The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-11-22
"NOthing to do with Politics and
Religion"

"NOthiDg 10 DO with Politics and
Religion"
We have had repeated requests to
republish this sermon, preached in st,
Luke's Cathedral on April 18th, 1887.
For the sake of brevity the peroration
is omitted
"Not every one hat saith unto me Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will OF my Father which is in
heaven. ST, Mark, vii 2-,
A correspondent writing recently in
the Constitution repeats the ancient
wltticism that ought to be feeble now
from sheer old age. "He likes the
Episcopal church because it has moth.
ing to do with politics or religion"
The venerable jest is kept alive by the
truth that is in it. A truth aud lie
linked together are like cork and q
hook on the same line. The truth
keeps the lie afloat and the lie catches
the fools.
1t is most true that the Episcopal
church has nothing to do with politics
The most strained relations, the in
tensest feeling, the widest storm oil
political passion affect this church no
more than the wild waves disturb the
calm OF the deep sea. Look at :he
Episcopal church in those days of hol
heart burnings and and terrible strife
within our memory.
In 1865 the general convention
met together a, though nothing had
happened. Church men from
Georgia and Massachusetts shook
hands and the work went or
without a question, without a jar
Was this Indifference? Were Jef1er
son Davis and Chief Justice Chase
and Gen. Hancock and Joe johnson
and Robert E. Lee indifferent? Thes'
men were Episcopalians. It wa
not indifference; but recognition
OF the principle that the Episcopa
church has nothing to do with politics
but that her domain is religion an,
nothing else.
But our ancient jester says thi
church has nothing to do with religion
Let us see. What lie religlon' On
thinks it is regular attendance upoI
confession and other requirements c
the church. Another thinks religion
is the glib recital upon street corner
of happy experiences and ESTATE Wis
ions. Another thinks it is loyalt
to certain traditions of Oliver Cron
wells protectorate, the using of the st,
reotyped religious phraseology Of tn
"Barebones parliament" or the a
staining from those particular anus
ments which Charles III. most enjoye
Others think OF religion as the su
mission of mans whole nature, h
amusements, his tastes, his pleasure
too-the conservation OF all, not the
struction Of any part OF his life. Til
men differ about the definition of !
ligion; thus one thinks little of Il
religion of another who pronounc
not his shiboleth or performs not b
favorite virtue.
l. Thus one man thinks the EpisC
pslians are not religious because tn
do not talk about their religion al
proclaim aloud their profession to t
world. If we are wrong in this,
have at least the injunction of Chr
that we must not let our left hal
know what the right hand doeth. '
remember texts In the Good Bo
about the Father who seeth in s0cl
And the loud professions OF Sim
Peter, ~ will die with thee" with
echo, II know not the man" and I
hosannas of Palm Sunday, with tn
sad Good Friday antithesis, "Cruc
HIM. These recollections make
hesitate to make many profession
but rather to work on for God and s
very little about it.
Q. Some persons imagine the Epis
palians not very religious because
illuminate no anathemas upon thC
particular popular amusements viii
Puritanism has laid under the b
This subject shall discuss next 81
day. 1t is enough now to say that
recognize no authority in Puritan
dition to define the forms of our r
reation and pleasure. To divine |
nANF nRnMnTUIAIl'