Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-01-26
Moral and C,viI Matters

Moral and Civil Matters.
The editor of the Christian Id
uocate, of st. Louis, explains the
position of his church towards the
local option law. Asked, "Do you
think if member OF the NJ. e.
(South) votes against the Wood
local option law he violates the
rules of the church, or his obliga-
tions?" he replies as follows:
"The Wood law-as it is termed
lis now before the people of the
State as political question, and a
man may honestly and conscienti-
ously vote ON either side and for
different reasons. He may be op-
posed to drunkenness, and to open
saloons, and yet regard that par
ticular law as Objectionable in it.
self. At least some have put in
that plea, whether honestly OF
otherwise is not for me to say, but
in the absence of all rebutting testi-
mony | am bound to admit their
plea. I have heard of some able
and, as l believe, good men, oppos-
ing and voting against the Wood
law, and, therefore, indirectly vot-
ing for open saloons, because they
regarded the law as unconstitution-
al. Others may have had other
reasons for opposing it. Besides,
it is very delicate and dangerous
matter for the church to undertake
to direct or influence lis members
in regard to the manner of their
voting in civil or political matters.
If you once begin, there is no tel
ling where you will stop. think
it unwise and wrong to vote for
notoriously bad men for civil Of
fee, still I do not regard the
church, as such, as having the
right officially to interfere, be-
cause, while the act may be, and is
a civil or political wrong, it is not
necessarily a moral wrong So in
regard to voting for open saloons.
1 think it civil or social wrong,
and yet can understand how man
may SO vote with pure motives and
good intentions. He, occupying a
different standpoint and entertain
ing different views, may honestly
think it a right and a duty to do so.
He thinking it right does not make
it so. An action is good or bad ac-
cording to its etfects-the actor is
virtuous or vicious according to the
motive which prompted the ac-
tion-always recollecting that the
lack of a sufficient motive is equiv
alent to bad one. Men sometimes
performs good acts with bad mo-
tives, or bad acts with good motives.
"Saul of Tarsus prosecuted the
Christians, thinking he ought to do
many things contrary to the name
of Jesus, and he did them, all the
while living in good conscience be-
fore God. But his conscience was
wrong because his perceptions were
wrong. His conscience and our
conscience always decide according
to the perceptions of the intellect.
If the perceptions be wrong, the de-
clsions will be wrong also. What
Saul needed was enlightenment,
and that is what we need. The
church takes cognizanee of moral
wrong and should never interfere in
questions pertaining to civil gov
eminent. "My kingdom is not In
this world" said the Divine Mas
ter, hence his servants did not
| fight. In this country men vote
not as church members but as cit
izens, and the church has nothing
to do or say as to the fact of their
voting unless there be connected
with the act voluntary transgres-
sion of a known moral law, as an
intention to cheat, defraud or the
| like, in which case the church may
and ought to take cognizance OF
that moral wrong; or If a man vote
for a wrong, knowing it to be
| wrong, and intending to sustain
that wrong, he becomes partfceps
4 criminis, and the church may take
cognizance of it, as it is contrary tc
and forbidden by the word of God
This, however, does not apply te
the case under notice, as there are
honest and well meaning men who
strange as it may seem, really be
lieve the effects of the Wood Law
would be worse for the countr,
than is the present state of things
hence they need to be more full,
> enlightened. In no case shoult
, our ministers go beyond the teach
3 lings of our discipline in regard Il
this or any other matter.
! "That is plain enough, and as W
! believe in harmony with the divin
: word, which word is the rule, tn
], sufficient and only rule ofour faitl
land practice. =
81 Mr.. M. r. Osburn, of Randolph
+ and Miss Minnie Osburn, of Saline
!, were married in Recorder Torrey
!, sons office Friday by Judg
Iof Probate Edwards.