Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-06-09

tnelf euOrtS 10 erect tne total eoOntlOn VI
slavery" with no greater delay, than the
public welfare truly and indispensably de-
mands."
Here is the unanimous declaration by this |
great body Of churches North aud South,
denying a christian character aud standing |
to any person who is not an antislavery |
man, active and unwearied IN bis endeavors
to secure the earliest practicable abolition
Of slavery. 1t was repeatedly re.afirmed
in subsequent years, and stood until few
years ago unchanged and authoritative.
The Methodist Church, another great ma
tional body, including the Methodist de-
nomination both North and South, was
even more decisive in its auti-slavery decla-
ratiuns. Their discipline as originally pub
| lished in 1885 excluded all shareholders
from communion, requiring deed of eman-
cipation to be executed, lberatiug slaves
Immediately, or after lapse Of years ac-
cording to their ege This principle, with
various notifications of its details and ex.
ceptions as to its application, continued in
the discipline till some 25 years later At
terward it was made applicable to ministers
aud Office bearers only, while all members
were forbidden to buy or sell human beings
and the original anti-slavery sentiment of
the church was strongly affirmed. What
ever, was in praeticeor, tolerated, anti-slave-
ry testimony enactments of the discipline
remained until the division of the church.
Such was the common position Of Chris
tuns North aud South during the first SO
years Of our national existence-IIow is it
now? A church in this city recently pass.
ed four resolutions, carefully worded so as
to distinguish slavehoding in law from
saveholding in spirit and intent, declaring
the latter to be inconsistent with christian
ity aud all who in that spirit hold slaves 10
be unworthy of fellowship as christians, and
here cl, sc und,r the North Star many were
shocked at the act and thought the church
bad done q very rash thing, was sadly Civ
Ell up to fanaticism, aud was most unwisely
meddling with politics. Here in Maine
men were quite startled because q church
declared by resolution, the very position on
the subject Of slavery which 40 years ago
was the common position of Christian peo-
pie and Christian churches-alike at the
South and at the North
Other proofs Of this great religious apoStasy
meet US on every hand Eight Or ten years ago
: mon alluding in single brief paragraph to
slavery, which, was warmly commended by men
Of both the political parties then existing A
few weeks ago he preached the same sermon
reading the same paragraph word for word
from the same manuscript, and it was bitterly
denounced as Theddng with politics. But the
a gospel does not change. The gospel is not one
e thing at this election and another at the next
q and we see the necessity that this pure uu
I, changing truth be constantly pressed on the
:, people TO save them from degeneracy; and i
e degenerate 10 alarm them as u landmark of the
rapidity Of their descent, aud the depth tC
' which they have fallen.
II Aud unless there be men filed with God
. spirit to proclaim Gods truth to degenerat,
people aud call them back TO fealty TO him, tha
! people must sink in corruption and consume il
hopeless decay. Hear the word Of the Lord OIL
this very point the people of the land hav
{ used oppression and exercised robbery and hav
vexed the poor and needy; yea they have op
pressed the stranger wrongfully. And / sough
"a for man among them that should make up th
4 hedge and staud in the gap before me aud
n found none Therefore have | poured out IN,
indignation upon them have consumed then
with the fire of my wrath their own way hav
is l recompersed upon their heads saith the LORD
l. -Ez. %: 30.
y l. is said that we have nothing TO do wit
slavery we have as much TO do with it as th
re hand las to do with gangrene foot which
"a spreading corruption aud death through tn
whole body. 1t is said pi eaching on slavery ca
q do the slave no good. Nay, but there is MOI
to present urgency to arrest the deterioration
ID our own principles, and to save ourselves frol
forgetting the great seed thought of all pur
az az and noble political life.
1t is said that such preaching produces an III
Sc pleasant agitation. Wrong doing is the agit
at lion, notIthe truth that rebukes it. 1t is ii
&C. disease that disturbs the human system, not Il
Of medicine, however powerful, which removes |
ly Men may proclaim finality TO agitation, bl
~ wrong perpetrared aud persisted in will alway
III agtate the nation that .perpetrates them. Nj
a. ton gives us a fitting emblem in sin, the mOnsi
rs. whom he describes as Porteress at she gate
Hell--always tOrmented by the hell hounds
10. which she herself had given birth.
About her middle round
4 Of hel-hOunds eeasing barSed
With vide terberean mouths full loud, and rung
Is hideOus peal yet when they list, would creep,
II sught disturbed theis noise, into her womb
Within unseen"
So the iuiquities which nation brings for
and nurtures do always bark ard howl abo
4, her, or at their will kennel and gnsw her vita
5 within. The rebuke and the putting away
zap the wrong are the only deliverance from perp
,9s tual unrest This is the word Of the Lord
- Because they have seduced my people, sayin
: Pence; and there was no peace, and one bn
up a wall, and 10 Others daubed it with untem
,u cred mortar; say unto them which daub it wi
untempered mortar that it shall fall; there shi
he be an overlooking shower and ye, oh great ha
eld stones shall fall, and strong wind shall rend
-, Lo, when the wall is fallen, shah it not be sa
unto you, where is the danbing wberewith
have daubed it ? Therefore thus saith the LoT
I, | will break down the wall that ye have daub
snt with untempered mortar and bring it down
ef' the ground, so that the foundation thereof sh
- be discovered; aud it shall fall and ye shall
consumed in the midst thereof; and ye shi
know that am the Lord"-And if we as
nation would escape the like calamity, our
o' ligiou must penetrate our political life. and e
ne, noble it by the principles Of truth, Of JUST
aud Of love.
Imagine this nation, proud mistress Of CO
n, tinent, has attained a greatness which max
lily wrong doing safe-yet it is fixed as throne
'rs, God, that the strength even Of this nation v
be palsied by injustice. "NO sorceries o. ale
misappled" can guide her through course
-ay wrong doing, aud yet avert the consequences
=. the divine dispieasure-and the Christian min
ry, try are faithless to their trust unless they
ho- declare the siO and peril of the wrong