Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker volume 3.djvu/150

Rh The teacher of religion nothing to do with the political actions of the people, one whole department of conduct—which most intimately concerns the welfare and the character of every child—left out of the jurisdiction of morality and religion! Look at the conduct of the founders of the great world-sects! Had Mohammed nothing to do with politics? On the ruins of the idolatrous structures of old, out of Hebrew and Christian stones, cemented with his own wisdom and folly, he built up the commonwealth of Islam, wherein an hundred and fifty million men now find repose. Moses nothing to do with politics! As the poetic tale relates, he led two million men out of Egypt, and therefrom built up a new state with ideas of politics far in advance of his times. Jesus nothing to do with politics! In the fourth Gospel—not an historic document, but mainly a religious fiction—he says, "My kingdom is not of this world;" but in the more authentic documents, the first Gospel and the third, he promises that his twelve disciples "shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel!" and actually laid down the moral principles of political conduct, which, if applied according to his direction, would revolutionize every state, and make a Christian commonwealth of the world. Actually at this day the words of Mohammed, Moses, and Jesus are appealed to as the supreme law in Turkish, Hebrew, and Koman courts. What an intense irony it is when the professor of the gospel says, "Christianity has nothing to do with politics," and the professor of law tells his pupils "Christianity is part of the common law," "the Bible the I foundation of common jurisprudence!"

All the great Christian leaders were also men of politics, their word of religion became flesh in the state. Look at Augustine, at Ambrose of Milan, at the patriarchs of the Eastern churches, at the metropolitans of the West, at Gregory VII., at Innocent III., all men whose word became law ! Augustine was a Eoman organizer, filled with the ideas of Paul of Tarsus. What an influence he had in destroying the pagan state, and building what he esteemed the "City of God." Bernard, the monk of Clairvaux, made popes and unmade them, and out of his lap shook an army of crusaders upon the Holy Land. Bossuet had I as lasting an influence on France as the "grand mon-