Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-12-10
INFIDELITY.

we dppthu u itN nOtcs.
We are accused by some, who don't know what
they do, OF being inhdel, because we claim to edu
cate ministers and dead churches. If there is
anything we respect, it is faithful selfdenyinp
minister or christian. But all are not fathiul-l
also too many are quite otherwise Those we do
not respect. We want to wake them up, and en-
gage them in Gods work, that they may be respec
table. To tell us to respect dead church and
ministry, that stand by aud see their children and
slaughtered before their faces by rumseers is
but to insult us, and shock all our moral sensbi
tiles. lnidelity abhor, dead theology we
despise. Indeed the latter is worse than the former
because it is inhdely itself in the garb of chris
tianity. Wherever we have engaged the christians
to work in this cause it has triumphed gloriously
II has closed the rumshops and saved the children
and youth, and shut down the gates of sorrow and
of SIM Now, when we find an old dead minister
sitting like a nightmare on his people, crying "ip-
fdci, mfdel," while he blocks up the way of saliva
tion, We know no way but to harpoon him, and get
him out of the way, and save his church and people
And our experience proves that this is not only our
opinion, but the opinion Of the good ministers and
churches wherever we co. who take us by the hand
and bless us for our labors.--Buge.
Next to the folly of insisting that our disunion
friends are "nhdels," is that of insisting on their
part, that they not infdels (l) 1t seems to us
that standard definition Of the tcrm to be always
looked at when writing on that subject would save
both parties vast deal of trouble, and no little i'll
temper. In one sense, Garrison, and those who
believe as he does are n6dcls most certainly and
entirely; in another Sense they are far from il.
The dictionary sense of the term makes them inf
dels altogether "In6del: one who disbelieves the
Inspiration of the Scriptures and the Divine origin
of Christianity" UeJs'er. We presume there can
be no dispute to the assumption that by this stan
dard Garrison q Co., are "infdels." (2j
But in another sense--in the common apprehcn-
sion OF the tcrm-the French sense, to use n com
mon phrase-the sense which denotes n blasphem-
ing. scohng, Christianity knocking God-defying
character, we do not consider these nfdels by any
means. At least, we do not consider Garrison
Philips, Robinson, Jones' and others, of this class
we have less sympathy for some others of them.
The former class of infdels-that in which we
have placed Garrison, &C., we believe is peculiar
to this age, and perhaps to the brief period as well
as to the district infected by the AntiSayery agi-
tatlon at the last twenty years For their origin
anu existence, we consider the proslavery Clergy
of the day altogether and entirely accountable
They are persons, generally, in whom the religious
sentiment is largely developed, and who arc any
thing but the natural subjects for the other sort of
infdety which we have enumerated. We are in
default OF chronological term to express the lack
OF discrimination which has left them to judge Of
true Christianity, by the Doctors of Divinity whose
love Of place, and prerogatiye' and provcnder, or
some worse motive of which we have no conception,
has led them to do violence to the first principles Of
the religion which they profess to teach, and of
which they are the accredited magnates and apos-
Legitimate fruits of that unaithfulness Of the Amer
lean pro-slayery clergy. Its prevalence is vastly
extensive and lamentable; and but for the faith
fulncss of portion of those who wear the clerical
robes to the golden rule of Christianity the heresy
would have swept over our country, if not over
Christendom, with blight that would have left
France, in the dark period Of her Revolution deep
| in the shade.
| DIR. Lords denunciation of the "IIighcr Law"
the supremacy OF Divine over human law-Dr.
/ Springs declaration that if one prayer would lib
crate all the slaves in the world lie would not offer
\ it---and kindred sentiments of Cox Spencer Dewey
and score of others, in reference to the command
to remember those in bonds, has made more nfiels
we are bold to say-of the class we have noted
than all the writings of Paine, Votaire Hume and
their kind have made Of the other class. This is
our honest conviction; and we believe the develope-
ments of "the great day" will make it clear to an
assembled universe.
We always, in speaking of the infdelity of our
Garrisonian co-workers, keep this distinction in
j view; and, we said at the commencement if|
they would learn to discriminate little more in
that way 1t seems TO us that they would feel less
sensitiyeness than they oftimes manifest under the
charge Of inhdeliy which they so often hear. (4)
NOTES.
I U) individuals will insist upon what they please
about their own names. For our own part, we have
no choice in the matter, and care nothing about it,
We make no pretensons either to technical Chris
tianity or technical infdety and our neighbors
may class us, an individual where they please
The only "trouble" we have ever had has
been with those who insist that abolitionists arc
men of false pretcnces, and that our movement is
one for igfdel and not for auti-savery purposes
There arc among us, those who arc infde in the
dictionary sense Of the term, and there are those
who are evangelical and orthodox just so it is
with the Free Solers. And it is absurd to call
either party Christian or an infdel party Each
ayows its own purpose, and is engaged to secure it,
i (2l Now, Brother Rice is giving us this "troublc"
right over again. but we have not even little i'll
temper about it, We presume to dispute the as
sumption that even "by this standard Garrison &
Co. are infdes." Mr.. Garrison may be an infdel,
as others we could name may be, and are Christians
according to Webster, mot Danel.) But the GO"
is neither Christian nor infdel. 1t knows nothing
about the "inspiration of the Scriptures" or the
" Divine origin Of Christianity" Itneither believes
nor dsbceyes the one or the other. 1t only be-
lieyes in the Divine origin of freedom, and the in
iernal origin and character of slavery and its sole
purpose and labor is to establish, practically, the
former and overthrow the latter
(3) 1t is our opinion that the default of the
term originates in the default of the thing our friend
/ would specify. As one of those called by name
and to whom this deficiency of discrimination is
so charitably applied, cannot confess the truth
; Of his allegation We do not see at all that the
pro-sayery Of any man, or of any number
of men-ministers or Doctors of Divinity
disprores the Divinity of the Scriptures, or that
their ant-slavery prores it. There is no connection
of premise and conclusion between them. And
whatever our theological opinions may be, we think
we show better reason therefor than our neigh
Dor has assigned for us. And we are under the
impression that we are not singular among the class
of persons referred to in this No doubt the unprin-
ciplcd pro-sayery-the gigantic wickedness of the
church and clergy, with their sanity professions
have aroused thousands of minds to investigate