The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-03


as well as the indications of the divine laws Can two
truths 80 opposite IN their essence upon Que and The
same question bo derived from and the same source
IL beyond the power of cedulity TO reconcile them
Is tue draft OF water, Mr.. Chairman, which you draw
from your stroetpamp, purer than the drink which
you exhaust from the living sprug, gushing out OF me
primitive rock Are these teachings OF the followers oi
anti slavery Scripture and an anti-slaycy God ~
teachings of well masked nhdelity sicalthiiy squating
on the suburbs OF atheism 10 supplant the meciiu silence
tho Sayiouro overthrow the direct doctrines OF ms
Aposiieso blot out the traditions of their siccefSoist
Are we than six millions OF men and Christians,
who have no nten0n'Of disparagng themselves by
comparison with northern supeofities, we 70 be ar
ruigncd before the tribunal OF the world under the IN
dictmont OF three thousand ciegymen, who enter Che
soveregutcs of States, auce the inofatcs OF our
households violate the forum of cOnscicncss, and
charge with the sin OF slavery because they them
selves have perverted the word OF God marred the teach
ing OF their Master aud disturbed the tendencies Of his
WILL which is his lawf These prcensiona, sir OF or
northern editors of a of Christianity are,
aprrchend, rather premature and they mny well stand
Adjourned until they have succeeded IN fastening upon
this country the teachings OF their antsayery Scriptures,
aud secured the cooperation of an anti slavery God
would desire, Mr. Chairman, still further to develop
The authorities which have before me, relative 10 the
concinnous doctrines OF the early Church. especially 10
the doctrina teachings of Chryso5ton, on this head OF
domestic slavery But self admonished that the branch
ins Of the question and the abundance OF the materials
have even carried me far beyond the limits which
had assigned TO myself, must be content to close my
~
cd Ion by the testimony OF both legislation and history.
have quoted the authority Of the early bishops as teach
Of the Church but must not lose sight of
the capital fact that they also councillors of
the Empire And, now, sir allow me to ask You Those
bishops Of the church had sufficient iniuencc ON Consn
tine when he yet was but neophytc, to enlist him in
all the interests Of the Christian la Of which they
the dcpositucs They had sufficient influence TO move
him into purely religious with Maxentius who,
sustaining the doctrines of ArIs, struck at the divinity
Of the Saviour and destroyed the essence OF his creed
They had sufficient influence to procure from him nots
BILE changes in the rcctydo the TAXATION system of the
Empire. which weighed upon the poor, and ground them
down into daily increasing poverty. Nay, they had sui
hcient influence Ia their appointments civil
magistrates seated upon the Pretoriu and welding, Mt
The spiritual authority and dispensing the imperial
laws They hul influence for all this but had TO
obtain from him and his successors whose supporters,
counscl!o and directors they WERE binding declaration
of the sinfunes and rescrpt for the gradual abolition
of slavery. Sir had they, the nheritors Of the prom
iscs OF Christ aud the trustees Of the teachings OF his
apostles held the fact of slavery TO be violation OF the
divine law, would they not have eXcrtcd their spir-
itua authority, armed by their temporal influence,
TO have it suppressed by the dictnm OF human
law Now, sir how does this question stand on the
page of history and in the article OF the codcY Why
the period which embraces the labors of those bishops
embraces also the very times when slavery appears to
have been constituted question strict juris and made
the suject-natter of positive law Previous to the
situations of Constantine and consequently, of Thcodo
ss and Jnstinian, slavery except in the special ordi
various causes which, other occasions have deye
oped this floor. Ii had rested species of
law common to all the nations OF the earth Lost in
che very origins of the most rudimentary forms of socie
ty il had been previously left to the sanctions OF tra
tion and usgeto the arbitrary will of the master
the occasional edct of the Pretor But with the
sion OF Constantine, more especially with the succession
OF his descendants to the throne, its relations
strictly defined the rights and duties of the master and
the tenure and obligations of the slave WERE under the
influence Of the Christian church, settled by imperial de
crees, they with settled by legal statute
This, sir, presents inductive argument, which, to
say the least OF it, may not be easily gainsad. The
Christian, sir had passed away from the orlca of pers
cttIon ne ii'u brocu ms vuI OF the catcombs to
realize the taunt and the boast of Tetuanto vote in
the Senate-t lead on the armies an to judge in the
tribunals Through the bishops, who guided him in the
ways of faith, he was power, and marked and
trolling power, in the State. AS in other matters in
this of slavery, he might have made that power felt
But it not done, sir; and done, because those
who welded the energies of that fnh and laid down its
requirements, knew beyond all doubt, that they
not called on to direct and apply them in that way They
had learned, sir and they had taught, that slavery Is
SIM but ono of the conditions OF human e 'sDeoj aiic1e
G in the Judgment of God with whom there is and can
be, injustice y Having learned and having so
taught they could not ask for the abolition of that Which
being no violation to the law of that God, humanity
and divncy consccrated element in the regular order
ciety. Had it not been so, Mr. Chairman had those
men-bshops, martyrs, and saints mot known and felt
that slavery is not the sin which modern sn inn
puc TO they would upon all other OCCASIONS have
been ready to lay down their lives in the vindcaton Of
the integrity OF that faith. find nothing of tho kind
But through the din arehways of the past will tell you
sir, what see and that is something which should blast
the presumption OF the men who, from their luxurious
pupits, would assa and rspuato the teachings and the
faith OF those who baptized them in their very life blood
Already, sir, have alluded 30 the bloody arena Of the
chief city in Gau which witnesse. the urtyrlon of 900
Christians Of fatbcs aud mothers Of husbands and wives
OF masters and slaves With the inquirer into the varieties
OF the past, 80 down into the very caaconbs which
housed the infant destinies of Christianity and upon
their walls TO the memory OF Godiaus slaufbtr for
the hith, with all his household childc aud slaves
find yotve memorial inscribed by tho affection of
Iheopbila the only survivor oi that househoda CRATE
iul slavc In another quarter see ST lecIa surround
ed Ivy fifty OF her slaves giving with them the highest
testimony OF tho faith which bound the mistress aud the
slaves in one common tic. step into the circus aud
behold the heroic Bandna calling down upon herself
as TO divert thom from her MISTRESS the tortmng in
gcnujcs OF the cxccntioners see the mistress sustain
ing the slave and the slave comforting the mistress,
until their blending spirits passed to The throne of
God see these things sir, and am reminded of
appointed inevitable day before that trone 1t does
not belong to me, sir To Judge But before that throne
await the coming of asss,ants. To that day adj
loirn them, when these Witnesses masters and slaves
made holy by the conscientious OF mnrtyrdom, shall
stand TO protest against their pcrversons OF the truth
SPEECH OF HON. VIM. Il. AVERY,