The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-05-05

The HalraiiaH GGzetke's last issue compiain>S
Of our remarks about the political sermon OF the
native pastor Of KaumakapiIi Church Letting
that pass, we again repeat that we dIsapproTe
completely of 50 politics being introduced into
the = pulpit" Of Christian churches Jesus
Christ did not talk . politics" here upo~~eart5|
and wi have always thought that the men VINO
profess to be His ministers are bound to follow
His example. If tie minister OF the Gospel OF
Christ believes that the political life OF the So
ciety in which he lives is in any wise opposed 10
the teachings Of the Gospel, then o. course we
hold that the Christian minister has q perfect
right to express his opinion on the subject. But
this is very different from " talking politics
from the pulpit. Political excitement. culmina-
ting in riot and bloodshed, has been witnessed oy
the editor of the Ha,raiiGn Gazette in this very
capital, not so long ago. Can he desire TO see a
repetition of such scenes? Yet, political mar
rangues from the pulpit of a native church by a
native pastor, are well calculated in our opinion
to arouse the same passions which broke loose IN
50 blood-thirsty a fashion on a previous OCCASION
If the opportunity should again occur. No
minister of the Gospel in any Christian land
whatever is justified in talking against the law
fully constituted succession to the throne from
his pulpit. We are amused at the empty pre-
sumption of the Gd=etie writer he evidently
looks upon himself as an IS oracle" There Is no
wisdom, plainly in his way of thinking, outside
of the Ha,caiian GG=ette's inspired utterances.
Balaam's ass was also inspired so that lnsplra-
ton may even have fallen upon the Gazette;
but it bears the asinine stamp. We repeat
that political agitation has nothing whatever to
do with the preaching Of the Gospel. In this
country, the natives have been SO recently con-
verted from paganism that it would be a grievous
mistake to mix up politics in their religious
teaching from the pulpit. Religious liberty is
very different from incendiary sermons by sacer-
dotal firebrands from the pulpit of the House OF
God. To restrain such sacerdotal firebrands IL
the duty of every we'll constituted government
and this is no violence to conscience, certainly
A Christian pastor can find occasions to tall
politics to all who like to hear him, outside o
the pulpit but political discourses from the pull
pit or from the altar are wholly opposed to tn
practice and teaching of Jesus Christ. Tha
Divine Master plainly taught this lesson to Hi
disciples of not meddling in political question
: when they asked HIM about the payment of tn
, tribute money, and He replied Render t
Caesar the things which are Caesars, and to Go
, the things which are Gods" The native pa
tors of Hawaii nei have quite enough to do here
s to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to thel
focks; if they want to talk politics, let theI
leave the church. But, certainly, it would
very deplorable to find the pulpit of the natiS
+ churches here converted into a " stump"
Elsewhere in to-day's paper will be found tw
v communications upon this subject. 'Aloha
Il makes a friendly attempt to correct the impre
. sion obtained from the report of the remarks
the p"-tar of Kaumakapili and the pastor hin
self declares the IUrnrt to have been false. Son
E one has evidently given the raverend gentlema
d an incorrect translation Of our arsiele of la
% week, as we did not accuse him of utteIis
treason. We believe he speaks from his pull
ertenpOre. and if so he is not the first publ
speaker who failed to recognize his own wor
1T spoken hastily. However, as he now disclaiI
l. the intent to create any i'll feeling, we are qui
lt willing to believe him as sincere.