Church and State by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 12, 1870

Church and State.

By John Norton Loughborough

Considerable has been said of late in the REVIEW concerning the present movement in this nation to obtain a religious amendment to the constitution. I have read these statements with carefulness, and am watching with interest, as must be the case with every student of prophecy, the strides that are being made in this direction. That this movement will result, when it obtains its object, in a union of Church and State, is apparent to a class of persons who never looked at the subject in the light of prophecy.

In the Weekly Alta Californian, of San Francisco, March 12, 1870, I read from the editor’s pen: “The parties who have been recently holding a convention for the somewhat novel purpose of procuring an amendment to the constitution of the United States, recognizing the Deity, do not fairly state the case when they assert that it is the right of a Christian people to govern themselves in a Christian manner. If we are not governing ourselves in a Christian manner, how shall the doings of our government be designated? The fact is that the movement is one to bring about in this country that union of Church and State, which all other civilized nations are now trying to dissolve.”

In the dominions of the papacy, it is apparent to all that the favorite theory is that Church and State should be united. If “words are the signs of ideas,” and I suppose they are, when Papists and Protestants express their ideas on these matters in about the same words, a careful reader would naturally think they were aiming at about the same object. To show how they do talk, I wish to place in comparison with each other, three canons of the Ecumenical Council now sitting at Rome, and three resolutions of the Pittsburgh Convention, that were passed in its sitting last March:

ROME.

“CANON XVIII. Whosoever says that the power necessary for the government of a civil State does not emanate from God, or that one is not bound by Divine law to submit himself to such power, is repugnant to the natural liberty of men—let him be anathema.”

PITTSBURGH.

“Resolved, That civil government is grounded, like the family, in the principles of the nature of man as a social creature; and that it has its powers and functions thus determined by the Creator, and is, therefore, like the family, an ordinance of God.”

ROME.

“CANON X. Whosoever says that the Church is not a perfect institution, but merely a corporation, or that it is of such a nature, with regard to civil society or the State, as to be subject to temporal power, let him be anathema.”

PITTSBURGH.

“Resolved, That nations, as sovereignties, wielding moral as well as physical power, and having moral as well as material effects, are morally accountable to God.”

ROME.

“CANON XII. Whosoever says that Christ, our Saviour and Sovereign, has conferred upon the Church the power to direct only by advice and persuasion those who turn aside, not to compel them by orders, by coercion, by external verdicts and statutory punishments, let him be anathema.”

PITTSBURGH.

“Resolved, That the proposed religious amendment to our national constitution, so far from infringing any individual’s rights of conscience, or tending, in the least degree, to a union of Church and State, will afford the fullest security against a corrupt and corrupting church establishment, and form the strongest safeguard of both the civil and religious liberties of all citizens.”

A friend on hearing this last resolution read, suggests that “the liberty of conscience guaranteed by it, is such as that of a man would be, who was tied hand and foot, and then told that he was at liberty.”

What kind of a spirit of liberty animates those carrying on this movement is apparent from the manner Mr. Cowen was treated in the Pittsburgh Convention, as reported in REVIEW No. 16, Vol. 35.

At a Ministerial Association of the M. E. church, held in Healdsburg, Cal., from April 26 to 28, 1870, Mr. Bryant, of Calistoga, read an essay on the Sabbath question. This question was introduced because of the stir in this county on the Bible Sabbath.

After he had read his essay, Prof. Turner, of Petaluma, said: “I am not positive, but feel quite certain that I could prove from the New Testament that Christ changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.” Speaking of Advent ministers he said: “It is strange that a few insignificant men should go about the country thinking to change the Sabbath to the seventh day of the week.” “In so doing they remove the great bulwark of American civilization.” Rev. Mr. Trefren, of Napa, in speaking of Seventh-day Advent ministers, said: “As well might a few ants undertake to capture a great city, as for these few, miserable, ignorant fellows to change the Sabbath from the first to the seventh day of the week. I predict for them a short race. What we want is law in this matter.” Then he said, referring to the present movement for a law,—“And we will have it too; and when we get the power in our hands we will show these men what their end will be.”

Our Saviour said of trees, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” It is true also that we may judge of the kind of fruit to look for when we have decided what the tree is. If the saying be true that “Words are leaves, but deeds are fruit,” it is certain that the leaves already appearing on this “national”-religion tree, indicate a fruit similar to that borne by the papal tree in its palmiest days.

My dear brethren the times in which we are living demand activity. “Our foes are awake.” Shall we slumber while they are forming fetters with which to retard the work? But even this work is in our hands a help to show the fulfillment of the prophetic word as to what is coming.

The time was when we could present but few facts to show the formation of an image to the papacy in this government, but we relied on the sure word of prophecy that such a state of things would come. Now the facts pointing that way accumulate at a rapid rate. Men of the world are awaking to these things, and plainly see union of Church and State in this matter. May God help us all to be active, to do what we can to get the word of God on these matters—truth for this time—before them. May God stir us all up to activity. Too much of my time has run to waste. I want to redeem the past by living nearer to God, and in his strength doing all I can to push on the truth. May our watchword be, Work! WORK!! WORK!!!

“Work while the day is shining, There’s resting by-and-by.”

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.