The examiner., 1849-06-30

E "'"i'"ie' my mouse, my lands are at pres
ent stained with blood. Surely il i
enough; accumulate no more guilt spill NJ
more blood Of the innocent Do not hir,
another to shed blood; do not pay him ioI
doing it Whether you are a christian o.
not, show yourself man Be not more
savage than besr Perhaps you vii
say, 81 do not buy any negroes, only ust
those left me by my father" So far is
we'll but is it enough TO satisfy your con
science ! Had your father, have you, has
any man living, a right to use another as g
slave : Ii cannot be, even setting revelation
aside.
alt cannot be, that either war or con.
uact, can give any man such property in
another as he has ia his sheep and oxen.
Much less is it possible that any child Of
man should ever be born q slave. Liberty
Is the right Of every human creature, as
soon as be breathes the vital air aud no
human law can deprive him of thai right
which he derives from the law OF nature, y
"ll, therefore, you have any regard to JUS
tice 10 say nothing OF mercy or the revealed
law Of God, render TO all their due. Give
liberty to whom liberty is due that is, TO
every child OF man, 10 every paItsker Of
human nature. Let none serve you but by
his own act and deed, by his own voluntary
choice. Away with all whips, all chains,
all compulsion Be gentle toward ell
men and see that you invariably do unto
every one as you would he should do unto
you Many passages might be cited from
the works of Mr.. Wesley, showing that it
was his mature and deliberate judgment,
that slavery, as it exists ia America, is a
aagrsnt violation Of the plainest natural
nights Of man, absolutely inconsistent with
he exercise OF the plainest principles Of
justice, religion or humanity-deeply and
awlully criminal on the part OF the kidnsp-
per, the slave trader and the slavehOld-
er who purchased them Tor his plants-
lion. The STAKEHOLDER on The plantations
IS regarded as so deeply stained with inno.
cent blood and robbery, that the curse rests
on his estate aud descends with il as an in-
heritsnce to his children. In his opinion,
10 remove the clesving curse from them
selves. the Posterity Of shareholders mus,
wash il Out by an act of Justice TO the pos
tenIy Of the slave. They must free them.
We think none will deny that Mr.. Wesley
was opposed to slavery on moral grounds, or
thaI he regarded Emancipation as the plain
moral duty of shareholders of every rank
and degree" Nearly al tie aondard VII
ters among lie N-tol.,;, ia'c held and
/ expressed views moe Co H., >'i.I . ,-sinli-
lar to those Of Mr.. WESLEY Ju, Tor fear Of
making this article too long, we will reserve
the citations for the present. But should
the assertion be questioned, We shall hold
ourselves responsible TO produce the eyi-
dence at future time. The views Of the
tract from which we have made these ex-
tracts were entertained by nearly all the first
Methodist preachers in this country. That
such tract, put forth by man occupying
Mr.. Wesley's position towards the Metho-
dist Society should make deep impression
on both the ministry and membership oil ms
societies, was most naturally TO be expected.
Accordingly We find pointed testimonies
against il in the conferences before the socie-
ties were organized into a distinct church,
but as thew did not come with the sanction
Of ecclesiastical authority at that time we
will not burden our pages with citation ol
them for the present.
DR.. Bangs in his history Of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church informs US upon
the authority of Mr.. Lee; a historian
Of the Methodists of the time alluded TO
that at the organization Of the church, they
adopted the following rule on slavery.
which, for reasons mentioned were not pub
Ished for some time aiterward. We give
the rule as we find it in Bangs history, not
stopping for the present to offer his reasons
for the delay Of its publication. (See Bangs
History, vol. 1, page 2l6, 217.)
\ Every member in our society who has
slaves in those States where tne laws admit
Of freeing them, shall, after notice given
him by the preacher, written twelve months
(eAcept in Virginia, and there in two years.
1 legally execute and record an instrument,
whereby he sets free every slave in his pos.
session; those who are from forty 10 forty
FIVE Immediately, or at larthest, at the age
of forty-fve; those who are between the
ages Of twenty-five and forty Immediately
or within the course Of five years; those
who are between the ages Of twenty anc
twenty five Immediately, or at farthest, BY
the oge Of thirty; those who are under The
age OF twenty, as soon as they are twenty
FIVE at farthest, and every infant immediate
. Iy on its BIRTH"
EVERY person concerned who will no
comply with these rules, shall have libert,
quietly to withdraw from our society within
| the twelve months following, the notice be
ing given as aforesaid. Otherwise the as
sisisnt (the Minister in charge,) shall ex
clude him ftom the society"
"No person holding slaves shall, in iu
ture, be admitted into the society, or to tn
Lords Supper, till he previously conipl,
. with these rules concerning slavery. Tbos
D who buy or sell slaves, or give them away
. unless on purpose TO free them shall be ex
4 PEELED Immediately
"These rules" says Lee, "were shoI
n lived, and DR.. Bangs proceeds to remark
: that they gave such general offence, and wer
!. found 10 be Of such difficult execution tn:
! at the next conference they were suspend
e ed. But at the end Of the minute recort
ing the act OF the conference suspendin
; Them. a n. B. was added TO this effect:
n an. b. We do bold in the deepest abhorrens
the practice of slavery, ano shall to see
. its destruction by ell wise and Prudentmeans'