Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-03-27
Communications.
MARLBORO, Stark Co., March IL.

DEAR NJ: Rcvivals seem to be the order Of the
day, and getting religion seems to be the most
popular pursuit Of the masses as though it we're
an article that could be dealt out on demand, in
lots to suit purchasers, like pea nuts or molasses
candy.
or course | have no disposition to ridicule a re.
ligion that is good for anything, or to speak dis,
paragingly of it's necessity or value. But l
believe that true religion cannot be manufactured
to order, by any amount of noise or excitement.
but must be a matter Of conviction of the reason
and Conscience, and when once received into the
mind, shows itself in the life of the possessor, and
Iot ia his professed creeds or observant ceremonies.
And when | consider that it is the American re-
ligion that is being reviewed and orowdeI upon
the agape masses by shouts and groans. and fam.
ing apeals to their fesrs and superstition--s re-
l;gion that ia responsible for the achievement Of
every sixth man. woman and child born on our soil
] can but lament, and hold all these "protrsctsd
efforts" to spread a religion that 10 athsistic
to that God that has made of one blood all nations
of men. and infdel to that Christ tina. requires of
us to do to Others as we would have them do to US,
in scorn and dorision.
Were it the religion of Christ as recorded in the
pages U u NeN leStatuoUt, y TeltRl0u tndt pfO-
claims deliverance to the captive. then might the
slave and his friends rejoice. Or were it even the
Catholic religion. whose Papal Bulls denounce the
enslaving Of man. or the religion Of the Greek
Church under whose influence despo.ic Russia is
about TO emancipate her millions of SORTS, who
were never slaves. Or yet the religion Of the false
prophet, Mohammed, that does not allow any
m~usselman to hold his fellow inuaselnan as q slave,
we might have some hope of good therefrom, bu,
as it is only the American religion. q religion tina,
brushes man, pollutes woman, aud steals babies
who but the fends of the pit. with their vile allie,
on earth, can rejoice at its spread.
The anti.slavery movement is pre-eminently
religious and christian movement and I feel that al
our laborers and associates should drive tbeil
stakes here, and endeavur to build up the Christi
anity Of the Golden Rule, and the Good Samaritan
against the a!heistic infdelity Of the American
Church.
And this should be the sole grounds Of our op
position as Abolitionists to tho American ChuYcl
and the American religion that ii substitutes slave
ny for the Golden Rule, and not that it has . Bibl
or a Church organisation. As abolitionsts We hav
nothing to do with those, and If We attack theI
, we render ourselves justly obnoxious to the charg
of in6delity, and of a desire, under the garb @
anti-slavery, to break down tho christian religion
. and christian institutions.
e l very much regret therefore to see. by a lat
e Bugle that any Of our agents are devotinS thel
y energies to the iliegitimate work of proving tht
g the Bible sanctions American slavery With all y
horrid cruelties." and that a church organizatio
o is Of necessity opposed to moral reform. l do ne
y believe in the truth Of either proposition, and ! pr
e test against any agent of the society devoting hi
time to such attempted demonstrations while &C
ing as an agent, as it tends unnecessarily, to brin
reproach upon our cause. and TO. break down tn
70 character and influence of 1t advocates.
have always maintained that our movement wa
pre-. eminently a christian movement, not antagt
n MYSTICAL to, but entirely harmonizing with tru
to Christianity But if our agents are to 60 INFO tn
= field with such propositions, I.cannot successful
maintain my position, but must admit that on
opposition to the church is not merely because
ID its pro slavery character, but because it takes I'll
Bible. and has a close organization.
r Admitting for the moment, (which I am nj
prepared to in ~fact)that the Old Tes revea
I'd a system of slavery paralleling in all its horr
10 atrOcltles our hntTlCuH systc" still u pTOlce
~ ed Christian Church claims to receive that histol
as the record of Gods special dealings at a speci
time with n special people, for special purpose
or which purpose has passed away now near tv
ne Thousand years, and that what was permitted,
w indeed specially ordered to be done then, is n
a. at az required or allowed now. save 80 far as
he NAV have been reenacted BY the teachings of q
o! new dispensation.
II. If we were Jews, and received tho old Tes,
III ment as our only guide and authority. we might
zee held by this slaveholding argument, out all profei
Oh ed Christians put away the old Jewish law as
~, no binding force, and stand, not in the old, but
in the new dispensation.
of There are, of course. abundance of wick
1873 men who wrest the scriptures TO their own destrr
Ina tioD, and who, determined TO be Shareholders, a
ms justify themselves therein, bring this same arg
or went from the records of the old dispensa,ion,
ny justify their wicked position, but no true or cons
10, tent christian does Il. and the MASS of profess
II christians, wicked and proslavery rs they are.
ore not do it. Ills entirely against their theory
rth Bible authority.
ap. But it is asked. f'the Old Testament is tn
es. pro- slavery, ought we not to attack the Bible as
""' do the Constitution! L answer no for the Bi
~. is of tw, parts, the Jew takes the first and reje
the se,ond, while the Christian takes the seco
I'm. or new, and only so much Of this fret or old as
en- re-enacted by the new, leaving the rest MS a hist
VII Of special dealings under an old and now defu
ms. dispensa,ion while we live under the light and
10 a thority of a new and better one. and as We
'c"l dealing with p%rosessed christians. it is better, if
can consistently, to deal from their svowod sta
ties point. And then as We are all protestants, and
and lieve in the right Of private Interpretation of
OF Bible no man or set Of men can enforce their c
,hns %structiun Of the Bible upon others but each ma
, il his own standard.
tie The Constitution. however. is different, ii is
IRA q unit, and all who take it, mus, take
and be bound by IL as q whole.
the that, too. mot by their private understs
rom log Of it, but % les legitimate and author