Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. The Issue Stated. The study of so grave a question,—a question involving the interests of both Church and State, demands a comprehensive statement of positions and a clear definition of terms. Much of the dissatisfaction with the pulpit has arisen from the fact that many of those who have been most bitter in their denunciations of what they have denominated "political preaching, " have never had a wall-defined idea of the mission of the pulpit, as ordained of God, nor really known the meaning of the word politics. This word is defined by Webster, as follows: 1. " The science of government, that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or State, the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity ; the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources and the protection of its citizens in their rights with the preservation and improvement of their morals. 2. The management of a political party ; the advancement of candidates to office ; in a bad sense, artful or dis.honest management to secure the success of political measures or party schemes ; political trickery. '' The word comes from the Greek polis, a city, and signifies primarily the policy of a city, but came naturally to be used to designate the policy of a whole country embraced under the same government. Hence its present use to denote the policy of a city, state or nation. Every act of the State is therefore political, because it forms a part of the State policy. As the State legislates for " the protection of its citizens in their rights'' and for '' the preservation and improvement of their morals, "—as it is the duty of the State to do—these questions of '' rights'' and '' morals '' ...