Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-09-18
PULPIT POLITICS.
THESE WORDS ARE FOR THE PREACH
ERS TO READ.

What Cheever Said In 1857 Applies with
Equal Force to the Church In 1894 on
the Temperance Question.
Written by George B. Cheever, d. D.. in 1851
Nothing can possibly be more hypo-
critical than the outcry about political
preaching. The truth Is that the mo-
ment any sin passes from the individual
to the nation and is sanctioned by law
and becomes what is called organic,
then instantly the speech against 1t Is
branded as political preaching, SO that,
if you wish to take all manner Of sin
from the touch and control Of the pull
pit, If you wish to shield 1t from that
rebuke which God has appointed to be
thundered against it, you have only to
make it legal and national, and you
have given it tabernacle, a pavilion,
you have enshrined 1t as Dagon, before
which you must put of the shoes from
your feet and approach it only to bow
down and worship II man has two
wives, you may preach against polyg-
amy, and nobody thinks Of charging You
with preaching politics; but, if state
set up polygamy by law and its sup
port be made plank in the platform Of
party, then IL you touch upon it in the
pulpit you are preaching politics. When
ever and in whatever way you bring
religion to bear upon politics there are
men who will accuse you Of political
preaching, but you are not to stop for
that.
tell you, no wonder that the modern
pulpit has lost its power, when men are
afraid of tho application Of that power
and tremblc at the consequences. The
gospel is not to be perverted as polit-
ical lullaby and shall not be muzzled at
the mandate of intriguing politicians
There is nothing, from the beginning to
the end of the alphabet, connected with
moral issues and bearing ON mems duty
which may not at the proper time be
made the subject of investigation in the
pulpit. and the proper time for the con-
sideration of any sin is the very time,
and the proper place the very place
where the sin is practiced, where its
lawfulness, expediency and righteous
ness are maintained, and where its dis
astrous, demoralizing, destructive infiu-
ence is felt, and not at the antipcdes,
where sins are reigning of al entirely
opposite character. The proper time
and place for the consideration of idola-
try is in the presence of the idol wor-
ship and in the community where such
an abomination prevails, or where it is
defended, and no matter what laws or
antique usuages and authorities Of state
and custom sustain the iniquity-that
makes no difference in the duty Of the
preacher. The application Of the gospel
must be made, nor is there any time to
be lost, since the argument Of posses
sion, custom and law is every day grow
ing stronger.
Just so with every dear, cherished,
fashionable evil If the probing Of it
occasions agitation, anger, strife, that
very thing is proof Of SO dealing with
it, and if it is warmly contested not to
be an evil nor sin that itself just clear
ly shows the danger and ruin of letting
it alone and the necessity Of pouring
the light Of Gods word upon it II it
be interviewer with the politics Of the
state and of society, so much the more
hazardous to meddle with it, but so
much the more necessary.