Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-11-26
s1AvIHo1p1Ne III CONNECTICUT.

We have a case to.Ircscut TO our readers which
may enable them to return ready answer, the next
time some shallow and unrcasJning conservative
(all conservatives are not suchl asks, " hat has
the North to do with Slavery At the annual
meeting of the North Consolation Of Hartford
County. q written complaint was presented against
the Church at West Avon by several persons, mem
bers of the Church Mt Pennington, ON the ground
that gross neglect Of discipline existed in said
church, one of the members Icing tolerated in the
practice Of slayohodng he owning largo plant
alton in Louisiana, stocked with numerous slaves.
This STAKEHOLDER resides in the winter on his plant
alton, and during the summer il West Avon. Dis
satisfaction has Lccn felt by few members on this
account one Of whom withdrew and another has
felt it TO be his duty 10 absent himself from the
communion. The complaint desired such action
hy the Consolation as might be deemed most aI-
propratc, either in tie way of advice to the church
in question, or to the compluinants, and referred
to thc unanimous vote OF the General Association
in lSlS setting forth the duty Of such churches to
commence immediate steps of discipline.
Tho complaint was referred to Committee,
(Ncsrs. Porter, Patton, and Clarke who reported
that while they had no desire to cvudc tine general
question or the merits Of this particular caec and
indeed did not differ personally from the scntimcu,
expressed by the General Association in 1918 they
still deemed it important TO proceed in an orderly
way, Gnd with strict regard 90 the rights Of iudi-
yiduul churches rs guarded hy Congrcgauoualism.
iLcY cOnfU!OfCl mat the ttGSOCiatlOn CGugl rover
commerce discipline, but only issue it when order
IS brought before hcm by some party to it, and that
It could not give advice touching specific case in
a church which had not asked it, and when that
very case might Sc. come before the C0rsociutior
u1icially by appeal and should not therefore lC
lpreirdged. Tho report of the Committee alsc
pointed out two ways in which the complainants
might orderly prosecute the case; first, bynducing
aggricyed members Of the West Avon church to
complain to the Consolation, and secondly, by in
ducing ncighboring consoc;Gtcl church to present
West Avon church for neglect Of discipline as un-
worthy Of membership in the body. The report
was spontaneously adopted.
1t wa. a curious fact developed before the Com
mittcc, that the church tFarmington to which the
complainants belonged also had a slGycholIing
member resident in Missouri, though they We're
ignorant Of it, We doubt not that a score Of such
churches might be found in the State and an equal
or greater proportion in other free States, showing
thut when we contend for disfcllowshippng slave
holders, We have at issue practical matter for our
own churches, and also explaining in part why go
many Northern pastors oppose rigid ruc ON thi
subject. Our large commercial cities abound in
these cases and such commandments. usunly veal
thy and influential make very conservative PASTORS
who, in our home and foreign missionary socictic
and in ecclesiastical bodies, are active in don unc
|mgaud resisting Anti-Smycry measmcs.-Hmt5"
/ IsIj,t'DlV Jfoy0Ld