The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-10
For the National Era
SLAVERY SINFUL IN ITSELF.
AND NON-FELLOWSHIP OF THOSE PRACTICING
1T THE DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
ny JOHN G. FEE.


The following number is a continuation of n
series of articles prepared for the EXAMINER; and
that paper stopping before their completion, they
are continued in the Era.
OBJECTIONS.
I The obiector is ready to say Surely not
for every error should leave my church and
perhaps Slavery is one of those errors.0
We answer Not for every error in govern
ment, ordinances, or even doctrine, not essential
to salvation should we leave church. For in
stance church may administer the ordinance
of baptism, either by sprinklng or immersion
allowing liberty of conscience as to the mode which
the convert may honestly believe the Bible to
teach. The obiector may believe immersion or
sprinklipg, as the case may be, the only right
mode and he may therefore regard the church as
in error. Yet the error is not such rs corrupts
or strikes down any fundamental principle of
Christianity, prevents not the attainment of holt
ness, nor does it exclude those practicing it from
heaven So in reference to some points Of doc
trine which are not essential But when an error
or practice such as idolatry, adultery, or man
stealing, (.nd we have shown that slsveholding
is such,) is practiced or felowshipped by the
Church, sin which violates and strikes down a
fundamental principle of Christianty-see Matt.
xxi, $40, Rom. xiii, Q, l0-perverts holiness,
| John iv, 8, 20 Cor xiii, and excludes from
heaven, | Cor vi, l0--with such sin we should
have no fellowship especially when in addition
to the above clearly defined points, we have ex-
press command, not 10 eat," that is have no
Christian fellowship "with the covetous, and the
extortioner,n Cor. v, 10, land all must admit
slaveholding TO be the worst form of extortion,)
and when the Apostle tells us the law is for men,
steaers, TIM j. 10, and when, in addition to all
this we reflect that slaveholding was the great sin
of Mystic Babylon, see Rec. xviii 10, and from
which God expressly commands his people to
come out, lest they be partakers in their sin, see
verse a, surely it is the duty of the people of
God to come out, and have no fellowship with
such.
Clear as a sunbeam, il is the duty of the people
Of God to have no fellowship with slavehoding
Perhaps the people of God never in any age sepa-
rated themselves from a sin of a greater degree
of moral turpitude.
Nor can the objector plead want of time TO
consider the matter. The question has been be-
fore the churches not for hours or days, but for
years and scores of years.
IT, " IL We discipline the STAKEHOLDER, we shall
sour his feelings, and having cast him beyond the
pale Of cur influence, we do him no good, and
his soul will he lost. We ought, therefore TO
to keep him in.n We answer:
|. Then God was in an error, when he through
his Anosle told the church NJ Cnrir.h to ,r!is.r
er up the incestuous person to Satan that is, into
the word-Satan's kingdom
2 Yonr objection carried out would destroy
all discipline. For the same reason we should
keep the thief liar drunkard, gambler, fornica-
tor, and all other offenders, in the church. ss the
place to reform them. The ohjector and God
Almighty differ in judgment for
3 The teaching of the Apostle shows that dis
cipine is the most effectual way to bring the Of
fender to repentance, and to do him good True
that General Assembly to which we last alluded
in opposing the doctrine Of dsciplining slavehold-
ers said I'VE rather symplthize with and
would seek to succor them in their embarrass-
mentsp This is the bears hug, that squeezes to
death-a policy that lulls to rest the conscience,
and deludes the soul with the idea" after all |
am still maintaining a Christian character, else
why should | be in the church, and therefore a
fair prospect for Heaven -
When Paul wanted to do the soul Of the trans.
gressor good, he commanded the church to deliv-
err the trsnsgressor unto Satan, that H. cast out
of Gods kingdom into Satan's kingdom, " for the
destruction Of the flesh, that his spirit may be
saved in the day Of the Lord jesus This was
the way to awaken the transgressor to the enormi-
ty of his guilt, and to bring him to fee from his
exposed condition. And II had the desired effect
See Cor vii q, IL.
Nor did the Apostle wait for more light to be
given; nor did he palliate the crime" mitigate
the degree of moral turpitude," on accOun. Of ex.
listing laws and customs. The laws Of Corinth,
and the general practice Of society, sanctioned
the act Of the incestuous person. Butt way to
correct these was not for the church TO shape her
policy to suit corrupt laws and corrupt customs,
but, by her practice, show what was right. II is a
false love, not to discipline the deliberate Of
fender.
In reference to those Shareholders who are not
members Of any church, and who shall yet be
awakened, on application for membership, they