The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-27
Forthe National Era.
REPLY TO SECESSION.-NO. 4.

prop the totterng fabric When one branch of
the church excludes man for teaching that God
is the author of slavery, he is received into
another; and the General Assembly, when petit
toned to notice such "irregularity," refuses to
notice the conduct of the wrong.doer Ii not
merely tOlerates in its communion those who may
sustain nominally the relation of master to slaves
but those who buy and sell them, as articles of
merchandise. They deliberately sustain slavery,
under The circumstances rrheh it's fond in The South
ern portion Of orr country. And we ask, where can
it be found under circumstances of more Gg9rara-
ted crusltg2 If church members may practice
slavery as it exists in the Southern portion of our
country, aud not be called TO account for it,
the world would be better eff without such q
church IL has denied one Of the foundations OF
true religion which is, I" to love thy neighbor as
| myself" The presbytery of which the Brother
is member, and, If | mistake not, with his con-
currence, declared in 1892 and still refuses to
rescnd its action that TO attempt to prove by the
Scriptures that God allow ssuch iniqnity las
slavery in his Church, is to blsspheme the Holy
One, and prostitute bis word. The title which
the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures gives to body
which would deliberately assume such n position,
! and act accordingly, is A HABITATION OF DEvns.p
The General Assembly has assumed deliberately
such position, and acts accordingly. The pres
bytery of Chcothe the presbYtery of which the
Brother is a member, and with his concurrence at
the time il was enacted passed the following pa
per- lnd to this day refuses TO rescind its action
" When our Lord was sending perhaps the last
message which he ever intended to send to his
people by way of revelation till the trumpet shall
sound for the final judgment, he charged them, as
they regarded his favor, and as they would not be
partakers of the judgments about to be poured
out 10 separate themselves from the body which had
become 80 corrupt az to make merchandise of The
bodies and souls of men, and were living in other
merated sins none Of Thich rs more h>HOnS than
making The God Of the Bible the amhOr and appyouer
Of such iat4iay"
This is the precise condition of the General
Assembly. Why blame us for acting in precise
obedience to the standing recommendation Of his
own presbytery?
Those who advocate secession do not plead that,
under all circumstances n Church proves itself not
to be a true Church, because il refuses to exclude
Shareholders from its communion. There may be
circumstances of ignorance, on the part of the
Church. 1t may tolerate them in its communion,
with the hope that, under the influence of light
and the labors of love, they may be induced to
abandon the practice There may be something
peculiar in the relation of the master and the
slave, which may make IN exception. in the esti-
nation Of the Church, in a particular case. Now,
do not admit that any Of these circumstances can
justify Church in retaining shareholders, yet it
may so materially affect the character of the
Church as not to invalidate her claim to be true
Church But none of these paliating circumstan-
ces can be plead in behalf of the great religious
organizations of the present day. They have had
full light on this subject. They have no reason
to hope that the stakeholder will abandon his sin
they refuse to say it is sin. There is nothing
peculiar in the relation of the master to the slave
In all these bodies, persons tolerated in their
communion, who hold and sell slaves just as others
do. When they escape from their service, they
employ men to hunt them, just as others do.
Even ministers of the Gospel do so. In the New
School Assembly, one boosted that he had boughta
woman, and paid for her preaching. 1t is useless to
say that the position the Church occupied fifteen
years ago, is the same with that which she occu-
pies now. She had not the same light then she has
now The discussions of the last ten years have
thrown floods of light upon the public mind IL
comes through thousand avenues. The Gene
raj Assemblies and Conferences have, in the full
blaze of light, not only tolerated Shareholders,
without any circumstances to palliate their often
ces in holding slaves in their communion, but they
have refused to call that kind of saveholding a
sin. While they delight to honor shareholders,
they rebuke and curse anti-slavery men. They
are deliberately and fully committed to the sup
port Of slavery. In q moment of fierce and terri
BILE struggle between liberty and slavery, they
have taken sides with the oppressor against the
oppressed IL is for these reasons that we do not
hesitate to say that the great ecclesiastical organi-
z,tons are opposed to Christ. When Frustrated
liberty and crushed humanity lie bleeding in their
wounds, they look coldly on, and, Priest and Le-
vite like, they pass by on the other side. 1t is
not merely for retaining shareholders in their
communion that we secede from those Churches
but for retaining such Shareholders as they do
and under SUCH circumstances
We know, and Brother Fullerton knows that
the Free Church of Scotland, the Church of Ire
land, the Congregational Union of England and
Wales, do not justify the position Of the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church on the sub
ject of slavery. They have for years been remon-
strsting with her on this very point. We all re-
member how indignant the Assembly was a few
years ago, at the Free Church of Scotland for re-
monstrating with her on this very matter OF
slavery, ! think it somewhat strange that our
Brother should try to make up an issue between
us, which we have never made, viz: that to tole-
rate Shareholders under any circumstances what
ever in the communion, unchurched body. What
we claim is that to tolerate such shareholders as
the American Churches do, and under so much
light and in view of the struggle now going on be-
tween liberty and slavery, proves that they are
opposed to Christ, and with the world.
As for the validity Of my ordination, have not
much concern If have been called of God to
preach the Gospel, and have been formally conse-
Grated to the work, in good faith on my part, |
am not particular to inquire afterwards by what
authority it was done And with respect to my
baptism if in good faith submitted to that form
which believed right at the time, administered by
| those who believed at the time were authorized
to administer the ordinance, | am satisfied with
| il.
Ii is asked, care there not enough Of these
divisions already7o | would reply, more than
enough. But who have forced these divisions upon
the Christian bodie.l Did not the corruptions Of
the Catholic Church force division upon Luther
and Calvin, and those associated with them Did
not the corruptons of the English Church force di.
vision upon the Nonconformistsl Did not the
despotism ard corruptions of the state Church o,
Scotland force division upon the Free Church ?
Will Brother Fullerton condemn all these
divisions2 Ii may be asked, for what end are all
these divisions The answer is, to arrive at O
greater degree Of purity But the Brother asks
where il that pure Church for which we have
been seeking2p Can any one of these divisions
say, without blushing,n ait is in me ~ suppose
they cannot, But what Of that Suppose they
cannot arrive at perfection is that any reason why
they should not leave an awfully corrupt body,
and try to form one nearer to perfection in
purity Ii so, then the Protestants did wrong in
separating from the Catholic Church for surely
the organizations which they formed were not
pure. But they may approximate purity. And
step by step purity has been Appropriated. And
it is by these approximations that progress ha.
been made toward perfection Sometimes these
approximations have been made by reformation,
but generally by secession. | am sorry that anti.
slavery Christians are divided | should rejoice
II Brother Fullerton would come along with us in
purer church. He and those over whom he has
an influence, should not weaken us by remaining
with the enemies Of freedom and holiness. have
no doubt but that all the Churches In the region
Of Chillicothe Presbytery can be saved from fur.
Their division and those already divided be uni
tod IN the of that ba