Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-01-03
Church Secession.


secession from pro-sidUery churches, by Rep.
UHidrd Burr, Pastor Of The Free Congregd-
iiondi Church, Rduennd, o.
1t gives us pleasure TO record the faithful
rebuke of slavery from any source, and es-
peciully from source possessing the power
for successful opposition. Such power the
American ministry possess. That the great
mass exert this power to continue the wrong,
makes the exceptions the more honorable.
Mr.. Burr addresses himself to his subject
without circumlocu,ion or apology. The
church in fellowship with wrong, furnish
cs the most efficient means of sustaining it,
as well as Of degrading and destroying her
own moral influence.
The character of the church says the
author is on level with the character of
those she itllowships. II she lGllowships
drunkords aud robbers, she stands upon their
level, she is oftcm. The responsibility of
supporting the system, the author does not
fail to charge home upon the religious orca.
nizatious, us in the following paragraphs
From the statistics of President Blanchard,
published a short time ago, through the
Prairie Herald, we gather the following facts.
The Methodist t. Church holdcs 2l9,5G3
slaves tie Presbyterian holds 77,000 the
Baptist l2jOO0; the Canpbcliic Baptist l0l =
Geo. the Episcopaliuns $4,000; j0.OC0 10y
other Protestant sects. The number ofsHyes
held by the Nothern branch oithe Methodist
H. Church has been estimated ut % 200
embracing rs it does : slaveholding con-
conferences. Now whutu vast amount OF
imnurtul souls are here hound together aud
sucriiscd To the molocl of slavery. Aud
who are guilty OF these slaughtered victims
Not band of pirates whose profession mud
buisncss it is to rob and pllnder and drink
the lilc's blood Of their fellow Weu.-Ah, no !
Would that it was so for the honor of Christ
and his religion in the world. But the power
that holds these hclplesss thousands and
offers them up 10 q suCiHce worse than death
itsell.-is prolesSedly religious power. \
power that claims to he the official repre-
sentative OF Him who lived and taught the
doctrine Of showing mercy to the poor, and
of relieving the needy aud the oppressed.
And whatever guilt is involved in this whole
sale immoation aud ruin of souls be II more
or less, these branches of the Church are
clargcnhIc with. Upon them rests The res
ponsihlity Olull their present woes aud their
eternal loss nor can any particular local
Church otthese slavehOdmg denominations,
either north or south, claim exemption rom
this guilt. The communion of feach OF these
large bodies is one. 1t extends to, aud en-
braces every local society of the denumlna-
ton. There is cord OF ecclesiastical OF
lfaicrnul union running through every society
or local church, binding them all to what
ever is good or bad in the entire orgnilation
Ii slavery is in one part, slavery Is IN the
whole. For the terms of communion IN one
part, are the terms of the whole.
Mr. Burr has lille hope Of ;le reform o
our pro-sInvery churches. The only method
of thoroughly enisting our religious organi'
zalons against slavery, is separation from it
and its ecclesiastical abettors, and organi-
zaton upon other and purcr principles. lie
significantly asks,
Where. in the entire history of the Church
/ is there AN instance recorded of n corrupt
| Church having been reformed. No such
case has ever been known or recorded. In
| every instance where the body or governing
| influence has become fundamentally corrupt
as in the ease of truilicking III human souls
] Ms did the Romish uuti-Christ, the transform
/ alton has been always and invariably down
ward. Those who hive stnid in the Church
10 reclaim ii instead of accomplishing this
have been swept down the current with II
There ure not examples wanting of this
kind in the pro-slavery churches Of the pre-
sent day. How many could be mentioned
who few years ago were all engaged to rt
the Church and the nation from the sin o
slavery but are now either silent upon it, OF
are its open apologists. And look too II, tho
present position OF these pro-slavery bodies
compared with what it was 30 or 10 ycnr
ago Have they grown better or worse ?
Is there more said and done against the slr
of slavery now than there was then' Ant
is there less slavery in these bodies nov
than there was then? To ask these ques
lions is to answer them. Every one know
that the reverse of all this is true: That th,
course of these bodies bNs been downward
dopnwdrd And the only way to presery
even the remnan, of good LET; in them, is b
, an uct of secession.