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

prop the lettering 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 toleraeS in its communion those who may
sustain noninally the relation of master to slaves
but those who buy and sell them, as articles of
merchandise They deliberately sustain slavery,
undsr The circumstances IN rhieh its fond in the South
ern portion Of our country. And we ask, where can
il be found under circumstances of more GggTara-
teG erHshV? IL church members may practice
slavery as it exists in the Southern portion of our
country, and not be called 10 account for il,
the world would be better eff without such
church IL has denied one Of the foundations Of
trus religion which is, " to love thy Beighbor as
myself" The presbytery of which the Brother
is member aud, If | mistake not, with his con-
currence, declared in 1899, aud still refuses to
rescind It's action that TO attempt to prove by the
Scriptures that God allow ssuch iniquiy las
slavery in his Church, is to baspheme the Holy
One, and prostitute his word. The title which
the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures gives to n body
which would deliberately assume such n position,
and act accordingly, is a HABITATIoN OF DEvmsp
The General Assembly has assumed deliberately
such position and acts accordingly. The pres
bytery of Chillicothe the presbytery of which the
Brother is member, and with his concurrence at
the time il WAS enacted, passed the following pa
per- land to this day refuses TO rescnd 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, az
they regarded bis 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 so corrupt as to make merchandise of The
bodies and sous Of men, and were living in other
merated sins, none Of rhich rs more hemouS than
making The God Of The Bible the author and apprOrer
OF such iniguiy"
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, "A Church proves itself not
to be true Church. because il refuses 10 exclude
shareholders from it's communion. There may be
circumstances of ignorance, on the part of the
Church IL 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 an exception. in the esti-
nation Of the Church, in 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 a sin. There is nothing
peculiar in the relation of the master to the slave
In all these bodies, persons are 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
omqn, 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 Hoods 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 paliate their en-
ces in holding slaves in their communion, but they
have refused to call that kind Of slaveholding
sim While they delight to honor shareholders,
they rebuke and curse anti-savery men, They
are deliberately and fully committed to the sup
port Of slavery. In a moment Of fierce and terri
BILE struggle between liberty and slavery, they
have taken sides with the oppressor against the
oppressed. Ii is for these reasons that we do not
hesitate to say that the great ecclesiastical organi
z,tions are opposed to Christ. When FRUSTRATED
liberty and crushed humanity lie bleeding in their
wounds they look coldly on and, Priest and Lee
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 SUBJ
ject of slavery They have for years been remon-
strating with her on this very point. We all re-
member how indignant the Assembly was, 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
it,
II is asked, care there not enough of these
divisions already7p ] would reply, more than
enough. But who have forced these divisions upon
the Christian bodies Did not the corruptons Of
the Catholic Church force division upon Luther
and Calvin, and those associated with them ? Did
not the corrupions of the English Church force di-
vision upon the Nonconformists2 Did not the
despotism ana corruptions Of the State Church Of
Scotland force division upon the Free Church
VIII Brother Fullerton condemn all these
divisions 1t may be asked, for what end are all
these divisions The answer is, to arrive at a
greater degree of purity But the Brother asks,
where ~ that pure Church for which we have
been seeking" 81 Can any one Of these divisions
say, without blushing," ait is in me?n | 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,
ana try TO form one nearer to perfection in
purity fso, 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
1t is by these approximations that progress has
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
en- 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 can be uni
ted IL the ministers Of that region would leave the