Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-08-04

received in separate pamphlet, entitled,
THE RELATION OF THE Pull
PIT TO SLAVERY.
LETTER TO MINISTER OF THE
GOSPEL.
Rev. AND DEAR BRoTHER,-1 rejoice
to hear you say, that in my views and
feelings on the system of American slave
rv, YOU agree with me- In your mind, it
is clear and certain, that it is system of
rebellion against God-involving fraud,
adultery, and murder, the violation of ev-
cry tie which binds man to man, and
earth to Heaven. This system, you de-
clare, ought Immediately to be broken to
pieces, and scattered on the Winds But
with these declarations on your lips you
censure me for exposing IN the pulpit its
various deadly tendencies, and for urging
on the hearts of all who heard me, the
claims of the enslaved upon their sympa-
thy and assistance. You tried to give
point and effect to your censure by repeat
ing in my ears the declaration of the
Apostle Paul: Il determined not to know
any thing among you, save Jesus Christ
and Him cruci6ed.'' You exhorted me
as preacher Of the gospel, to initiate the
Apostle to the Gentiles, and give myself
up exclusivel Y to the salvation ofsouls.
do not feel myself at liberty to disre-
gard either your ccnsure or exhortation.
With you, bow reverentlv and grateful
Iy to the authority ofthe Bible. If, in the
matter before us, YOU are sustained by
that authority, it is mine promptly cheer
fully, and fully to obey you, as the mes
senger of Heaven. But am greatly a
stranger to your character, if you can
blame me for examining the basis of your
appeal, before yield to its intended inhu-
ence. Nay, l feel assured that you will
join with me in endeavoring clearly and
certainly to ascertain the meaning Of the
{ Apostolic declaration, which YOU wish
me to heed.
You understand the Apostle to con6ne
his attention, as a christian teacher, to a
very small circle of topics; comprehend
ing only the more commanding doctrines
of the gospel Among these, you sup
pose that the divinity of Christ, and the
atonement by His blood, claimed place
7 peculiarly prominent. From these he
never allowed himself so widely to depart,
. as to introduce to the church subjects SC
e far removed from the vitals of Christiani-
tv, as the evils of servitude and the claims
of the slave You blanc me for not im
y tating the example of the Apostle, and ex.
1 Guiding from the lessons of instruction
. may give, the doctrines of abolitionism
y But after making the declaration, which
you quote, did the Apostle exclude sucl
topics from his discourses! In answer
II ing this question, so manifestly fair ant
d appropriate, you will eagerly embrace
8 such conclusions as the Epistle itself
y which contains the declaration in question
! forces on our convictions. Read tn
o Epistle, my brother, and see over what
II large field the Apostle allows himself t
expatiate! What variety Of object
. catch his attention. and employ his pow
i ers! In one place he forces on you
e oathng eye the incest Of a member c
g the Corinthian church, and the shamefu
: neglect of his brethren to subject him t
8 christian discip }ine; in another, he point
- out to YOU the limits within which 20
IF may have intercourse with fragrant sin
ners. Here he exposes and condemn
the conduct of such christians as had law
IS suits Lefore heather courts; and there h
p enters freely upon the discussion Ct tn
y subject of marriage. With one breath b
g. disposes Of the difficulties which migl
II embarrass his christian brethren, vhe
ID invite to partake of food which had bee
Z "ohered In sacrifice to IDOLS" and tn
= next, be employs in the asserting tn
claims of the christian teacher to a comp
" tent support; and the third, in enforcin
r. upon femal les the importance of their al
IS pearing ue1led in religious assemblies
Nor does he overlook the condition an
the duties of those who were under tn
a. bonds of servitude. He points them /
n, The basis Of freedom, to aohich the gosp'
,s had raised tAem But need not swe
the list of topics, to which in one connec
ton and another he directed the attention
III of his readers. 1t is very certain, that b
tn the declaration to which you refer, tn
IN Apostle did not intend to exclude fror
his discourses such things as you blam
me for discussing. What, then, did b
Re mean A fair question, which is eutitie
n to an appropriate answer.
50 Permit me, my brother, to remind you
that when the Epistles to the Corinthia
g church were written, "excellency (
I'd speech and of wisdom" were general
TO thought to consist in the subtletes of
pt hair-spIrting philosophy, and in arti6ci'
rhetoric. Such acquisitions, in city lik
Corinth, remarkable for its wealth an
~ luxury, would naturally be held in hig
he estimation. What multiplied hints ha1
o. we ip the epistles, with which we are no
- more especially concerned, that for ii