The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22
THE DIGNITY OF POLITICS.
True Conception of the Civil Duties and
Responsibilities of Citizenship.

Sermon of Rev. 81. A. Buchtel, of Denver COL
1t has been sometimes suggested that it is out
place for the minister to bring politics into the
pulpit and that it is the exclusive business Of
the minister to preach the gospel Ihave always
felt like admitting that it is out of place for the
minister to carry politics into the pulpit, but, in
the discharge of his duty as preacher of
righteousness. in times of political excitement,
ne must needs carry the pulpit into politics.
TOD Keeps the human race on this planet for the
express purpose of building them into an holy
temple In the Lord. 1t becomes the duty of the
minister to go into every part of this temple to
see that it is all put together after the shapely
pattern set forth in Gods word In the Jewish
system, the priest was permitted to go any
where from the ''holy of holies' to the court of
the gentiles." In the providential arrangement
of our institutions we have all the divisions of
the temple of God in the larger temple of human
society. The church of our time stands to us as
the holy of holies The holy place in the Jewish
temple is fifty represented now by our education
al institutions. The press we'll as the school
should be included in the list of our educational
appliances The court of the women is repre-
sented in our home, and the court of the gentiles
in our civil government. 1t is clearly the duty
of the minister of religion to go into all parts of
this great temple. There is particular reason
why he should say much about the civil govern
ment; that is, because it stands on the outside of
all other institutions The foes of the mind and
heart must needs be kept away from society,
and this is the Office of the civil government.
While we freely recognize that the church,
standing IN the center of our great temple,
Is the sanctiier of society, vet it must not
be forgotten that the civil government is our
protector and defender 1t is interesting to look
into the Old Testament to see what was the duty
OF the minister. The prophet of God was always
interested in the purity of the civil government.
You know how Samuel concerned himself in
matters of this character. He went TO Saul
again and again to exhort him to proper re
gard to the law of God When it was demon
strated that Saul would not reform his life,
peaceful revolution was led by Samuel to set
aside the reigning family. Then David came to
be king After he had committed the only sin
that is recorded against him, he was at once re
buked for it by the prophet Nathan. 1t is prob
able that Nathans conscientious interest in the
purity of the civil government put a stop at
once to what might have been the beginning of
long train of public caamities. So all teach
ers OF religion were urgent in their utterances
concerning the purity of the civil government.
1t is the Old Testament which furnishes us with
Gods ideal of the civil officer Joseph and Dan
lei were politicians. They were in political of
nee tor life, and there is not spot the record
OF either of them. While it is true that priests
transgressed Gods law, yet these men in political
Office were perfect.
The scripture announced as the text contains
a broad declaration of fact which we must in
terpret in the light of the general tenor of Bible
teaching. We quickly lead ourselves astray if
we give our lives direction from only single
text of Scripture. The idea which the apostle
here expresses is that government or the pre-
servatlon OF order In society, is of God. We
understand him to declare that government is of
God and not that the particular governor is of
God. just as the family, and the church. and the
Sabbath are divine institutions so also is the
civil government. There is way in which we
might interpret this Scripture which would JUS
tify US in our ordinary habit of neglectng our
duties to the state; that is. if we should under
stand 1t as teaching that all civil rulers are spe
cially chosen of God to their office whether they
come into the possession of power by legitimate
or lllegtlmate means That is the conception
of the Turk. When the news spread through
the streets of Constantinople that Abdul Aziz
had been dethroned, and that Murad V. had
been enthroned all the Turks said: 1.-THE will
of God is accomplished" And when the de-
ihroned Sultan was found dead, they said again:
1.-The will of God is accomplished" and they
neither knew nor cared whether he had commit
ted suicide or had been assassinated. But we
cannot subscribe to any such blasphemies.
tits not the will of God that men should COM
NIT suicide nor that they should be assassinated
And no more is it his will that bad men should
be in charge of any of the sacred trusts of civil
government. TO say that political parties are
managed in corrupt manner does not argue
against the conception that civil government is
from God. You can find houses in Denver where
the family life is fit representation of hell and
yet the family institution is from God. And the
church is sufficiently corrupt in some countries
now, and yet the institution of the church is from
| God. living teacher has we'll said that "Gov-
eminent is not the natural condition of society as
| level surface is the natural condition of water
| but government is the struggle of society, the
| perpetual toll of it as against the anarchy of
| ignorance and wickedness Government is So
| ciety on the defensive good government has
| all bad men for its enemies and when we remem-
| Der what proportion of the human family cannot
be designated otherwise than as bad, the diff
Guilty in the way of the state may be imagined 1t
is called upon to protect the weak, when
the strong love to grind them. 1t is called
upon to punish criminals, when criminals are
| often rich and powerful. 1t is the advocate of
| Justice in world where men are unjust A
| good government therefore, instead of being
something which men can write out upon paper
| in l776 or In 1879, and then in hundred wears
| look at it again. that they may glory over it's
wonderful success, is prize that must be fought
for IN almost daily battles of thought and ballot
| box. From all causes, known and unknown, the
state stands to-day asking for the attention and
help of all educated and moral men as it never
| pleaded for them before
We can help to make the civil government the
clean institution it is designed to be by getting
an intelligent grasp of the ideas it represents
| Every government is the exponent of an invis-
| ible thought. In an absolute monarchy YOU
nave Inc loea OF irresponsible dominion; you
| recognize that one man or one family came into
| the world with almost divine prerogatiyes. and
that all other men are without responsibility in
| any of the affairs of government Thanks to
the influence of the Gospel of Christ" the
absolute element in the monarchies of the world
is more and more giving way to the popular
| will. Our government is exponent of the
idea that the individual citizen is person of
infinite value; that all men are valuable beyond all
| thought and conception. The first affirmation
we make in our famous Declaration of Independ-
ence is that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights; that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness" This is
the large and Christian idea that God gave to the
men of transcendent intellect, cultured con-
| science and indomitabe will, whom He chose to
| lay the foundations of our Republic
| Thomas Starr King said, in 1857: "a light
house is not more manifestly built to bear aloft
and protect light than the American polity