Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-06-01
THE ANTESLAVERY BUGLEe
Old school Presbyterian Assembly.


The General Assembly Of the Old School
Presbyterian Church met in Cincinnati on the
10th inst, and was opened with a sermon by
Rev. DIR. Murray, of Now Jersey, from that sig-
niHcant text: "Christ also loved the Church
and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word, that he might present 1t to himself a glo-
rious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing" Rather a dangerous text, one
would think, for pro-slavery divine to handle,
but Dr. Murray accomplished the professional
feat without disturbing the conscences of his
sanity auditors by any rcproachful allusions to
the leprous spot Of Slavery or the dceply-im-
bedded wrinkle of caste, by which the Pres
byterian Church is so extensively defiled. And
yet in describing the Elements which form a
Glorious Church, he babblcd Of Truth as an
indispensable requisitc-meaning thereby the
dogmas laid down in the Confession of Faith
land uttered various unctuous phrases about
sancity,' and tho duty of united and Jealous cf-
fort to give the gospel to cvcry creature we
must coase,' he said, wasting our energy and
our time on matters cfpetty importance '-mean-
ing probably the insignificant subject of Slave
very, and other kindred questions. We must
consider the doctrines, and the order, and the
polity of our Church as settled, and its position
defined as to sc0ii-poiiticai and somi-moral Ques-
tions tshich disturb the country; and permit no
man TO disturb them, or to disturb in reference 70
Gem. After listening TO such discourse, the
Assembly very naturally proceeded to elect for
Moderator distinguished slaveholding Divine
(Rey. DIR. Lcland) from Charleston. S. G. 1t
was equally natural that having hardened their
hearts to the cries Of the slave on the plea that
tho question of his emancipation was semi
POLITICAL they should entertain motion offered
by Rev. DR.. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, for the
appointment Of a Select Committee to prepare
Memorial to Congress expressing the opinion
and wishes of Presbytcrians, on the preservation
and pcrpetuation of the National Union DIR.
breckenridge, in supporting his motion, said
Ordinarily Il was doubtless best that the
Church Of Christ should keep as far as possible
from all connection with the political agitations
of the day. But there may be occasions when
the danger Is so great, whom so much is at stake,
that IL tpould DO criminal 10 the Church to DO silent
| and the call is imperative upon all men to give
| utterancc TO their opinions and wishes. Such O
crisis is now impending Whether it may be
avertcd, am not certain. If it comes, and the
result so much to be doplorcd should follow, 4
ioould be the greatest calamity that could 6ef,t i
country, and the greatest that could 5stat GoF,
people, ercept the ertiypati0a ofhe Christian reii-
gion from, Ms earth. Moreover, the Presbyterian
Church holds peculiar position in reference tc
this question. 1t extends into almost every
State, and covers almost the entire country. II
has grown up with the country. IL has slare-
holders and non Shareholders icitlin its bounds
We have made the experiment of holding to-
gether, and have succeeded where others have
lniled, and we are therefore in position to say
decidedly, that what VIC have done for l50 years
may be done. Without debating to Congress
on this subject, we may express our opinion,
that the threatened danger may be averted, and
that VIC look to them and to God to avert it.
Several gentlemen objected to tho resolution
as unwisc and unnecessary, and calculated to do
harm to the interests of religion. DR.. Brecken-
ridge said in reply;
lie thought that, for his own part, thcrc wa:
| great danger. Have gentlemen forgotten thai
the Methodist and Baptist denominations have
already dividcdi And has not this very body
more than once been in danger of dividing upor
the very question which now agitatcs the coun
tryi lie was amazed to hear gentlemen dc
clare there was no danger He was Kcntuck
ian, and, next to being called Christian and
gentleman, he gloried in being called Ken
tuckian. And he knew that Kentucky went fo
1 Union; yet il would never suffer an army t
march across it for the preservation of the I'm
ion. And if the Union were dissolved, woulC
it not affect the Churclri Doubtless the Churcl
would survive, for the gates of hell shall no
prevail against 1t but do not VIC all sec how diff
fcrcnt would then be its condition, if we wor,
dividcdi The Assembly had often spoken ou
on national matters of far less importance thai
| this We are not to stand still and SEQ the Stat
and ourselves wrecked and keep our mouth
closed. We are not only justified, but callcC
upon to speak. [Subect postponed indefinitely.