American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-05-26

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shing,
BY this decision the Board had placed itself
! in direct opposition to the constitution of the
Convention. The only reason given for this
| extraordinary and unconstitutional dictum being
that the appointing power for wise and good
purposes, is confded to the acting Board On
such slight show of authority, this board I'M
dertook to declare that to be qualification in
one who should offer himself for a Missionary,
which the convention had said shall not be a
disqualification. 1t had also expressly given
its sanction to Anti-slavery opinions, and i'm
| plIedly fixed its condemnation on slavery, al
though the Convention had said that ''neither"
should be done. And further, it forbade those
who should apply for missionary appointment
to "exprcss and promote elsewhere" their
views on the subject Of slavery in right "man-
ner and spirlt;" when the constitution declared
they were troe' TO do so. These brethren
thus acted upon Il sentiment they have tailed to
! prove-That slavery IS in all circumstances
sinful. Whereas their own solemn resolution
in the last Convention (ther's as much as ours)
left us free to promote slavery Was not this
leaving as free, and Gin Christian spirit and
manner to promote that which in their hearts,
and according to the present showing Of their
conduct, they regard as a sin?
Enough, perhaps, has been said of the origin
of this movement Were we asked 10 charac-
! terlze the conduct of our Northern brethren in
one short phase, we should adopt that of the
| apostle. 1t was "torbiddlng us to speak unto
the Gentiles." Did this deny us no privilege?
Did it not obstruct us, lay kind of Romish in
tcrdict upon US in the discharge of an impera-
tive duty; duty to which the church has been,
attor lapse Of ages, awakened universally and
successfully duty the very object, and only
object, Of our long cherished connection and
confederation:
And this would seem the place to state, that
our Northern brethren were dealt with as
brethren to the last moment. Several OF our
Churches cherished the hope that by means of
remonstrance and expostalation, through the
last annual meeting Of the Board of Managers
at Providence, the acting Board might be
brought to feel the giiegous wrong they had
inflicted. The Managing board was therefore
atfectionately and respectfully addressed on the
subject; and was entreated to revise and reverse
the obnoxious intcrdict Alas the results were
-contemptuous silence as to the application
made; and a deliberate resolve, expressing SYM
pathy with the Acting Board, and determi-
nation to sustain them.
ii. The principles eff the Southern Baptist
Convention it remains then to be stated, are
conservative, while they are also, as we trust,
equitable and liberal. They propose to do the
Lords work in the way our fathers did it.
Its title designates at once its origin and the
simple, firm abiding of the South onthe ground
from winch it has been so unconsututionally
and unjustly attempted to eject us. We have
but enqured for 'the old paths of Missionary
operations; asked for and attempted to re-
store tho practically good way The Consti-
tuition we adopt is precisely that of the origi-
nal union; that in connection with which,
throughout his Missionary life, Adoniram Jud,
son has lived, and under which Ann Judson
and Boardman have died. We reeede from it
Single step. We have constructed for our ba-
sis no new creed; acting in this matter upon
| Baptist aversion from all creeds but the Bible.
| We use the very terms as we upholc the true
spirit and great object of the late General
! Convention of the Baptist denomination Of the
| United States 1t is they who wrong us that
! have receded. We have receded neither from
the Constitution nor from any part OF the orr
ginal ground on which we met them in this
work. And if we ask in parting, the original
and broad Bible ground of Confederation were
not equitable, how came it so nobly and so long
TO be acted upon? If equitable, why depart
from it?
We claim to have acted in the premises with
l.berality towards cur Northern brethren
Thrust from the COMMON platform of equal
rights, between the Northern and Southern
Churches, we have but reconstructed that plat
form. Content with it, we adhere to 1t, and
reproduce it, as broad enough for MS end for
them. Have they thruct US off? We retain
bat one feeling in the case. That ace ,sW not
practically leaue 1t on s1ay account: much less in
obedience to such usurped authority, or,n de-
| ference to such manifegt breach Of trust as is
here involved. A breach of covenant that
looks various ways-heavenward and earth
ward. For, we repeat, they would JorbMnS TO
speak unto the Ge,ttiieS. THE Jerusalem church
then, must be regathered at the suspected Sa-
maria, or at some new centre of operations
like Antioch. Gone thing is certain"--we
must go every where preaching the word
eve can never be a party of any arrange.
ment" for monopozing the Gospel: any ar.
rangement which like that Of the Autocratcal
InterdJot of the North, would first drive US
from oWr beloved colored people, of whom they
prove tkot they know nothing comparatively |
aud from the mucll-wronged aborigines of the
country; and then cut us off from the whiten-
ing fields of the heather karvest-labor; To
which, by cogent appeals and solemn prayers,
they have go often protested that, without VI,
they were inadequate.
iii. Our objects then, are, the extension ,f
the Messiah's kingdom, and the glory of or
God Not disunion with any of his peopb;
not the upholding Of any form of human p-
lcy, or civil rights; but Gods glory and Ms
sah's increasing reign; in the promotion of
which, we find no necessity for relnqushng
any of our civil rights. We will never intr-
fere with ,chat is CeSar's.* We will not con-
promit what is Gods.
These objects will appear in detail on he
face of our Constitution, and in the proceed
ings, which accompany this address. They're
distributed at present, between the two acting
Boards for foreign and domestic Missions, nv
ing their respective seats at Richmond, Va,
and Marion, Ala. We sympathise with he
Macedonia cry from every part of the heaten
= L., 60 ir.I, IL 81