Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-12-23

I important truth-and without en-
J, dorsing the remark on Gothic archi
lecture, which We might modify, wer
we considering the subjective Civ,
!, another extract. After showing th,
inherent fitness of the gospel to COD
serve the spirit of our free institu
tlons, he speaks of the
Dangers Of our Country.
! He surveys the danger resulting
from the spirit Of conquest-ant
the danger of foreign interference
! through the willy agency of Jesuits
and komish Priests--and then says
"But the last, and by far the larg.
est source Of anxiety to an American
patriot, is a self destruction of oul
Liberty in a dissolution of the Union
That two great national confedera-
cies can exist in the land, except as
! great military establishments, is i'm
possible, .and therefore, the moment
that Sees US a discovered brother
hood, is the death-hour of political
liberty here and everywhere. That
there have been dangers Of such dis
sev erment, no wise man can question,
and our only security against it is in
the pure spread of our Gospel.
For passing by all other causes of
irritation as just now secondary and
subordl1 late, look, for moment, at
the influence which the Gospel of
Christ would have in this great sec
tlonal controversy about slavery.
/ First, it would say to the northern
fanatic, who vapors about man-steal-
ing, as if there were no other evil
under the sun but this one evil of
slavery-it would say to him, emu
late the spirit Of your blessed Mas
Ger and his apostles, who, against this
very evil in their own times brought
no railing accusation; but in one in
stance, at least, sent back a fugitive
from the household of Philemon.
ltI would say, look well to your own.
neighborhood, AID household, and
hearts, and see whether even greater
evils do not exist there, making your
selves pure ere ye denounee your
nfighbor working with the beam in
your own eye, ere with the mote in
your brothers S eye. 1t would say to
each, to every good man seeking
practically the dismemberment Of
Elis great national eonfederacy, out
oi a pretended regard to the person.
al and religious rights Of southern
ye know not what fmanner
OF spirit ye are OF.
In treating Southern Christian
shareholders with Christian courtesy,
and sending back their fugitives
when apprehended among you, you
neither e hdorse the system nor par
take Of its evil; you are only per-
forming in good faith the agreement,
and redeeming the pledges OF your
and leaving to each man
for himself to answer for his own acts
at the Judgment seat of Jesus. 1t
would tear away from the man as the 4
foulest cloak Of hypocrisy, that pre-
tence of a religious principle in this
whole matter Of pollt ltical abolition
ism.
Religious principlel Oh my God!
That religious principle, that for the
sake of an abstract right, whose
very exercise were disastrous to the
unprepared bondmen who inherit it,
would tear this blest coniederacy in
pieces and deluge these smiling plains
in fraternal blood, and barter the
loftiest freedom that the world ever
saw for the armed despotism, Of
great civil warfare! That religious
principle which, in disaster to mans |
last great experiment, would fling
the whole race back into the gloom
of an older Notwithstanding out
of the ruin of these free homes the
thorns Of a more adamantine despot-
sm-freedom's beacons all ex tin
and the whole race slaves.
That religious principle through
which, losing sight of Gods great
purpose Of evangelizing the nations,
would shatter the mightiest wheel in
the mechanism ofsalvatfon, and palsy
.he wing Of Gods preaching angel
ii its flight through the skies
Aias-alas! Ye Il lat count as
little this bond of blessed brother
hood, wrought by eur ia thers' mighty
hands and bleeding hearts--we tell +
you sorrowing and in tears, that
your pretenoe is foul hypocrisy. Yei
lave reversed the FIRST precepts OF
She gospel, for your wisdom is a