The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-02-15

} children are now studying that book, dill
gently consider his answer. quote fron
Wayland's Moral Science, page 213:-
1.-THE gospel was designed not for one rae
or for one time, but for all races and for al
times. It looked not to the abolition 0
slavery for that age alone, but for its uni
versal abolition. Hence, the important OBJ
ject of its Author was to gain for it q lodg
ment in every part of the known world, 81
that, by its universal diffusion among al
classes OF society, it might, quietly ant
peacefully, modify and subdue the evil pas
sions of men. In this manner alone coulc
its object-a universal moral revolution
have been accomplished. For if it had for
hidden the evil, instead of subverting the
principles; if it had proclaimed the unlaw
fitness of slavery, and taught slaves to re
sist the oppression of their masters, it would
instantly have arrayed the two parties in
deadly hostility throughout the civilized
world; its announcement would have been
the signal of servile war, and the very
name of the Christian religion would have
been forgotten amidst the agitation of uni
versal bloodshed. The fact, under these
circumstances, that the gospel does not tor5id
slaOery, affords no reason to suppose that il
does not mean to prohibit it"
We pause not now to comment upon the
admitted fact that the gospel does mot forbid
slavery, and that Jesus Christ and his Apos-
ties pursued a course entirely different from
that adopted by the Abolitionists, including
the learned author himself, nor to inquire
whether the teaching of Abolitionism is not
as likely to produce strife and bloodshed in
these days as in the first ages of the church.
What we now call attention to, and protest
against, is the imputation here cast upon
sck L. III 1a1sn
the Saviour sought to insinuate his religion
into the earth by concealing its real design,
| and preserving profound silence in regard
to one of the very worst sins it came to des-
] troy? Do you believe that when he healed
the centurion's servant Whom every honest
commentator admits to have been slave[el
and pronounced that precious eulogy upon
the master, 81 have not seen SO great faith
in Israel'-do you believe that Jesus suffer
ed that man to live on in sin because he
deprecated the consequences of preaching
AbOlitionism? When Paul stood upon Mars
Hill, surrounded by ten thousand times as
many Shareholders as there were idols in the
city, do you believe he kept back any part
of the requirements of the gospel because
he was afraid of tumult among the people?
We ask these Abolition philosophers where
of, as matter of fact, idolatry, and the
vices connected with it, were not even more
Intimately interviewer with the social and
civil life of the Roman Empire than slavery
was? Did the apostles abstain from preach
ing against slavery? Nay who does not
know that by denouncing this sin they
brought down upon themselves the whole
power of the Roman Empire. Nero covered
the Christian martyrs with pitch, and light
ed up the city with their burning bodies,
iuS hold
compromise the truth in regard to the wor-
ship of idols. In the light of that fierce
persecution it is prOfane trifiing for DR..
Wayland, OR any other man, to tell us that
Jesus or Paul held back their honest opini-
Ons of slavery in order to avoid "a servile
war, in which the very name of the Chris
tian religion would have been forgotten"
The name of the Christian religion is not so
easily forgotten; nor are Gods great pur-
poses of redemption capable of being defeat
ed by an honest declaration of His truth
everywhere and at all times. And yet this
philosophy. SO dishonoring to Christ and his
Apostles, is moulding the character of our
young men and women. 1t comes into our
schools and mingles with the very life blood
of future generations the sentiment that
Christ and his Apostles held back the truth,
and suffered sin to go .unrebuked to avoid
the wrath of man. And all this to main
tain. at all hazards, and in the face of the
SaviOr's example to the contrary, the I'M
scriptural dogma that slaveholding is sin.
But it must be observed, in this connec-
ton, that the Apostles went much further
than to abstain from preaching against slave
holding, They admitted Shareholders to the COM
munion Of the church. In our text, masters
are acknowledged as GO brethren, faithful and
beloved, partakers of the benefit" If the
New Testament is to be received as faith
full history, no man was ever rejected by the
apostolic church upon the ground that be
owned slaves. If he abused his power as
a master, if he awaited himself of the author
ity conferred by the Roman law to commit
adultery, or murder or cruelty, he was re-
jected for these crimes just as he would be
rejected now for similar crimes, from any
Christian church in our Southern States %
If parents abused or neglected their chill
dren they were censured, not for having
children, but for not treating them properly.
And so with the STAKEHOLDER. 1t was not
the owning of slaves, but the manner in
which he fulfilled the duties of his station,
that made him subject for church discipline.
The mere fact that he was stakeholder no
more subjected him to censure than the
mere fact that he was father or a husband.
ness of the relation that all precepts regu-
lating the reciprocal duties of that relation
are based.
These precepts are scattered all through
the inspired epistles. There is not one com
mand or exOrtation to emancipate the slave.
The Apostle we'll knew that for the present
emancipation would be no blessing to him.
But the master is exhorted to be kind and
cOnsiderate, and the slave to be Obedient,
that so they might preserve the unity of that
church in which there is no distinction be-
tween Greek or Jew, male or female, bond
. or free. Oh, if ministers of the gospel in
this land and age had but followed Paul as
he followed Christ, and, instead of, hurting
anathemas and exciting wrath against slave
holders, had sought only to bring both mas
ter and slave to the fountain of Emanuel s
blood if the agencies of the blessed gospel
had only been suffered to work their way
quietly as the light and dew of the morning,
into the structure of society-both North
and South-how different would have been
the position of our country this day before
God ! How different would have been the
privileges enjoyed by the poor black mans
soul which in this bitter contest, has been too
much neglected and despised. Then there
| would have been no need to have converted
our churches into military barracks for COL
Letting firearms to carry on war upon a
| distant frontier. No need for a sovereign
State to execute the fearful penalty of the
law upon the invader for ldoing no more
than honestly carry out the teaching of
Abolition preachers, who bind heavy bur-
dens and grevious to be bourne and lay them
on mems shoulders while they touch them
not with one of their fingers. No need for
the widow and the orphan to weep in an
guish of heart over those cold graves, for
whose dishonOr and desolation God will hold
or pretext for slaveholding States to pass
such stringent laws for the punishment of