Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-06-04
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TIL. course of Rev. Drs, Cheever, Bacon,
Thompsou. Tyng, and others of that.stamp, in
opnositoa to the action Of the majority at the
late anniversary OF tAe american Tract Society in
New York, and the bold speeches made By them
in denun citation of the pro.slavery section which
has now entire control of the action and policy of
that society, excited great attention at the time,
and secured eminent credit to the authors in the
estimation of the masses Of all honorable men at
he North, as we'll as Of reasonable and judicious
mea in all sect ons ofthe country. DR.. Cheever in
rarticulsr. distinguished himself by an admirable
speech, and though ill-rtceived BY such Southern
delegates in the body referred to, as Rev. c. W.
Dennison Of South Carolina, and such Northern
d,ughface .Christians' as Rev. DR.. Bethune of
New York, it was Enthusiastically appiauded by
his brethren generally from the free States.
DR.. Cheever has since made aaother aole and
admirable address, at the late session Of the
American Missionary Association, in fremont
Temple, Boston, May q, in which he excelled
even himself in the bolJness, truthfulness, and
scathing nature of his criticisms upon that pre-
tended Christianity which defends or apologies
for the holding of our fellow men, equity Of
skin not col0red like our own, in chains, and
which sustains the late action of the Tract Socie
ty in its refusal to sanction the publication OF
tracts treating upon the monster sin of slavery,
or even treating upon the duties ofmasters" un-
der that servile relation.
DR. Cheever heads his discourse last referred
TO. The Commission from God, of the Mission.
airy Enterprise, against the sin of Slavery and
Sle responsibility the Church and Ministry for
its fulfiment." Had we room, we should be
49, IL.
dress but we shall be obliged for this occasion to
content ourselves with few extracts. Abiding
TO the great sin of this nation, slavery, which he
sid it should be the arst duty cf the church and
all its missionary auxil!iaries to bear testimony
against. aud initiate and pro measures for
its Tadi alton, DR.. Cheever says;
s"If you would see at glance how the FIRE of
Col word shoots its lightnings against this sin,
you have but TO take your concordance, and run
through the passages under the head Of oppres-
sion with its cognate terms, and you will be sat
isfed.- The blessed old Hebrew language never
had word for slavery, nor term for slave it
too tree and sacred to admit it. the realty it.
sell never being permitted of the Almighty. And
the unlimited Reproduction and wra h of Jehovah
against this sin manifested, in passages so
multiplied and direct, and by differences unavoid-
able from many other passages, and by histor-
ieal instances so blazing vita solemn and terrible
evidence, that it is impossible in this brief hour
even to reIer to them. The Hebrews hal fugi.
tive slave Law, but it in behalf of the fugitive
purpose to prevent him from being returned to
has master Thou shalt not deliver unto his
master the servant which is escaped from his
master unto thee. He shall dwell with thee, even
among you, in that place which he shall choose in
one Of thy gates, where it hketh him best; thou
shalt not Cypress him.. The sending Of the flu
gIIve servant back to his master is stiRmatized
as oppression, aud forbidden by God. Put this
alongside of the Fugitive Slave law in these UNI
ted States, and the indication of Gods judgment
IN regard to It is unmistakable the reprobation
of our legislation by the Almighty cannot be de-
MED.
'Ye shall not Cypress the stranger Cease to
do evil, learn TO do WE'LL Seek judgment, re-
heve the oppressed Because We trust in op-
preston. therefore the iniQuty shall be your
ruin Put away from the midst of thee the
yoke Is not this He that stealeth man, and
selleth him. or if he be found in his hands, he
shall surely be put to DEATH This Is ehe'extrem-
est, most wicked, most diabolical form Of oppres.
sion, and God sets it, a crime, in the same cat
alogue with murder. By the terms of this declar-
alton, and the conclusions from it, by a logic i'm.
preRnable and not TO be evaded, the whole sys.
tenn aud sn Of American slavery is man-stealing
and ours is this guilt, adjudged of God to be
worthy Of the punishment of death. That which
is piracy by the divine law, have adopted as
the common law and Justice Of our country. That
which is marked of Gods law for the reprobation
OF the gospel, oman .stealers being set down with
whoTemongers and murderers for the condemna
ton of the gospel according to the law y we have
enthToned and sanctioned our capital, all con-
trolling policy and legislation. The Word of
God reproves and condemns US from beginning to
end.
A slaveholding Christianity, by this demon
station, is forgery and falsehood, corruption OF
religion, defiance of the living God a libel upon
the gospel, and perverslon OF it, for the sane
ton and protection of some Of the worst forms of
human wickedness and misery. BY the testimo-
ny Of Gods Word, and the verdict of mankind,
he Wilma of o nd
its magnty, and the concentration of all It's evils
is personal slaVeryr the buying and selling Of
men, the claiming, holding, and making merchan-
disc Of human beings as property.
The missionary enterprise, and the revival Of
religion must, if 1t be Gods work, reprobate cast
out. and destroy this abomination. The revival
ofreligion now enjoyed must if it be Gods work,
make itself known by its fundamentally in the
redemption of the children of the oppressed and
needy from that system of deceit and violence
under which and BY which they have been sacri
feed to Moloch. A revival of religion is but the
quickenng Of SIM If it be not the conquest of
sin.
In the 18th chapter of the prophecy of Hosea.
you.6nd God drawing the character of an unprin.
cipled, ungodly merchant, thus A merchant,
the balances Of deceit are ip his hand, he oyeth
to Cypress. Now if such merchants conversion
makes him hate oppression, and leads him to de
justly, that product of the revival shows it to be
Gods work but if he still holds to deceit and
oppression, and throws his whole influence and
wealth. III commerce. IN pOHucS, and IN the
church, to strengthen the arm of the oppressor
aud to shield and sanction the sin Of savehold-
ing, such products of the revival show it TO be
Satan's work, selfish, sympathetic delusion.
And at this point.we confess with shame the
sin OF the church, the pulpit, and the ministry, in
this country, in that while. during a whole
Winters session Of our national Congress the
project Of forcing on free State the iniquity Of
perpetual slavery a constitutional obligation
has been under discussion, and all moral as well
as political influences have been required in ar
ray against it, the churches and the ministry have
still been silent, the Word Of God has been re.
strained, its power has not been brought to bear
upon this nefarious scheme at all. The Word of
God has been kept almost silent as il God him
self had sent an angel with commission to seal
up its thunders under an interdict from heaven.
On the most mOmentous and comprehensive
question Of right and wrong before God, Of equity
and iniquity, Of justice and injustice that ever
came before nation; on the question OF defiance
against God, and disregard to His authority, or
Of obedience to Him. and Of righteousness and
mercy TO mankind, on question Of the claims of
humanity and OF the oppressed from generation
70 generation, and for future ages, the pulpit has
been nearly dumb, and Gods Word, which sets
the seal OF Gods reprobation and wrath on this
lniquity, and commands us to open our mouth for
those drawn to living death beneat tn it, has been
bound and not gOrifed.
There Is no possible excuse for such silence
IN the constitution SO proposed TO be enforced
upon Christian people there has stood out con-
tlnually, 10 the outrage Of humanity, the shame
81 Chrisuaniy and the defiance of all the senti.