The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-02-06

courses in vndcation Of slavery, or in support of
the Fugitive Slave law, by the careful avoidance
Of Christ and his teachings. The reverend
speakers uxuriate in vivid pictures of the patri-
archal institutions-of men "after Gods own
heartD buying and selling slaves by the score-of
hosts Of servitors male and female in capacities of
honor and dishonor, alike humble and submits
sive-gathered into one grand household, and SUBJ
servient to one venerable and divinely appointed
head They even make much Of Paul sending
back Onesimus--but they generally manage to
pilot the frail barque of their reasoning quite
clear of the Evangelists The teaching by the
seaside they pass by in reverent silence-the Ser
mon on the Mount they dare not listen to, lest it
utterly confound them and put them to open
shame-and far be it from them to presume to re-
enact that law of God which says, "Do unto
others as you would have others do unto you"
The Old Testament has been long the treasure
house from which they have taken balsams to heal
the hurts of the Church-it now furnishes
suaging oil to be poured into the gaping wounds
of the State, and sacred incense to be burned on
the moustaches of the inoensed chivalry Who
ever disturbs the peace Of the Church, and rem
ders its high places perlous, or uncomfortable, is
thief and robber, and is at once to be expelled
by weapons caught from the armory of most an
cient Holy Writ. When will the people believe,
what their spiritual teachers are doing their best
to convince them of, that men wearing snowy
neck cloths or bands and surplices may stand up
in velvet-hung pulpits and read most patriotic
and pacific discourses--and even turn over the
gilded leaves of the gold clasped volume before
them and cite the examples of patriarchs priests,
and kings and all from other motives than the
good of souls, even the best good of the church.
We have heard somewhere story Of an Indian
who went once to the house Of a minister, and,
sitting down in a corner, with an elongated face,
began a religious conversation, in the only way
known to him-that is, by solemnly repeating GER
tain Scripture names, thus
Abraham--ls aac-Jaoob -
"Why, Tom, what do you mean ?" interrupted
| the astonshed divine.
al mean cidsr," frankly replied
co0refo fTe'Hot fearful of being held as little
better than one of the wicked we should say that
in our time, the minister seems too often to take
the place of the poor Indian-talkS Abraham
Isaac, and Jacob, and me0nS--But we will
leave the sentence unfinished and its import OBJ
scure, for we fear we were close verging irrev-
erence
Early in the winter, we heard lecture, deliv-
cred before the Lyceum Of Lynn, Massachusetts,
by distinguished Doctor of Divinity. We went
to hear literary or scientific discourse, such as
was usually brought before that Society, where
reformors were understood to be under bonds,
at least of honor not to agtate. Such was the
general desire and expectation. But we had, I'M
der Disgusting title, a political haranguc-a
hppant, ungenerous TRADE against reforms and
refOrmers--s glorifcation of compromise, and a
defence of the Fugitive Slave bill Setting aside
the unworthiness of the imposition in putting off
a one-sided partisan production on mixed au-
dience, assembled to hear apopular lecture, twas
poor performance in itself-illiberal in spirit,
illogical in notwithstanding in noble ideasand
eloquent delivery. This speaker has manner
happily peculiar to himself, yet quite indescriba
be--a certain unsteadiness Of footing and indis-
tinctuess of tcne--an indolent Indifference
loungng, rolling way, particularly ill-adapted to
give force to "words Of truth and soberness"
Yet we recollect being in one passage greatly
struck by his manner. He was endeavoring TO
define what was absolute right and absolute wrong
Ii was not a sin to obey this Fugitive Slave law,
he said--so far from being so did he consider it,
that he would obey, even if it should require him
to return his own brother or child into bondage
But, to utter an untruth was to do an absolute
wrong-he would not tell lie to save his own
liberty, his life or the lives of all those dear to
him. AS he paused for a moment and looked
round on his audience, after giving utterance to
this severe morality with his figure no
longer lounging on the desk before him, but gath
cred up to its full height-his eyes, before half
closed, now open and beaming-wth his arms
folded, and a stern and awful virtue making rigid
his set lips--he impressed US profouudly-im-
pressed us-as a remarkably fine example Of the
clerical PeCksnif.
"Woe's the day - would our good grandfather
have said, "woe's the day, whom women set up to
rebuke the clergyp
All, no, dear grandfather, woes the day when
the clergy deserve such reproof!
Woman has deeper sympathy with the suffer
ing and oppressed than mana heartier hatred
of wrong, while her contempt for unmanliness
and a time-serying expediency is more intense.
Then, why should she not speak these out with
all carnestness and sincerity even should share
of her sharp words fall to the clergy. If that ven
cradle body are not more faithful to their high
calling, the very children will begin to rebuke
them out Of their Sunday School lessons.
But, thank God, there are goodly number yet
who have not bowed the knee to the Baal Of Sla-
very, nor been thrown into splsms Of fright by
the giant phantom Of Disunion-men incorrupti-
bic and undsmayed, who stand forth and pro-
claim the true Gospel the pure democracy OF
Christ as it was FIRST proclaimed by the wayside,
on the Mount, and by the sea shore-who boldly
preach justice and freedom and the great primal
law Of human right, which no sophistical reason
ing can weaken, no compromise annul, and no
legislation supersede or such are many Of the
noble New England olergy-of such is William
Furness of Philadelphia, "nOt a whit behind the
chiefest Of FIsedom's apostles This true minis