Year: 1866

10 heV. AlIred Nefln, ID. u:


DEAR SIR Your letter addressed to
me, through the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin, disappoints me because l did
not expect it to come in that way. and be-
cause it does not cover the subject in issue
between us. But if | am silent, your
friends will say, with some show of rca-
son. that you have vindicated Political
Preaching so triumphantly that all oppo-
sition is confounded. must. therefore.
speak freely in reply. In doing so, l
mean to say nothing inconsistent with my
great respect for your high character in
the church and in the world. The ad-
mirable style and temper of your own
communication deserves to be initiated.
fully concede the right you claim for
clergymen TO select their own themes and
handle them as they please. You say
truly that neither lawyers nor physicians
nor any other order of men have the least
authority to control you in these particu-
lars. But you will not deny that this Is
privilege which may be abused you
expressly admit that some clergymen
have abused it, "and by doing SO did
more than any other class of men to com
mence and continue the late rebellion. -
While, therefore. we can assert no power
TO dictate your condct much less to force
you, we are surely not wrong when We en-
treat you to impose upon yourselves those
restrictions which reason and revelation
have shown to be necessary for the good
of the church and the safety of civil So
ciety.


| acknowledge that your commission Is
4 very broad one. You must declare the
whole counsel Of God, to the end that
sinners may be convinced and converts
built up in their most holy faith. Truth,
justice, temperance, humility, mercy,
peace, brotherly kindness, charity-the
whole circle Of the Christian virtues
must be assiduously taught to your hear
ers; and if any of them be inclined to
the opposite vices, you are to denounce
them without fear, by private admonition,
By open rebuke, or by general delivery
Of the law which condemns them. You
are not bound to pause in the perform
ance of this duty because it may offend
Il powerful ruler or a strong political par
| ty. Nor should you shrink from it when
bad men, for their own purposes. apprCva
what you do. Elevate the moral charac-
ter, enlighten the darkness, and purify
the hearts Of those who are under your
spiritual charge. at all hazards for this
is the work which your great Taskmaster
has given you to do, and he will admit no
excuse for neglecting it.


But this is precisely what the political
preacher is not in the habit of doing.
He directs the attention of his hearers
away from their own sins to the sins, real
or imputed. of other people. BY teach
ing his congregation that they are better
than other men. he fills their hearts with
self-conceit, bigotry, spiritual pride, envy,
hatred, malice and all uncharitableness.
Instead of the exhortation, which they
need, to take the beam out of their own
eye. he incites them to pluck the mote
from their brothers. He does not tell
them what they shall do to be saved, but
he instructs them very carefully how they
shall act for the destruction of others
He rouses and encourages to the utmost
/ OA hl' oDl-iNJs thoSC VI uldI pdsSlOuo WHlCI
result in riot, blood-shed, spoliation, civil
war and general corruption Of morals


You commit a grievous error in sup
posing that politics and religion are So
mingled together that you cannot preach
one without introducing the other Christ
and His apostles kept them perfectly sep.
arate. They announced the great facts
of the Gospel to each individual whom
they addressed. When these were ac.
cepted, the believer was told to repentand
be baptized for the remission Of mis- sins
and afterwards to regulate his own life by
the rules of pure and perfect morality
They expressed no preference forany form
Of government over another, they pro
voked no political revolutions, and they
proposed no legal reforms. If they had
done so they would have fatty contradict
ed the declaration that Christ's Kingdom
was not Of this world, and Christianity
itselef would have died out in half cen.
tury. But they accepted the relations
which were created by human law and
exhopted theiF disciples to discharge faith
fully the duties which arose out of them
Though the laws which defined the au
thority of husbands, parents, ta1sters and
magistrates we're as bad as human per
4 -,