Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-04
1888, 114O& 1i42 MlRKET ST.
John 12:48. 4S, And

John 12:48, 4S, And if
any man hear my words and
believe not judge him not, for | came
not to judge the world but to save the
world He that rejecteth me and re-
ceiveth not my words hath one that
judgeth him.
In the face of these facts let us
turn again to Rev. Sooy's petition, and
study for a moment it's true character.
First it proposes to trample under its
poison feet the constitution of our gov
eminent and cover with contempt and
shame our religious liberties, which
has made of our country what 1t Is,
the queen of nations; whose liberties
have been purchased by the blood OF
our fathers and counted by them cheap
enough though purchased at such an
infinite cost. Second, it. proposes to
take away the individual rights OF some
and compel them to conform to the
ideas and practices of some others, and
to crush out the manhood, the indivld-
uality and Godgiven liberty and privi-
leges Of some, that the unholy desires
of others may be gratified. Third, 1t
asserts its right to judge the consclences
of men and assumes the prerogatlve OF
God in debating to man his moral OBJ
legations.
Fourth, it opens the foodgates Of
religious tyranny, bigotry and despot-
ism, that the former prosecutions OF
the dark ages may be repeated. This
is the spirit of the petition, the church
unites with the State IN the enforce
ment of civil laws in the interests OF
the church; this is the most fragrant
violation of the constitution of our gov
eminent, and an encroachment upon
the liberties and rights Of the people.
'In a speech made in Congress in
1854 by Senator Stephen A. Douglass
he spoke to the point when he said
1.-THE prosecutions of our ancestors
were too fresh in the minds of our rev.
olutiOnary fathers for them to create,
recognize or even tolerate q church es-
tablished in this country, clothed with
temporal authority. SO apprehensive
were they of the usurpation of this,
the most fearful and corrupting OF all
dGspotisms, whether viewed with regard
to the purity of the church or the nap
piness of the people, that they provided
i'll the constitution that no religious
test Shall ever be required as quail
fication to any Office or public trust
under the United States. Still fearful
that in the process of time a spirit OF
religious fanaJticism or a spirit OF &C.
clesiastical domination might seize up
on some exciting political topic, and in
an evil hour surprise and entrap the
people into a dangerous concession CT
political power to the clergy, the first
Congress under the constitution pro-
posed and the people adopted, an
amendment to guard against such
calamity in the following words:
Congress shall make no law respect
ing the establishment Of religious or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
This principle should ever live in
the constitution of our government,
which would forever seperate church
and State; and had this principle been
recognized with a tender regard for
the rights of others, the petition writ
ten out by the Rev. Sooy would never
had an existence.
The Almighty has ordained the
powers that be, but he has never gone
into partnership with them in govern
ing the world.
You can create hatred by law, but
not love, hypocrisy; but not piety; and
since love is not in human law, such
law has no business in the realm Of
love. S. MCOBB.