Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-06-11
T II E B U G L E
g llOHOrIng Cod"

Henry Ward Beecher, in his speech before
the American Anti.Slavery Society, has the
following strange declaration, IN the midst Of
some most brilliant aud excellent remarks :
"My earnest desire is that Slavery mny he
destroyed by the manifest power Of Christi
unity. Ifit were given me to choose whether
il should be destroyed ia fifty years 10y selfish
commercial influence, or standing for seven
ty-fvc years, I've then the spirit aud trophy of
Christ, had rather let il linger twenty-five
years more, TINT God mny be honored and
not mamnon, in the destruction of it,"
What horrible sentiment! and of truth
what "jealous God" must he he, who
would rather" our millions of slaves, with
their untold ignorance, wreichedness aud
wrong-ihe masters with their uncompre-
hendel guilt and oppression, should continue
for quarter Of n century, that God, and not
men, should have the "honor" of its aboli-
ton. We know OF no revelation of God ia
all his government,-in all the works of his
hands which teach such doctrine. They
NIL teach otherwise. Wero the spirit of "com-
mcrcial selfishness" to abolish slavery to-
day, does Mr.. Beecher, even, think that the
Governor of the Universe would, out of jenl
and quench the newborn energy, industry
and enterprise which liberty has always i'm
pnrted to the emancipated sluve Would it
smother the otltburstiug emotions of JOY
xyI;.l, ,i,a ,,,,i,ar ,xo,ll c,l ,I,,,t I,ar k.Ia
was now her own-that slave auctions aud
separations were henceforih to he unknown?
No, in these and n hundred other ways,
God would speak out his appreciation that
even "comnerciul selfshness" had, for its
own sake, removed this form of evil. The
motives which KossutIi proposed to use with
Ausirin, were no better than commercial
selfshness," aud yet Mr.. Beecher gave Kos
suth his pulpit and his Influence that he
might enancipate the Ilungnrians by terror
aud the sword. MIR. Beecher did not pro-
pose to Kossuth, rs VIC ever heard, to wait
25 years that God might emnncipate his
countrymen by Christianity and take the
honor to himself By the henrtless Chris
lianity Of this country, emancipation is not
the work of twenty-five yaars. Eternity
would be to short for il. We are sorry to see
MIR. Beecher's theology, (not to say his Chris
tiunity,) putting off thus the day Of Redemp-
ton.
The Tribune comments upon this as fol-
lows.:-
"Now, so far as this passage indicates n
preference that the abolition OF slavery
should be inpeled by Principle rather than
Interest, Philanthropy rather than Selfish
ness, Christianity rather than Alammon, we
heartily agree with il; but if we were re-
quired to decide whether Slavery should
.cense in 1860, through selfish and secular in
tluence, or in 1885, through the influence OF
christianity, we should hesitate, ponder, and
wish 10 take the sense of those in bondage,
before agreeing to the twenty five years, post
ponement for the glory Of Christianity. II
they were willing TO endure the lash, the
,cotiie and the auction-block for another gem
eration-to have more Infants sold from the
mothers breasts aud daughters marketed foI
,slIame-till 1885, in order that Christianity
might reap the glory of its overthrow, why
then we would think about il. Nay, we
ywoIhd stih wish TO interrrogate Christianity
khersslf, aud learn whether she would prefer
RIO have the denominations and cruelties in
cseparable from the ownership of man 10y
IMAM, continue quarter of century, in or
der that its overthrow might rebound to hei
own glory. lf she would, our estimate o.
her character would be somewhat lowel
sthan il has been. Most certainly the Parable
of the Good Samaritan would not have beer
improved by supplementary regret tha
abe man who fell among thieves had not lair
hulf day longer until some Priest or Levit'
would have come along who would have
had compassion on him"