The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-12-12
FOR the National Era.
REPLY TO SECESSl0N No. 2.
INONCLUnED.l

IN'INtl'''rD'I
/ Thes iii, 6, is referred to by our Brother
| and needs passing notice Now we command
you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesu,
Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every
brother that walketh disorderlyp To my remark
that the duty was clearly enj0ined, but the pre-
| else mode Of withdrawal not given, he says now,
| " Here is q mistake the precise mode is given by
the Apostlen What is the mode2 Why, Note
that man, and have no company with him!" is the
reply. Now this no more designates the precise
mode, than the exhortation TO withdraw. AS we
| have already shown, in our remarks upon Cor v,
| II, that not to company with fornicator means
that each individual shall have no sociablity with
him, If he is member of the church, and Of
course forbids our having fellowship with him as
| a Christian. If the majority suspend the offender
we get clear Of his company in this way but IL
the majority will not suspend the offender, then
the withdrawal must be effected by secession
The precise mode is, therefore not given.
With respect to the passage in Rev, referred to
by Brother Fullerton, it is usually brought for
ward to refute the doctrine, that IL is wrong to
leave church until we are cast out \; 1t is said
that in this passage we are commanded TO come
outp And when thus applied, it is pertinent.
IL is held by the advocates Of secession, that this
passage applies TO all bodies that have the dis
tinctive marks Of Babylon and as the Catholic
church has these marks, we believe it applies to
her And should the Presbyterian church pre-
sent substantially the same characteristics, we
hold that it applies to her In its proper place,
may discuss this latter hypothesis with the Bro
ther. We have not room just here.
We come now 10 the analogy which he presents
between remaining with the State, when 1t Is cor
rup., and remaining with the Church when 1t is
corrupt. | think shall he able to show that the
cases are not analogous. The end Of civil govern
n ,.l,. q a-n h.
great corruption on the part Of the rulers " She
Is not the light of the worldp Her end is to bear
the sword SO that she may be terror to evil doors,
and a praise to them that do well" Until her
corruptions become destructive to the end for
which she was instituted, the citizen may, IL he
use all appropriate means for her reformation, re-
main under her rule, and not incur guilt. But
should the government become destructive Of the
ends for which it was instituted, II becomes the
duty Of the citizen, either to alter or abolish it,"
A nd no other plea than that he cannot avoid
being under its rule, can justify him in not set
ting up government that will answer the end
for which civil government was instituted.
want of power to avoid being under despoiic gov
sIu..1s, ,.:s-,. vissa.:as aizher requirements,
may justify continuance under it--and nothing
else will IL the slaves Of the South had power to
change the government exercised over them, and
would not do II, they would be guilty lfit were
M easy and rs possible thing for the subjects Of
Hungary 10 pass from under the despotism Of
Austria as it Is 10 pass from the Old School Pres
byterian church TO the Free church, and they
would not do II, every jet man would hold them
guilty. so, when n church becomes destructive
of the end for which II was Instituted, IL becomes
the duty Of the members either 10 alter that
church. or abolish H. 80 FAR as they are concerned
We believe that the churches from which we have
seeded have become destructive Of the ends for
which they were instituted. We did what we
could to alter them, and, falling in that we have
abolished them, 80 far as we are concerned Any
man in this land can do that, and therefore il
guilty II he does not do II.
In our reply 10 Secession No 2, we showed, that
corrupt in morals as were the members Of the
Jewish church in the days Of the Saviour, she
still answered the end Of her institution, aud
therefore the Saviour was not guilty in waiting
upon her institutions and ordinances. Suppose
the citizens of slaveholding States could by vol
untary act set up Governments there, under the
rule OF which every slave might be free II he
chose, and every one oppressed might be relieved
would they be innocent in not doing III aud the
slave be innocent in not avaiing himself Of such
Government This IL the case with regard to
corrupt churches and mean by corrupt churches
those which have become destructive Of the
end for which they were instituted Those who
desire to form pure churches can do 10 and those
who wish TO associate with them can have m OPP
portuni,y. All who remain with corrupt churches
do no M matter Of choice, and not Of necessity
and because they do 1t rs a matter Of ehoi1 they
are guilty. II may, however, be said that every
freeman In the slave States can remove 10 free