Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-02-09
S E. r MO N.

Ex XXI: 49, And he that steaeth man and seeth him,
Or he be found in his hand he shall surely be put to DEATH
DEUr xxnr l5le Thou shalt not deliver unto his
He shall dwell with thee among you in that place
which he shall choose in OF thy gates where keth h
best thou shalt not oppress him.
ISAIAH Lv1r O. Is not this the fast that have chosen to
loose the bands Of wckene to undo the heavy burdens and
to let the oppressed go free and that break every yoke
COL ": Masters give unto your servants that which is
EPH. vi q.
MATT VII, 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that should do to you, do to them for this is
the law and the prophets.
Said the distinguished John Randolph of
Roanoke, on the floor Of Congress. 1920, in re-
ply to Edward Everett, t,-"Sir, neither envy the
head nor the heart of that man from the North,
who rises here to defend Slavery upon principle"
Yet forty years after John Randolph, himself
a STAKEHOLDER, administered this withering re-
buke to Northern defenders of slavery, we find
american eiergymen standing before christian
audiences, Bible in hand, defending Slavery upon
principle Yes, while the church OF God is
waiting watching and praying for Messiah's
reign to be consummated 10 full milleunial glory
on earth and the civil and religious despotisms
of the old world are rocking to their very founda-
ton and crumbling down under the increasing
light and progress Of Society, and while the
New World, with Liberty inscribed upon her
DHUU6T, lS T6SpODulOR W Iu6 uuNduC6HlCHb W IuS
old, with shouts of recent triumph: american
DiUiles would seem to be competing with pro-
slavery congressman. aud corrupt politicians, for
the gioru, OF shame Of offering American Slav-
cry "the vest that ever saw the sun" the de-
fense and consolation Of Scriptural warrant ;
thus proving, by the authority of God, that de-
grading man, made in the image of his Maker
TO the condition ofa mere 'persondt chattel'--a
thing that may lawfully be bought and sold like
a dumb brute, is notnecessarily sinful and wrong
in the sight Of heaven, but just and right be
cause ordained of God Thus the christian
sanctuary and the sacred desk become auxiliary
to oppression.
Among the more recent sensation sermons in
defence of slavery probably the one prelched
in Brooklyn on Sabbath evening Dec. 9th, 60
by tie Rev. HENRY j. VAN DYKE, pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, on
"Ihe Character and Influence Of .4boLitiOnism"
ranks highest, and is regarded by those of the
same faith as a masterpiece on the subject (;
hence has been Heratded and Expressed through
the nation as a sort of fnality.
l readily concede to the author of this pro.
ducton, three things:
FIRST. A pleasing popular style, well suited
TO fashionable audence-a style of sermoniz
ing wherein rhetoric greatly predominates over
logic and brilliant words aud fine sentences over
SECOND. l concede an apparent sincerity,
which always adds weight and influence to any
thing, even plausible in theory.
THTRD. l concede an unequivocal outspoken
advocacy Of SEGUery so palpabIe and obvious
that the author will never require Southern
pass, or Northern endorser in travelling South,
and residing where the system prevails in it's
worst forms.
But, as to originality of conception, or a
critical Investigation of the meaning and use OF
language, or definition of original words and
terms involved in this controversy, / can discOv-
er nothing of such merit in this production, af-
ter the most diligent search. Its arguments S,
and its Scriptural quotations, are the most com.
mon place,-a new edition of old works on the
same subject, dressed in the authors own plau-
sible style, and well adapted to make an i'm
preston at such time as the present on n.
York, or Brooklyn audience
Why did not Mr. Van Dyke condescend to
inform u.s. definitely, what he means by the term
SldUery, since he condemns all as such danger
ous characters, who believe slave holding to he
sinful Does he mean to teach that HebreIO
Servitude Roman and american slavery, and
oil other like, systems are one and the same
thingH Why not inform US whether Bondman,
Servant, and Slave all mean the same thing or
if they differ why not give US few illustrations
original application? Why not explain the
meaning of buy" "bought with money" "his
money" &c, when such phraseologes are en-
ployed by the Jews to express certain relations
Certainly, a respectful Difference to the opinions
of multtudes of the most learned and piOus
men the world has ever kuown, and the deci-
sions of almost every ecclesiastical order in ex-
istence, including the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church of the United States,
should have led the author of this sermon a.
gainst Abolionism," prCfesSedLy to fortify we'll
every position 10 defense of Slavery system
of such doubtful origin and suspicious morals,
and so repugnant to the spirit and genius Of our
nation, as a republican country.
With all Difference TO the authors talent, il
this sermon is a specimen Of Mr.. Van Dykes
usual manner of conducting controversy, his
habits are altogether too loose to render his con
clusions safe or reliable. He takes too much
for granted where he knows men differ and
where proof is demanded. He speaks Of Mas,
ters as Shareholders, of SERVANTS as SLdUes, oi
"buyng servants as il they were passive brutes
transferred by an owner, and of servants being
the 'nOHeu, and possessions" of masters. 10 the
sense OF cGsh and real estate whereas Mr.. Van
Dyke must know, as scholar" that neither il
Hebrew, Greek, or English, do these words have
such restricted meaning. Indeed deny most
uQeQulVOcdlyi lDdJ Tue I1eOIeW cOu6 mas any
such words as "StdUe" and " Stakeholder" 10 the
American sense. This should have been la
bored point 10 Mr.. Van Dykes position, if be
intended to furnish Divine authority for slavery
He should have clearly set forth the chatte
doctrine, as defined and explained by the Amer.
ican CODE and then gone back to Patriarchal
days and the Mosaic code, and from the use oI
Hebrew terms shown the Jewish and American
systems to be the same. To infer the Divine
origin OF American, or any other slavery, from
Jewish servitude, as it was tolerated under the
Mosaic dispensation. is about as sensible as To
infer the truth Of MOrmOnism from the existence
of polygamy among the Jews. Even should
we admit, for the sake Of argument, that Jewish
seTvitude constituted form of slavery, w
might suppose, on comparison with American
slavery no man would infer from this fact thu
equity OF the American system. But 10 regarC
to slavery, our opponents seem TO argue on th'
principie-Aan institution, once right is dllOay
right neither time, nor change, nor any degree
OF apostacy can SO vtiate IT, but what there re
mains an inherent righteousness which entities
il to vindication aud justification. Like th,
Pope Of Rome, II has an immutable, eVeEen