The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-08-17
THE VOICE OF FREEDOM,
MONTPELIER, SATURDAY, AUGUST II, 1882


The General Convention Of congregational Min
listers is to assemble at Montpelier, on Tuesday,
the 9th inst. 1t seems to be taken for granted
that this body will be called to take some action
upon the agtating question. Indeed it is known
that several conferences and associations have ia
ken the necessary steps to bring the matter before
the Convention by memorials and that commit
tees have been chosen with the expectation that
they will endeavor to procure a full hearing on
the whole subject What course the Convention
will take, remains to be seen. Judging from what
we have seen and heard the convention will be
divsible into three parties on the suhject-matter
of the memorials
l. An inconsiderabe number of the body, per-
haps one-tenth of the whole, will be for maintain
ing dignifed silence, under the plea that the
convention, being body without any constitution
al authority, is not called upon to take cognizance
of the peculiar institutions of the southern states.
1t may be urged, las, indeed, it has been, in ad
vance, by correspondent of the last Chronicle
that at present the churches in Vermont are pla-
ced in circumstances most unpropitious for any
favorable action of this kind" Says the writer
alluded to- 1.-The churches in any other Christian
nation or even in any other one of these United
States, might address the south with more hope
of doing them good. But the name of Vermont
is peculiarly odious. The state is politically abo-
litionist and is so considered We are not so con-
nected with the south that the sin of slavery per-
tains to us, and they will not thank us for offering
to share the guilt with them," &c.
2. Another class, more numerous than the first,
will go for letter Of admonition to the southern
churches, but they will insist on COUGHING it in the
true spirit of non-committalism. They would
attempt to settle no abstract questions of nice cas-
uistry, as avhetAer the holding Of a aace is in all
cases necessarily sinful; but address them [south-
ern churches on broader and less questionable
grounds! A form of memorial, embracing the
above quotation, is furnished to hand in the last
Chronicle. The grand aim of this class, inclu-
ding the Chronicle school, will be to avoid brand
Immediately repented of and forsaken.
B. A third class, we hope larger than the first
and second united, will be for dispensing with UNI
tempered mortar altogether and planting them
selves on the high ground of Gods word They
will contend for as high standard of ethics as
has been recognized by all consistent POLITICIANS
for the last five years. They would speak of sla-
very as a usurpation of the prerogatves of God,
tending to blot the divine image from the soul of
man-degrading him from the dignifed rank his
Maker gave him in the scale of creation, and SUBJ
versive of all the social relations which God and
nature have made essential to his earthly enjoy
ment. They would afectionately but earnestly
impore slavehoding professors of religion to I'M
do the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go
Free They would prescribe no particular course
of action for' Shareholders, further than the word
of God plainly enjons.
If the Congregational ministers of Vermont are
not prepared for this, we sincerely hope they will
wait another year. Meanwhile, the politicians of
the North will continue to Gerry aloud and spare
not" whether men will hear or whether they will
and laborng in,hope that the cler-
gy will be able, by the grace of God definitely to
settle the question whether or no slavery be sin,
be fore the Millennium is fully ushered upon the
world.