Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-02-08


ernment ms of Divine right, have fled for re-
fiuge to the perverted preccpts Of the Scrip
inres The Church has furnished, and now
furnishes, commentators in abundance, who
forge from the armory of eternal truth,
weapons for the defense of all these gricvous
WRONGS Now, the innate sense of right,
which God has implanted in every mans
soul, revolis ut these practices. Hence the
adherence which every one, except those
who for selfish purposes practice or defend
them, feels for these evils, is easily turned
against the Bible, from which seeming JUS
tilication for them is extorted. The enemy of
slavery, war, &c. has 10 encounter nj every
turn, the perverted teachings Of the Bible
lie has to urge his appeals against the pre-
vsiling exposition of that Book, aud against
that reverence for its authority which all re-
ligious persons ieel-a reverence not found
ed oil an intelligent understanding OF the
teachings of the Bible but on the preJudices
of education and habit.
Thus meeting, at every point of attack,
the alleged authority of the B,ble,-finding
a gurhlcd text ready us an answer TO every
appeal which he urges in behalf OF the
wrongcd and suffering slave the anti slavery
man, who has not been deeply ilnhurd with
the teachings aud spirit OF the holy Scrip
tures, almost inevitably conceives strong
disgust against them. Now, tie guilty Hu--
thors of his iniidelity are the preachers and
Church members, who so obs'iuately thrust
forward the Bible to cover aud excuse the
unspeakable atrocities of slavery.
The temperanco man, with his soul alive
TO the evils of drunkenness, goes TO the
haunis of its victims lie finds there the be-
sotted husband aud father, once respectable
,,tI f.. ,.rIapn1 aud ifttrtttpI
savage; the crushed and hcnrt-brOken wife
aud mother, the hungry, ragged, sGnplid
children. lie listens to the oalhs aud bias
phemics of the drinkard, the heart-rendihg
siglis of the suffering wife, und the sobbings
of the worse than ihthcress children. With
his heart melted by the sight of all this mise
ry, he goes into society to urge an appeal for
the rescue of the victims. The first thing
he meets is the grogseller, who has been the
guilty cause of all this woe, respectable
member Of proicssedly Christian Church.
Then II tippling deacon, or hypocritical
preacher, who has "stoleu the livery of the
Court OF Heaven to serve the devil ill.,"
"quotes Scripture for the deed" IN all
swer 10 all bis appeals in bchulf of the
poor victims of drunkenness, garbled eX-
tracts of holy writ are thrust in his face
That he should curse the Scriptures and their
professional expounders, is dcplorablc, but
almos, inevitable consequence. Then, 10
help matters along, the hypocrites who have
driven him into unbelief, stand up and with
solemn sncer cry, Infdcl, lnGdcl!
The same course, substantially, is pursr-
ed towards the advocates of almost NIL other
benevolent reforms. The friends of peace,
with hearts broodng in agony over the hor-
rors of war, have TO encounter the same OPP
position from the eXpounders ol, and pro-
iessed believers in, the Scriptures. The adj
vocates of political rights, and the opposers
OF despotic government, when urging Tic
right und duty of establishing righteous civil
government, are met by the language OF
Paul, "The powers that be are ordained of
God, whatsoever, therefore, resisteth tie pow
er resistcth the ordinance Of Cod" &C.
These texts, says the Church, teach passive
obedience To the existing government, though
it may be the despotsm OF Nero or Nicholas.
1t is, therefore, infdclity to try to subyert
these, and establish those which will protect
instead of crushing the liberties OF tie people.
Thus il is, aud has been, with every re-
form. The Bible has been pressed into the
service OF every form of error, aud every
abomnalion in practice. And now, TO cap
the climax, lis holy pages are tortured into n
seeming Justification of the present unspeak-
ably alrocous Save-catching Bill of Con
gress. The most important cause Of the
current unhelief in Scripture is, therefore,
obvious. We have, for one, no hesitation III
saying, that it we believed the prevailing
Interpretation of the Bible, in regard to the
various evils of which we have spoken was
correct, we should he an iniidel. A book
which justiiies, by direct precept, or by fair
inference, slavery or drunkenness, or war, or
the divine right of kings, is book of ahoni-
inntiops, and, therefore, not revelation from
God of immaculate justice and holiness
| The Church and the commentators say, thai
the Bible does contain this justification oI
these evils; the opposers of them accept the
Interpretation which they give, and conse'
quently reject the Bible. We reject both the
premises and conclusion.
The Bible not only does not sanction, bu
most poiniedly and terribly denounces al
these evils. In that fact we find evidence o
its inspiration. The remedy for the form o
infidelily of which we have spoken is theI
perfectly evident. That remedy is simply
true Interpretation of the Bible-an interpre
tation which will exhibit It's teachings, il
harmony with all practical benevolence, an,
all true reform. Ii the Bible is left in III,
hands of those who are now, by pro-siayer,
and other false interpretations, bringing
into contempt, Infidelity will continue t,
spread. To rescue the Scriptures from thei
proiessed friends, who are thus distoriin,
their pages, is the work of those reforners
who believe in their inspiration.
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