The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-04-04
For the MississiPpian.
Prof. J. M. Pendleton of Union UnlVer-
sity, Tenn, and the Slavery Question.

sity, Tenn, and the Slavery Question
CLINTON, March %, 1860.
EDITOR OF THE MIssIssIPPIAN-Dear Or
Some time since Mr.. Spurgeon OF LONDON,
whose Sermons and other works were brought
up eagerly by the religious people OF the south
&c, and especially by our good Baptist breth-
rem, for he is Baptist, although on some
points unsound !; uttered sentiments unirlenu-
ly to the institution of slavery, rather silly LOT
a great man. but yet his extreme youtn, ana
utter ignorance of what he was writing about
are pleas that might enter the mind Of CAIN
Southern man. The Delta man and the Edl-
tor of the Alabama Baptist, Dawson, and the
correspondents of the Mississippi Baptist gave
the Londoner 1000 miles off an awful raklng,
took the hide off him this was all well
enough, and it seemed appropriate that MS
own folks should be his executeners.
But Sir, | wish just now to call your atten-
ton to much more dangerous man than
Spurgeon or 100 Surgeons. The Editor OF
the Tennessee Baptist, and Editor OF the
Southern Baptist Review, having Is it al
lodged, II to Is thousand subscribers. This
same Editor is Professor in Southern
College j. NJ. Pendleton by name, Professor
of Theology in Union College, Mufresboro
first published in the Louisville Examiner,
and of so much importance did he, Pendleton
deem them that he collected and had them re-
published in Pamphlet form. This man says
he is a Virginian by birth, and lived long
time in Kentucky where he published those
disgraceful sentiments and lives in Murfres-
boro Tennessee, honored and trusted, and
supported by the South, whose people he vii
flies, whose institutions he deteSts, but let HIM
speak for himself On Page 3, Pendleton, the
associate of j. r. Graves whose soundness on
the slavery question he indorSes, says g.
write the words of truth and soberness while
| say that so inextinguishable is my love of
holiness and desire for it, that if believed
slavery promotve of it, much as | now deteSt
the system, | would welcome the letters of
bondage Now Sir is not this the true aboli-
ton cant; the same whining hypocracy char
acteriEng Yankee pretenson to superior holt
ness But again, on Page he asks. docs
the system of slavery promote tie holiness and
happiness of slaves ?' l am AFRAID | shall Of
fer an Insult to the good sense Of your readers,
if attempt to show that it does not. 1t would
be like showing that the Sun was not the
source Of cold and darkness" And this man
lives in a Southern State to pollute our soil,
who would dare to utter such sentiments.
Again, on Page S, 1.-The presumption is that
a majority of the professors of religion in the
State are opposed 70 Emancipation. l seri-
ously fear that this VIII do more to promote
intidelity than anything that has occurred
since the settlement of Kentucky. 1t is not
easy to conceive how intelligent unconverted
men can feel much respect for the religion of
those who are in favor of the perpetuity of
slavery. Will not some, may not many draw
. he info fhok Ill L e L
and that Christianity is delusion p 1t is
almost incredible that such man lives in our
midst, and not only occupying our pulpits, but
even editing one of the most extensively pat
roniZed religious papers in the whole South,
and Teacher of youth too. And remember
that this venimous reptile whom the South
has warmed into life is theological Professor
to prepare young divines for the ministry. Let
MS examine his qualifications in this regard.
On Page 4, " Shareholders say, Abraham held
Slaves, and therefore it is not wrong for US to
hold them" This species of logic might be
employed to the great arrogance of its authors.
1t might be said that Abraham had son by
his servant Itagar and therefore &c, Abraham
had cOncubines and therefore &C., Abraham
was guilty of equivocation and therefore &C."
Let us look into the argument moment. 1t
assumes that in the case of Abraham, adulte-
~. fornication, and falsehood may be sustained
by the same mode of reasoning that sustains
slavery. Is this true In the 9th chapter
of Genesis verse 80, Abraham's servant saws
of him, "And the Lord hath blessed my mas
ter greatly, and he is become great and he
hath given him focks, and herds and silver
and gold and man servants and maid SERVANTS
and camels and asses" Will Mr. Pendleton
point US to the chapter and verse where such
| language is used in reference to adultery, for
nication and falsehood? Observe it is said The
Lord hath given him, Abraham, man servants
add maid servants &c. Verify it requires
some hardihood to say that the afore-men-
toned crimes Of Abraham are equally sane
toned with slavery. And yet Mr. Pendleton
says this species of logic might be employed
to the great arrogance of its authors" Again
on Page 5. Mr.. Pendleton says The Mosaic
Every 5eth year iiberty was proclaimed
throughout the land to AL the Inhabitants
thereof" l know it has been said that the
proclamation of liberty had reference to He
brew servants. There is a capital objection
to this view. Hebrew servants went free the
seventh year unless they chose to remain in
servitude, and submitted to tho ceremony of
having their ears pierced with an awl. The
phrase "all the inhabitants" l suppose means
all How would American Shareholders fancy
Periodical manumisson of Slaves? They
would resist the introduction of such pro-
vision into the laws of their respective States
After ALL | imagine their admiration of the
Mosaic Statutes is by no means unquali-
fed. The system of servitude under the
Mosaic law was indeed benevolent compared
with our system of slavery" Awriter in the
Nashville Standard, Baptist paper, answers
him thus, d" have given the entire paragraph,
so that he cannot complain that have garbled
his sentiments" Now let the reader observe
that Mr.. Pendleton distinctly affirms that eve
ry 5Oth year liberty was proclaimed to all, the |
phrase all means all Hebrew as we'll as hea- |
then slaves. Now what will the reader think |
of the candor and firmness of this reviler when |
he reads the following from the law of God |
upon this subject
Leviticus xxv-39-40 and same chapter a. |
46, "And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee |
be made poor and be sold unto thee, thou |
shalt not compel him to serve as leased SER |
want, but as an hired servant and as sojourn-
er, he shall be with thee and shall serve thee
until the year of Jubilee. Both thy bond
men and thy bond maids, which thou shalt |
have, shall be of the heather that are round
thee, of them shall We buy bond-men and
strangers that sojourn among you of them
shall We buy and of their families that are
with you which they begat in your land, and
they shall be your possession. And We shall
take them as an inheritance for your children
after gou, to inherit them for possession;
they shall be your bond men forever but over
your brother the children of Israel, We shall
not rule one over another with rigor" Now
that Mr. Pendleton had read this passage is
evident, from the fact that he quotes part of
it, just so much as suited his abolition" pur-
pose, and suppressed the balance "Oh shame
where is thy blush''-"s uppressio veri sug-
gestio falsi." leave others to Judge of the
'airness of such a mode of argument as this.
Assuredly this perverter of the truth, this ira
Queer of the South is unfit to expound the
word of God to the youth of our beloved
country. But it will be expected that the
valerous men, who defended us so ably against
our young John Bull or John Call, who 1000
miles off perhaps never heard of those excel
lent Champions, will now do some real SER
vice and grapple with foeman nearer home
more dangerous, more trusted and who has |
no excuses of youth or education or want of
opportunities to understand our institutions,
but who Firgnian by birth, kentuckian |
md lately Tennessseean by adoption, with | &
Ill the lights before him could yet utter the I
lbove sentiments, worthy of Garrison or the c
most violent Aboltionist, and more astonish-
ng, there are men here in our own Mssissip- C
ii who will not have the nerve to denounce '
lin, for he is the copartner of j. r. Greaves !
/ Vermonter, whose soundness on the slave p
v question has been pronounced as good as
5endleton's, by Pendleton himself, when a
Iraavac waS aceuSad of unSoundnacc roma | f