Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-04-29

Every man, without exception when he makes
the case his own, and examines it solely bv
the light OF nature, pronounces slavery sin and
a curse. Now, 1t is very possible that MANY who
may be convinced, by the labors of Yourself and
others, that slavery is sanctioned by the Bible.
may also arrive at the conclusion that RELIGION
thus outraglng the moral sense implanted in the
human heart by the Creator, cannot proceed
from Him. There is danger, moreover, that this
conclusion will be strengthened by the conduct
of the clergy themselves. They are constantly
seen tythng mint and anise and cummin, and
all manner of herbs while mercy and Justice, so
lar as regards the colored population, are APP
parently utterly disreg arded by them+ The pub
lie has witnessed reverend assembly of divines,
discussing, day after day, the slnfulness of mar
rying the sister Of deceased wife, and at last
deposing from the ministry brother who had
committed the offence; yet had this same broth
or bought another mans wife, used her as his
beast ofburden torn her from her children as they
became fit for market, and finally disposed of her
to some vile Spectator in human flesh, no ecclc-
siastial censurc would have fallen upon him, and
he would have been freely welcomed to the pull
pits of the North as well as Of the South We
have had pastoral admonitions against dancing
but none against hunting men and women. We
have Bible Societies for supplying the destitute
with the Scriptures, and our churches and public
halls resound with eulogums upon the Sacred
Volume but scarcely solitary minister at the
South is known to utter a word in condemnation
of the laws which practically deny the Bible to
about onc-half Of the population while the Bible
Society of the largest city Of the South disclaims
all intention of giving Bibles to slaves Great
! / Il.
question, whether the word baptize, or immersc,
shall be inserted in ranslations of the Bible for
the Hindoos ; but the NEST profound apathy is
eyInced on the question, whether nearly three
millions of our fellow-countrymen shall ever have
any Bible at all Missionaries are sent to the
ends of the earth but to the nation of heather
in our midst is given only little oral instruc-
ton )" and of that little, much is confined
to the duty of obcdience, and the sin of running
away.
Theological seminares are established for Sc
curing to the church learned ministry but
when a candidate for orders asks admission rev.
erend and right reverend trustees proceed to in
spect the tncture of his skin, and unless it rises
to an orthodox standard, the doors of the semin-
airy are shut in his face Great authority, pow
err and dignity, are demanded for themselves by
the clergy claiming apostolic succession yet
they themselves treat the ministerial commission
with insult, when borne by brother not colored
like themseves-rarely, if ever, receiving him
into their pulpits, and, not unfrequently lawless-
y excluding him from the councils of the church.
Some churches drive from the Lords table the
traficker in ardent spirits, but cordially receive
the trafiicker in women and children. In short,
almost the whole Southern Priesthood, both in
practice and in doctrine, unite in supporting
stupendous system of cruelty, injustice, ignor-
ance, and degradation. And is it STANCE, sir,
that these things should give great occasion to
the enemies ofthe Lord to blasphemc, and should
harass and perplex young and inexperienced
Christians They who watch the sings of the
times, whose observation of the movements of
society is not confined within the walls of their
apartment, or to the contents of the bookcases,
KNOW that the most efficient weapon with which
the infdels of the North are now assailing our
holy religion is the conduct of the clergy in re
lation to slavery and caste.
Offences must needs come, but wo to them by
whom they come.
A PROTESTANT EPIsCOPALIAN.
December, 1916.