New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-09-04
TIE PRO SLAVERY CONVENTION
THE LEADERS OF THE CONVENTION-AN
AFRICAN CHURCH-DR. ROSS SERMON
DIR. BOYDS SPEECH, &c.
r r,c,rnpdeuce of The N Y TribsnA

Newton, Dick .sOn, Leach and Read are marked
men. Among the lay delegates, after mentioning At
torrey. General Tu.ker Peachy X. Grattan, and the
President Mr.. Maynard We have about al who are Of
any rote, 30 far as can learn. The President per-
foins bis duty with dignity, decision and fairness and
might add, in a voice of thunder. The bearing of
the members thus far toward each other has been
courteous, but as yet there have been few signs Of
ability. DIR. Boyd and Dr. Ross have made able
speeches and Mr. fuckers quite able. bu. not
up to the expectation of his audience. Yesterday
afternoon dropped in to Look az the great African
baptist Church on Broad street The building Is a
rupb but comfort able brick structure, and will seat
300 De ople and probably from 800 to 800 more can
find standing room. In the afternoon the servants
are generally al liberty 80 that the attendance very
large. The house, yesterday afternoon, was packed
full. The singing was purely congregational aud In
part by choir in the gallery. The latter was ad Mira
bic. The choir is made up of colored people and
they sang several anthems, such as Jerusalem"
81 was glad when they said unto me- let go up
unto the house Of the Lord "Vita spark of heasenly
fame" That choir performed well ordinary city
chots and better than the most. The congregations
singing Of such tunes as " Passing away, " Meet me
in heaven" &c, was like thunder and surpassed
anything ever heard. Only think OF twelve or fifteen
hundred such voices they have swelling into one
note and carrying forward one melody, not in the
dainty way Of refined audience, but every man and
woman and child singing with all his might
In the evening heard DIR. Ross preach on the words,
the dead shall be raised "a discourse which was
magnificent in its outlines, and crowded full Of the
most exquisite details. never the Doctor so in
spired never when he seemed to bear his audience 90
easily with him. and il immense audience.
lie repudiates all the straight jackets Of rhetoric and
speaks, and aCts, and reasons, and declalms, and
walks and soars, and roers and whispers, just e. he
feels aud as independently the pastor OF Plymouth
himself There were some Of the most scOrchiLg de-
nunciations, Of the most pathetic illusions some
of the most beautiful pictures in that sermon that
Az fhn mott mir In15al txHith
purely Southern associations do not expect to hear
him again. am glad that the last sermon was such
grano one.
TIE Convention spent the usual time in devotional
exercises this morning. After some preliminary mat
ters Dr. BOYD took the floor and made SIP eech which
has thrown ell its predecessors into the shade. The
Doctor has been consistent in his PrOSaycry logic
in the Church as Calhoun was in the State. 60 not
know whether be seriously designed making speech
until the unexpected turn which Mr.. fuckers speech
gave to Affairs That speech unquestonably gave the
Convention strong leaning toward the policy Of going
TO the Od.School Pfesbyterians. DR.. Boyd not
merely has senced all fuckers School batteries.
but he has covered mis- whole ground with munitions
of offense and defense. He began at III o'clock, and
finished at % His manner OF speaking is not pleas.
ant, by reason Of voice Of but little volume and
compass, and pitched on very high key. lie began
by expressing in handsome terms the regrets which he
had experienced in separating from the General AS
sembly that met at Cleveland. lie had friends 10 that
Church whom he loved, and for the whole Church he
had an affection which would have forbidden his With
dIawul from it except for the most urgent considera
tons. The necessity, in his estimation, was inperious
But in Withdrawing thus we find ourselves In Pc
cuar and trying position; and now the question IL,
What shall We Go! Three plans have been suggt sted.
We may seek to unite ourselves with the Old S,hool
Presby terans or we may occupy an independent Po-
stiOn as Presbyterles or SynodS or we may Organize
a new determination which shall be common bond of
union among us.
The first and last plans the only ones seriously
considered. AS for going to the Old School he wished
-. L. hat ,Ay a1 md da.
clared as principle, their right 10 cW eli memberS,
thurckeS ministers. PrsSbyiertcS and SynodS, WWo"
ana cbarge or t,ioi. That for alleged heresy but
the rriDcple might be applied "a well to slave holding
as TO heresy. Now that Church has never 10 any way
dsavUwed that principle. 1t Is part OF ITS law, and
Therefore at any time II may be applied, and tor any
cause, and at any point.
that we leave ourselves exposed to the very same evil
sgsinst which We have been protesting these many
wears and for which we have just abandoned our
former ecclesiastical relations! There are tie acts ci
1887, not merely gross and unrepened wrong
against us and Others, but involving an avowed prln-
cple under the control OF which no one Is safe ny
put our me- ks under the AK
But again. there are dOctrnal differences which for
bid our going back. Thus, the doctrines Of ability
and inability the extent Of the atouement and regene-
ration there are such differences between US aud the
Old School that when brought under the process OF
examination in order to admission into their Presby-
teries, we must be excuded-at least many will be.
This doctripa discussion clear and keen, and was
masterpiece, the moral Ct which was why shall we
humiate ourselves by going to the Old School and
knock for admission when II is certaa thar they VIII
refuse TO admit many OF us
But the chief argument against our going TO the
Old School Church. is that that Chnrch rs fatRted TH
AJola,Onism. DR.. b. here produced very Ingenious
showed that the Old School Assembly in 1916 had
fully indorsed the celebrated action or testimony of
the Assembly of 1918, which declared Slavery to be
SIN a gross violation Of natural rights" &C.,
4 xli no dpplOred 10 he the
of the most offensive AbOlonism; the very thing
which We have protested that the Assembly ma
no authority, either from the Bible or our constitution
for making. And yet DR.. Robert j. Breckenridge OF
Kentucky and DR. n. l.. Rice of Missouri, have eX-
pljctly said they indOrse that action as right This
Abolition principle is in the very blood and bones OF
that Church. There IN the Western fes S TINS
psper is rabdy Abolition, and 1t i the avowed pur-
nose of its patrons to make the Old School Theologl-
cal Seminary at Chicago an Abolition institution.
The Doctor fairly piled up the proofs Oh MS PfopVr
ton, TO give point and power to this question. We
have resisted the Abolition element IN the New school
Church; we have protested against it, have suffered
from it and finally, On account OF II, have aoandone9
that Church. Now, why shall We rush into the Old
School Church, which is Just rs bad, and IN the very
same way, so far as its principle goes
The Doctor then proceeded to defend the plan OF
new organization 1t viii give us unbToken UNITY.
As for money if we come out and take the high
gourd Of these resolutions our people WI furnish Us
with money for building eninary and for MISSION
ary operations. If We take this ground there are
men at the North who by reason of peculiar creunl'
stances may not join us, but who will give US large
assistance He then showed that those who would
rush off into tue Old School Church would leave their
companions in an unfortunate position II gong to
the Old School WAS foregoGc conclusion with any,
they ought not to vote to embsrrass them. lie ex-
horied all to maintain proper scii-Iespect, and de-
clared that he could Join the Old School unit:
the terms could be entirely honorable 70 all parties
Whatever Others may do, be could DO. do il yet.
The entire speech OF Dr. Boyd was marked by
mower Of which my outline gives but faint idea.
No doubt some inferior men VIII seek 20 pick it 70
al. pot do