Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-05-20

tiers that ever lived, while maintaining such /
system, under the despotic Slave laws
OF their respective States. essentially to
mitigate or remove Its evls* The re-
duction of men formed in the image of |
God, to the condition and capacity of
brutes, nay more to that of goods and
chatteLs, to be used for the personal ag-
grandizement of their owners. to be bought
and solo, knocked off at auction, or bar
tered in trade,-the violation Of the mar
riage tie,--the separation of families-the
darkening and debasement of the soul,-
the curse perpetuated to unborn genera
tions,-in word the blight and wretch
edness OF Slavery remain the same, I'M
changed and Interchangeable.
} By the laws OF the Slave States, and the
responding practice of almost the whole
community, the Word of God is withheld
from the Slaves and while the gospel is
preach d to some OF them, and oral in
struction furnished by the churches, the
great body of the slaves is left in the most
hopeless and helpless ignorance of The
character and claims Of the Christian faith
A people that cannot read in their own
tongue the wonderful works of God, who
cannot therefore form,an Independents iudg-
ment for themselves on the vast RESPONSE
b;llties Of their moral condition. and who
are compelled TO take their religion from
their oppressors, cannot be intelligent and
happy christians. Their pielv must ne
cessirly be SUPERFICIAL, Enthusiastic aud
impure, in many cases, utterly hypocritic-
| al and false. We fear, il too much as
sumes the character Of mere plantation dis
( clptine, in the estimation of bolh master
aud slave. And shall three millions Of
rational and immortal beings, in this land
Of light and liberty, be suffered TO grope
their way to the retributions Of Eternity.
| by the dim reflected light Of oral instruc
tlon, light imperfect and impure at the
very best and which through caprice, mis-
take or unfaithfulness, may become only
The ghastIy glare of foul and damning er-
for, Shall we accuse the Catholic priest
hood OF gross and outrageous act of spir
ltual despotsm, In forbdding the common
people to read the Bible, aud earnestly
urge upon the whole Christian world the
sublime duty of giving the pure and una
|
Earth, and we. withhold ii from our breth
rem 10 bondage? Above all shall we do
this for the purpose of maintaining entire.
system OF universal spolialion & oppres
slon, which, but for ignorance and deora-
datlon fastened upon its victims by Ia,o,
could not be maintained a single hour p
The refusal of the Scri lures to the Slave
is not only violation of the rights of man.
but an Interference with the claims Of
God 1t is high treason against Heaven |!
1t is an attack upon the sovereignty and
authority of Him, whose we are, and
whom we serve! And shall any portion
of the church of Christ dare, under the
eye of God, to perpetuate a system like
this? Above all, shall shedefend itas pleas.
II to Cod and useful 70 man and while
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, shall she
sit as queen, and live in ease and splen-
dor upon the hire ofthe poor? No, dear
brethren, it cannot be, it must not be- The
Lord has controversy with us-yes,
with US, as we'll as with them. Are we
not brethren Are we not one ? Are
we not part of the church universal p
Are we not associated and bound together
BY peculiar ties Ard, If Lot would have
perished had he remained in Sodom,
shall we not be held responsible for the
sins of our brethren, of our sister churches,
ct or whole denomination, If we do moi,
protest against them, and do what in us
lies for their removal He who looks
upon all the oppression done under the
Sun commands us 10 repent, TO break the
} bands OF the oppressed, and let the captive
60 free. True, slavery exists not among
US. Tut it exists among those whom we
are bound to love us brethren, and there
fore, TO warn, eXhort and entreat, 10 put
away from them this and every other evil.
.. let US not cherish spirit Of selfishness,
aud say, Am my brothers keeper?' Il
IS al our peril if we suffer sin TO rest up.
on him. 1t is at the risk of being treated
as unfaithiul servants, and receiving a
: deeper condemnation, that we leave him
unwarned to maintain a system at war
with the purposes of God, and the benevo.
lent tendencies OF the Redeemer's reign.
Tins sentence savors a lille too much of that
hyper charity which would have us believe tha,
protesting christians al the South generally desire
the removal OF system which they themselves
support by their constant every day prlctices.-
This is monsrous error individuals, there may
be, among professors and profane, who, from vari-
Gus motives-some perhaps, from fear of God. but
more, probably, from fear of the slaves-wouId he
rid of the curse of slavery, whether they have any
misgivings about sldDery or not. That the pro(es
sing christians of the South do not, as a general
thing. aid in framing and upholding the laws OF
: savery--even the most villainous and a,rocions
parts of those dabolical codes have vet TO learn
I cannot well refrain, here from nrodn cinn nm LIN,