The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-14


plants Of righteousness, and not for the system
attic cultivation Of tares. We deny not that there
WAS ] udas in the first Christian Church, butw
remember that he forfeited his bishopric in the
Church by his transgresson, and was no longer
numbered" among the disciples.
The Committee regret that the little time at
command prevents more elaborate and well.or-
dered report and especially that We are prevented
from entering into examination OF the teach
ings Of the Scriptures upon these points, because
in this as in all other moral questions, the Word
OF God is the ultimate guide and authority.
We will confne ourselves TO presenting sim
gle point, with which however, we believe the
whole instruction Of the Bible is in strictest har
mony.
We are commanded to withdraw ourselves from
every brother that walketh disorderly;" and
nothing is more plain than II church persstenty,
and after remOnstrance refuses to put away a dis
orderly member that church herself walketh dis
orderly, and should herself be Withdrawn from.
This narrows the whole discussion to single
point Is the stakeholder walking disorderly
Is it disorderly or not TO crush out of a man the
image Of God, and change him into brute a
" chattel personal" thing2 lsit walking disor-
derby or not to annihilate the first and originally
the most precious institution of God on earth
the family and reduce men and women to the
condition Of a herd of cattle?
Is it walking disorderly or not to extort from
our fellow man, through life, and without requta,
the earnings Of his industry
Is it walking disorderly or not to refuse to our
brother man all true knowledge Of the Word OF
God, to blind his eye so that he cannot perceive
the way TO the cross, and, for our own selfish pur-
poses not only crush all his hopes for this world,
but ruin his soul forever?
Is brother walking orderly, according to the
practice and in the spirit Of Jesus, when be walks
through blood and tears, shed by his own injustice
and cruelty, and over the SCARED bodies, the
| crushed rights, the blighted hopes, and ruined
souls of menu
If these things are dsorderly, then the COM
mand of the Apostle, and of Christ through him, is
explicit; from such one we must withdraw;
and il our church sanctions the dsorderly walk,
the Scriptures are equally clear, "Come out from
among themn c. b. BoYNToN Chairman
Report on the Existence and Influence of HaUeTy IN
The Mission Churches Of the american Board of
Commissioners for Forsign Missions.
At an early period of the Anti-Slavery discus
sion in this country, the attention Of Christians
in several evangelical denominations, was called
TO the existence Of slaveholding in the Mission
Churches There were but few of those " rho con-
tribnted funds 70 YrNYegSto ths gosqsl among the
heather, who were aware that the sin Of slavery
vas tolerated ~ Nissia2 .Cbyrcbas sustained
by their benevolent contfluun0ns lney gene
rally supposed that where slavery existed, in
countries to which missionaries were sent that it
had been treated AS intemperance, profanity,
theft, Sabbath. breaking, and other acknowledged
offences and that those who voluntarily practiced
it had been excluded from the churches. But
it was ascertained that this not the case.
Saveholding existed in the Mission Churches
of several denominations Of Christians, and while
the work Of the missionary TO reform the lives of
the heather in other respects was faithfully per-
formed, no effort had been made especially in the
Indian nations Of America, to correct and remove
the evils of slavery where it existed among them.
Other evils, which they found existing, mission
aries bad endeavored TO remove, while slavery
was sanctifed in the eyes of the heather by re-
ceiving IL into the Mission Churches
When this was ascertained to be the state of
things, sentiment was awakened, in many
churches, which demanded that slavehodng
sho'd cease in the Missions Many Christians
declared themselves, at once, unwilling to contrib
ute funds to propagate slaveholding gospel
among the heather. The subject was now ear
nestly discussed in several of the Missionary
Boards. In the American Board, the largest and
most influential missionary institution in the
country, the discussion has been long continued
the Board in relation to slavery, is now determin-
cd and published to the churches. Wewill trace
the progress of this discussion to its final settle
ment, from which point, we think, every friend Of
Christ may discern the path of duty.
When the attention Of the Board was called to |
the existence of slavery in the Cherokee and |
Chootaw Mission Churches, and when many |
Christians became urgent that the evil should be |
promises, if not pledges, given that
slavery should he separated from the Missions, 30
soon as it could be done wisely, and in a manner
consistent with the powers and regulations under
which the Board acts. Had it not been for these
assurances, and the hopes which they inspired,
large numbers Of Christians would have with
drawn their contributions from the Board. As it
was, number Of brethren connected with two or
three evangelical denominations, unwilling to act
at all with those who propagated slavery in cOnnec
ton with Christianity, withdrew, and formed Free
Missionary Associations. Others remained, en-
couraged by the hope that the evil would be
promptly removed.
The pledges that slavery should be removed
from the Mission Churches will be detailed at
some length, as it was these pledges that detained
many Christians for years, in connection with
those who propagate slaveholding gospel
In Western New York. the subject, at an early
period, was extensively discussed. The Preby-
terry of Buffalo ordered report on the Alleged
Connection Of the american Board ruth Starry"
DR.. Hopkins since deceased was chairman of the
committee. The report is able. Ii vindicates the
Board from various charges which had been alleg-
cd. IL admits, however, the existence of slavery
in the Mission Churches, and closes with the fol-
lowing paragraph
awe are Informed, by one of the Secretaries,
that such directions have been sent to the mis-
sionaries AZ will lead them to mpart such instruc-
to-, All Cd nf unnh uvUin N,
removing, at as early period MS possible, all re-
proaoh from the Mission Churches ON this ac-
countn
The pamphlet containing this report WAS cir
culated TO some extent in New York, and in other
States; and this assurance, published as coming
directly from a Secretary of the Board, retained
many in connection with that institution. Rely
ing upon what they supposed sufficient authority,
they looked to see the evil ended in the shortest
possible period.
Not long after this publication, Rev. A. l..
Wells, the Agent of the Board in Michigan, pub
lshed in the Herald of the Prairies, n religious
paper issued at Chicago, and extensively circula-
ted in the Northwest, a letter addressed to the
editor. In this letter he admits the existence
Of slavery in the Mission Churches Of the
Bosrd-speaks Of it as '" work ofthe Devil and
on the subject OF removing it from the churches
he says:
"All candid Abolitionists that have converscd
with since the report Of the Board in 1915 pro-
fessed themselves satisfied with the ground which
the Board has taken, excepting that Il dd not 0r'-
rear 10 20 far eaoush in giving directions to the
missionaries among the Cherokees and ChOctaws
that would prepare the way for the speedy pnrf-
cation Of the Mission Churches from the sin OF SLAVERY
This defect, as soon as II suggested by the
resolutions Of the Synod of Cincinnati, was
promptly supplied, aud DR.. Anderson, In behalf
of the Board, has given the counsel desired"
Here the points Of the question are made dis
tinct. The agent says that those desiring to sep
arate slavery from the Board, thought the resolu-
tions of lsl5 did not 60 far enough The Board
condemned voluntary slavehoding ne a sin Of the