Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-01-24
Mistellaneous.
CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF
ABOLITIONISM.

A Sermon Preached in the First Pres
byterian Church of Brooklyn, on Sab
bath Evening, Dec. 9th, 1860, by Rev.
Henry J. Van Dyke, Before an Inn
mense Audience.
After prayer which breathed patriot
ism only, the Rev. gentleman took his
text from Paul's First Episte to Timothy,
sixth chapter, from the first to the fifth
verses, inclusive:
l. Let as many servants as are under
the yoke count their own m~sters worthy
Of all honor, that the name of God and
his doctrine be not blasphemed.
2. And they that have believing mas
tcrs let them not despise them, because
they are brethren; but rather do them
service because they are faithful and be-
loved, partakers of the benefit. These
things teach and exhort
3. If any man teach otherwise and
consent not to VIII olesome words even the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to
the doctrine which is according to godli.
ness.
A. He is proud, knowing nothing, but
doting about questions and strifes of
words whereof cometh envy, strife, rail
ings, evil surmisings.
5. Perverse disputings Of men of COR
rupt minds, and destitute of the truth,
supposing that gain is godliness; from
such withdraw thyself.
propse, he said, to discuss the char.
acter and influence of aboltionism. With
this view l have selected a text from the
Bible and purposes to adhere to the letter
and spirit Of its teachings. We acknowl-
edge in this place but one standard ol
morals, but one authoritative and infalli-
BILE rule of faith and practice. For we
are Christians here on whose banner is in
scribed this sublime challenge-"To the
law and to the testimony-if they speak
not according to this word it is because
there is no light in them"
Let me direct your special attention to
the language of our text. There is no
dispute among commentators; there is no
room for dispute, as to the meaning OF
the expression Servants under the yoke" "
Even Mr.. Barnes, who is himself q dis
tinguished abolitionists, and has done
more perhaps than any other man in this
country to propagate abolition doctrines,
admits that "the addition of the phrase
"under the yoke" shows undoubtedly
that it ii. e. the original word doulos) is
to be understood here as slavery.
The Rev. VAN DYKE next quotes an
eminent Scotch Divine, DR.. MoKNIGH1
quite at length to show the teachings Of
duty between master and slave and says
The text, as thus expounded by an
American abolitionists and Scotch di.
vine, { whose testimony need not be con-
firmed by quotations from all other com
mentators) is prophecy written for these
days, and wonderfully applicable to oul
present circumstances. It gives us a
life-lik picture of abolitionism in its
principles, its spirit and its practice, and
furnishes us plain instruction in regard to
our duty in the premises. Before enter.
ing upon the discussion of the doctrine,
let us define the terms employed. By ab.
olitionism we mean the principles and
measures of abolitionists. And what is
an abolitionists? He is one who believes
slaveholding is sin, and ought therefore
to be abolished. This is the fundament-
al, the characteristic, the essential prin-
ciple of abolitionism-that slaveholding
is sin-that holding men in involuntary
servitude is an infringement upon the
rights of man, and heinous crime in the
sight of God. A man may believe on
political or commercial grounds that
slavery is an undesirable system. and that
slave labor is not the most profitable; he
may have various views as to the rights
of Shareholders under the Constitution of
the country; he may think this law or
that law upon the statute books of the
Southern States is wrong; but this does
not constitute an abolitionists, unless he
believes that slaveholding is morally
wrong. The alleged sinfulness of slave
holding, as it is the characteristic doc
trine, so as it is the strength of abolition
ism in all its ramifed and various forms.
1t is by this doctrine that it lays hold
upon the hearts and conscences of men,
that it comes as disturbing force into
our ecclesiastical and civil institutions,
and by exciting religious mostly which
all history proves to be the strongest oi
human passions) imparts a peculiar in
tensity to every contest into which it en-
ters. And you will perceive it is just here
that abolitionism presents a proper sub
ject for discussion in the pulpit-for it il
one great purpose of the Bible, and there
fore one great duty of Gods ministers in
its exposition, to show what is sin and
what is not. Those who hold the doc
trine that slaveholding is sin, and ought
therefore to be abolished, differ very much
in the extent to which they reduce theil
theory to practice. In some this faith is
almost without words. They conten
themselves with only voting in such q
way as in their judgment will best pro
mote the ultimsts triumph Of their views