Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-10-24
Gbe Antt- 5laperp Buole.
ADDRESS
REPORTED BY GERRIT SMITH
TO THE
Jerry Rescue Convention, held in Syracuse Octo-
Der |, 1851.

The Rescue Of Jerry What preacher o.
righteousness To tell what is right is good
preachinr. But to do what is right is better. The
best of pulpits breaches but in words. The res
cue of Jerry preached in deeds, The abDitlor
school teaches the lesson that the slave should be
delivered The lescners of Jerry put the lessor
in practice.
And then what touctstone of character is the
rescue of Jerry Not man can disapprove that
rescue, and yet be christian. For not mar
can dsapprove it and yet be honest. But honesty
in its comprehensive sense-n the sense oi doing
unto others as we would have others do unto US
is the soul and substance aud total sum ot chris
Gianity. Since there lives not the man who II m
the circumstances that poor Jerry was IN, would
not like to be delivered from them, then lives there
not the man who can be christian, and
yet be opposed to his deliverance. we &c
not deny that there are christians who DIS
approve what has been imposed upon their credu
lity as the rescue of Jerry-who disapprove theli
own false conceptions of it. But the reality the
thing itself-no man can disapprove and yet be
christian. If we admit that man can be chrls
tian who defends what he mistakenly deems to be
slavery, it nevertheless does not follow that we ad
NIT him to be christian who ustihes the reality OF
slavery, and indorses the very thing whlch Is the
highest crime against God and man.
A great touchstone of character did we call the
rescue of Jerry. Wherever there Is church
which refuses to sanction that TRANSACTION, there
we may be sure is not a Church OF Jesus Christ
Dishonesty and not christianty,is Its chief charac'
teristic An honest man in such Church is en-
tirely out of place, and he should hasteh to pe'
take himself to better company
The question often arises whether the Metho-
dist Church at the North the New School Pres
byterian Church; the Freewill and Seventh day and
Close and OpeE Communion Baptist Churches at the
North the Unitarians and UnlVersalists ana Luz
therans and Congregationalists at the North are
ri1ht in rd IN slaverv Not q moment neeu
be wasted in finding an answer to 1t. Are they
right in regard to the rescue CT Jerry Inc an
swer to this question involves the answer to the
other. If they are willing to identity themselves
openly with the rescue, that is enough IL they
are not nothing else all else can be enough
The Episcopal and Old School Presbyterian
Churches, like the American Tract Society,are past
all need of being tested. Their great pride is to
have heart for the slave and to keep their sens
Utilities SO high up in the region of everlasting
to be quite out of reach OF all these vul-
gar agitatons in behalf cf humanity.
The Roman Catholic Church seems not yet so
much as to have heard of the four millions OF tor
tured American slaves. Now, however, since 1t has
settled the great question about dead woman, 1t
may perhaps find time and heart to open It's ear to
the cries of living women and OF hving.men also
All American cl?rgymen should be tested with
the question whether their piety has risen up to
the Jerry level" None are ambassadors OF Je-
sus Christ whose pety falls below it.
Compared with the rescue of Jerry, all the
boasted tests Of dostrine are of no value
II believe" says one, sin tho Bible" But do
you believe in humanity Vain is all your faith
in the Bible so long as the poor ferries of earth
fail to touch your heart. To tell US that you be-
lieve in the Bible, whilst yet you can look unmov-
ed upon the slave, is but to tell us either that the
Bible is wicked, or that your Interpretation OF 1t
is false.
II boleve" says our orthodox brother, Gin orig
-. Il tl,oy l,,fG = halI Ipyn
that the kidnapping of Jerry sin, and that his
rescue was righteousness If you DO not, then
however far you may go back to get to the origin
of sin, and even though you believe in the very
tetotattsm of total depravty, your faith is but
guilty deluson.
81 believe" continues our brother, sin Jesus
Christ" Yes, good brother, but If you do not see
Him in poor Jerry, and feel faith that impels you
to help rescue him. then is your belief in Jesus
Christ but superstition or hypocrisy. The Christ
who was crucfed more than eighteen centuries
ago, is reproduced in every despised Jerry-in ev-
cry oppressed and crushed brother. The common
impression that it sufices to let our hearts flow
out to the ''man oil sorrows" in Judea is but a
common delnsion. The Jerry of to-day is the
Christ of to-day and if we have not the annointed
vision to discern it, then are we still blind to the
original Christ and all our faith in Him is vain.
Not to recognize the Saviour of the world when
we meet Him in His 'least" ones, is to prove
that never knew Him, and never felt the signif-
icauce of His life or death. Rarely, alas how
very rarely is he known either within or with
out the churches. Never did they know Him,
who can pass His poor by.
81 beheve," adds our orthodox brother, ''in vi
carious sacrifice" 1t is right that you do. But
you do not, if you cannot consent to give up ease,
and reputation, an wealth, and ccial and polti-
cal advantages, and to risk even liberty and life
for the sake of helping Jerry out of the hands
of his kidnappers. Belief in vcarious sacrifice of
Jesus Christ is on the lips of millions. But it is
in the hearts of none who are not willing to suffer
for others-yes and in the place cf others. The
readiness of men on the night of the first of Oc-
tober 1851 to put themselves in the place of Jer-
ny, and lose their own liberty for the sake of re-
storing his, was of its single self far greater evil
dence of of likeness to Christ than it was possible
for any man to give however full of professions
and prayers he might be- if nevertheless he refus-
ed to sympathze with Jerry, and to suffer for his
sake.
Is there political party, that is willing to put
the seal Of appreciation upon the rescue OF Jerry?
then has an honest man nothing to do with such
q party but to oppose it. Until American slavery
is abolished, Resolution indorsing the rescue of
Jerry should be brought into every political meet:
ing in the land, Republican, Democratic Native
American. or of whatever name.
1t is said that when the measure of emancipa-
tion was under discussion in England, the Quaker
voters would try the candidates for Parliament by
thrusting the image Of kneeling slave into their
faces ana asking them: "Oanst thou go that r.
American voters should pursue similar course
and should ask all candidates from pathmaster to
President whether they can 60 to the rescue of
Jerry.
The Republican Party claims to be an anti-sla-
very party. But if it is unwilling to be known as
Jerryrescue party, we to be unwilling to
belong to it.
The Native American Party claims in some
sections Of the Country to be anti-slavery. But
so long as Rescue of jerry is not among the mot.
toes, which cover its banners, so long must we Op.
pose il,