Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-08-05

,voroan On the other. Whatever il forbids n
to the one, it forbids to the, other. So that, el
if it prove any thing, it proves too much, c
and therefore, for my brothers. purpose, it 1
fails utterly.
l suppose, for my self, that the passage is
to be construed literGlly-that it IS simply, 4
and only, just the prohibition which it pur- 2
ports to be-lhat it forbids, TO the Jews, s
that the women should wear the apparel of j
the men, and also forbids that the men q
should wear the apparel of the women. By
what rule of Interpretation my brother sep
arates this command TO the Jews from
score of other regulations pertaining to them
only, a,n unable TO divine.
have given il as "mine opinion" that
the Old Testament does not settle this
question, any more than it does the question
of slavery. If my brother cannot bring
stronger support for his view of the case, !
than he has yet brought, from the Old Test !
ament, he is altogether behind the slave
holder and his apologist, both in kind and
amount Of proof. ! need not cite the passa-
ges that are in the mouths Of Shareholders.
They are numerous. and are familiar TO all
who are familiar with the subject of Anti
Slavery. But does brother G. acknowledge
the validity and soundness of the proof
drawn from "the Old Testament Scrip
lures " in support of slavery? Far from it.
| happen TO know that he rejects it altogeth-
err. He is the wrong man, then, 10 offer
such proof as he does for such purpose
Really, believe that if the advocates of
, slavery could not sustain themselves with
more plausibility than my brother G. has,
: he would himself treat their pretensions as
worthy Of no serious refutation, but as only
! fit TO be passed by with ridicule.
Let me not be misunderstood. When |
say that the Old Testament scriptures do
not undertake to settle these questions, do
not mean that they contain no general law
! which, in their proper application, prohibit
= slavery, but only that they specify nothing
!, ia regard to these subjects as such. If my
!, brother could have found any thing that ha:
o any such bearing against the practice which
:. he deprecates, as any one of half dozen Of
+ The Ten Commandments has against slavery
of lam sure he would not have left his position
Of as think he now has, so feebly supported
' or, as should rather say, totally un-sup
- ported.
g. | say the same of the "Scrptures o
:. the New Testament" as Of The Old-tha
they do not undertake to settle the matte
- in question, by any general rules, or by an,
specific rules applicable to US. Take III
;; very passages which brother G. has quoted
l. In one of them, Paul says, 10 the Corinthi
;Ie ans, "let your women keep silence in tn
ad world-especially a Baptist church, {
,ss which denomination, brother c.. belongs
6 which carries out in practice such a cor
cd struction Of this passage as my brother
views would require Not one. MOI on
,or And the fact that no one thus practices
II al least practical evidence that no one thu
ho believes. Where is the Baplist-to say NJ
:, thing about several other denominations
80 silence in the churches 2" / have new,
seen such one, or heard Of such one.-
What then becomes of the passage? Ma
ifestly every one construes it so as not
led make necessarily applicable to all chri
an tians, under all circumstances, what m;
= have been properly applicable TO some chri
red tians, under some circumstances And
I've leave il for those who construe these pa
18th sages so as 10 allow christian women mn
ear 10 speak in church and conference meeting
ne to show by what rule of Interpretation the
IN construe these same passages SO as 10 pr
ch hibil women an active part in moral ar
W. phllanlhropic enterprises. Ifthese passag
err extend in their application beyond the i
; dividuals TO whom they were addressed, vi
WI der the circumstances which appear 10 ha,
est called forth such expressions from the apo
ler tle-if they are equally applicable to a
ch christian women, under all circumstance
al and throughout all time, and without mod
ev- fcation of the language used, then not on
re, am In gross error on the subject, but ev
tn ry church with which am acquainted, ar
~. with which my brother is in fellowship,
10 carrying on a gross practical violation
Ter the rules laid down by the teacher. Yol
first work, them my brother, in the case
do TO go about setting right the churches vii
es- which you are in union, connection, ar
icy communion. Afterwards, you may vii
les more semblance of propriety undertake Il
nat application of uoztr now violated chnrf