The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-17
POLITICS AND THE PULPIT,
The Queer Conditions on Which Donation
Was Accepted.
New Bedford Mass Mercury.

New Bedford (Mass) Mercury
A Baptist church in East Dedham has ac-
cepted donation of a lot of land for a par
sonage on conditions imposed by the donor
that the minister must not preach Cesar
ism, politics. Garfeldism, or glorification or
denunciation of any living or dead person,
nothing but the pure Scriptural facts of
Christ and Him crucified.'" Some persons
VINO had contributed money toward build
ing parsonage sensIbly objected to tying up
their donation by any such restriction and
the giver of the land said he would make
good any subscriptions which were lost for
this reason.
1t is easy to look forward a dozen years
and see how sick that church will be of its
bargain. In the first place, no preacher with
any respect for his manhood or his calling
can submit to any such restriction on what
he must say as these conditions impose. 1t
tickles the ears of a great many thoughtless
people to say that a minister shouldn't
preach politics, but if he means to tell his
people the truth he can't preach Christ and
Him crucified' long in these days without
running athwart the current of politics
And if the preacher is true man, with a
particle of grit in him, he will not hesitate to
say his say when vital question of national
honor is submitted to the peoples decision.
His station as preacher cannot absolve him
from duty which everyone will agree would
rest upon him were he in any other voca-
ton. Whatever "Cesarism" or Garfield
ism" may be, we are unable to say. Per-
haps Christ Himself was guilty of preaching
the former when he said Render unto
Caesar the things that are Cmsar's" But
then he didn't have parsonage to live in
But the church, when it finds pastor,
will also find itself given up to hunting for
hereses in his sermons. He will be far more
of diplomatst than most preachers if he
can keep his discourses clear from all ex-
pressions which could be considered as
trenching on the forbidden subjects. Like
the boy who throws stones at the street Ian
terms to see by how little he can miss them,
the clergyman will find himself making ex-
periments with his hearers to see how much
politics he can preach to them without their
knowing it. But should he, like the greatest
preacher of Christ that ever lived, reason
earnestly with his congregation of righteous
ness, temperance and judgment to come"
he would be sure of raising the ire of some
sensitive soul, who would not be at loss
for arguments to show that he had violated
all the conditions by which he held his pull
pit. The church cannot fail to be doomed to
no end of internal trouble arising from the
attempt to muzzle its preacher.
The fact is, while the primary purpose and
chief mission OF the church is spiritual, it
cannot ignore the everyday current of hui
man life, and be successful This donor of
an acre of land wants nothing preached-in
the most literal sense-except Christ and
Him crucied." But Christ Himself never
preached any such doctrine, and what is
more, He never practiced it. His greatest
sermon was full of every day lfe-of max
inns which were directly applicable to the
commonest duties OF his hearers. The pull
pit of to-day can have no better model