Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-10-01
Missionary Department.
The American Board of Foreign Missions
DISCUSSION OF THE PoLYGAMY QUESTION.

s1' ftStuehu - all HOL SdLlSllBu Will TGJOII
and have the honesty sir, to say so. A polygamis
has been admitted INTO the church, and for aught that
appears, may be done again the bars are down and
the field is open, and how many such cases may occur
we do not know. ought to be a man of candor, and
II were asked whether any polygamists will be
admitted to the mission churches, should say, no.
Still, 1t is best to put the bars up 70 leave the mat
ter where it is, will leave the Board in unfortunate
position. do not speak of the feelings Of ministers
in particular; there are thousands Of Others, honest
minded men, all over the country, who believe that this
Board with all its nobeness and greatness is trailing
Its robes in the blood of the slaves and in the dust OF
heathensm. They wish the Board to keep its robes
clean and therefore is necessary to take some more
positive action on this question We wish you to do
this, first out ofregadt to our weak consciences. You
may think we have weak heads we certainly have
weak conscences, and in the name of our Master, we
ask you to respect those cOnsccnces. Secondly, we
want the bars put up to avoid the appearance OF evil
for, if there be no evil, there the appearance Of it.
and this should be avoided. Thirdly, we believe the
great question of the age to be- not how shall crcu-
late the Missionary Herald, but no shall put the
army fthe Lord in order for battle and for victory
and as to the manner of doing this the farmers OF our
country men OF common sense and honest pety, would
settle thu question in many minutes talk
ing about it Sir we are getting pyramid of unset
tied, undecided questions, and by and by, we don't
'ook out, that pyramid will become lofty that the
summit thereof will be seen by heather eyes; and
when they see lis wnkng at sins which even they know
to be wrong, the influence will be disastrous, and
have need to take care, that where make con-
vert we do not make ten infidels."
Rev. Dr. Dwight, of Portland Me. said;
"Wht have to say, will be with perfect respect for
the committee; but, sir when we come here as mem
bers OF the American Board to consider great unda-
mental questions, we are to plY no Difference to men
we are to call no man master, but are to feel our re-
sponsibity to Master in heaven. mustsay, then,
with the freedom of an American--ofa Christan-ot
minister iuSt what think on this subject When
come back to this scene Of my childhood and OF my
cdlcaon to the classic HILLS where my vcneratcd ia
ther, president Dwight laugh me, and others whom
! see around me,-amld these scenes and remembran-
cess am taught to declare my opinions without the
fear of any man.
The committee tell us they have looked at the quos-
ton of poygamy and they declare, IN general, that 1t
IL wrong; then they refer to case of the admission OF
polygams to the church, and state the peculiar cir
canstancGs. But why do they not pronounce sent
mont Of dsapproya? They tell us, the person admit
TED was an old man--that he had lived tremendously
with his wiyesthlt he has been long since dead and
they find difficulty in the case But sir there IS
great moral question involved in these considerations;
is the question of marriage, taught by the gospel
and concerning 1t explicitly instructed by our
Savior. For this cause shall man leave father and
shall be one flesh. There is to be but one wife,
they hcqin" 1t is the union of tCo persons and no
more. This relation was instituted by God himself,
and he alone can suspend the law concerning it
There have been times of ignorance which God wink
ed at; but that time is past, and any temporary sus-
pense fthe law of marriage which there may have
becn is done away in Christ. The sancy of the mar
riage relation under the gospel is sacred and it will
remain so until the last trumpet shall sound.
Whom thnrnfnrn thn Mr. Groom said that
the Board could not sit and act upon ecclesiastical
problems and questions Of casuistry, surprised
Sir, is it question of casuIsty whether the laws OF
Christ shall be observed? Suppose Hndoo to apply
for admission to a Christian church, while he kept up
the practice of rubbing ashes on his forehead in honor
of his heather gods. Would that be question of
casuisty? No
But there were difficulties in the case of the polyga-
mist. He had lived tremendously with his wives, and
they were unwilling to leave him. he was an old man
&c Be it 50 there are difficulties everywhere IN
following Christ. We meet them here. ii any man
will come after me, let him deny himself even to hat
ing father and mother, wife and children. 1t may be
hard case, but it is one Of plain and eternal duty
My difficulty, then, is this; the committee have eX-
pressed no dissent in the referred to, lot the adj
mission of poygamis to the church, and shall 1t GO
out into the length and breadth of the land that they
intend no dissent? We told yesterday, respect
ing the report upon the China mission, that If sent ou
it would be read in India, and that part of it was cal
culated to cause disturbance there and will not this
report when it shall have been published and become
as common as the air breathe, be read every where
and commented upon? and may it not awaken deeI
regrets in the minds Of thousands? And when this
shall be- think the Board will wish had said distinct
H. that poygamy is not to be tolerated in the mission
churches"
Rev. Mr.. Perkins, of Meriden, Conn.,. sad
awe are acting under great ignorance. We asl
for information this subject, and the officers OF TIL
Board tell us they do not know and If one polyga
mist came into mission church, some twenty year
AGO and they never knew it till recently, how do w
know but there may be hundred other cases. SIR,
regard this as question of deep interest-one whlc
affects great prime ples, and wish to say few word
upon it.
had occasion, few years since, to visit the Yves
Indies and found there state Of things at which m
feelings were shocked | had heard the Moravian
Landed every where the most Jealous and devoted
nil nissioDaries-as patterns, even, for our missions
and was amazed, therefore, to find MoFaylan mis-
sion supporting itself by slavery; the shoes made b
their slaves being sold for this purpose. Also toun
that members in the church were living as man an
wife without marriage and the missionaries excused
on the ground that the negroes did not like to be MAJ
ried With such facts before me, itcannot be thougl
strange that should want information respecting OF
own missions and it pains me, that when ask lof III
information CANNOT get IL, Uul dlH O"niPui"0 -
beinr faut-fnder, and an enemy OF the Board 81
labored in connection with this Board, long beto
many of you, who are older had anything 10 do wit
it. The first five dollars ever earned laid upon tn
altar, and have continued to contribute ever sine
and am | now to be considered as an enemy and
snarling man, because | come here and respectful
ask for information? | come here in Ignorance. a
told that there has been case OF the admission OF
nolvqanist; and that, concerning two other cases. it
not known to the secretaries of Board whether thu
were admitted or not and that the missionaries are
vdel on the question, of them thinking that m,
with two or more wives ought to be received into tt
churches think therefore the Board are called up
to speak distinctly to the missionaries on this po
and the necessity for this is increasing for as the &C
mel prevails the missionaries will have to deal mo
and more with the higher classes of society, amol