Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-05-28

W 10 ShRabN
ter, in every country of the civilized world, that il
is really supposed and believed that Christians
may honestly uphold and extend the institution.
NOW, l think we must have new definitions Of
Christian and Christianity, of the Church and OF
Ministers, of the Gospel, and all those technical
religious terms. Lot the whole vocabulary be
changed, or else let us make il understood that
slavery is a thing so utterly horrible and atrocious
in Its character and in it's quality thnt no one can
even presume it possible that Christians can hold
slaves.
But, then, we must not wonder that the Belgian
Churches make that mistake, for in our country
the same difficulty exists. We have just had form
cd in Massachusetts, a "Chrrch Anti slavery As
ISOLATION" 1t is made up entirely Of ministers
and members Of evangelical Churches. There was
assumed to be q necessity for it, on the part OF
those under whose auspices it was formed, because
as they said, there was no Church organization
bearing q testimony against slavery. They sum-
moned all the spirit and energy they could arouse
in the Churches of New England and New York,
and there gathered in the City Of Worcester some
Fifty ministers and members of the various evan
gelical denominations in the six New England
States and the State of New York. l suppose il
there be any preference in our religious anti-slave-
ry professions and pretensions, it should be allow
ed to that body that if there DO any best to it,
that is the best of it. Aud yet, what do we find 7
They could not agree in denouncing slavery as q
sin OF any such magnitude as to involve slavehold.
es universally, and went 80 far as absolutely to
affirm it as their belief that Shareholders might be
Christians Now, then, if not only New and Old
School General Assemblies, and the American
Board of Commissioner for Foreign Missions, and
the American Tract Society, and the American
Bible Society, and all the great popular ecclesias
teal institutions and associations Of our country,
If not only these avow the doctrine that slavery is
so mild, so gentle, so innocent an institution thai
even Shareholders may be Christians, but if, in
addition to that, the very Church An.i-Slavery
Society itself-tbe only one existing in the land
also affrms the same doctrine, then what wonder
is it, | say, that the Belgian Churches and the
Churches of Great Britain should make the same
mistake, and believe that even the "sum of all vii
lanies" is, after all, 80 light an offence that the
very sacramental host Of Gods elect may practise
it, without any impeachment Of their Christian
character?
Mr.. Chairman, I am afraid that it is partly our
'N' th"e oeNh " th'oe"nO Aiot = MI uiiuIu ~ ie
partly the fault of our association, in according Sc
much Of anti-slavery fidelity and character to
these spurious institutions and associations of our
country, that this terrible mistake has been made
all over the civilized world and 1 came to this
meeting with the hope that we should BIO able to
do something to correct that mistake. l do not
care anything about the American Tract Society ,
DR.. Cheever can take care Of that. l do not care
anything about the American Bible Society ; the
New York Independent is watching that. l care
very little about the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church, Old School or New School
almost the whole Of New England Orthodoxy con
dennis them. But my difficulty is, to SO shape
and so qualify the anti-slavery enterprise, tina
Christians (f they have that commodity in Grea
Britain and the Old WORLDLY may not make thu
mistake which those of Belgium appear to hav,
made. l do not think it is for us to be particular
about unmasking the American Tract Society, MOI
any of those large popular associations to which
have referred ; but there is a necessity that W,
discriminate betw cen true and f~alse-betwixt tina
which is real and that which lie only apparent
betwixt that which is q specious sham and tina
which is a stern and almighty reality ; and w
never shall do it until we take the institutions an(
associations mentioned in those resolutions which
L read to the meeting, and class them where the,
~belong-on the side of the oppressor, heart anc
hand.
1t does not follow that we must consequent,
brand every man in those institutions at heart
STAKEHOLDER, but it Is absolutely necessary that W
make slavery so hateful and SO horrible tina. tn
instincts of universal humanity will condemn il
and never dream that it is possible that a man cal
be a stakeholder and yet be a Christian. We hay
had scenes of a fearful character. of late, in Wash
{ ington. and elsewhere and l suppose no on,
would ever think it possible that Daniel E. Sickle
! could be a Christian, or his murdered victim
D much OF a saint, or his wife, still living, any bet
ter than Mary Magdalen, after her conversion
But what is all that is terrible connected wit,
those individuals compared with slavery ? If ever
black Sickles in the South, whose bed and ma,
rage rights have been invaded, could avenge hi
wrong in the same terrible manner, what q Golgc
q tina, what a field of blood would not the Who'll
t South present to our view ? (Applause.) An
1 yet, wcaro to believe that the institution whic
E multiplies that Washington tragedy ten thousan
times ten thousand fold, is not SO accursed bur this
men may be partakers in its guilt and vet b
9 Christians
l MIR. Chairman, l, for one, have got tired
0 these mistakes. l fear / have had something I
do with the authorship of them. I, too, have g,
, pressed my appreciation Of the position and th
8 preaching Of men like DR.. CheevAr and Henri
Ward Beecher but yet, the vilest slave-breede
and slave driver in all the land is not vile enoug
to induce those men to withdraw Christian fellow
ship and communion from him. Mr.. Presiden
what shall We think of itf Do you wish me, O
does this Society wish me, to extend the RICH
{ hand Of anti-slavery fellowship to men who, how
> ever bold and faithful their denunciations agains
slavery, will yet clasp, in Christian brotherhood
the right hand Of the muiderous stakeholder O
the South
Now, think one thing further ought to be said
The men for whom apology would oftenest h