If a man has a leading object in view, no matter whether religious or worldly, let him come out in his proper color, declare his object, and drive directly at it. If a man has a favorite political scheme let him declare it, publish a paper advocating it, or maintain it in public addresses; but not under the name of Christian; not in the name of the Lord, nor under a pretense of preaching Christ; for this would be a manifest imposition, no matter how good the political doctrine. But every attempt to make the religion of Christ auxiliary to political ends, is a perversion, and in direct opposition to the whole spirit and entire bearing of the Lord’s own reply, when charged with being a political aspirant. When arraigned before Pilate, and charged with claiming to be a king, he explained the matter, and obviated the charge, or set it aside, by saying, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36. While he frankly admitted that he was a king, and that he came into the world to bear witness to the truth, he set aside all ground of suspicion against him, as an aspirant to the throne, or any other part in the civil government, or one who would in any way meddle in the civil institutions of his country, by declaring that his kingdom is not of this world. This declaration was no evasion, but a clear, important and divine truth, and must be shown in the lives of the disciples of Christ, by following his example, or the cause will suffer immeasurably.
Our Lord was so careful to keep his kingdom and his mission distinct from civil affairs, that when he was appealed to, to arbitrate a dispute touching an inheritance, he inquired, who made him an arbiter in such matters, or where was there any authority for him to step aside from his mission, or, rather, pervert his mission and his office from their high, spiritual and divine object, to a worldly, temporal and business object. He was so careful to keep his mission distinct from the world, and worldly relations, that when engaged in the work of his mission, he refused to recognize a fleshly relation—his own mother, brother and sister. In his kingdom he recognized no fleshly relation, as a basis for any application to him, or a reason for his institution conferring any benefit on any human being, not excepting his own mother, according to the flesh. Those who do the will of God, regardless of all fleshly ties, political conditions, or worldly circumstances, whether male or female, bond or free, are mother, sister or brother, to the Redeemer and Savior of man. So perfectly distinct did our Lord and the apostles keep their mission from politics that there is not the remotest hint that they ever participated in civil affairs, in a single instance, in the whole of the sacred record. They either never participated in politics in any way, or else looked upon the whole matter as so distinct from their mission and work, as not to be once mentioned in the whole Christian revelation. So distinct is the New Testament from political institutions, that it contains not one word of instruction to civil officers, in regard to their duties, not one hint what kind of men we should vote for, or what form of government we should favor. It simply enjoins that Christians “obey every ordinance of man, for the Lord’s sake:” “submit to the powers that be; for the powers that be are ordained of God,” and declares that “rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil”; that “the ruler is the minister of God, and bears not the sword in vain.”
The Christian law enjoins that we “follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” It is not enjoined that we follow peace with a political party, but “peace with all men,” and holiness. The Lord said, “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The angels of God shouted when Jesus was born, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward man.” Shall that religion enjoining its adherents to “follow peace with all men,” promising a blessing upon the peace-makers, whose divine Author was introduced into the world, with an angelic shout of “peace on earth,” be made an instrument in the hands of a misguided and worldly priesthood, in the political strifes of the world? If it shall, we betide him who does it. It will kill every preacher and every church that ever had the Spirit of God in them, to do it. Indeed, all of this description are now dead. Not a man nor a church among them, throughout the length and breadth of the country, is doing anything for the cause of God. Not a sinner is converted by them, nor a saint comforted. Many of them, old men, that formerly had the spirit of the Lord, preached Christ with great power, with their souls full of the love of God, converted sinners, edified and comforted the children of God, now sit in the company of worldlings, read and discuss politics on the Lord’s day, while the house of God is forsaken.
Our mission is to preach Christ, Christianity, and to disentangle it from all connection with these side-artifices, devised to draw men away from the Lord. We have only alluded to slavery, and the excitement about it, so far as to discover the proper course for a christian, but not to discuss its merits, as a system, at all. In doing this, we have simply applied to it the rule that we do to all questions of the kind, viz: To inquire for the course pursued by the Lord, the apostles, and the first Christians, and follow it as infallibly safe and right. In doing this, we have certainly shown that those warring upon us in this matter, have no commission from heaven, from Christ, or his apostles, or, in anything in all their lives and practice. We shall, therefore, as far as God shall enable us, preach the pure gospel of the grace of God, both North and South, East and West, to all, both great and small, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; and thus labor to bring them into the kingdom that is not of this world—a kingdom that can not be moved—where the pure in heart can enjoy God, his Holy Spirit, and his people, though the wicked rule and the civil governments are corrupt, with the blessed assurance that they shall one day be delivered from all the perplexities of an imperfect and sinful state. Here we must all turn our attention at last.
Civil governments can never be perfected. They will always be working wrongs and cruelties some place. The wisdom and power of man can not avoid this. The wickedness and selfishness of men, also, are in the way, so that the civil institutions of the country can never be perfected; and he has studied Christianity to but little purpose, who thinks its aim to be the perfection of the human contrivances of the world. It looks above this, to the purification and perfection of individuals, in their regeneration and personal sanctification, and preparation for a better state. It does not, like some fleshly systems, look upon this world as man’s all; but, as momentary, a pilgrim state, not our home, not our continued city, but merely the preparatory state to a better world. How soon this world will all be nothing to all these political wranglers, who have suffered themselves to be made tools for political parties, to the neglect of the church of God, without one soul ever being able to see that all their noise, ever did any good in any way. How silly it is, as well as unchristian, for old friends, neighbors and brethren to disagree and fall out about the intricate and deceptive schemes of political wire-workers. Such men are doing no good for their church or country. The very circumstance of their falling out with their best friends, shows that they are insane upon the very subject upon which they propose to enlighten the world, and, of all men in the world, the most unsafe, to guide either church or state.
–Benjamin Franklin
This article is taken from A Book of Gems: Choice Selections from the Writings of Benjamin Franklin