Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-03-16

own country, as hypocrisy and inconsistency.
They plainly give people TO understand, that
they would rather that the money which is
wrong from the slaves, and the price which
is obtained for stolen children, were cast into
the sea, than appropriated to what is called
the cause Of God. They consider this sppro-
priation Of their ill-gotten wealth to profess.
eddy religious purposes, as the GROWING OF
their guilt; and they look upon those who
receive such monies for religious purposes as
no better than the parties who gire the mo-
ney.
Thus far | have spoken as In the name oil
the ministers; | shall now speak IN my oWn
name. and state my views of their conduct
with ,he greatest freedom. ! must say then,
that I consider your conduct in reference to
the cause of American slavery, as exceeding
" unbecoming, as exceedingly disgraceful
and anti-christian. The religion of Christ is
lore; the mark of disipleship is love the
proof that men have passed from death unto
life is love; Love to the brethren. Love to
the brethren is the proof and manifestation of
love 10 God. The man who says he loves
God, whites he hates or loves not his breth.
rem, is a liar. To do good and to communi-
cate, is the Christians proper business, the
sacrifice that God requires of him, and the
sacrifice which is peculiarly pleasing 10 God.
And what good thing is more called for in
the present day, than the advocacy of liberty,
and the emancipation of the down-trodden
bondmen Of America 7 What greater evil
can aflict men than slavery! What greater
blessing can you confe: upon men than liber-
tyl We grant that liberty itself is not all
that men need but it is essential as a first
blessing,-it is necessary TO bestow liberty
preparatory to the b%estowment of every other
blessing. And here you are, furnished with
the p portunity of comforting this inestima-
BILE boon on your brethren, and you refuse to
confer it. Three millions of your fellow
creatures, the children of the same Father as
yourselves, and sharers of the same divine
nature, and destined for the same immortali-
ty, are imploring in tears, and signs, and
groans, and blood, that you would afford them
help,-that you would aid in promoting their
deliverance: and you stand aloof. By i'm
proving public opinion on the subject of sla-
very in this country,-by publishing your
declarations of non-fellowship with the slave
holders-by sending forth your expressions
of Indignation against the oppressors and
plunderers Of your brethren-by rebuking
with all plainness and faithfulness the minis
tiers and the churches implicated in the guilt
of slavery, you have it in your power to give
strength 10 the cause of freedom, to strike
slavery a blow which shall make the cruel
and ungodly institution reel and fall 10 the
ground ; and you refuse to do it. You shrink
aside, and let the cries and groans Of the
slave go up unheeded or unregarded. You
allow their tears and their blood to flow un-
pitied. l say such conduct is most disgrace
full, most criminal, most anti.christian. If
you were ignorant Of the evil which you are
called 10 remove, or Ignorant of the influence
which the public expression Of your senti-
ments and feelings would exert in favor of
emancipation, there would be an excuse for
you +; but you are not. You are acquainted
with the evil; you know that il is a most
grievious and intolerable one: you see it
spreading; and you have the fullest assur.
ance that if your voice were lifted up against
it as it ought to be, the evil would quickly
disappear; yet you are silent; silent as the
grave. You neither visit the platform to
speak for the oppressed. nor do you make
use Of the pulpit for that purpose. You
tongues and your pens are alike inactive 4; anc
the press, that mightiest engine of all, sends
forth no complaints from you, no stern re.
Dukes from you, against the churches and
ministers that are the chief supports of the
ungodly and inhuman institution, nor any
cheering voice in favor of the men who are
employed in seeking to bring the corrupt in
s~titution to the ground. Nay, worse; in.
stead of opposing slavery you are obstruc,
ting abolition; instead Of disowning and re.
buking the shareholders, you are rebukine
and sland ering the GbohtiOnists. Your Chris.
tian Witness, your Watchman, as well as
others Of your publications, are warning the
public against the men who are devoting their
time and their powers to the cause of free
dom the men who are sacrificing domestic
comfort, and personal interests, and risking
even their lives in behalf of the slaves. You
are opposing them, not openly and manfully;
but meanly and clandestinely. You are re-
presenting them as in6dels and as anarchists;
as men opposed TO government, religion, and
law. Men who are treading in the steps OF
the master whom you profess TO serve-men
whose spirits and conduct are amongst the
~fairest, the truest, the most striking and con.
sistent exemPlihcations of the religion which
you profess to preach, you are endeavorinp
to make odiOus amongst The people, by the
{ falsest Misrepresentation. You are not con
tent with refusing to cooperate with them
e you must use your influence in the most oh
J, jectionable way to lessen the effect of thei
labor, and 10 prevent the accomplishment o
the great object to which they have devoteI
their lives.
70 AS to the reason which you assign for YOU
refusing TO cooperate with them, | cannot re
e gard them as creditable either to your heads
If or TO your hearts. You say these men. ar
not orthodox. What then! Is it so certai
l. that orthodoxy is true, and that heterodoxy /
false. as to justify You in taking the truth {
d the one, and the falsehood of the other fr
l. granted in every case. But suppose it wei
settled, that the great principles of orthodox
y were true, and that the leading principles
v heterodoXy were false, is that a reason VIII
you should refuse to cooperate with an h,
terodox man for the emancipation of ii
slave7 Some of the founders of the ami
c~orn-law league. and many of its most acti,
e agents, were heterodox: yet many of yo
could cooperate with them in their a%nti.cor
If law labors, especially when the ~principl,
/ of the an,i-corn-lsw league began to be p
d pular in the country. Many of the frien,