a. ii IS
In this mighty conflict, which has con
vulsed all America and shaken the world,
what has heen the part of the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ? For in the midst
OF such awful times and transactions, the
church is notsllent or without Influence, but
is beard in its voice. aud is felt in its noise
less action. True, the church has not dis
tinctly and separately collected its volun-
teers, mustered them into regiments and
brlgadeS, and gone out in ecclesiastical array
to fight by itself 1t did not have its SOL
diers mustered and counted as States had.
As IN the world, the representatives of the
church of Christ are scattered about, neigh
boring and working with those who are its
enemies, so was 1t in the army OF freedom.
Its representatives were every where. They
were generals, cOlOnels, captains, and pr-
Yates jostled about by the wick edest of com
panions, and l0rded over by the vilest Of
commanders. Still it had its work, its
own work to do, and now that the struggle
is ended, and we calmly sit down to look
over the field, we ask, Has the church &C.
complishcd her part? Has she assisted in
preserving the government Of eur fathers,
and in bringing about the new era of liber-
ty and Justice? 1t basa right to receive the
proper credit, though we look for the re.
ward of acceptable service, not in this
world, but up yonder where God pronounces
his well done" on all who have properly
served him. 1t is too late now to spend
much time considering whether the church
had any thing to do with bringing on the
war. And yet this consideration is con.
nected with reflection on what it did during
the wars actual progress, and ought to be
included in the final summing up. Of
course, with slavery in our country, the war
was inevitable for it was hostile, and
hence useless and encroaching element in
our midst, which would some time either
over ride all opposition, or be itself defeat
ed and oycrthrnwn. But there were inhu-
enccs at work by which the result of war
was brought about and put in operation;
and the church was one of them. No
earlier, and more decided condemnation of
the peculiar institution came from any quar-
ter, than from those whowere preaching the
gospel of Jesus Christ. And the most ef-
fec,itc champions of liberty and the rights
Of inan were, in part of them who con
Quoted the rights Of his kingdom The best
foundation ever laid in this country for abo-
lition efforts and action, was by those pro-
Tossing the religion Of the Bible; for while
the one on which stood at last the-lever that
tore the mons,rous iniauity from its place,
and hurled it to destruction. And in times
closely ante dating the commencement of
hostifties between the two sections, there
were those, both North and South, who
were largely influential in making out the
issues and in precipitating the contest
While in the North there was a Barnes,
and Tying, and Beecher, and hundreds Of
others preaching the duty of "proclaimng
liberty throughout all the land, and, to all
the inhabitants thereof" there was Pal
mer, Moore, and others preaching tho
divinity of slavery, and its necessity in our
national economy to conserve the interests
OF religion and humanity. 1t has been often
said by many of its ewn membership, as
we'll as nv others, that certain denomina-
ton of Christians did more to keep up the
character of slavery in the South, and thus
render it a more dangerous enemy to the
government, than any other known inhu
ence. If any choose on snch grounds to
charge the church of Christ with bringing
on the csnAict, ,they are at liberty. to do So
The Bible principle of liberty, and justice
WAS better promoted blythe church instru-
mentalities Of the North, than by all the
political speakers and lecturers and philos-
ophers that were in circulation; and this
principle antagonizing. with the opposite
ibne, produced, the physical conflict which
we denominate our civil war. We hardly
know whether we ought to feel qualification
that, during the strife, the church of Christ
was. SO largely loyal, or the modification
that any of the Ndrhern pnlpits were filed
with men Of tory spirits. 1t was disgrace.
tul that coy one halding membership in the
church Of God should be so entirely devoid
aF Nhrtcfiun optpsf ~ l. IL