The New York herald., 1870-02-14
JAN: STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Morality In Church and civil Governments
The Duties and Obligations of Church and
State Each to the Othcr-yice in High
Places-A Blast for sour Rulers.o
In the absence OF regular pastor the morning
services at the Jane street Methodist Episcopal
church yesterday were conducted by the presiding
elder, Mr.. w. II. Ferris, before moderate sized and
deeply attentive congregation. After the usual In
troductOry services the preacher announced his
text q part OF the sixth verse OF the 1fty-third
Psalm--"Oh that the salvation Of Israel were come
out OF Zionr
He then proceeded to say that the time this text
was written was Time OF in9deity, detection and
captivity, and though the Psalmist sighed ana
prs led for deliverance lie saw hope in only d.
rectiOn. The salvation OF the nation could only
come out OF Zion. Zion was the perfection Of
beauty, ana 0ut OF her God must shine. Zion was
before the civil government. Gods altar was arst,
then the sceptre The secular and the ecclesiastical
ald each other. and ought: but in is the
one TO be displaced Dy the other. They should har.
NOME, but may not blend. The Church Is prOsti.
tued and corrupted wnen she both teaches religion
aud makes laws. In Israel the priest never was
King; the king never was priest. There interests
peculiar to each, and they may not encroach upon
each others prcrogaryes The Church may NOT
make treaties or International laws or regulate I'M
posts, commerce, finance, declare war or make
peace or determine the form OF government. SO,
on the other hand government may not write our
creed or regulate the rites and ceremonies OF the
Church or tue form OF Church government, regu-
freedom OF conscience Man Is responsible
TO God alone for his conscience, ana gov
or eHen n0 gt e erp
to serve IN Vicious light On the other hanu re-
gon VIII not interfere with the legitimate preroga-
tlves OF government. Gods law cannot abrogate
the principles OF Blackstone for this reason-civi
government has Its origin and existence from God.
1t ls divine institution. Religion is the 1ounda-
II, and 1t Is an axiom that God and just laws are
meyer al variance. As In science one branch over
laps another, so the empires OF religion and polcs
overlap. Religion Is based upon morality, ano
moral questions do aud Will mingie with the politics
SO as the world progresses. No man can eliminate
these moral quesLions: they are upneaying the
STABILITY OF the new. Government does not
usurp the rights OF the C..urch when great
moral questions are clad in Cesars robes,
nor does the Church drop from her creed or
control a single moral question because that ques-
ton may be an element IN the political strlies or the
belong no less to the Church because they trouble
the political waters. The creed OF the Church can
not be made narrower because tns basis OF civil
government becomes broader Civil government
DID not make the law OF morals nor can IL ater II;
aud should the government at any time attempt TO
resist and rebuke the wrong. Ii unscrupnlous par
tsans cry Church and STATE" as they Will, leave
tue ship Of state to us while you attend TO sacra-
ments ana prayers $50 much the more viii we show
Them that the principles ana the men who turn the
wOfl0 upslue uOWu nave come hith0r Also hut II
the Church herself transgresses the moral law then
G Is the right and duty ot the civil government to
interfere. II the government Will not allow poly
gamy IN an individual II mas no right to allow
1t IN o Church; and yet III nook beyond the
Rocky Mountains tnere IL . large community openly
practising THIS offence OF pOlygamy and defying tne
government 20 check 1t. while the government winks
At II and has done 30 for years. God has ordained
and the interests Of humanity demand that Christian
principles should govern this word, may be
readily inferred from the extent OF Sabbath desc
Grafton intemperance in high places, corrupuons OF
Legislators and Judges and fraud OF every KIND.
Neither Is 1t desirable or necessary to institute
new polltica4 0rgaDzartOn-a Church party. But let
poiltcans understand tnat Christians put principles
ana right high above party or men, That there Is
can De no compromise between the antagonistic
FORCES OF right and wrong tnat we are rellgiously
poiiticai and vote as we pray and preach, and the
victory Is gained Scheming politicians would then
leave us; they have . holy horror OF religion In a
ballot box, Tor IL works terrible havoc with the
views OF political intriguers. And the time must
ana viii come when Christians WILL awake and
sunder the withes with which the political De-
lllah has bound them. The body polite has no con-
scrvatisn In 1t. or itself alone any political faprlc
viii dislntograte, rot, and history proves the
tion. Law cannot regulate good morals; even good
laws are OF no force until the popular mind Is cdu-
Gated up to tue level OF such laws. The Romish
Church NJ political unit Pr0testantlsm 10 o pollti-
Gal Babel; hence politicians court Rome anu pass
PEptestantsm by Rome never forRets the Cnnrcn
but her political afapyes are always 10 tho directions