The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-04-03
SECESSI0N.-NO.l |.

Mr.. EDITOR Several communications have APP
peared lately in your paper on Secession, in
which the writer appears TO palliate church
communion with Shareholders. 10 the National
Era Of September Goth last, your correspondent
ii. s. Fullerton, makes some observations on the
subject Having long taken your paper, and
viewing the subject in quite different light,
perhaps you msy find room for some further re-
marks.
GAN Abolitionists,D says the writer, "believe
that the holding men az property is always sim
full that 1t ought to be declared term Of COM
munion In every church and that duty, as we'll
as policy, demands the immediate emancipation
Of the enslavedn The sinfnness Of American
slavery has been proved, in abundant instances,
TO be entirely opposed TO the holy law Of God, to
the whole spirit Of the Scriptures Of truth. ]
have seldom found even Shareholders TO deny this
perfect love to God and love to our ncighbor as
ourselves, shown by doing no i'll to our neighbor,
doing unto others as we would have others do to
Us. On these two commandments Of love, saith
the Lord, hang all the law and the prophetic
MaA. xxi, 40. The late Mr. Dunoan's work on
Slavery illustrates this at large
Your correspondent mentions every church !;
probably abiding to the various assemblies Of
processing Christians In these perilous times Of
the latter days, foretod in Tin Ill, /. We sup
pose he means the Roman Catholic church, the
Episcopalisn, the Methodist, Baptist, (free-wil
and regularly Reformers, and many others, too te-
dious to mention. The Presbyterian creed seems
more particularly alluded TO, and any other as
semblies Of promiscuous characters which abound
In the present day. We may reasonably suppose
that no humble follower Of Jesus Of Nazareth, or
Of the fishermen Of Gslilee, will presume to In
terfere with the discipline Of those pseudo Chris
tian assemblies. No Christian expects TO see un-
believers reverence the authority OF the Almigh-
ty God, any further than ii suits their worldly
interests, or the fashions Of the day. The Su-
preme Ruler Of the Universe, as he suffered In
former ages, In his wisdom, oil nations to walk In
their own ways (Aas xiv, l6) so he now suffers
nations and protesting churches lie has re-
vealed his will 10 man-"invites us earnestly,
but not compesp As we SOW here, we shall soon
reap. Those who believe will reverence the au-
thority Of the Almighty, and "tremble ut his
ordo--Isa Xvi, e. Those who believe not viii
show 1t by disobedience. The churches OF God,
when FIRST founded in Judea by the Apostles,
Il Thes.ii, l4,) and were eIhorted TO stand fast,
and hold the traditions which they had been
taught, whether by word or epistle, were churches
Of believers-persons who had turned rom 'ne
service of sin TO the service Of God None OF
those high. minded, worldly churches had then
arisen they had no gentlemen clergy, no moet-
ing houses with high towers reaching up 10 the
clouds, no titled Rsvsrsnds or ID. Ds, to turn
them from the truth To such assemblies the
epistles Of the New Testament were addressed,
and ere now, 10 all who tread 10 their cteps-to
the church at Rome, at Corinth, Ut Ephesus, ct
Philippi, At Colosse, and ct ThessAlonica. Reve-
renee for the authority Of their Lord and Saviour
leads al such to obey his will. This authority
Il persmptory, no compromise with sll-"A bhor
that which Is svilp-kem XII, 0. "Cesss TO do
syil--lsarn to do well relieve the oppressed -