Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-10-23
Tbe Autt- 5lauerp Buolr.
From the AntiSlavery Standard.
THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY ASSOCI
...... ..... ALTON.
WORCESTER, Mass, Oct. l, 1858.

WORCESTER, Mass, Oct. |, 1858.
To the Editor Of the National Anti Sterery Stand
ard
Thc twelfth Annual Meeting of the American
Missionary Association has ust closed its Session in
this city. As this association is the attempt Of pro
fessed antislavOry adherents upon orthodoxy 80
Slear their skirts of the crime Of completely with
Shareholders. its general proceedings are Of ncces
sary intere;t to Abolitonists.
The meetings hove been well attended, and much
Of the speaking of quite an interesting character
Rev. John G. Fee of Kentucky and Rev Daniel
Worth of North Carolina were the most attractive
speakers Of the meeting, inasmuch they seemed
The most in earnest, the most cear'sghted in their
criticisms Of the proslavery character Of the Amer
lean Church, and the most radical III their applica
tions Df truth.
1t is really refreshing to hear them pour oct the
burden Of their souls against the of all william
ies. Many other speakers present from
ious parts Of the North prominent among whom
were Prof. Cowcs Of Oberiin. o. Rev. Mr.. Ba>
com of Illinois, Rev. Mr.. Thurston of Maiuc Nev
S. S. Joselyn and Lewis Tappan of your city
Whenever any of these speakers came to the delin
quency of the American Board, they made clear
90 far as any withdrawment from Christian con
nectiou, fellowship and harmony With those who
sustain the Board and Tvact Society was concerned
they were ALL save Brother Fee an Worth utterly
silent, and oftimes tileir talk aboundcd in and
and amounted to ttcddlie.
Amorg the fourteen resolutions adoytcd by the
meeting, the seventh and eighth, are perhaps the
ouly ones of interest to US as Aboiionists;
d" [Th csc resolutions have already appeared IN the
Bugfe
This Association, having been organized in oppo'
stion The A. b, q. f. 81. because of its aid and
comfort to shareholders, and the platform Of a
-'discCunenance Of slavery by refusing to receive
the known fruis Of unrequted labor" into their
treasury or SHAREHOLDERS into their membership or
service eoGld do less than say this much as to the
guilt Of the American Board aud its supporters III
'.he American Church. And yet Aboli;iorists are
anxious to know of these Evangelical Christians
who say that the defence Of slavery on the part Of
the Church is "evidence Of detection in relig
on" how great detection" they consider it,
Rev. Mr.. Thurston of Maine, who preached the
annual sermon, told Us tn :rein that piety without
humanity rather poor stuff but he took equal
pains to tell us thar humanity without piety was
poorer still. Now we would like to know which is
Christianity and Mr.. .Thurston tells us that it takes
both pety and humanity to make complete and
perfect Christianity, and yet he seemed TO admi
that piety alone might be the real thing, but of
defective sort, while humanity alone could not be
nything out infdelity. By "pety" they un
doubtedl ysmean profession of "evangelioal senti
ments" and these, the Association tell US
efhciallv consist of a belief in the ost condition
of man, the divinity of Christ the atonemen:, the
eternal punishment of the wicked, &c. And these
they make the first :est of membership in the AS
sociatiOn, and the fact of being a non-slaveholde
the second. But while must believe theo
reticaly in these dogmas to be a member Will
them, they require no theoretc belief in humanit,
MS qualification for membership, and, for augh
that appears to the contrary, person may be il
good membership with them who believes theoret
ically in the rightfuless of slavehodng and in it,
scriptura origin and endorsement too proyi led ht
does not pu. his theory into actual practice. Anc
this view of their position is justified by the invt
alton they extended to their communion table
which was spread on the afternoon of the last day
Of the meeting, for u this invitation they took spe
cial pains to specify that they desired none bu
"evangelical Christians" but wholly omitted to in
dcate that they intended to exclude STAKEHOLDER,
even much less their apoligists or defenders.
Thus il would seem clear that they esteem a be
lief in slavehodng religion as real Christianity
but of defective" kind, yet not Of SO defective
character as to require their exclusion, while
belief in liberal theology is defect that cannot Be
tolerated or felowshipped at all.