Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-05-08
REVIEW
OF S. STEEL'S SERMON.

On the 10Th of Feb, nc, S. Steel, Pastor
of the Presbyterian Church, 20. S.) Hills
boro', preached by appointment from tho sub
Joined text, from Eph. 4: l5-" Speaking
the truth in love"-a good text, but treated
by him as he charges Abolitionists with
treating standard religious works-with great
neglect. He discarded the spirit of the text
almost entirely, and led us to suppose that he
loved Shareholders much better than the slave,
or his friend, the abolitionist. As for speak
ing the truth, we Supposed he aimed at this,
but in the Performance, the flesh proved too
weak. Copious notes were taken of the SER
mon, and some remarks will now be offered
on it. The speaker devoted nearly fifteen
minutes, all told, on slavery and its evils,
proving it TO be "unrighteous, as a system.
%ruinous to master and slave inconsistent
with the bible-effects always bad, &c. &c."
HIS next head was, that " many draw erro-
neous differences from the efrccts;alludcd to-
On this he spoke nearly two hours. The
first erroneous inference was, that abolition
lists say Siarery is immoral-tlat shareholders
are therefore thieves and robbers, and should
DO excluded from the church. A great mis-
take, for many of them were conveIted.-
Would God convert a theft Absurd -
Let US examine this position a little. God
converted the thief on the cross. But this is
aside from tt question, which is not, would
God convert a thief, but will he remain such
afterwards? Had the thief on the cross been
pardoned, like Barabbas, would he have re-
Iapsed into his former course And if he
had, would he have been fellowshipped by
the Apostles? Who says yes? S. Steel
Pretty we'll for one who signed his name to
the Constitution of rhe Am. A. S. Society,
along side Garrison, the Tdppans, Gerril
Smith and others, and whose article, proving
slavery to DO sinful, caused Breckenridge
Magazine to be burned in Petersburg, Va. II
taking this ground there is but little DANCE
of his being thought a fanatic. There is mucI
more OF his being thought to have parted witt
all that was valuable in his former principles
and of course of being an apostate, havin!
discovered that the greatest of thieves are no
thieves at all, (that Is, if they are pious,) ant
that slavery, though " inconsistent with tn
bible," is not an immora! instituti9n-to tn,
pious. Creating a distinction between piou
thieves and impious thieves. But here is tn
secret of this. Several great ID. DIS in Eu
rope and America, but especially at Prince
ton, have made the same discovery, viz tina
slaveholding is either no sin al all, or so snaI
a one as should not exclude its perpetratc
from the church. They seem to have 10:
sight Of tho fact, that one of the mysteries {
%iniquity, Distinguishing the Mother of Ha
lots was, that her sons, if they paid ueH fC
the privilege, might perpetrate any number
frauds during life, with her full sanction
when, if any one else were caught at it,
was considered a fit subject for the tend
mercies of the Inquisition, with the agreeab
prospect before him of being both hangedG'
damned, with all convenient dispatch. III
American Church is with them in this.
member of it can practice the greatest Of
frauds upon his brother in the Church, a.
still, provided he pays the preacher and
liberal to the Missionary Board, be caross
as one whom it would be a great miSta
to call a thief" What a pity he had not d