The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-07-04

! idigniiaries. Standing alone in that august as
spfnhly when interrogated as 10 his doctrines he
boldly declared them and adhered 10 them
| His position in that hour MT surpassed IN
moral grandeur by that Of Paul before the
Areopogitps on Mars Hill, nor in peril by that
of Daniel in the lions drn What sustained
him-what clenched the jaws OF these lIoHs
The cause he advocated--the moral power OF
his theme that shielded him like an mpene-
trable Egg Had Luther depended upon ply
sica force, of which he had none, comparison
with his enemeS, or upon human appliances,
! himself and his cause had ppriShed at once !!
! 1t was the moral power of the reformation that
gave II success. Shall we, sir, shut our eyes
| 10 these lessons Of experience aud try an eXpe-
drnt whose only effect will be TO do hahn and
to destroy an instrumpnialny which has done
great good, and that. too, by enacling term OF
+ membership for the Church, not only uncaled
/ for, but heretofore unknown in the body Of
Christ, save the exception asbove referred to.
7h. In this discussion, Mr. President, fepea-
ted illusions have been made to the fathers, and
their strong anii-slavery views and measures.
| Well sir, venerale the fathers, they Were un-
qutstonably honest in their convictions. They
pressed their opinions 10 the utmost. Bot
| what did they accomplish They admitted
slavery into the church, and they lett il there
after all their efforts in regard to il. Why did
| they not remove it--why did :hey entail IT up
on US? They accomplished everything else
| they attempted They spread scriptura holl-
] ness over these lands. They the means
not only OF gathering together and building up
| the Methodist church, bot OF reVlvIng other
| churches. Nothing seemed to stand before
/ them. Why is it, ask again, that these em-
inenty holy men, with all their opposition to
it, and all their zeal 10 get rd OF IT, did not de-
Stroy slavery or get il out OF the Church II
was not because they had backslidden. Fran
els ASburv was not baCksider, nor was Will
/ liam McKendree, nor were their associates
hackSliderS. Why, repeat once more, did not
the fathers with their strong arm and powerful
voice, sweep This great evil, as it is designated,
from the Methodist church? Simply because
| they could not do it unless they gave up the
South altogether. They could not uproot civil
authority and civil law. They were met by
barrier they could not overlap or remove.
A md they knew also that if they removed it
from the church, 1t would not lessen slavery
nor the number Of slaves-they could not get
it out of the country. So it will be now, if
YOU were TO adopt q regulation excluding every
slave holder from the Methodist Episcopal
Church the only point that would be reached is
this it would exclnde the church from every
inch OF slave territory without liberaing one
slave or diminishing slavery in The least.
Our fathers with all their zeal against sla-
very, when they found they could not control
it, did not leave us in The discipline non-Siare-
h0iding az term OF church membership. /
hope, sir, we shall profit by their example 10
this respect.
Slavery is not weakened BY such means The
division OF the Church, growing out OF the ac-
tion of the General Conference OF 1914, tho
! approve that action, and the organization of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, consr-
quent thereon, has certainly not lessPned sla-
very IN the least degree in that section of the
South embraced in its boundary. | heirve It
Will be admitted by the best friends Of that
Church that its organization, under the circum-
stances, has greatly strengthened that instilu-
/ ton and IN what extent a similar result will
be produced by an action Of this body that viii
sever the Church again, | will not venture 10
predict. throw out the suggestion for the
calm aud deliberate consideration of the friends
of the new chapter on slavery reported BY the
majority of the committee.
/ have studiously avoided bringing the Bible
into this discussion. The time was, sir, when
it was not referred to in this connection, and
will express my profound regret that that bless
ed Book has been drawn into the argument. |
look upon it a revelation of facts as well as
OF doctrines and that its references to slavery,
particularly in the New Testament, come under
/ the former class and finding it in existence it
prescrbrs the duties TO be observed by master
and slave in their respective relations, without
intending TO sanction the institution itself
Y. The measure reported by the majority of
the committee on slavery is schismatic in char
acter and tendency ! mean by schism, the in
depreciation Of the word given by Dr. Campbrll,
quoted by Watson, as follows: 'sDr. Campbell
shows that the word schism does not usually
signify an open separaton but that men may br
guilty Of SchsEl by such an alienation Of af-
fiction from their brethren as violates the inter-
nal union in the hearts of christians though
there be errnr in doctrine nor separation from
communion" which Paul condemns, 1st Corinthians
chapter 10 verse, and 18th chapter 25th verse. |
am not nsensble, sir, to the value OF ecclesiastical
ties; but what they III comparison 10 the bonds
which mite the hearts of believers by faith and love
in the body of Christ? OF what avail will the for
be if the latter be DESTROYED? Nothing short of
dire necessity will justify such result. What have
we done, sir, in the Baltimore Conference to provoke
the application of oppressive measures? We are not
agltators. We stand precisely where did when I
we became integral part of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church What have people done In 1914 /
we stood by the usages OF the Church. The innova-
tIon then from the South in attempt TO force
slavery into relation in the church il had never
previously occupied. We resisted il. There sits the
man, Rev. Alfred Grfith) delegate of the Balt- !
more Conference, who, in con junction with the la
mented Davis, took the first step 10 prevent slavery
from going into the Episcopacy. Subsequently 10 I
1871 passed through severe struggle to main .
Had, baan r