Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-06-13

There should be no agitators who nre willing tC
carry the agitation into the church. There was
excitement enough through the country. If it was
possible they would seek n ground upor which
they could stand with Southern Brethren, instead o
hunting ground to push them off. If his South
ern brethren at all reasonable, he hoped they
would consider these views. Many churches in
Pennsylvania New Jersey and New York, were
opposed to q sectional church--who disliked in
tense abolitonism. ... .... r..... ..-.5.-t
u lie said that God had blessed the brethren OF
the South there were there to be seen the most
beautiful exhibitions of piety He did not agree
with the brother who disliked Uncle Toms Cabin
piety. lie thought it was most beautiful Gre
alton, and invested with all the attributes of true
religion.
lie would present some items Of statistics.-
Last year there were added to the church member
ship in these Southern Synods, over 200 souls,
and the year before last more than l 400. Com.
pare these with two Northern Synods, Western
| Reserve and Ohio. They have two more ministers
than the five in the South. In 1856 they added
to their membership 625 souls, and in 1856, 724
In the South, where the ministry was pure. they
had converted double number. Taking all the
facts into consideration, he tho't committee OF
good and wiso men should be chosen to find o
ground of common union and brotherhood. There
were many evils in separation. and he hoped the
Assembly would be preserved intact. $500
Mr.. Newton, of Huron Presbytery, said that the
|
i blessed above those in the north, as vindicaton
of the system of slavery.
Dr. Dewitt said that he intended to say nothing
of that kind. .-
Mr.. Newton contnued--The cause why we
have had less number Of new members had
grown out Of this very subject. lie could not
labor because the slavery question met him on
every side. They tried to keep it under, but it
would come up. People went away because they
could not bear completely with slavery, They
were reached at every point. lie was personally
conservntve-by temperament, by education and
| by position. lie had read that very conservative
paper the New York Observer-ho had almost
grown gray in reading it. lie was not radical
abotionist and the Western Reserve Synod was
not aboitionist in that sense. The Synod was
composed of men not accustomed to be wild on
any subject. They fit to memoralze the AS
sembly that unless they got rid of all responsible
ity they could not do their work not because they
were abolitionists. The.brother had said" you do
neither the south nor the slave any good" He
answered that they did not propose to do the south
or the slave any good in this agtation-thcir OBJ
ject to get rid of all responsibility for slavery
If it begat temporary difficulties they not re-
sponsible -.' r..-E.t-- se .!
| SPEECH OF IR. MORRISON, OF MISS. ~
Mr.. Morrison, of the Presbytery of Lexington
South, Miss, said his name had been mentioned
so often, in connection with that of his Synod,
and such hard things had been said about their
action, that ho did not know but they would ex-
pect to see horns on his head-IIe had waited
for this time to explain the position of the Pres
bytery Of Lexington to this Assembly. lie did
not consider that presbyteIy trial before this
Assembly. They would be on trial if this paper
should be adopted If they were adopted the
Presbytery must be censured. lie hoped the
Northern brethren would bear in mind that all
were liable to error.
The memorial was never intended as a banter or
off 10 tI,a Aoca had L.. -
They did not believe the Assembly had taken the
ultra ground alleged-they took this method to
find out. Knowing that one of their members had
been thus charged, they could not sneak out behind
his grave,-that would have been cowardly. The
clause objected to ih the memorial did not state
that slavery should be perpetual-the writers be-
lieved that whenever in Gods providence the time
should come when it would be better for them and
for society that they should be free they wished
them to be so. He thought there had been no
wish shown to put favorable construction upon
their words--they might have been understood
that slavery was right under certain crcumstnn-
ces. The objection seemed to be that there were
no qualifying words. The paper did not state
that slavery right according to the Koran or
the Book of Mormon,-it stated that it was right
according to the Bible. The same doctrine had
been held all along the Presbyterian Church South
he denied that it doctrine. In 1876
eleven years ago, the same doctrine was maintain
ed by them then. A Rev. father - had wrote
"a pamphlet upon the subject thirty years
ago, taking precisely the ground of tho memorial
and was circulated all through the South They
denied that slavery was crime per Se-that was
what they meant by saying it right. lie re-
ferod to the minutes of the General Assembly of
| 1856, showing that similar views were urged to
that body. lie contended that the advances had
been made by tho North-the South stood where
! they always had. The speaker believed slavery
was justified in the bible. Ii he could select a
jury of entirely unprejudced men, to sit upon the
question, with the condition that he should lose
his head in case they decided slavery not justified
by the bible, he should not be afraid of his head com
ing off, The horror expressed by some in regard tc
this view of the bible, reminded him of the story
of the young preacher who overlook Presbyter
an brother the road, and got into conversation
about Pres6Yterianism the young minister belong
ing to another denomination. The latter express
ed great condemnation of the Presbyterian Church.
Tho old minister asked him if he had ever read
their Confession of Faith-he acknowledged he
never had. The old man then took oat book and
read from the 9th chapter of Romans. The Young
preacher was horrled at such doctrines, but still
was more astounded when shown that the book
was the bible. lie thought il some brethren would
read the bible without prejudice, they would be as
much astonished as the young minister. 1t was
recorded in Genesis that God greatly blessed the
master. with silver, aud gold, and men servants
and maid-servants". ...- ..
The passage clearly implied that the servants
were u Inc DlDIe albO lalu down christ
an duties, growing out Of tho relation of master
and slavehow could such duties grow out of
a sinful relationf lie preached the gospel to the
black and the white at homc--believed with Dr.
Ross that the "niggers" love him-belleved there
were those among them who would wear heaven
ly crowns of glory, who would have gono down
to perdition, had they remained in heatheudom
Ques.-Mr Guthrie--"Do the slaveholders in
your church to it that there is legal marriage
between the slayes?" .....
Mr.. Morrison-"They do nOt--I suppose the
marriage is not legal" .1.-..
Mr.. Guthrie--"Will the gentleman state what
is the precise relation between the sexes, among
the slaves held by the members of the Lexington
Presbytery." '1
Mr.. Morrison-"I will If can-I should say il
was the relation of husband and wife. perform
the ceremony for them the same as with others.
ba ptise the children" -... .--..
| Quos.-"Do not the members of the n s. Pres,
byterian church South sell these children away