Middletown transcript., 1895-07-20


who attempts to buy his way into pub
lie office is more subtil and dan
gerous enemy to the public welfare
a worse traitor to free institutions
than the man who.fired the first gun on
Sumter or than the man who incites
others to open insurrection; for he who
corrupts the ballot in any way thereby
undermines the whole fabric of Ameri-
can institutions. That all thinking
men do not see this fact clearly, and
act upon it promptly, would seem to
give sanction to the assertion some
times made that "christian citizen
ship has abdicated its rights, and
stands guilty of unfaithfulness to the
noblest trust ever committed by Pro-
vidence to men," 1t is too true that
men who, in military defense of our in
stitutions, would count no cost of blood
or treasure too great, will, when those
same institutions need civic defense,
play the part of partisans or towards.
Desertion from the battle field is no
worse than the Sinking of civic duties.
1t ought to be understood by every citi-
zen of this Republic that he is man
who must give account to God for the
manner in which he discharges his
public duties. Under a government
like ours every mans voice and every
mans influence counts, and woe be to
him who refuses to do his duty. Every
citizen is under moral and religious
obligations, declared in scripture to be
binding upon those bearing rule and
having authority. The voter who
fails to vote, or who barters away his
vote; who utters no protest against bri-
berry, and similar crimes; who fails in
anyway to exercise all possible in
fiuence upon other voters to promote
good government, is personally re-
sponsible for the decentralization and
the curse of bad government; for the
non-enforcement of righteous legis-
lation, for the covering of the public
conscience, for all the evil done, and
for all the good left undone. The con-
science which cannot be quickened by
these responsibilities is dead indeed.
1t is part of the duty of the pulpit
to make such truth so plain that men
shall not be able to sin ignorantly in
politics, nor be blind to the danger of
current practices. We have not been
as jealous as We should have been in
insisting upon the truth that righteous
ness exalteth nation, while sin is re-
proach, etc: "If I were to preach, said
Governor ]. d. Long, of Massachu-
setts, 81 would take as my theme the
personal responsibility of the citizen
for the moral condition of the people,"
The responsibility of the pulpit in this
direction is not sufficiently recognized.
There is extant a notion of ministerial
life and duty which would deprive the
office of great part of its influence
for good. It is said that ministers
should have nothing to say about pub
lie questions. 1t is declared that re-
ligion is one thing, and politics quite
another thing; and that the two do
not mix. 1t certainly would not be
best for some men to mix their politics |
with religion, for pure religion would |
suffer thereby. But is it ever wrong
or harmful for man to mix religion |
with politics =? Is not this mixing just |
what is needed in America Religion |
in politics-or at least that part of |
religion which is ethical and moral
is the only thing that will save us
from the wolves; and politicians and
political scribblers cannot prevent its
intrusion. 1t is impossible for nation
to have any religion that will not more
ro less shape its politics. If Christian
nations are in any or in all respects su-
perior to Pagan and Moha mmedan ma
tions, it is because the maxims of the
gospel have shaped their politics and
educated their public men. There is an
eternal union between religion and
politics. They cannot be put asunder
without disaster, because God hath
Joined them together. The history of
nations proves this, and that of no ma
tion more emphatically than our own.
1t was the religion of the grand old
Puritans which shook down the throne
of the goddess Stuarts, and builded a
aud stable government
on it's ruins. 1t was the religion of the
Pilgrim Fathers which laid the foun-
dations of our government, and with
out which such government would
have been impossible. As for the asser-
tion that ministers must keep silent,
that depends. Ifit is meant simply that
partisan politics are out of place in the
pulpit, I emphatically agree. The
discussion ofmere politics,of questions
of purely material interests. does not
pertain to the minister, as a minister.
AS citizen he has right to his con-
and to the utterance of them
under proper limitations as to time and
place. But when ministers enter polit-
ical campaigns and advocate the cause
Of this or that party, when moral
questions are not at stake, they bring
religion into contempt, and do much
harm. This, however, is extremely
rare. / have never heard a political
sermon of that kind. For one preacher
who sins in this direction there are
scores who, like the Vicar of Bray. do
not have even the convictions that
every citizen ought to have, and who
naver trv tn exnonnd the taachipoc of