The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-10-17
HUMAN SLAVERY
And THE CHURCH.
4 Vigorous Sermon on . Promi-
y nent Question BY Rev.
D. q. futile.
REVIEW OF HISTORY

Prom the Earliest Ages Ustn Hev-vsess
which Go 80 show That Dr. The.pses
Did Not Aiss the Aark In His Fameas
Ctssrases.
Rev. d. II. futile, pastor Of the Cen
trail NJ. +. Church in Raleigh, preached
q sermon on sunday night, Oct. 18th,
which was based on the famous remark
OF DIR. Cyrus Thompson.
His subject WAS THE Church in its
relation To Slavery" The text WAS
Matthew 23-a and Galatians S2s. For
they bind heavy burdens and grievous
shoulders; but they themselves will |
gers"
There is neither jew nor Greek (; |
there is neither bond nor free: there |
is neither male nor female; for We are
all one in Christ Jesus"
The two texts Of Scripture represent
two lines Of thought. In the first Sc
lection of Scripture read, Christ is rep
resented as talking to the Church in
the age in which he lived. In the
second text of Scripture from Gala
tians, IL represented the Spirit OF
Christianity, as in Christ Himself.
Neither bond nor free, but all are
one in Christ Jesus.
1t is a very unusual thing in our
day, too unusual, for the pulpit TO dis
cuss matters relative to civil govern
ment; political matters; political
ideas: as if this great department Of
human activity, and thought, and in
fuence and power, were TO be left I'M
influenced, untouched by the gospel Of
the Son of God. 1t is a mistake to
suppose that minister of God is
| LIMITED BY POLITICAL MATTERS.
| There is no limitation in the gospel
we are sent to preach. Commend all
the good, and stand for the right
wherever he finds it, and condemn the
wrong wherever he sees it.
| Every minister of the Gospel should
be a student of political economy.
Every minister of the Gospel should
be interested in the government of his
nation, his State, his county, his city.
He falls far beneath his duty as q rep
resentative of Jesus Christ il he does
not hold himself accountable to God
for the discharge of his duty as a citi-
zen. He holds himself in danger of
receiving the judgment of God, if he
passes this by, if he fails to realize that
every vote a man may cast is
| HELP TO VIRTUE OR VICE.
AS these questions are constantly to
be settled at the ballot boxes of our
country, he has sinned against God
and against his fellow men if he does
not do it.
l want to say for myself just here
that l belong to no political party.
am no Democrat, am no Republican
l am no POpulist, am no Prohibition.
!, ist. In other words | am not pOliti-
clan: 1 hold myself just where l be-
lieve every Minister OF the Gospel
, should hold himself; independent OF
all parties; he can hold himself
INN OTHER POSITION
as the representative of Jesus Christ
Poor and sinful as l may be, and a:
> erring as l am, feel commissioned Of
God to preach His truth, and there
fore belong soul and body, from tim,
: and eternity, to Jesus Christ, the kins
of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and be
longing to Him, / stand for Him, sep
: arate from all these things, and will
the GOd-given right
:, TO PREACH AGAINST WRONGS
wherever 1 see tin whatever part,
l may see it; to advocate right where
a ever l may see it, and when it come
to the casting of vote, to do tina
: in the fear of God, and with tina
: party and for those men from
= time to time, as l may deem j
best, and for the advancement O
His Kingdom, and for the uphold
ing OF those things which bring tn
+ greatest blessings. have done tina
= for these eight years, and propose t
9 follow that rule.
/ say this because the question tba
q we discuss is political one; it is
question that much has been said abOu
recently. A remark from the Presi
it dent OF the State Alliance, DIR. ThomI
% son, at Cary recently, has brOugh
parties, all over the State, have bee
interested in a question, in which tn
Church Of God is involved. 1t is
Is question; a vital question, and or
o which
Is NOT TO BE PASSED BY.
1t is one, that if the truth
Is not known, prejudices may aris
which will be hurtful to the cause
Christ. The Minister of God, eve
though he must acknowledge son
I'd things, and they are not pleasan
le must at all times and under all eli
,e cumstances face the truth and preat
a. the truth. You may rest assured tn
~ God will always take care of the trut
-. even though the truth may seem
" have hurtful tendencies
D. DIR. Thompson remarked that Il
Church of God was the friend of b.
man slavery now as it had always bee
1 heard his speech; 1 heard his wore
and am therefore in position to put
more charitable construction upt
them than has been put upon it fro
some sources; but there is the stat
ment all the same. There is that sho
sentence bristling up before US "Tl
Church of God the friend of SLAYER
now as it always has BEEN"
Is this true or is it untrue.
In discussing this question, we wa
..e you to hold in mind two facts: Ii
"" Christ, one thing; His Church anOth,
h. Christ, the spirit of Christ. the &C
,is pei Of Christ, one thing, and the vii
a. BILE Church an organized body, as an
:. stitutiOR among mankind anOth
thing; in other words that Christ b
not always been
he RIGHTLY REPRESENTED BY THE cHURt
The visible Church is composed of b
man elements, and therefore liable
er, mistakes. The Church is not infallib
de- When We hold these two facts
m in our mind, Christ on the one ha
cannot be held responsible for WI
nd the Church has done on the Otl
old hand.
En- With this in mind, we might 8
Ao- that the Church has been the friend
slavery, and bring no Just accusati
but against Christ who came in the ,
ow nOintment of the spirit to set 1T i
len -. on snere
If this fact is kept in mind no d
IRE JUDGES will be aroused by any accu
tiOns against the Church. Men IN
controlled the Church; men hs
;; no shaped its destiny; but this organic