Year: 1866

You and / both remember the political
preaching which ushered in and supported
the reign of the KnowNothiDgsJ Blood tubs,
and Plugzuglies, when Maria Monk was a
Saint and Joe Barker was Mayor of Pitts
burg; when pulpits resounded every Sun
day with the most injuriogstalsehoods against
Catholics. when the public mind was de-
bauched by the inculcation of hypocrisy and
deceptiou when ministers met their politi-
cal allies in sworn secresy to plot against the
rights of their fellow citizens. You cannot
forget what came of this-riot, murder
church-burning. lawless violence all over the
land. and the subjugation of several great
States to the political rule of a party desti-
tute alike of prihciple and capacity.


fcould easily prove that those clerical pol
iticians. who have tied their churches to the
tail of the Abolition party, are criminal on a
grander scale than any of their predecessors.
But | forbear partly because have no time
and partly it may, for aught | know, be
sore subject with you. | would not excite
your wrath, but rather provoke youto good
works


Apart from the general subject there are
two or three special ideas expressed In your
letter from which | venture to dissent.


You think that, though minister may
speak from the pulpit on politics he ought



strikes me, that if he has a party, and wants
to give it ecclesiastical aid or comfort, he
should boldly avow himself to be what he Is,
so that all men may know him. Sincerity is
the first of virtues. 1t is bad to be wolf,
but wolf in sleeps clothing is infinitely
worse.


You represent the Church as an unfinished
structure and the state as its scaffolding l
think the church came perfect from the hand
of its divine Architect-bulit upon rock,
established, finished, complete-and every
one who comes into it by the right door VIII
find a mansion prepared for him: 1t needs
no scaffold. Its founder refused all connec-
ton with human governments for scattoldlng
or any other purpose.


You saw Tin substance) that, without some
times taking political subjects, a minister Is
in danger of falling into vague, indefinite
and non-committal style, which will do no
good and bring him no respect. The gospel
is not vague, indefinite or non-committal up
on the subjects of whichit takes jurisdiction,
and upon them you may preach as loudly as
YOU please. But | admit that In times Of
great public excitement-an important elec-
ton or civil war-men listen impatiently
to the teachings of faith and repentance. a
sermon which tells them to do justice, love
mercy and walk humbly before God, is not
an entertainment TO which they wlllngiy ln-
vite themselves. At such time clergy
man can vastly increase his personal conse-
quence, and win golden opinions from his
audience, by pampering their passions with
a highly seasoned discourse on politics. The
temptation to CRAFTY them often becomes too
strong for the virtue of hepreacher. ] fear
that you yourself are yielding to it. As
mere layman | have no right to advise
Doctor of Divinity, but i hope | am not over
presumptuous when | warn you against this
specious allurementof Satan. All thoughts
of putting the Gospel aside because it does
not suit the depraved tastes of the day, and
making political harangues to win popularity
in a bad world, should be sternly trampled
down as the suggestions of that Evil One,
''who was liar and murderer from the
beginning.


Faithfully yours, &C.,


j. S. BLACK.