Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-03-07

very maine of that Saviour whose whole
line of conduct was the very opposite of
their own
Look next at the contrast afforded by
the inspired Apostle Of the Gentiles. lie
breaches to the slave, and tells him to be
obedent to his master for Christs sake,
faithful and submissive, as q mans branch
of religious duty. He breaches to the
master, and tells him to be Just and equal
to his slaves, knowing that his master is
in Heaven. He finds a fugitive slave,
and converts him to the Gospel, and then
sends him back again to his old home,
with letter of kind recommendations
Why does st. Paul act thus? Why does
he not counsel the fugitive to claim his
right to freedom, and defend that right, if
necessary, by the strong hand of violence,
even unto death Why does he not
write to his disciple, Philemon, and re-
buke him for the awful sin of holding
fellow man to bondage, and charge it up
on him, as a solemn duty, to emancipate
his slaves, at the peril of his soul?
The answer is very plain. 81. Paul
acos inspired, and knew the wW ofh
Lord Jesus Christ, and agas only intent on
oJeying Il. And who are we, that in our
modern wisdom presume to set aside the
Word of God, and scorn the example of
the divine Redeemer, and spurn the
preaching and conduct of the apostles,
and invent for ourselves "higher law"
than those holy Scriptures which are given
to us as "a light to our feet and lamp
to our paths" in the darkness of a sinful
and polluted world? Who are we, that
virtually blot out the language of the
sacred record, and dictate to the Majesty
Of Heaven what He shall regard as sin,
and reward as duty? Who are we, that
are ready to trample on the doctrine of
the Bible, and tear to shreds the Consti-
tuition of our country, and even plunge
the land into the untold horrors Of civil
war, and yet boldly pray to the God of
Israel to bless our very acts of rebellion
against His own sovereign authority
Woe to our Union when the blind become
the leaders of the blind Woe to the
man who dares to "strive against his
Maker!"
Yet do not mean to charge the num-
erous and respectable friends of this pop
ular deusion with wilful or conscious
opposition to the truth. They are Sc
duced, doubtless, in the great majority Of
cases, by the feelings of false philan-
thropy, which palliates, if it cannot ex-
cusc their dangerous error. Living far
away from the Southern States, with no
practical experience o! the institutions,
and accustomed, from their childhood,
to attach an ninordinate value to their per-
sonal liberty, they are naturally disposed
to compassionate the negro race, and to
believe that the slave must be supremely
wretched in his bondage. They are under
no special inducement to "search the
scriptures" on this particular subject, nor
are they in general, l am sorry to say,
accustomed to study the Bible half as
much as they read the newspapers. novels
and magazines. There they find many
revolving pictures of slavery. They do
not stop to ask the question whether they
are just and faithful Perhaps a fugitive
comes along, who had fled from his master,
and who, in justification of himself, will
usually give a very distorted statement of
the facts, even ifhe does not invent them
altogether. And these good and kind
hearted people believe it implicitly, with
out ever remembering the rule about hea r.
ing JoM sides before we form our opinion.
OF course they sympathise warmly y with
the poor oppressed African and are gen
erously excited to hate the system of
Slavery with all their heart. Then the
eloquent preacher chooses it for the favo-
rite topic Of his oratory. The theme is
well adapted to rouse the feelings, and it
is usually by no means difficult to inter-
est and crafty the audience, when the
supposed sins Of others, which they are
under no temptation to commit, are made
the object of censure. In due time, when
the public mind is sufficient heated, the
politician lays hold of the subject, and
makes the antislavery movement the
watchword of party. And, finally, the
Press follows in the wake of the leaders,
and the fire is industriously famed until
it becomes perfect blaze; while the ad
mirng throng surround it with eXultation,
and fancy its lurid light to be from heaven,
until the flames begin to threaten their
own property.
Such has been the perilous course OF
our northern sentiment on the subject OF
slavery. The great majority in every
community, are the creatures Of habit, of
association and of impulse, and every al
lowance should be made for those errors
which are committed in ignorance, under
a generous sympathy for what they sup.
pose to be the rights of man. cannot,
however, make the same apology for those
who are professionally pledged to under
stand and inculcate the doctrines of the
Bible. On that class of our public in
structors, the present perilous crisis of
the nation casts a fearful responsibility
Solemnly bound by their sacred Office to
preach the Word Of God, and to follow
Christ and His Apostles, as heralds OF
"pcace and good will to men," they seem
to me strangely regardless, on this i'm
portant subject. of their highest obliga-
tions. But it is not for me to judge them
To their own Master, let them stand OF
fall.
The Bishops Constitutional view OF
Slavery is omitted for want of room.
If you want favor of man laugh at
his joke If there is anything that the
whole human family has a weakness for,
:. 1 IL,