Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-10-05
VOICE OF TIE CHURCH.

politicians preparing 10 avail themselves OF INC
benefits Of the excitement growing ont oi the ayr,
aton of the Slavery question, by making 1t one
of political po,cer, that the discussion itself has
sprung Immediately and directly from religious Ia
naticism And it is therefore peculiarly gratifying
to u.s. when men. distinguished alike for talents and
pcty, and for the exalted stations in the Church,
to which those qualities have elevated them, take
decided stand in opposition to this spirit Of ira
tional enthusiasm, and openly rebuke the nccnd-
AIRY temper, which, if not subdued, will distract and
destroy both the civil aud ecclesiastical ins'u-
tons of the country, as they now exist.
Among the incidents of this character, which
have recently anspircd, is the refusal OF DIR. Fisk,
an eminent Northern clergyman, and President OF
the Wesleyan University at New Haven, Conn
to sign memorial to Congress, now circulating i'll
the North, pray wing ior.hc abolition Of Slavery AT
the District of Columbia. Icvery properly takes
the ground, that, whether the general government
possess IA constitutional rightto act upon the sub
iect or not, the public mind has been too much cx-
aspcratcl and niancd by the unwisc and disorgan-
ling conduct of the Abolitionists, to Justify such
attempt.
Another ylill more significant and important in
cidcnt is the publication ola Pastoral Letter, sign
ed by Elijah Ilcdding and Ohm Emory, (hc two
Northern Bishops of the NJ. +. Church. addressed
"to the Ministers and Preachers, within the New
England and New Hampshire Conferences" ur-
gine them to abstain from mcddling with the excl
ting topic, and, by most able and forciblc argu-
meat, showing that they called on TO abstain by
every consideration OF Justice, humanity and roll-
gicus obligation. The Bishops state the gratifying
fact, that having attended all the northern & eastern
conferences, far as the Troy, inclusive they
found no excitement the sub cct of Abolition, cx-
ccpt in the to which tcirl letter is addressed, and
even in those two, they say, Il large and highly re-
spectacle portion of the ministers, and they think
amajorty Of the members, disapproye and dcplore
the agit.tion Of the subject.
The Bishops argue the subject, first, as one Of
right, denying hatthc people ofthc North have any
shadow of prctonsion to interfere with question so
purely ola domestic and local character. They,
secondly, discuss the question of trpeditncy show
ing, that this interference has already been pro-
=
free colorcd population, not only in a temporal but
in spiritual point of view. In the third place"
they place it on the ground ofdbStract justice and
here we must permit them to speak for themselves
They say:
"Wcrc congress even disposed forthwith and
totally to abolish slavery in the District Of Column
ba, or the savrholding states within themselves
yet the immediate abotonists here insist, as We
understand, that no compensation, i'll whole part
ought to be allow ed although ii i, we'll known that
large amount of the present property and pro-
ductivc capital of northern states, has grown from
the proceeds of slaves formerly sold by northern
citizens to the south In view of which, if unver
, sal immediate liberation be urged as duty, on
part, can be surprised if question should be
made whether there is corrclalivc duty of res
titution ON the other In other words--t all the
present progeny of the slaves thus sold in former
years, ought be Immediately DISCHARGED by those
into whose hands they have come, by whatever
mcanS,-whethcri it Is perfectly clear that there can
be no corresponding obligation in equity for the
restitution OF the entire purchase money, with
all It's increase to the present day, into whatever
hands it may have come, and through whatever
channels !! Without expressing any opinion on
this question, it may not be aml>S at least to con-
slider the vide difference respecting il between the
views OF those who oppose the idea OF any such
conciliatorv in this country strcnuouSlv
as they urge abolition itself, and those of British
statesmen and m,rastS'
The foregoing extract is not only worthy of no.
tcc on account, of the force oft the argument, but
! likewise for the polntedness Of its rebukc. We
beg the Northern Stare settlers to ponder it,
The Bishops say, that they do not believe that
q the New Testament scriptures, or the preaching
or practice of our Lord or his apostles, were ever
intended to Justify the condition of Slavery" vet
they say, g" we arc as we'll satisfied that the pre-
sent course of immediate abolitionists is equally
foreign from the practical examples furnished us
by those high and sacred authorities, and in cir
cumstancos less difficult than ours For, whilst,
within the Roman empire, slaves were both more
numerous, and their legalized coalition worse than
the lcealizcd condition of the same class in any
portion of our own country, there existed, at the
same time sucn barrier lin of liberation, }
to their enjoyment of the entire rights of citizen
ship, even to their amalgamation, as in our cir
cnmstances is utterly insuporablc." The spirit
of Phariseeism, it will be clearly seen, has not
changed since the DAYS of our Saviour's incarnation
Then, this proud and intoerant sect pretended to
be holi'r than Christ and they do so still. They
thank God that they are better than other men, be-
cause their charities ostentatousN pulled in the
: