The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-11-28
Politics in the Pulpit.

| not fewer than one thousand political
sermons were preached Sunday before
! last in Massachusetts. Without donbt
there were many discourses there Of the
| kind--many appeals to the citizens to
vote morally and religiously-
| demonstrations OF the concurrence OF
| religious and civil duties; but it must
at the same time be observed that in
t this there was no novelty, for ever since
| the foundation of the State--ducing the
| old Colonial days, tue period preceding
| the Revolution, the Revolution itself,
and the contests of the Federal and
! Democratic parties-political preaching
was both common and vehement, while
| in more modern times the pulpit took
constant part in the discussion of the
This interference Gas it was termed of
the clergy with secular affairs (as they
were termed) gave great pain, few
years since, to the Pro Slavery Consery-
atiyes, who were uncommonly eager for
the preaching Of q pure and simple gos-
! pel with no adulterous admlXfure OF pro-
fame elements The grumbling was
grieyous. but the preaching naturally
went on, for the simple reason, we sup
pose, that moral and political questions
/ had become identical. We cannot very
easily imagine serm on upon the tariff,
or internal improvements, or the re-
sumption of specie payments; but to
preach upon Slavery, and the questions
connected with it, was the natural i'm
pulse of conscientious and benevolent
pastor When the Rebellion came, we
were not sorry to have the pulpit upon
the side of the Union, urging enlist
ments, entreating rich men to lend their
money to the Government, encouraging
! the Sanitary COMMISSIONER all ways
promoting the righteous cause of loyalty;
| and now that practical hOstilities are
over, has the duty Of the pulpit become
less because peace has made our contro-
versies more exclusively moral The
truth is, our American politics, more
perhaps than those of any other nation,
are based upon fundamental ideas OF
right and wrong. In many other coun-
tries there is no pretense of conscien-
tiousness in public affairs. and therefore
no opportunity for appeals which here
are pertinent and natural The very
men who sneer at the consciences OF
their opponents profess to have lively
=! consc:ences Of their own. This arises,
| in part, from that personal responsibility
which the establishment Of Universal
| Suffrage entails. The power of voting
| implies duty and to be swayed by
motives Of mere interest, to make mer
T clandise OF the ballot, or to desert avow
| ctl principles, is hardly less than fagi.
tious crime This gives to the pulpit
the right to speak upon topics which
primarily seemed quite alien to its
| sphere-to rebuke the false, to censure
| the sordid, and to denounce the timid
and times erving.
The truth is, we have never heard any
stickler for pulpit proprietics complain
when the preaching was upon his side.
/ Conservative politics are esteemed es-
| pecially lovely in the sacred desk
There was no censure from the fastidi-
| Gus for the clergyman who found an
apology for Human Slavery in Genesis
! or Exodus, or in the Epistle of Paul to
Philemon. The preacher who charged
the Abolitionists with scattering fire
brands, arrows and death, was esteemed
only faithful sentinel by large class
| of his Pensioners. We can remember
when this sort of sermonizing was in.
the highest fashion even in New England
pulpits. Thirty years ago the Anti-Sla-
very clergymen were a mere handful,
and it was thought to be an extremely
courages act when the excellent Chan
| ming ranged himself upon the side of
| Justice and humanity. Boston merchants
said that he must undoubtedly be think
| ing of going into political life and of
running for Congress 1t required
nothing less than the Kansas iniquity to
| turn the tide and to make clergynen
understand the true bearing OF the ques-
| tion.
| It would be curious to inquire, if the
subject could be so much as entered up
on in these columns, how much preach
ing has been political since the establish
ment of Christianity. There are minis
ters of the World who are content with
weekly discussion of theological abstrac-
| tionc apd xUo have M consuro for thoir =
peculiar views of their official duty but
there are other clergymen of different
constitution. who cannot sever them
selves from practical human interests,