Year: 1879

In the early agitation of the slavery
question, the defenders of the peculiar
institution, fearful of the result of thor
ough and earnest inquiry as to the right
of one man to own property in another,
clamored loudly for divorce of politics
and religion. For time, and in large
measure, they were successful. The pull
pit was not partisan, and did not want to
be SO considered And for some time it
was silent upon this most heineous of
crimes Ultimately it saw its mistake.
and spoke as only the pulpit could speak,
and was one of the most powerful instru
mentalities in the overthrow of that iE-
stitution and the preservation of the
Union When great emergency arose
the pulpit and the church were equal to
the occasion.


But there is still marvellous timidity
in many pulpits lest they should some
how trench upon ground pre- empted by
not politicians, but demagogues. The
man in this country who is not politi
clan is not a patriot. And it is time that
we had a better definition of politics than
is prevalent in the minds of the masses.
1t is time also that men were made to
understand that the enforcement OF NOR
ality and politics is the destruction of a
free government. The two are insepara.
BILE. Charles Sumner said, and said
wisely,-"I believe politics to be the ap
plication of moral principles to human
society" And Emerson says, "the State
must follow, and not lead, the character
and progress of the citizen" Now what
ought the pulpit to do2 Who ought to
be more earnest and active in educatin &
the citizen,-in instructing the masses
how character is to be developed, than
~, NH Rl rn1nitS 2 RplJuinr1
| it is true, is a remedial system,-a sys-
tenn to restore the character that has
| been lost If there had been no loss OF
| character, no forfeiture by disobedience,
then there would have been no necessity
| for a religious system. But character in
order to be restored must be Defined
| And being restored there must be in
struction how it is to be main tained.--
The apostle Peter understood this, and in
| his second epistle or letter to the He,
brew Christians, he instructed them that
they were to add to their faith virtue
and to virtue. knowledge; and to knowl
edge, temperance and to temperance
patience; and to patience, godliness; and
to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, charity. And we
make no doubt that if he had been talk.
ing to such people as ours he would
have warned athem that no christian
could consistently pray that we might
have honest and righteous rulers and
then go to the polls and vote demagogues
and debauched men into office.


1t is the oppressor, the demagogue, the
libertine, the debauchee, that demand
silence in the pulpit on all political ques
| tions And the reason for the demand il
that these men know that if the voice o


the pulpit is heard their lives must be
reformed or they will be beaten at the


polls. Does any one now think that the


pulpit ought to have kept silent in re


gard to the crime of slavery2 1t was 8


political question. So is Mormonism.


Shall no voice be raised against that in


iuuity? The women of the land arr


praying that it may be abolished. How


about intemperance Shall there be NJ


check on this monster crime of the age


1t also is political question. 1t pays al


enormous tribute into the National treas


ury in order that it may rob the Ameri
can people of seven hundred millions o


dollars annually. is it not about tim


that manly men, men Of fidelity, of cour


age, of hope and of faith, had united t.
, demand that morality and politics shal
, not be divorced ? or in other words, tina
| the principles of morality and justic
shall not be disregarded in the manage
ment Of our political affairs? Bad mel
unite for base ends. Good men, IRE
spective of party, should cheerfully unit


for benefcent purposes.


1t is no secret that the best men in bot


of the old parties deplore the fact tina
= the worst men are often nominated an
5 elected to office. eve are sorry to sa
i that they don't deplole it sufficiently