The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1861-03-06

citizens, neither we nor the law have any
right to interfere; but the law ought to pro-
tecI all men from the utterance Of libelous
words whose only effect is TO create division
and STRIFE. trust and pray, aud call upon
you to unite with me in the supplicatiOn, that
God would give aboltionisis repentance and
better mind, SO that in time to come they
may at least propagate their principles in
decent and respect iul language!!"
Here is his third statement, "Ab5itionlsp,"
(namely. the belief that slavery is morally
wrcng). "leads IN muhitudes Of cases, cHd by
a lngieal process, to utter itfdsity" We may
safely challenge the world upon this PROPOSE
tion; il has never heen matched. Th5 asser
tion that the belief that slavery is morally
wrong leads BY logical process to utter in
fidelity, is too absurd to merit reply, and is
WORTHY Of one who could declare as Mr. Van
Dyke does, that "When Paul stood upon
Mars Hill he was surrounded by ten thousand
times rs many Shareholders as theIe were i
dolls in the city :" Athens at this period
was crowded with idols beyond the power of
computation. The Roman satniSt, Petronius
declares that it was easier tn find god IN
Athens than a man but Mr. Van Dyke
makes he ratio to be ten thousand slavehol-
ucls Nv SluHte NlOl' duNhulaHb hH' h"N
some acaua intaucs with the condition Of
thugs, declared that replete as the whole of
Greece was with objects Of devotion, there
were more in Athens than in all the rest OF
the country, This statement would give the
city at that time, population OF some hun
dreds Of millions To such an extent did
they abound, that Pliny declares ''that many
volumes would but contain something since
no man can speak Of the whole" YET MIR.
Van DYKE says ten th0nsand Shareholders to
every idsl. Poor man, he is so delighted
with shareholders, and his mind has so long
dwelt upon them and their divine institution,
that he sees them swarming in every direc-
ton The declaration is important in this
connection. .inasmuch as it shows that ne is no
nfidel, and by no means affected with incre-
dulity But to return to the proposition, it
is absolutely incredible how any man in his
senses could have ventured such monstrous
declaration. Why, my friends, do not be-
ieve there is score of you here tonight,
however much you may differ from me on
certain aspects OF the question, who believe
slavery to be right. Did it ever occnr to you,
that you were on the broad road to nfideli-
ty? in fact, that you ale suspended over its
yawning abyss by hair, more attenuated
than that which held the sword Of Damoc-
les That the only hope for you is the ba I'm
oil pro-slavery gospel, dispensed by the ply
sician of the First Presbyterian Church,
Brooklyn To make belief in American
slavery as divine institution the pnnctRm
sqle,as, the starting of life of faith, its de-
NAL the gate thBt leads to utter perditon; that
too by minister, exhausts' my astonish-
,nent. But it is here, and must be met.
WE'LL then, to 60 no further back, Amer cn
abolilionism is the daughter OF British; the
discussion and accomplishment OF West India
emancipation originated, to a very great ex-
tent, the anti slavery movement OF the United
States We're the abelitioniSts OF Great
Britain infidels ? Wilberorce, Sharpe, Ste
phen, Stanley and all the men Of that gen
Grafton, or any part of them, or did they
ever become infides ? Did not the churches
Of Great Britain with one united voice ulti-
matelv concur and do they not believe
with US, and against Mr.. Van Dyke and his
associates, that slavery is moral wrong
In the year eighteen hundred and fifty
seven an address was prepared and sent by
the Protestants of France to the churches of
this country, upon the subject Of slavery; in
this address they declare, with respect to
ourselves we feel it incumbent upon to us say
publicly, thar there is not one partisan OF
slavery among us. There is not among us
one single hristiau who is able to reconcile
with the law OF love and holiness the possess
ion Of man By mau-(Jhey evidently were ig-
norant of Mr.. Van Dykes husband and wife
illustration the sale in the market-place
Of immortal beings, the harbaroVs rupture
of the family tie, the suppression Of mar
riage, the inevitable multiplication of i'm
moral relations" Nearly six thousand sig
natures Of French Protestants were attach
ed to this address. We have yet to learn.
that the Protestants of France are infidels
Similar addresses were in preparation in
Switzerland and Germany, but whether they
were completed and sent we are not inior
med. The address Of the French found its
way into but few Of the journals of the
country and the great mass of protesting
Christians are yet ignorant that such a doc
ument is in existence.
Is our author ignorant that there are in our
own land Presbyterian churches, with min
istry numbering more than seven hundred,
and a correspondent membership, who de-
clare slavery sin against God, and admit no
stakeholder to their communion? Has he
forgotten the entire Methodist Church, which,
however inconsistent in practice, have never
gone so far as to embody the doctrine OF the
immaculate conception of slavery into
their creed, but the opposite? Or the New
School Presbyterians, who have never ex-
plunged, as the Old School have, the early
testimony ofthe Presbyterian Church against
slavery as the crime of man stealing? How
has he overlooked the great mass OF Congre-
gationalsts, Wesleyans; the Freewill Bap-
lists, etc, ETC.; all of whom assert its sinful.
| ness, and deny that it has any sanction eth
t er in the Old or New Testament? do not
say that these denominations have done their
whole duty, or anything like 1t, upon this
subject, but they are all included in the def
milton which he has ven oi abolitionism-
the belief that slavery is morally wrong. |
affirm that the man who gives such a defini-
ton, and then proceeds to assert that this
belief leads by logical necessity to infideli.
ty and attempts to prove it. utters viler
slander against the Church Of God than any
infdel ofths or auy other age has ever mou-
thed, is himself guilty ofinfidelty Of the very
worst and most dangerous character, and
that such assertions from the mouth Of or
thodox minister's will do more to produce
iuidelity than all harangues Of all the inf
del conventions that will be held until the
days Of the Millennium.
But how does he attempt to establish this
gross assertion? "One OF its avowed princi.
pies" he says, 'is that It does not try slavery
ry by the Bible" 0ut OF his own mouth he
shall be condemned. lie calls DR. Wayand
an abolitioniss. | ask, does he test slavery
by the Bible? He calls Albert Barnes an
eminent abolltionist; does he test it by scrip
tural principles? But, forsooth, these men
assert that the matter of the Scripture is to be
taken into account in arguing the question of
inspiration, and, therefore, are infdels Such
an impure system as slavery or poygamy,