Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-07-17

ated in the church, By their fruits churches as
well MS individuals, must and will be known. And
church that is a partaker with dolaters, and
thieves, and whoremongers, and oppressors, and
menstealers, never can have any moral power to
restrain such vices, or to convince the ungodly OF
the evils of such practices. All her influence is
the other way And should she at any time at
tempt any reform, she would at once be met with
this cutting reproof; Physician, heal thyseif The
light that is in such a church is darkness, and
shines only to bewlder and allure others TO ruin.
Such will not be the case in heather lands, or in
any land, when ministers and churches do as the
apostles did, extirpate at once every system of
slavery from among them, which is essentially like
Roman slavery Here is the rule, sanctioned by
the apostles, confirmed by apostolic churches; and
it must commend itself to every well-niormed
conscience. Have no fellowship with the unfruit-
full works of darkness is command as reasona-
bic as it is scriptural. Do the great body of our
churches obey this command, or follow the exam
pie ofthe apostolic churches? need not say that
nearly all the churches ut the south are in full
communion with system of slavery as unjust,
impure, cruel, and bloody as the old system of
Roman slavery. Those churches do not extirpate
this system from among them. 1t walks into their
= pulpits and comes to their tables The example
OF those churches has not changed public sentiment
for the better on this subject After the lapse Of
more than century, the great body of the south
are as violent to support their system of slavery
as ever they were, and yindictive against every
t. attempt to repress the evil. The slave spirit rule
i aud triumphs, and bears down all opposition
" How can it he otherwisei The church, as a body
> makes effort to eXtirpate this system Of sin
{ but chershes and uphoIds it, While the churche
u so do, how can the public mind be convinced tina
IS slavery is an appalling SIM Are to expect tina
the world will be more righteous than the church
s. Who can wonder that infdes and atheists gro,
&c secure and sin the more; that justice is trample
t down, humanity disregarded, and honorable mul
: der only nine days. lconder-that the Holy Spil
it is grieved and his Iie-giving influences restrain
10 ed-that the churches are cold and dead; angr
+ Clouds carried about by violent winds, and sent
u ing forth lurid light warning of apprOachn
" danger? Is there not, my brethren, a great tau
al amongst the churches; and is it moi time to nqu
10 for the good old apostolic way, and to walk Their
ID in? If ye love me, saith Christ, keep my con
III mandments
d. The mission of Christ was designed, in an e
" peca manner, for the poor. These constitute
as the mass of those who attended his personal mi
tie istry; and of such, in great measure, were /
e. early churches formed He was sent to prea
az good tidings to the meek, or poor; to bind up t
u broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captiy
IS and the opening of the prison to them that a
a. bound. Slaves emphaticay among these
or whom the gospel was sent but slavery steps
lld and says, slaves shall not hear the gospel wilhC
e my consent, and under such regulations as plea
Del 1t excludes from them the word Of Cod and
an lows them to assemble for religious purposes on
e" under such regulations she is disposed to ena
1s' And woe be to that minister of Christ who da
Isl to violate her orders. Can such an institution
eS- from heaven, or from hell? Was it designed
os- aid the object of Christs mission, embarr
Tue and oppose it? Must not one destroy the 9TH
'e Could the apostles, then, allow an institution
'u- take quiet lodgings in the church which claim
We such power over her members, and her condu
0"' This would look like yielding to Satan, and wo
'e' be strange way to destroy the works of the de
d TO be continued