Year: 1865

| I'hc great cause of D1ssenstOn In the Chr rcll


1.-The people driven from the Sanctuary


by Political Preaching.


Our hearts are often filled with sadness, as
from day to day we receive letters from
Christian men, who tell us that they have
ceased attending Church. And this sadness


is enhanced tenfold when these writers tell
us that they have been members of he
Church for ten, twenty and thirty years.
Some Of them we have long known as true
Christian men, who loved the church, and
would have said, few years ago, il such an


idea as their forsaking the Church had been
hinted at, "is thy servant a dog, that he
should do this thing9" Now there must be
some cause for all this; and fearful respon
| sibihty must rest somewhere for such con
| dition Of things Where dnas N" hl"~,a
lay? and how can it be remedied, are ques.
tions we'll worthy the consideration Of all
Christian people! That there is blame some.
where, no one will deny; and it must be
either be in the individuals thus absentug
themselves from the sanctuary of God; or in
the conduct Of the ministers and office.b bear.
ers in the Church.


We are not disposed to lay all the blame
upon the ministers and elders, knowing as
we do the weaknesses and follies of the peo,
pie, yet we fear that in too many cases the
dissatisfaction expressed by those who thus
write to US is largely attributable to the min


stry in departing from the Divine Commits
sion, which is, preach my gospel; not poll
tics; not philosophy; not human wisdom; not
abolition, but "Christ and Him cruci6ed."
The preaching Of the gospel will, and often
does, offend the ungodly. The natural man
receiveth not the things Of the Spirit Of God
for they are foolshness unto him, neither can
be know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." But the preaching Of the gos>
pei never offends the true child of God; and
we judge, therefore that it is because the
gospel is not preached that these men, with
weeping and sorrow Of heart, withdraw from
the sanctuary of God


These letters come to us mainly from
States north Of the Ohio. In one instance a
gentleman writes us that ten members were
suspended from the communion Of the church
because they would not attend upon the
preaching OF a man who declams from Sab.
bath to Sabbath upon the negro and his free,
dom, and that too after majority of the
members had petitioned Presbytery to re~
move him and give them as stated supply, a
minister who would preach the gospel
Presbytery refused TO listen to their petition,
one Of the members giving as his reason for
not granting their request that be dare not
60 home to bis loyal people and tell them
that he had voted for the removal of loyal
minister. Another from an adjoining State
writes us, that he with several others some
of them office bearers, have ceased attending
the Presby yterian Church, and are now wor,
Shipping in the Episcopal Church. And from
a synopsis of late sermon which be sends
us-whch he says is the substance Of that
discourse-we do not wonder at their with,
drawing from such preaching; nay, it be.
comes their imperative duty, not only to
withdraw, but to denounce all such blasphe
nous proclamation of sacred things. We
cannot understand the principle which &C,
tuates minister as Gods ambassador, stand
ing before the people to declare to them His
will, when be deliberately, and in the most
profans manner denounces bis hearers as
worthy only of death and eternal damnation,
because they do not as citizens, vote for his
candidate for the Presidency, or agree with
him 10 the administration Of Caesars affairs.
1t requires no prophetic vision to see that
such conduct upon the part Of ministers of
the gospel, must destroy the faith Of Gods
people, and call down upon perpetrators of
such profanity the curse Of Cod