Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-03-16
ANTI.sLAvERY BUGLE, SALEM, o.

made for man, not man for the sabbath.
And bibles, and revelations, and laws, and
governments, and churches, all are made for
man; not man for them. And the church,
and the creed, and the government, and the
laws that are at wal with man, are at war
with God, and are doomed to perish. Man
is the most sacred of all things upon earth
and other things are sacred in proportion as
they tend 10 promote mans improvement, his
perfection, his welfare. The church and the
ministry that enslave men, or sanction mans
enslavement, are of the devil and their
downfall should be a cause of Joy, not of
grief. And such are the churches of Ameri-
ca. They both sanction the en%slavement of
men, and take part in the work of enslaving.
They are the buiaoarks of slavery. Slavery
lives at this hour through their support
They are then OF the devil, and your aim and
endeavor should be to break them up. You
may say it is their Ignorance that makes them
give countenance to slhvery; but we have
reason to think otherwise. And if it were
ignorance are ministers and churches that
are too ignorant 10 know that man-stealing
and slave.holding are sins, to be called min
listers and churches of Christi Is the cause
of such churches and ministers, to be called
the cause of God
You think religion will suffer, il such ex-
posures be encouraged we think religion
has suffered already by the crimes committed
in its name, and that the exposure Of those
crimes is the first step towards remedying
the evil. We think it is the slaye.holdlng
and slavery-sanctioning churches and minis
tiers that injure religion and tina. the aboll'
tionists are the men who are stopping the
mischief, and rescuing religion from its foes.
You are afraid of losing popularity 1t you
join the abolitionists. We think you. Will
lose your popularity if you do not join with
them, unless you begin 10 work as you ought
for freedom among yourselves. Think what
you will, the people of this country Will ell
Their have churches, and creeds, and minis
tiers that are friendly to humanity, or they
will have none. They will either have cIeeds,
and churches, and ministers that war with
slavery and oppression, and help to promote
the freedom and purity, the peace and the
blessedness of mankind or they will have
done with creeds and churches and ministers
altogether. And they are right. Even the
Bible itself would perish, if it were found al
war with the freedom and the interests o
mankind. And yOu will perish,-your in
fuence will vanish like the dew, and you
names be a byeword Of reproach and lnfamy
if you allow, your brethren to be in bond;
W iNlOu uOC OAibs W NV bhNAhs -
perish, or become a loathing 10 every man o
worth and piety on earth, if instead of plead
ing for the slave, you plead for the chapel-go
ing and sermon-preaching slave-holders.-
You will perish, and be remembered only al
pests and plaques, if you help the strong
against the weak, the rich against the poor
the oppressor against the oppressed, the ty
rants against the slaves. Already your rep
utation and your influence are on the decline
Already large masses of the people look upol
you as their foes. Already they suspect yoI
as leaning more TO the side of the strong, thai
to the side of the weak in your own country
Already they begin too feel as il the religion
which is to bless them, must be something
different from the religion which is preached
from your pulpits and that the church whicI
is to aid them, is not the churches of whicl
you are the guides. Already you have SUM
in the estimation of multitudes. Your con
duet in connection with your Evangelical Al
lance sank you in the estimation of many
and still you are sinking. AND unless 20
make haste to amend; unless you prove your
selves the friends Of your race. you will sinl
to rise TO more.
l beseech you to consider your position
and to begin 10 do your duty like men. ID
not think me your enemy because | sPea
thus. am an enemy TO no man living.
am an enemy to nothing but TO ignorance,
error,.,and to sin. ! am your friend and m
advice, if followed, cannot fail to do you gooO
/ wish to see you honored; but l wish yo
; first to be honorable. | wish to see you pow
erful but wish TO see you first employin
what power you already possess, for the GOO
> of your brethren. Do right; and honor, an
I influence will come as a matter of course
! due time. Do right; and you then all
3 yourselves with God, and prosperity an
! blessedness are as sure as the almightine:
: and eternity of God himself.