, 1860-01-25

A"( E1NVAA ~ Ate AAASI q NtoC0AI3S VI eat@-
very was listened to By large audience on
Sunday evening. Every available inch Of room
was occupied some time before the speaker
made lis appearance, He commenced speaking
little before eight o'clock, and continued for
nearly two l,ours, as follows:
Standing in this place as minister Of the Lord
Jesus Christ, charged with the exposition Of
his word and will, the interests Of hi3 blood.
bought Church, know no North and no South,
NO East and no West. -Thexe great interests
are broad as the earth and vas. as eternity ;
and in ricw Of them, questions Of mere fec-
tioual interest arc 10 be lost sight Of totally.
Neither do know any political pnrty. These
interests arc destined to live, when all the po-
liticaf parties Of today are gone mud forgotten.
They stund infinitely higher than any question
Of any political party, at any time, in my na-
tiou. belong to no political party. hold no
allegiance to any one Of Them; and, therefore,
hare no temptation to lean one way Or another
in matters Of dispute as between them' Nor
am SO uuacquuinted with human nature IS to
expect in the discussions Of sach questions, mud
iu the midst Of such state Of fcellug ~ exist in
this land, 10 pleuse everybody. "lf pleased
man." said Paul. II should not be the servant
OF Christi that is. IS suppose, if he mined
to please men. and il be succeeded generally IN
pleasing everybody, it would be the yery best
evidence that he did not please his master,
Jesus Christ. The Christian minister, under
the solemn ordination VOWS of his office, is not
10 inquire whether men will lie pleased, being
charged Of God to speak the truth, whether
they will hear or forlear-
In thc preceding discourse did not discuss
the rishttulness Of any slave code, ancient or
modern; but simply The question, whether. the
Scriptures recognized tue relation of master
aud slave as one which circumstances have jus.
titled, for the time being; or whether the rela-
ton is, in itft!f, sinful, and therefore always
aud in all circumstances wrong. j combattcd
called Abolitionists. And l may remark here,
that do not use the term as one OF reproach !;
and do not suppose it is 60 considered BY
those who hold that slaveholdiog is sinful in it.
sell, or, at least P,ttHa Jde7e evidence Of sin,
hare nut word to suy IN the spirit Of denunei-
calm and kind discussion, not for denunciation.
The definition | guve Of slavery is not my
own, but that Of eminent moralists, known Il c
world orer, and known US we'll to lie opposess
Of slagery-such men as Paley, and Waylnnd,
and Chalmers 1t is useless to say that the
definition is III absurdi,y, wien such names
and such authority arc giyen. defined slave
r. to be The o1iy"tioa on tie part Of the tldte to
Ld10r for tie xadst+T, insote'n9 The corresponding
Obligation on the part of tit IN 1sssr to treat him
al .nan, and to protect all Ais rights a. q 0aaa.
The question which raised and discussed was,
whether circumstances have existed which, for
the time being, justified good men in sustaining
such a relation, governing themselves not by
the code Of Rome, nor by any other civil code
merely, but governing themselves in this rela-
ton By the law Of God and tie directions there
ia contained. Twas very careful to state still
further, in eight particulars, what do, and what
| do not, hold to be true in this casc-ns for e1-
ample: That hold to the unity Of the human
race, that God hath made Of Que blood all III.
tions Of men for to dwell upon the luce Of The
carlh;" consequently, in the second place, that
the moral law and the golden rule are appl1cA.
bio to all men of all nations and countries; aud
thirdly, hold that slavery ,s not dirine insti-
tuition, aud has never receired the saac{ion OF
Goa; still further, that no human being has the
sake Of gain, or for the sake Of convenience;
sill further that the marriage tie is sacred aud
tue marriage OF slaves is valid us that Of their
masters, 50 that a man has no more right to
separate husband and wife among them than
among others; still further, that every 1nnu
has right to fair compensation for his la:
tur; that he has right 10 an abundance OF
iood and c1o,h;ng; to kind treatment and reli-
gious instruction, and to whatever may be fair
Is his due rs man still further, that it Is the
duty Of those connected with slavery to elc-
satc their slaves with vlew to their freedom,
as soon as in tue providence Of God Ibis can be
accomplished. These are tile positions have
maintained.
took no new ground in stating these posi-.
tions: for have, for the last twenty five Years
advocated every one of those principles publicly
ia the slayeholdiug and in tie free States.
mike this statement, because it has been assert'
ed that dared not advocate tuese principles in
The siaycboldinE >tates. TEese positions, more
over, are fully Sustained by lbe repeated action
Of ,he General Assembly Of our Church. chi
bracinc North aud South, simply stated the
doctrine Of the Presbyterian Churrh-nothing
more. nnthinr less shall hare occasion to
1un+e snme dclyerances OF our Church before
getthrough. ,,,,,u.. n,o,o .,,,o.
the re!ution Of master aud siase Is noI neiessa.
rilr sinful, did not announce one pflaclple, or
give Interpretation to aay single passage oi
Scripture, which principle or interpretation LAS
not commanded tire assent Of tue Church ol
God in all ages, and which does not now COM
mand the usssnt Of the great body ot w'kc anu
good men, The world over. lhcfe Is no eon.o IT,
versy about the Interpretation put upon the
pussages ut al, among commentators Or critics.
or those who uye admitted to be Of authority IN
have presented three arguments to show
that the relation Of master and slave Is not
n.rzf<uri7y sinful The first is Presn1npt'rf
argument. namely: the TACT, that. in all ages,
foF tbc last eicu.,cp hundred years. the Church
of {; cd tas understood lie Scriptures to teach
that the relation is not necessarily sinful. br.
Chalmers s.a.es iI;at the doctrine that 6.qve.
holding is in itself sinful, is 4 Fictitious and
new principle, unknown to the Church oi 1oo
until within few years" Tue. secona nfgn~
mept MAS the application a tue Golden s.a'e:
tic principle Of which il, that ! au bound to i'm
prove the condition Of my Suffering fellow men
as far Us can do 80 consistently with other
nara mount duties. 1t could not have been sin.
iul for Christians in the apostolic age to bold
s}uves, If by so dc1ng they relieved them from
exposure to cruel treatment, aud escn to violent
death Mt the hands Of pagan masters. aud hola
hare been able to en,apc,2a'c Them, they could
raise them from the extreme wrctcliet!ness
md misery in which they lay, and bold
them in their own households as servants.
The teachings and example Of Moses, OF Cnr1st
and Of the Apostles, constituted my tGlrd nren'
meut: for it is q fact that Moses allowed tie
relation to be formed, and ttsa Apostles received
shareholders into their Church without COM
mandnv them to mauumit their slaveS. These
tacts are admitted By men who declare them
selves not only Auti-SlaEery men. but some Of
whom glory in the name Abolitionlst.'
The conclusion i dcduced from these.asGu-
ments, wss not that slaveholaing, Us it exists in
this country, is right or juststtabse; but simply
tAlt circumstances hare s1tttd, Thith. for TIE
t;at le;ny. juti;6fd tA4 rtlatioH; and therefore
it js moi IN ifsflf sinful; that since cTcutnstan-
ces have existed which justified il, c'rcunstan-
ces NAV ssaln exist to justify it; SO that you
cannot pronounce slavoho'd1ng sinful. "ahont
looking ut the circumstances. such Tas Tile de-
cision Of our General Assembly in 1s45.9
Now. inasmuch Us the rlghttulness or wrong
fusness of the relation Of master aud slave d..
pends upon circumstancea The question which
wish to discuss This evening is, srhffher the cir
cums.ancts +ehth nop erist in orr opa country, 10
so jar justify proft*ing ch1:fia"', for III time
fk:nq, IL sm;diaiaq this r.itti9n, that they can
..f -L;,1tt.ru IL src}tds,f fr1st Yha Church pF