Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-06-08

that fear that the spirit Of slavery and the
spirit Of war have rubbed off their religion,
or, at least, their Quakerism. II is true, as
thou sayest, that " The present is a day of
great excitement on the subject of slavery"
and ] rejoice in it. There was a great ex.
citemeni which resulted in establishing the
Christian religion; another at Tho introduce
ton of Quakerism. Who complained of
those settlements! The chief priests and
pharisees were as much alarmed about the
first, as thou art about the present one; and
the Boston religionists would moi rest until
they had hanged four of the reformers, but |
do not r~ecollect that any Of the professed re-
formers raised their voices against those ex-
elements. But there are many of the pro-
fessed reformers Of this day beside myself
who are laboring to stifle the present one.
The Epistle again says:
"Our blessed and holy Head Is calling on
US TO keep close to Him In a body, out Of the
excitement, the whirlwind, and the fire."
Why dost thou use the words " whitlwind
and fire " in this connection! They denote
disorder and anger-canst thou charge such
things to abolition societies? | have seen
more of it in one Monthly Meeting Of Friends
than in all anti.slasery meetings | ever at
tended. And that disorder arose solely in
consequence Of two Hicksites peaceably at
tending there. But how extensive is this
call thou s~peakest Of as made by our holy
HILL l.. :, - LHx;.,I,. ,Iono 80 io - to all
to whom "the grace of God that bringeth sal
vation hath appeared? | can hardly be-
! lieve our "holy Head is so partial as to
call Friends only. But if He calls all to
whom the said grace had appeared, ART thou
willing TO mix with them? Wouldst thou
like TO mix with Baprists, Presbyterians,
Shakers and Hicksites! &c., &c. The an
swer to this question appears in almost the
next sentence, where it is said that if we
Join with those who do not believe as we do,
it will fare with us as the prophet declared
OF Eptrdim, " Ephraim, he hath mixed him
self among the people,; strangers have de-
voured his strength and he knoweth it not"
Now, although Friends may innocently
mix with abolitioRists and lose no strength,
but have encouraged those with whom they
mix to adopt those testimonies which many
Friends have foTsaken, yet | think they may
and have mixed to great disadvantage, as in
the case of elections. That they have lost
strength by this mixing, is evident from their
being unable 10 bear the cross of supporting
their testimonies against slavery and war;
And that they are insensible of having lost
their strength, appears by the soft answers
they give to those queries touching the testi-
monies just named, and by their strict obser-
vance Of certain rites and usages which
were comfortable and useful in their better
day, but very awkward when u~naccompanied
by those ancient testimonies of original Qua
kefism.
Speaking of slavery and iniemperance, thou
sayest:
81 rejoice that the Lord has prospered the
work so far, and opened the hearts of the peo-
pie so generally in the community to see the
iniqnlly thereof"
Did this glorious prosperity occur, thinkest
thou, without an excitement? No, verify.
And this is The very excitement that so vex-
ed thee-yes, this is the excitement which
thou tellest US that the Lord has laid a neces-
sity on thee 10 warn US TO keep out Of. | have
often thought, when reading that part OF thy
epislle under notice, that if, instead Of claim
ing Divine authority for writing it, thou
hadst %preixed the following text, il would
have been better, viz But to the reslspeak
| not the Lord."--I Cor. vii-l2. This glori.
Gus prosperity, al which | rejoice as well as
myself, never would, never could have ia.
ken place without an excitement, any more
than thou couldst make the tour of the Uni
ted States fast asleep.
The Episile continues:
With gratitude, humility, and fear be il
spoken, the Lord hath made way for us, and
given US a good degree of place in the hearts
Of those in Legislative authority"
And who are those Legislators? Are they
not chiefly Shareholders and their abettors ?
Have not those who mob abolitionists as good
a degree of place there as Friends have, think
est thou! IL a wo is pronounced against
those Of whom all men speak well, will j,
not be as wofui for those to be spoken well
of by such as uphold the system of trading
in slaves and souls Of men,? | should
have been aslonished at finding any Quaker
so "gratyu| for a place in the hearts of such
men," had not found in the preceding lines
at what a vast distance thou hadst placed thy
self from abolitionists; for it seems that after
learning this, no one need doubt that If thou
vast TO find them actually casting out devils