Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-07-18
From the Anti Slavery Standard.
uNFAIrHFULNESS OF THE CHURCH AND
THE CLERGY TO THEIR OWN STAND
ARD.

"Ivery STAKEHOLDER is a man,stcalsr and every nation Of slave
hclderJ 10 a nation of man-stealers,"
Such is the position now taken by DR.. Cheever,
who seems to lead the van of that small portion Of
the clergy who speak against slavery, and the en-
ergy Of whose speech looks asif they designed to
set against ito
Paul, in his first epistle to Timothy, ranks men,
stealers with murdeIers, whoremongers, liars and
peTlured persons. The American Churches admit
msu-stealers to baptism, the communion of tho
Lord's supper. and the full recognition, in every
way, as Christians. Which of these positions viii!
DR.. Cheeyer take? As pastor of a Church, he has
"a official voice in the admission of members as
one of a large order Of men claiming to be 'Chris-
tian minister's" be has a duty in regard to the
preservation of purity in that body, and is bound
10 vigilance in watching, and faithfulness in pro-
testation, against its practical connivance with sin;
az a prominentle leader in one of q circle of religious
eects which are accustomed mutually TO compliment
each other as Evangelical, "and which are %afiliat-
ed in support of various departments of proselyt-
ism, il is his duty to see that this copartnership be
not made the minister Of sin, without this open and
energetic protest and finally, as a well.known
and valued writer i'll the religious press" he is
bound to use that Observation-Disclosures the correction
Of religious error, and an error of the Church not
less than ono of 'the world.
What will DR., Cbeever do, in the matter of the
ohurch-nombership of Shareholders? What will
no do in regard to the authentication Of ministers
who defend slavery from the Bible, as ministers of
the Gospel?
These things yet wait to be decided. Since so
much remains to be done for the publication Of a
slaveholding Church, it would seem that DR.. Cheev-
or can hardly stand still, but must either retract
come of his prophetic utterances against slavery
aud Shareholders, or 20 forward to some Of those
further steps which form the inevitable logical Sc.
quence Of his recent movements. We earestly
hope that he may prove as valiant for truth against
thu bulwark of slavery as against slavery herself.
But, meantime, some Of DR.. Cbeever'sa associates
n the ministry and the religious press" though
applaudSng what he says (nOw that he says it,
though they were silent when The LiJerator said
itlong before) of the inseparable viciousness and
anti-Christian character of slayehOlding, yet seem
inclined tc insist that it be not cast out of the
Churoh-that it still have shelter and sanctuary, as
the grossest criminals of all sorts formerly had at
the hprns Of the altar. They have talked for years
past as If they felt u great detestation for slavery
and would be glad to tear of the cloak Of religion
IN which it sheltered its hideous deformitieE, but
we're withheld by the fear that in go doing they
would damage the reputation Of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. The Atolitionists long ago refuted
an exploded this monstrous pretense of the slave.
holders, ana indicated the Bible from the calum-
NOUS charge thrust upon it by Southen and North
efn clergymen. of being q prO-slavery book bet
even those ministers at the North who ought by
their professional duty aud obligation. to have
.asae the trst discovery and proclamation Of this
tratl' and to whom it would have been compare.
lively easy, since thew certainly bore no good will
30 siasery fer alta own sake. instead Of ochoing and
swehlng this cry when it was first raised by the
Ao9liticnists,s bvt sheir eyes and stopped their ears