Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-04-04

might be servitude e-slayery, personal and
hereditary-first, by the voluntary act Of
an individual who might sell himself into
slavery; second, by his being received
into state OF slavery by his creditors in
satisfaction Of debt aud, thirdly, by be-
ing placed in a state Of seryituee or slave
ry for crime. At the introduction of
Christianity into the world, the Roman
world was full Of slaves, and | suppose
there is TO be found no injunction against
that relation between man and man in the
teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
or of any Of his Apostles. The object
of the instruction impaired to mankind by
the founder of Christianity was TO touch
the heart, purify the soul, and improve
the lives Of individual men. That object
went directly TO the first fountain Of all
political aud all social relations of the hu-
man race-the Individual heart and mind
OF man.
Now, sir. upon the general nature and
character and influence Of slavery, there
exists wide difference between the
Northern portion Of this county and the
Southern. 1t is said on the one side that,
ifnot the subject Of any injunction or di-
rect prohibition in the New Testament,
slavery is wrong; that it i founded
merely in the right Of the strongest; and
that it is an oppression, like all unjust
wars, like all those conflicts by which a
mighty nation subjects weakeF nation to
their will ; and that slavery, insls nature,
whatever may be said of il in Tie modiii-
cations which have taken placeSis not in
fact according to the meek spirit Of the
gospel. 1t is not kindly affec,ioned, it
does not ''seek another's and not its own.n
|, does not, 'let the oppressed go free
These are sentiments that are cherished,
and recently with greatly augmented force.
among the people Of the Northern States.
II has taken hold OF the religious senti-
ment of that par, OF the country as it has
more or less taken hold Of the2 religious
feelings ola considerable por,Se oil man
kind. The South, upon the 1shelfside,
have been accustomed TO this r'.ati6n be-
tween the two races all lwir lises, from
their birth having been16ughtsn gener-
al to treat the subjects OF this bondage
with care and kindness--and believe, in
general, feeling for them grea, care and
kindness--ha,e yet not taken this view of
the subject which have msationed.--
There are thousands Of religious men,
with con>ciences as tender as any of their
brethren at the North, who do not see The
unlawlulness Of slavery and ihere are
more thousands perhaps that, Whatsoever
they may think o; i; in its origin, and as a
matter depending upon natural night, yet
take things as they are, and, finding slave
rv to be an established relation asihe So
c;ety in which they live, can see no way
in which let their opinions on the ab-
strac, question be what they may-it is in
the power OF Tie present generation TO re-
lieve themselves from this relation. And,
in this respect, candor obises me to say,
that | believe they are just as conscien-
tions, many of them, and Of tie religious
people all Of them, as they are i'll the
North in holding different opinions.
Why, sir, the honorable Senator from
South C@rolina, the ether day, alluded 10
the great separation of that great religious
the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Tha: Separation was brought
abou, by differences Of opinion upon this
peculiar subject Of slavery. ! FELT grea,
as that dispute went on about the
result, and was i'll hopes tha; The differ
encc Of opinion nigh, be adjusted, because
I looked upon that religious denomination
as one of the great prop, of religion and
morals throughout the whole country,
from Maine to Georgia. The result was
against my wishes and against my hopes.
have read all their proceedings, and all
their arguments, but | have never vet
been able to come TO the conclusion that
there wa. any real ground for that separa-
ton ; in other words, that 10 good could
be produced by that separations. | must
say think there was some want of cam
dor, and charity. Sir, whena question of
this kind takes hol! of the religious senti-
men,s of mankind, and comes to be dis
cus>ed in religious assemblies of the cler-
gy and lai:y, there is always to be expect
ed, or alway, to be feared, great degree
of excitement. |, is in the nature of man,
manifested by his whole history, that re-
ligions disputes are apt to become warm,
and mems strength o: conviction is pro-
por,ionate to their views of the magnitude
of the questions. In all such disputes
there Will some,ines men be found with
whom everything is abso'ute-absolutcly
wrong or absolutely right. They see The
right clearly they think others ought so
10 see it, and they are disposed TO e>tab-
lish broad line Of distinction between
what is riyh, and what is wrong. And
hey are not seldom willing 10 establish
hat line upon their own convictions ofthe
truth and the Justice of their own opin.
ions and are wiling to mark and guard
ha, line, by placing along it series of
iosmas, as lines of boundary are marked
by posts and stones. There are men who,
VITA clear perceptions, as they think, of
heir own duty, do not see how Too hot
pursuit of one duty may involve them in
he violation OF others, or how too VAIN
an enhancement Of one truth may lead to
a disregard of other truths equally impor-
ant. As heard il stated strongly, not
many days ago, these persons are disposed
10 mount npon some particular duty as
upon war horse, and 10 drive furiou<lv,
on and upon, and over all other duties that
may stand in the way. There are men
who, in times o.! that sort, and disputes OF
ha, sort, are o! opinion that human duties
II a