The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1859-05-03

But these men do Lot truly interpret the
Bible. They teach for doctrines the CON-
mandments Of men. and make the word Of
God of none effect through their traditions.
How dare these men make the Bible lend
It's sanction to system tia; abrogates pa
rental authority and tilial duty
So, also, with the conjugal relation. The
Bible everywhere represents this as the
most sacred, inviolate, ard indissoluble of
all human relations Father and mother
are TO be forsaken in obedience TO the
claims Of this still higher and holier rela.
ton. Now. what does slavery DO with this
domestic institution Leave God and the
parties perfectly free 10 regulate it in their
own way! No; with impiou- and brazen
front, it steps in and utterly annihilstes the
marriage relation. So far a It's victims are
concerned. There Is no more any legal
marriage among the three or four millions
Of slaves in the United States, than there
is among so many cattle. Slaves in the
eye Of the law are cattle, and their union
is that of brutcs. They are declared to be
goods. chattels personal, to all intents, con-
structions, and purposes, whatever. The
civil law which prevails in some of the
States takes them pro nnlfis, pro nlortuis
pro Yuad,upedibus.
Would it not be an interesting spectacle
to see cne of these clergymen, WHO teach
tha, the Bible sanctions Slavery, called in
to attend the wedding Of bureau and chest
of drawers The chairs. and shovel and
tongs, are invited as guests. After a fer
vent PRAYER for the divine blessing. the
clergyman says:
"By the old Levitical laws,
JOIN TIE bureau 10 thu drawers
Qgii Rides taato nos,'.> de e tdIuis nguaiur.
Absolutely, there can be no more legal
marriage between two slaves, than between
two articles of furniture, or between two
brutes. They take up together ;" they
do not marry. No clergyman dare pro-
nouncc two slaves husband and wife till
death shall separate them. The will of the
master is their fate The Bible says
What God bath joined iogcther, let not
man put asunder' The slave system says:
Who cares for God! l will separate them
when | please, A slave who is a church
member is taught by his religious teachers,
that it is bis duty, Oh being sold from one
plantation TO another, leaving sc-called
wife behind, to take another mate and
the reason assigned by these pious ins:ruc-
tors is, that it this way he can lac most prof
liable to his master, which is his first and
paramount duty. Thus be may, as good
Christian, take with with new woman on
every plantation to which he is sold This
has been formally so decided by an eccle-
siastical council. Ard yet these blasphe-
mers seek to make God a partner in this
revolving practice.
The Bible everywhere requires an equiv
alent to be given for services rendered.
"Wo unto him that buildeth his house by
unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong;
that uscth his cighbor's service without
wages, and giveth him not for his work
Behold, the hire of the laborers who have
reaped down your fields which By you is
kept back by fraud. crieth; and the cries
Of them that have reaIed are entered int
the ears Of the Lord of Sataoti," Slavery
never allows any wages at all to those who
garner in its haryests TO say that the
clothin. and food that the slave receives are
wages, Is to say that the hay grain, and sta
bling Of the horse are wages. These con
stitute the keeping OF the horse and of tht
slave; wages they are not.
Ii is frequently said, that although indi
vidua's may do wrong, yet the system il
right Now, 1t is against the system 'ha
! speak. The truth is, the individuals ar,
better than the system. The humanity
and in my charity, perhaps, | ought to say
the Christianity the master often tri
umphS to a great extent over the systern.-
If every master exeInpIifed the ex,rcm.
capahillty of the SYSTEM for outrage an,
diabolism, au indignant world would ris
and wipe it out.
Suppose, now, this system, all reekin,
with lust, incest, crime, and cruelty, j
brought out and placed under the blaze Q
E Christianity. Whatsoever ye would tha
men should do unto you, do ye even 50 un
to them; for this Is the law and the proph
cts. This is the condensed summary of th
whole Bible Who has tie hardihood t
say that the practice of slaveholling is con
sistcnt with this injunction What in til
! New Testament. is the classification G
shareholders. j, places them with mur
derers Of fathers and murderers of mother,
Everyrhere the Bible inculcates spiri
0 of generous magnanimity. "Tc that ar
strong ought TO bear the infrmities of th
; weak, and not TO please yourselves Slave
rv, | know, claims this attribute, and talk
about its chivalry and nagnanimity An
is Ii not magnanimous to cheat poor, j.
= norant, degraded man, out Of the entir
J earnings of his whole life-rob him Of hi
n wife and children, and then justify it b
0 saying that they are an inferior race Ac
: NIT the fact of inferiority-does it there
ii fore follow that it is right to oppress them
L Every page of the Bible flashes its anati
e emas against the oppression Of the poc
It and helpless. The chivalry Of the Bible
y to help the weak, to protect the defencelss
= and rescue those in peril. This, indeed,
l. the idea Of the olden chivalry. Witnet
e the incident in the romance Of Ivanhoe.-
The true knight. enfeebled By slcknes
e rides into the lists to meet a powerful al