Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-04-15

flying the truth of remark which teachers have
too often occasion to make, that THERE IS LITTLE
CONFIDENCE TO BE PLACED IN THE RELIGIOUS
PROFESSIONS OF NEGROES. speak generally
Much animal excitement may be, and oftentimes
is, produced, where but little real devotion is felt
in the heart. | sympathize most sincerely with
the very respectable and pous clergyman, whose
heart must still bleed at the recollection that his
confidential class-leader, but week or two before
his Just conviction, had received the communion
of the Lords Supper from his hand. This
wretch had been brought up in his pastors fami-
ly, and was treated with the same Christian at
tenton as was shown to their childrent"
Says the venerable and Rev. DIR. Nelson, ma
tive of Tennessee, and formerly President of
Marion College, Missouri: The concentrated
recollection Of thirty gears furnishes me with
three instances only, where | could say | have
reason, from the known walk of that slave, to
believe him or her sincere Christian"
The Rev. G. G, Jones, probably better ac-
quainted with the religious character of the
slaves than any other Southern minister, says, in
his sermon, already quoted: "Of THE PROFESS
soRs OF RELIGION among them, there are many
of questionable piety, who occasion the different
churches great trouble in discipline, for they are
extremely ignorant, and frequently are guilty of
the gr0SSeSt OlceS,"
After such facts, and confessions, you cannot,
sir, be surprised, should your brethren from other
lands be little skeptical about the "rcvcrent
hearts and devout thanksgivings" of the goodIy
number of the Scuppernong negroes. But, alas !!
sir, there are indeed far Welghtlcr reasons than
those confessions, to Justify such skepticism,
The Gerry peculiar character Of that Christian
ity which is offered to the slaves is well calcuIa-
ted to insure its rejection by them. LOVE is the
great motive, argument, and command of the
Gospel. God is love God SO loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son. We love
God, because he first loved us. Love one an
other, so shall all men know that We are my dis
cipes One is your Father, which is i'll heaven j;
all We are brethren. When we are cruelty and
unjustly treated, we know that we suffer in
violation of the precepts Of our religion, and
we are taught to pray for the offender that
his sin may be forgiven, Far different is the
religion offered to the slave. He is instructed
that the common Father of All has authorized
portion of his children to rob the others of all
their civil and religious rights, and to reduce
them to the condition of the brutcs that PERISH
by converting them into articles of merchandise
The favored children, moreover, are permitted
to withhold from their brethren the revelation made
by their Heavenly Father, and which He has de-
clared is able to make them wise unto salvation
The slave also learns by experience, that to him
is denied the marriage and the parental relations
blessed boons, expressly conferred by God up
on others, While this religion calls on some to
be dlligcnt i'll business, that they may provide
for their families, he is informed that this same
religion requires from him unccasing and unre-
pining toll, for the sole benefit Of his happier
brethren. A future life is indeed revealed to
him, and he is promised happiness in another
world, on certain conditions; among which arc
always, Obcdience to his master, and refusal to
escape from bondage The slave is taught that
those privations and sufferings which he endures,
and which outrage his moral sense, are in per-
feet accordance with the prccepts of his religion /;
and that to pray for the forgiveness of his OPP
pressor would be but to insult that Divine Maj
esty which clothed the oppressor with power, and
authorized him to use it in crushing his weaker
brother
Such is the Christianity presented to the slave
"a religion which his own consciousness must
tell him is partial, severe, and unjust nuifying
in the case of the 6iack man the holy and benev-
client prccepts it gives to his whitc brother, and
sanctltymg system Of cruelty and oppression,
which every faculty Of his soul tells him is
wrong.
And by whom is this species of Christianity
received beyond the slave region! Almost the
whole of Chrisendom rejects it as SPURIOUS
The wise and good of all countries abhor it
The bishops of the Church of England denounce
it. Not bishop at home, i'll a free State, dare
give it his sanction. And yet it is supposed thai
the poor Siaoe, who of all others has the most
reason to reject religion which sinks him below
humanity, will cordially embrace it!
Not only is this religion necessarily repugnant
to the natural moral sense Of the slaves, but the
very persons who preach it must be objects Of
their distrust and aversion No minister adj
dresses the slaves on plantation, but by permits.
sion of the master nor is any slave ordinarily
admitted to Christian ordinances, but by the
same permission, expressed or implied. Hence
the minister virtually addresses the slave as tn;
agent of his master, and, instead of letting tho
slave perceive that he symplthzes in his suffer
ings and laments and condemns his oppression
he labors to impress him with the belief that Coo
Almighty sanctions the seryitude beneath which
he groans, and requires from him ready sub
mission to it. Is it in human nature that Sacl
shepherds should be loved by the flock?
No clergyman at the South has probably la
bored more zealously in behalf Of the spiritua
interests of the slaves than the Rev. c. G. Jones
but unhappiy, he has labored as the agent o
the masters and the supporter of human bond
age; and what has been his success? Listen t.
his story, as related in the Tenth Report Of the
Association for the Religious Instruction of tht
Negroes in Liberty county, Georgia;
81 was preaching" says he to large con
gregation, on the Epstle to Philemon; and wheI
| insisted on fidelity and obedience as Christian
virtues in servants, and upon the authority o
Paul CONDEMNED THE PRACTICE OF RUNNING
AWAY, onc-haF Of my audience deliberately rOs
up and walted of NTH Themselves; and those
who remained looked anything but satisfied will
f the preacher or his doctrine. After dismission
there was no small stir among them some sol
EMMY declared there was no such Episte in til,
Bible; others, that it was not the Gospel others
that preached to please the masters; Others tina