The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-10

should be held only as inqulrers OF prooatione0
until they put away the sin of slaveholding AT
the threshold of the church, while the heart Is
now nder, and conscience awake, is the most ia
vored time to correct the evil for when the slave
holder is received into the church, in good and
regular standing, with full membership, it is use
less for the church then TO barass him about
wrongs, which the church knew he was living in
at the time of his reception By his full recep-
ton he has now the credentials Of bis Christian
characters it were, his passport to Heaven I;
and after all the inconsistent and half hearted
teasing, or grumbling that some members would
make, be would feel that in reality, they do not
feel that the wrong is sin which will exclude
from the kingdom of Heaven; else why bring him
into the kingdom on earth The way to lull his
conscience the subject is, to bring him into the
church in the practice of his sin. know repeated
instances Of persons who the time OF their AVA
kening, their conscieucee and hearts seemed to be
tender on the subject of slaveholding But after
they had been fully received, and a few comforta-
BILE meetings passed over, they became wholly in
different, and after hearing reading one or two
pro-slavery sermons, declaring slavery to be q BIZ
bic institution, they were almost ready to seize
the torch, and apply the fires OF persecution to
the individual who would disturb their Zion. The
place to induce the Shareholder to give up his sin
is at the time or before he enters the door Of the
church-before he has been pronounced as being
in a salvable state for "all that man hath will
he give for his ifep Here isthe place to tear out
the roots Of selfshness Until this Is done, old
things have not passed away, and all things have
not become newn
Does one say we must take the STAKEHOLDER in,
and allow him time to have his mind enlightened
on the subject? We reply
l. We have shown that the place to enlighten,
is, before be enters the church. After this, he
,,,.n ..lx l. 1ak hoo
of carnal security
2 Paul did not wait for the incestuous person
to be enlightened Coz. v, 3-5. Though for
mic ,tion and adultery, in Corinth, were common
in society," sanctioned by the laws and religion of
the land yet the Apostle denied him the privileges
of the church, until he repented Of and put away
his sin.
g. For more than seventy five years, the truth
has been unfurled to the eyes of the world, that
I" all men are created free and equalo And ever
since the stakeholder could read the Bible, he
could read the declaration, that g God hath made
of one blood all the nations of the earth ~ that
He is no respecter of persons, and that We are re-
quired to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to
do unto men as we would they should do unto
us. That slaveholding is contrary to these rules,
every man is as much bound TO know, as he is that
common theft is wrong and if the applicant has
not been brought TO reflect upon the subject, the
fault is that OF the church. in not calling his at
tention to it, and the church should neglect her
duty no longer,
Does the objector again say, Sothe slavehold
er is true beiever--so be gives evidence of
piety of being Cbristian-we ought to receive
him into full membership This is pery COM
mon objection, and its universally demands spe-
cial attention. In reply, we must notice what is
the faith or belief required-the evidences Of it
and whether the Bible requires no specific works
as conditions of membership.
l. The faith required by the Bible is a /" Faith
that works by lore-G Gal. v, g.. d" Neither circum-
cison availeth anything, nor uncircumcision y
neither professions, nor orthodoxy, nor emotional
experience, (ese Pharisees and Jesuits might
claim salvation)-bu " faith that morks By lcpe"
2 The evidence of its existence is works-and
works of love- for faith without works is dead y
exists not.
Again: to be Christian, every soul must be
born of the spirt-John iii, s.; and be "led by
the spirit."-PyOr. viii, IA. They having the
spirit of God, will exhibit its fruits which are,
"Lovs, gentleness, goodness" &c-Gal. " %.
But is slaveholding Is the most atrocious of all
evils the sum Of all villanies " the evidence of
faith and the legitimate fruits of the spirit2 If
not, then, even according to the objector's own
grounds, the stakeholder has no right to come in,
lacking as he does, credible evidence Of pety
Does the objector say the STAKEHOLDER is will
ing to confess Christ, and take up his cross in
bearing opposition and persecution So with
Ananas and Sapphira They doubtless be-
lieved that Jesus Christ was the Son Of God,o
and confessed him before man, and endured perse-
cution in doing so, yet the point of ssshnsss had
not been reached--broken up And when the
Apostle laid his hand upon their property, they
showed that old things had not yet passed away,
and that all things had not yet become new W
they were selfish still, as shown by specific tests.
This leads us to notice
3. The Apostles were not satisfied with belief
but requred specific acts, or abstinence rcm euH Prac-
ticss Read Aas xxi, 25 where the Apostles and
Elders, in general conference assembled decided
that from the Gentle converts they require, not
the rites of the Mosaic economy, but As touch
ing the Gentiles which BELIEVE, we have written,
and concluded that they observe no such thing,
save only that they keep themselves from things
offered to idols and from blood, and from stran-
gled. and from fornicatioaD Now, fornication was
sanctioned by the law of the land in which these
Genties lived. But the Apostles did not shape
their religion and lower the demands of their
"Disciplinesn and "Confessions of Faith " to suit
the laws of the land, the corrupt customs Of So
ciety even of those in its highest ranks, even
to suit the reigning religion Of the land-for the
reigning religion sanctioned these forbidden acts.
But the Apostles required not only "5elief,n but
also abstinence from specified 0ets And he has told
US. specifically not to eat with the ext0rtonerD
and that q the low is made for mensteslers y
shareholders.
FRO BE CONTINUED