Party. While we confess that Christ is Ruler, we deny that he has
chosen the National Reform Party as his confidential advisers in his
rule, or that he has appointed that party as his vicegerent in the
United States to rule this country in his absence. While we confess
that the Bible is the Supreme standard of human actions, we deny in
tote that the Author of the Bible has appointed the National Reform
Party to be the infallible interpreters of that Book.
And because we distrust their movement, because we see the
result of it when they shall have secured the power, they choose to
think us possessed of a wonderful "compound of folly and
fanaticism." (See editorial comment in Statesman of Feb. 21, 1884.)
But from their own words, fairly quoted in this article, we are justified
in saying that the success of their movement will be the destruction of
the dearly-bought principle of American liberty; the destruction of the
inestimable treasure of American citizenship; and the destruction of
every principle of the rights of conscience, under the Government of
the United States. And because of this the AMERICAN SENTINEL is
set for the defense of the genius of American institutions. A. T. J.
March 1886
"Church and State" The American Sentinel 1, 3 , pp. 19, 20.
THE fifth resolution of the Cleveland National Reform Convention
reads: "Resolved, That we re-affirm that this religious amendment,
instead of infringing on any individual's right of conscience, or tending
in the least degree to a union of church and State, will afford the
fullest security against a corrupting church establishment, and form
the strongest safeguard of both the civil and religious liberties of all
citizens."
It is apparently necessary for that party to constantly "re-affirm"
that this movement does not tend to a union of church and State; for
as their actions and writings all betray that very tendency, a blind
must be kept up by each convention re-affirming that it does not so
tend. That such is its direct tendency we propose to prove.
Mr. W. J. Coleman, one of the chief speakers in the movement, in
explaining to "Truth Seeker" the change that will have to be made in
the existing Constitution when the proposed amendment shall have
been adopted, says:–
"The first sentence of Article I. of Amendments reads, 'Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' This would be made
consistent with the proposed amendment by substituting the words
'a church' for 'religion,' making it read, 'Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of a church.' This is what the Reform
Association believes should be the rule in a rightly constituted
State. There should be religion, but no church."
"There should be religion, but no church." What religion should
there be? the Christian religion, to be sure. No idea of any other is for
a moment entertained by the National Reform party. But the Christian
religion is embodied in the Christian church. Apart from the Christian
church there is no Christian religion in this world. Christ did not say,
On this rock will I build my religion; but he did say, "On this rock will I
build my church," and in that church is his religion. The church is the
"body of Christ" (Col. 1:18); the members of the church are members
of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15); members of his body–the church (Eph. 5:29,
30). Out of Christ no man can live a Christianly religious life; for he
himself said, "Without me ye can do nothing." But to be in Christ is to
be in his church, for we have proved that the church is his body in this
world. We repeat therefore that apart from the Christian church there
is no Christian religion. This is exactly what the National Reform party
believes; and it is the Christian religion as embodied in what they call
the Christian church that the party wants this Government to make
the fundamental law of the nation. And that will be church and State.
For the nation to unite with the Christian religion as embodied in the
Christian church is to form a union with the Christian church and is
therefore a union of church and State.
If they deny our deduction from their proposition as quoted, and
insist that they mean literally that there can be "religion [the Christian
