The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-08-30
From the Richmond (vs) Religious Herald.
THE coLoRED PEOPLE.

Aes xvii, -.
Two articles, in the last number but one OF
the Herald, particularly attracted my notice.
One was the admirable Circular Letter of the
New London Association" on "Carefulness in
the Reception of Church Members; 20 the 9th
er, wellwritten communication, from my es-
teemed friend and brother, Rev. Alfred Bagby,
ION behalf of our colored people," The au-
thors of these two articles live many hundreds
of miles apart, and probably have no acquaint-
ance with each other; and it might appear at
first that the subjects on which they write have
as little TO do with each other as the writers
themselves. Yet the connection which really
subsists between these subjects drew my atten-
ton to the article / have named above. For
some time, have been occasionally revolving
In my mind with no small measure of perplex-
ity and concern) the spiritual condition Of the
cotored people, as Il is affected by the terms on
sohieh they are received 10 membership in our
churches. And now, about this matter, pro-
pose, with your leave, to say something in the
present communication.
III my memory serves me Alright, a distinguish
ed leader of a certain modern sect" sneered
at the Baptists few years ago, because of an
alleged affinity" between them and the color
ed people. He seemed disposed to congratu-
late himself and his followers, that while thou
sands of colored persons were pressing into the
Baptist church, scarcely hundred could be
found in his communion in the whole United
States. Any such sneers and insinuations may
be endured by with very great equanimity,
IN view Of the fact that the common people
heard the Saviour gladly" and he himself an
nounced it as a distinguished trait of his gos
pei, that 1t was preached to the poor. But
while we should never be ashamed Of the fact
that the great majority of the colored people
attach themselves to us-nay, while we should
rejoice in it-still we should be deeply impress
ed by the responsibility it imposes. Under the
Providence of God, the spiritual interests of the
colored people have devolved, in great meas
ure, on the hands of the Baptists. The trust
thus committed to their charge is of infinite
importance; and the faithful discharge of the
duties IT imposes requires ordinary measure
OF patience, perseverance, prayerfGlness, self
denial, and wisdom. Have these duties been
properly discharged2 Ny observation and ex-
perience, as pastor of churches numbering sew
eral hundred colored members, constrain me to
answer this question in the negative The col
ored people are as brother Bagby says, "igno-
rant, superstitious, dreamy" And this descrip-
ton applies more appropriately to those who
are IN the church than to those who are out
Tor as they become more religious, they gener-
ally become more superstitious. 1t cannot be
successfully denied, that a large number of our
colored members are distinguished from those
who make no profession, only by darker su-
perstition and wilder fanaticism. Why is this
Whose fault is it?
We must have something to do with il. If I
am justified in saying that the spiritual inter
ests OF the colored people are, for the most part
committed TO our hands. "Ah," saws some
zealons Pedobsptist, eagerly seizing this admis-
sion, and gloating over it with delight, this is
OWING to your instructions. 1t is because You
them han Al
hnal perseverance of the saints. They think
that if they are baptized, and their sins thus
washed away, they are safe. Being once in
grace, they ere always in grace; and SO they go
on In Ignorance, superstition, and vice, and
wake from their delusion only in the flames of
he'll" Stop, my friend not so fast. If our
colored members entertain the views Won have
Just attributed to them, they certainly did not
receive them from us. No Baptist preacher or
writer, on the face Of the whole earth, believes
IN baptismal regeneration nor do any of them
believe IN the doctrine Of" once in grace, always
IN grace, an the sense you use these terms
Besides did it ever occur to YOU that coIored
members Of your church land in some places.
colored Pedobaptists are very numerous) are
Just as ignorant, just as superstitious, Just as
VICIOUS, as colored Baptists are ever found To
Der According to your own reasoning this
must be the effect of teaching them infant
sprinkGng, falling from grace" The truth is.
the teachings Of the pulpit lat least among
Baptists) have nothing to do with the matter.
Let me furnish case in proof Of two church
es winch the writer serves, his immediate pre-
decessor was pastor for about twenty-f years
IL would he only necessary to give his name. to
furnish the strongest and most satisfactory as.
surance that nothing which ever fell from his
lips could be construed into the support of TO-
norance, superstition, or fanaticism. During
the i've or SIX years have served these church. |
es whatever may have been my errors and fail
lngs, land l am ready to admit that they have
been numerous and greivous enough, in all con-
science,) l know / have never uttered a sen.
timent which could be tortured into the sup
port of the superstitions prevailing among the
colored people. And yet, in both these church
es, the colored members are superstitious
and fanatical as they are elsewhere. Indeed
this was to be expected, for l certainly claim
no superiority over my brethren in the minis
try, and | am satisfied that many of them are
far better qualified than am to expose error
and to root out superstition. This state of
things, then, is not due to the teachings of the
pulpit Nor is it the result of private instruc-
tons by masters. Indeed, these last have been
afforded so sparingly, till within few years
since, that they could produce but little effect of
any sort And, besides, those who own servants,
and are willing to teach them are far too intel
hgent to countenance superstition in any way.
j repeat the inquiry, then, why is it that SO
many OF our colored members are ignorant, SUI
perstitous, and fanatical? Il is the effect of
insfruct'o'ls received from leading men dmong J
themselves, and the churches are responsible for |
this effect, in so far as they receire into felioD |
ship those soho hare listened to these instruc. |
tions, ground their hopes upon them, and 0uids |
their iiues by them. Whatever we NAV saw
against superstition, so long as we receive into
our churches those who are its slaves, thew will |
believe that we think them Christians; and. nat |
urally relying on our judgment as expressed by
their reception, they viii live deluded, and die
but to be lost
But some one will say, "we never receive |
colored persons when they manifest these su-
perstitions-when they talk of visions, dreams,
sounds" DC. This is right, as far as it goes.
In every such case they should be rejected |
Out superstition, of fatal character, often /
EXISTS where nothing is said about dreams or |
Visions 1t is just as fatally superstitious to
'rust In prayers and feelings, as in dreams and
VISIONS And this is the sort of superstition
T WI now prevails among the colored people.
iney nave found that sights and sounds will
not answer before the whites, and now (reserv
ing these, perhaps, for some chosen auditory of
their own color they substitute nrevers and
IN Illustration permit me to record,
- ~ SPri' Oh levty, the stereotyped experience
seneraliy passes current, and, in ninety
oHses out OF hundred, introduces the col
0'e0 candidate into the church. The pastor is