Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-08-06
NOn.iellOwShip.


practice of non.fellowship with Shareholders
Hnds both logic and comfort in the recent action
Of the Old School Covcnanters Speaking of
the acts of the Synod of the Church, itisays -
1.-TWO of their members were also reported
as having been deposcd from the ministry. for
sympathy with the New Side people. The Of
fences which justify such non. fellowship and
persecution are that the New Side hold to the
duty of voting at civil elections, sitting on uries
and in other ways recognizing the legitimacy Of
the United States government, on account of It's
completely with slavery. This is carrying the
fellowship principle to its legitimate con.
clusion and the example may be commended
to those who find so much conscientious diff
Guilty in holding social ecclesiastical relations,
however remote, with slavery"
In an article defending the principle of nom
fellowship, from this attack the Mercer Freeman
has the following candid admission of the
propriety Of the course of the non-voter who is
such, because he will not support what is to
him pro. slavery constitution;
ain common with the Old Side Covenanters,
and the large political parties, the Evangelist
admits the completely of the government with
slavery, and seems to recognize that completely,
as required by the Constitution. If that be so,
we should be glad to see that paper grapple
with their arguments, and overthrow their con-
illusions. Their non-fellowship principle and
corresponding practice resistlessly follow the
common assumption, that the U . S. Constitution
recognizes slavery, and makes provisions for its
course, but to look their position in the face,
and on their and his assumption, set their con-
clusions aside as erroneous, is just what he has
not, will not, and cannot do. Yet this is what
an honest christian paper, when it ridicues and
SCOTS at the conduct Of respectable church, is
bound to do. Liberty men, and large major
ity of Free Sellers, find provisions for slavery
in the Constitution, literally and fairly inter-
preted, and therefore escape the embarrass-
ment."
Speaking of the principle of fellowshipping
Shareholders, the same paper adds:
"Tho legitimate conclusions of his rthc
Erangelists principle is, unrestraincd fellowship
with any and every sin. He is now in loving
embrace with what John Wesley SO we'll de-
nominated the 'sum of all villanies ; and il
would be folly for him to quarrel with any of
Of the parts. Admitting Shareholders to the
communion, and elevatng them to the pulpit,
what crime can the Evaagelist consistently ex-
cludes One minister inquired OF another, do
you exclude shareholders from your communion
tableP we go a great deal farther we ex-
clude the horse thief was the reply. The
answer was correct. The old Presbyterian
Confession and the Scriptures, place the man.
thief and the Stakeholder ogether-essentially
the same characters. The crime of stealing and
holding man, exceeds that OF horse thief in
essential wickedness, by just as much as man
is better than horse. We do not assert that
professedly Christian shareholders are as aban-
doned men as horse thieves. This would not
be true. A corrupt public sentiment has black
ened the crime Of the horse thief to its proper
hue, and whitewashed that of the STAKEHOLDER.
In the guilt of creating and sustaining this
corrupt public sentiment, tho Evangelist has a
large share. Its circulation is extensive and its
influence great"