Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-03-12

their strength has been thrown upon the side
Of the oppressor, and the tyrant has felt Sc
cure in his power because Of the support they
have given him.
These denominations all claim 10 be chris
tian, and perhaps are; but if their claim to
this character is just, we have placed a wrong
estimate upon christianity. is that a chris
tan church which recognizes as members of
its body, in good and regular standing, The
worshippers Of Juggernautl Certainly not!
is the universal response. is that a christian
! church which holds union and communion
with the followers of Mahomed, claiming
them as beloved brethren in the Lord7 Most
assurediy not! is the general answer. Is
that a christian church which fri ely admits
to membership The ordinary thief and robber1
Unquesiionably not! is the reply. Docs not
a slaveholding church, or a church composed
in part Of Shareholders, exhibit as great a de-
lection in christian character, as either of the
three referred to! Is there a mother who
would not sooner recognize as a christian
brother the Sophisticated Pagan from Hin
do tan, than the STAKEHOLDER who claims her
child as a part of his plantation stock l..
there a husband who would not rather COM.
mune with the Mahomedan, whose religion
forbids him TO enslave a brother in the faith,
than with one whose iyrant hand has torn from
him the wife Of his bosom Is there a BROTH
er who would not sooner hold religious fell
lowship with the pickpocket or highwayman
who takes from him his purse, than with one
who asserts a property-right in his sister-a
right to dispose of her as caprice or iancied
interest may dictate?
But the defenders of the christian charlc.
ter of slaveholding churches always hero
throw in the plea of ignorance, as a kind of
half, if not whole justification of the slave
holder, who, they say, has never been taught
that slavery was wrong, and tina, it would,
therefore. be wrong TO deny him the privi-
leges Of christian fellowship and church COM
munion. To this we reply-allhough igno-
rance may palliate the guilt Of the wrong
deer, it does not render him worthy Of mem
bership in a christian church. If it does,
why not admit the poor Pagan whose father
and whose brothers voluntarily sacrificed
their lives on the altar Of their religion and
who himself worships at the temple where
they died, observing the same forms and GER
emonies which have been hallowed by the
Observance of his ancestors for ccnturiesl If
1t does, why not admit him who has ever
dwelt within the shadow of the mosque. who
has heard and obeyed since early infancy the
daily call to prayer as it sounded from the
minafet, who, with devout spirit ever pro-
claims "God is God, and Mahomed IS his
prophet" If it does. why not admit that poor
man whose first breath was inhaled amid vice
pollution, who, an outcast from society,
was left TO grow up amid fostering corruption,
out from the blessed sunlight Of Gods
truth and forced to grope his way in the dark
and terrible paths Of wickedness-who has
been made to feel that his fellows had crush
ed and wronged him, and has been taught
what he has ever practised, that as his fellow
men had trampled upon him, it was right for
him 10 rob Them Although the churches
and the defenders Of the churches endorse
the christian character Of the man-stealer be-
cause OF his ignorance, they are not willing
to act the same part by the Pagan, the Ma
homedan, and the common thief. A reason
Tor this may be found in the fact that Pagan
Is not popular here. that Mahomedanism
Is not IN good repute, that ordinary lhieving
Is far from respectable, while Mans,ealing is
both fashionable and aristocra,ic.
According to our belief, a christian church
or should be, a church of christians and
it any member Of that church is engaged in
an anli-christian business, or has perpetra,ed
an antl-chrIstian act-iI matters not, so far as
this point is concerned, whether he trans
gresseSignoranily or knowingly-that church,
1t claims communicating power, is bound
TO discipline him, and cut him off unless he
Two cannot walk together unless
they be agreed, and if The church retains the
offending member it must either b. ing him
up 10 where it stands, or 90 down 10 where
is. IT the church may extend The right
hand Of christian fellowship to one unrepent-
ant offender, the principle, if carried out,
would allow every member to be an offender;
and if The vioIators of one point in Christ's
law be retained, upon the same principle the
%viclators of another, and of every point may
be retained, so that when this popular pro-
doctrine is pushed 10 the farlhest le-
point, We have a christian church
composed of fends incarnate. But the de-
tenders of the church do not wish 10 have
this principle applied 10 the Sabhalh-breaker,
the man guilty of petit larceny, or other GRIM
l"als of the smaller kind it is only designed
TO screen the wealthy and influential slave