Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-05-15

ment, or fact, or candid appeal to tho sober
Judgment OF intelligent mon, than in the whole
string of resolutions and speeches brought out
by The Convention from beginning to end. We
are as much bound to advocate tho cause of
freedom in christian temper, with charity to.
ward those who differ from us "as bccomc,b
the Gospel, as to dcnounco Slavery itself-.
hesitate not to avow my conviction, that 7
would as willingly own an hundred slaves as
to be guilty of the rncharitablc spirit, the in
tolerance manifested by some of the speakers
in the Convention, toward the Christians and
Christian Churches who do not unite in the
way ace desire in our enterprise. In the sight
of God, l verify believe the degree of crimi-
nality in the two cases. is not essentially differ
ent The charge was made over and over again
in every shape and form, and with all the ap
probrious cpithcts which tho speakers could
heap together that the Churches or rather the
Church organizations of the land, were
"uttcrly corrupt" unworthy of confidence, "
were not "Chu.ches Of Christ" Sc. sc. Had
;ho charge been made that tho Churches had
had not done their dn'y TO Mc siare, that they
hare been too Indifferent to the ciIims Of the Anti-
Slarery enterprise, it would have been asserting
only tho pisia truth. But to charge Church
with being "Wierly corrupt" because it is def
cicnt in one (or even more than one) point Of
duty, is simply VatrWe and therefore utjj.st.-.
deny the truth of the allegations as they were
made in the Convention, and l challenge the
proof Of them from any one disposed to resort
to argtmcLt. The Churches OF Scotland who
have so often sent rcmoustranccs (and very
properly too) to American Churches on their
neglect Of the slave, could be proved "ut.
ttrly corrupt" on tho same principle for their
drinking customs and opposition to the Tenn
porancc reform. There is pot society on
earth, religious, socul, or political, which can
not be proved "uttcrly corruJt' fits deficiency
Cor what its opponents 6ciieco its deiiciency) on
some point of Christian duty is to decide the
question. II takes al hundred traits of character
to make good man, and to judge of the char
acter OF Christian Church we must look at
its influence or the community around it in an
hundred particulars its influence on intcm-
pcrancc, upon liccniis susncss, on the immortality
that abounds, upon the thousand forms of vice
that arc cursing the community and drawing
young men to porIition. Now l claim on evc-
ry principle Of right reason, every fair inter-
probation Of ihc New Testament, any ono en-.
gagns in the Anti. Slavery cause is as justly
liable to the charge of being ",choly corrupt"
or :" unworthy the Christian name" who has
been deficient in his duty in any one Of these
numerous articles of Christian duty, us arc the
Churches which have sadly neglected their duty
in regard to the Slave. These wholesale de-
nuncatlons do no good, and canno: be ause (in
the wide sense in which they arc madc,) they
arc untrue. 1t is high time they were laid aside
ps idle, and argument and candid appeals to the ,
-onscicnccs Of men rosortcd to.-I have written
in some haste aud must close here, but am by
no means done with the subject. There arc two
,r three OF its applications which propose pur-
suing in my next letter. Yours, p.