The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-20

and their associates, to impose the corrupt rule
of the Regency upon the State"
AUTHORITY AND DISCIPLINE
OfAe Church of Christ against Members scho
act in Completely 10Th Aen-iStealers Illus
trated By the Church IN GAINESVILLE, Ohio.
BY REV. GEORGE B. CHEEYER, D. D.
We rejoice in the passage of the following
resolution by the Congregational Association Of
the State of New York at its recent gathering {:
ReSolred, That the holding ofhuman beings
as property is an immortality, the remuneration
of which ought to be made a condition of mem
bership in the Christian church, and that this
sin is one against which the law of God and the
Gospel of Christ ought to be proclaimed, in
preaching persistently, until the iniquity be
overthrown."
This is a step progressive in the right way.
If Mr.. Barnes's opinion is grounded in truth,
that the great bulwark of American Slavery is
its sanction by the church, then it is the duty
of the church to disavow such sanction, to dis
connect itself from those who are guilty of such
sanction, and to apply the law of God and the
discipline of Christ in condemnation and ex-
clusion of Slavery and shareholders. 1t is also
the duty of the church, if Slavery be the crime
and guilt it is charged as being in the Word of
and exclusion of all those who undertake to
execute the law of slaveholding, and who, I'M
der pretence of law, assist in bringing any of
their fellow-creatures into bondage, or in giving
them up, as property, chattels, into the
power of the stakeholder or in fastening the
chains of Slavery upon them. All such per-
sons are accessories to the guilt and crime of
man-stealing, and as such should be excluded
from the church.
We rejoice that one church Of Christ in this
country has not failed to carry out these prin-
ciples, and to apply the word and discipline of
Christ to the offender in this sin, without re-
gard to the unrighteous law protecting him,
and fearless as to the reproaches Of men for
such strict and dauntless reetitude. IF the
churches would unite in the application of the
divine word and discipline to this iniquity, and
to the sinners under ii, the power of Slavery
would be broken, and it would be abolished in
| ten years.
We refer to the noble stand taken by the
church of Christ in GAINESVILLE, Ohio, in dealing
with an offending member and officer of that
| church for the sin of aiding and abetting in the
delivery of an oppressed fellow-being into Sla-
| very. he did this by virtue of being the y. s..
! Deputy Marshal, bringing in his Office under
Government as apology, excuse, and justi6-
cation for his violation of the law of God. He
averred that his allegiance to a human Govern
ment required him to do an act of inhumanity
and injustice, forbidden by the divine govern
ment, condemned in Gods Word, and incon-
sistent with his allegiance to Christ his obliga-
tions as a Christian. sa
The church, knowing that he could not serve
both God and Mammon, having Christ's own
authority, that he must either hold to the one
and despise the other, or at any rate be shut
out from the kingdom of heaven, gave him his
IL 80 10. - e L.
the Christian church, or that of slave hunter in
the political church. They did not excommu-
nicate him without the enjoined and proper
steps previously taken, and earnest efforts to
bring him to repentance, and persuade him of
4 his own accord to remove the disgrace he had
j brought upon the church by his conduct They
i proceeded with caution, forbearance, and wis
dom, but with dignity and frmness. He defed
the church, justified his slaye-hunting employ
ment and alacrity, and refused to make any &C.
acknowledgement of sin or any profession of re-
pentance. Under these circumstances, the
church were compelled to finish the work
which Christ had appointed them to do. They
would have been unfaithful to Christ, and a
: disgrace to themselves and to his cause. had
they not proceeded to excommunicate him.
But for this act they have brought upon
themselves not only the enmity and reproaches
of an intensely Pro-Slavery community, but
also I" the hard knocks Of our unscrupu.
lous demagogues, and timid time-serving min.
listers and church members" The offending
deacon, Mr.. L. t. Cox, rejoicing in the dignity
of U. S. Deputy Marshal, and resolving to obey
man rather than God, and to continue in his
slave catching occupation, whenever called upon
for the hunting and delivery into bondage of any
} creature whom God had forbidden him so to per.
secute and Cypress, and being, on account Of
such immortality, igneminiously expelled from
} the Christian church, became in consequence
a popular candidate for a more respectable
Government post. The Democracy of the coun-
ty nominated him for the Office of County Treas
) urer, and, of course, would avail themselves OF
the action of the church to promote his election,
representing him as the victim of ecclesiastical
! tyranny.
The 6rmness of the church in this business
! for Christ is worthy of all commentator. AT
the time when the poor fugitive, Jackson, was
kidnapped, the church themselves were not
aware that they we're so distinguished as to
! have among them Deputy U. s. Marshal in
! the person Of one of their deacons The Sab.
bath previous to the kidnapping violence was
the communion Sabbath, when the deacon min
istered the emblems of the body and blood OF
l the Saviour OF sinners, and the very next morn
ing, to the astonishment of the members of the
: church, he was discovered in the work of a
malignant deaconshlp, under the slave power
hunting down poor trembling fugitive, to con
sign him to perpetual bondage. The brethren
: Immediately met to inquire what could be done
and what it was their duty to do The neces
: sary conferences with the slave-hunting deacon
were entered into, and a committee of thres
. was raised at length, to inquire whether il
t might not be consistent with his views of dut,
Q and obligations as a Christian to retire from
his political sphere, and relnquish an Office re
. curing the performance of duties SO objection
r able, so inhuman, so utterly at variance viii
the proper character of member of the church
!, Finding no compliance on the part of the dea
# con, the following resolutions were presente'
g and discussed in q meeting of the church, ant
passed with great unanimity, namely:
Whereas circumstances have tfanspire,
r within a few days past, in which one of tn
r members of this church has taken eonspicu