Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-01-14

God and his Word :" and p%retends TO disco
ver'in his class of Shareholders, the lineaments
of christian character, in many cases, strongly
and beautifully developed :" while he CEN
sures freely the abolitionists Of the North, for
their determined opposition to Slavery.
The Review before us, (written by a bap-
fist MINISTRY shows in a clear light the in
consistency and falsehood resorted to by
these two clerical man-thieves. The greater
part of the review is devoted to combating
the position taken by the one, and admitted
by the other, that slavery was sanctioned in
the Old Tesla ment and not forbidden in the
New. The writer's arguments are learned
and able, but there are probably few persons,
comparatively, who will be interested in
them. 1t is this part Of the review which
we suppose would not be interesting to a
majority Of our readers. Indeed, it seems to
us that abolitionists can do better than devote
their time TO the discussion of this matter
as it has but little to do with the real ques-
ton of human liberty, one way or the other.
Messrs. Fuller and Wayland both admit that
slavery is contrary to natural justice-a vio-
latlon Of human rights-a moral wrong. This
point being settled, the question whether the
Bible does or does not sanction slavery has
nothing to do with our obligation to labor for
the slaves redemption, though it has much
TO do with the estimation in which the Bible
should be held.
Admitting for a moment that the Bible
both the Old and New Reconsideration
slavery, or anything else which is wrong,
what followsl Why only this, that so far
as it does so, the Bible is no, TO be obeyed
or respected. Said an aged Presbyterian
minister-a noble exception to his class-in
a convention we once attended "lf the BIZ
BILE ~justifes slavery, | have never understand
ingly read the Bible, and" he continued EN-
phatically, "if it ~Iustifes such a system of
crime and blood, I nerer wish 10 read II, for
know that a book which does so, whatever
its pretensions, never emsnated from a God
of Justice and of love !" This is the true
position.
Every thinking man, not utterly devoid Of
moral perception, knows that slavery is an
~accursed institution-the sum Of all v~illanieS
- system Of unmittiga,ed wickedness and
unparalleled cruelty {; that it is at war with
the best interests of humanity, and a viola,
ton of the duties man yves to his brother
What kind Of treatment then do those hypo
critical Divines deserve, who, admitting thu
horrid character of slavery, yet with length
ened faces and a whining voice, tell US tina
the Bible sanctions it7 Such men are hyp
ocrites and devoid of truth. They declar
slavery TO be wrong--contrary to natural jus
tice. They talk of the goodness and ~justic,
of God, declare the Bible to be his revealed
Word, insist that he has established and sane
toned in his Word this system Of blood, ant
assert that Christians may hold slaves, be
cause God authorized them so TO do--whicl
authority, slavery being wrong, he ought ne
yer to have given! Can a man pretend t
occupy such ridiculous positions, withou
being justly ~chargeable with hypocrisy AM
falsehood
The truth is, the priests of this land--wit
a few exceptions-are leagued together
brotherhood of thieves. They care far NOR
for the interests of their order, than for an
thing higher or holier. They have no tru
regard for the Bible which they hypocritica
ly profess TO take as their guide, but wi
pervert its meaning-degrade its character
deny its p~lainest precepts, and disregard i
most express commands, for the purpose
binding and d~eluding the multitude, al
thus adding to their own unholy power al
gain. Point out their wickedness and Grim
show that they are unfolding slavery, al
they admit that slavery is contrary TO natur
justice, but begin to talk, in solemn strai
of divine permissions and commands, al
claim from the Bible a Justification Of thu
conduct. The people view them as the {
vinely commissioned expounders of t
Word, blend natural justice with natural {
pravity, of which they have heard so muC
trample upon their consciences, and follc
their "blind guides" to destruction.
The corrupt, designing priest, loves tn
logical discussions and Bible arguments,
Nothing suits him better than to be oppos
with his own chosen weapons. He is SIX
cd and trained to 'search the Scriptures"
in them he thinks he has temporal, if
%''eternal life" or at least the good thir
thereof.
"And then he signs and quotes a piece
Scripture,
And thus he clothes his naked v%illainy,
With old odd ends stolen forth from h
writ,
And seems a saint, while most he plays
devil!"