Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-07-14
CHURCH ACTION ON SLAVERY.

and yet one Of the most difficult to learn, is the
fact that religious and political associations are
never thoroughly reformed. Through all the past
q corrupt Church has never been regonerated.-
Whenever o great and radical change occurs in
the moral and religious character Of people, it
is accomplished either in spite Of their existing
religious associations, or on their ruins This
truth is so plainly written out in the annals of
the past, that it ought to be received as an axiom
in the philosophy OF history. From the days Of
Jesus until now it has been illustrated over and
over again. When he told his hearers that they
could not keep new wine in old bottles, he told
them truth which has heen repeatedly verified
in every religious revolution from the fall of Je-
rusaem to the present struggle for Church reform,
now going on in this country. Luther labored
long to confne the new truths which burst upon
his vision under the forms and within the enclo-
sures of the Papal Church. But twas all in vain
and be compelled to burst away from her en-
closure. Wesley did his best to keep the new
wine of a more evangelical religion within the face
of the English establishment but the effort failed.
The English establishment is yet unchanged in its
general drift and influence. And so in our day,
no great denomination in this country has as q
body been reformed in its relations to Ameri-
can Slavery. There has been growth of anti
slavery sentiment in these denominations, but
whenever the question Of cutting off their man
stealing members has come to practical issue,
every one of them has failed. Churchanity has
always been too strongfor their Christianity The
spirit of the party has always been too powerful
for the spirit of Christ. The desire to preserve
the Church from dissenson has in every instance
| Itr,p 10 & bo eIo bo
ing crime of man-stealing still holds place in all
the leading denominations, with the whole power
of ecclesiastical ofcialism in favor Of its tolera-
tion. Nor is there any we'll grounded hope that
any Of these denominations, as SUCH will put
away this shame and crime from among them.
Take for example the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Fer dozen years, or more, portion Of
that community here In the North has been labor.
ing to drive slavery out of the Church, but thus
far the effort has been unsuccessful, and the Gen
eral Conference now in session at Buffalo, promi.
ses to furnish us another illustration of chow Il
20 do it,"
Petitions-to the number of twenty thousand
names-have been poured into that body in favor
Of such a change of the discipline, that it will COM
pei the exclusion of shareholders. But these petit
VI
is entirely governed by the clergy. These twenty
thousand petitioners have immensely weakened
their power. by the perpetual reteratOn on their
part o! determination to stay in the Church at
all hazards.
Hosmer, Mattison, Bristol, ard their associates
have constantly broken the whole force of their
denunciations of slavery in the Church, by de.
ciaring that they would continue in the body with
the woman whippors, ard cradle robbers of the
Southern Conferences.
On such platform they can never WELD moral
power over their colleagues. They dcnounce the
robber in one breath and cling to him as q Chris.
tian brother in the next. They preach against
mans stealing on Sunday morning, and commune
with the man-hef in the evening. They adver-
tse the Church the start, that all their blowing
and clustering in favor Of freedom will amount to
nothing, provided she has the nerve not to be
frightened by it, and they thus lose the entire
power which a minority has over a corrupt majori-
ty, by holding over them the prospect OF secession
when the corruption becomes past cure.
Let the thousands OF Methodists who believe
slaveholdng to be crime, say to the General
Conference, put away this crime, or wo will leave
your communion, and they will not be met any
longer by trckery and evasions, but the question
will have assumed dignity which will bring the
Conference to terms.
II the Northern Independent, and its supper,
ters are again driven to the wall and snubbed in
this Conference shall not be disa ppointed, nor
will our sympathies be strongly excited. They
have invited the Conference to trample upon their
rights. They have made thoir own glorious cause
p.be in the eyes Of their enemies by put
ting their own ecclesiastical standing above that
cause, and protesting that they only to make
some fuss in the Church, but that they would cling
to their man-stealing communion until kicked ou.
of It, Notwithstanding their abolition speeches.
The fact is, that ome-out-ism is the only efec-
tive remedy for slavery in the Church. IL is the
ahti.slavery men in yro-slatery Church who
keep up its reputation in the North. 1t is always
the case, that the good men in a corrupt Church
keep it in couutenance. Talk to a Catholic about
the wicked deeds of his Church, and ho win tell
you that it contained such men as Thomas A}ui'
mas and Fenelon, and such women as Madam Guy
on. Talk to Methodist about slavery in his
Church, and he says yes. but we have anti
slavery paper, and some ELOQUENT anti-slavery
preachers, and something will be done. This has
been the great Methodist conscience plaster for
twenty years, and yet the Shareholders continue in
full fellowship, and the AbOlitOnists are the per-
secuted class. The AbOlitiOnists stand the de-
fensive merely. and are eOwed and snubbed at t
every Conference.
They have invited this treatment by continuing
TO declare that they will not leave the Church for
any cause, aud just so long as they occupy this
crippled position they will continue to be driven ;
to the wall. Let these anti-slavery leaders raise
the banner of revolution and secession, and they v
will either bring the unweldly body to terms, or ?
build up new and strong Church, unstained by '
the blood of the slaye.-Erederick Douglas Paper i