Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-03

that race. You may throw impediments in the
way, and thereby bring down punishment en-
your own heads, but you cannot stop it. |
. met, recently, a very able book, written by Il
distinguished Presbyterian divine, the Rev.
Mr.. Stiles, Of Georgia, from which have made
an extract which | submit to the CONSIDERATION
of the Christian members OF this Convection
and OF the people Of the State. Here It IS:
''In 1856. heather church membership is
set down at $50. 600. The present Qs55,) es.
innate Of colured Church members in the Me-
thodist Church South, alone, (Which includes
slaveholding States only, and does not include
Maryland and a part of Virginia. is It's, 900.
Eight or ten years ago the Baptist colored
membership at the South was recorded rs only
4, 900 less than the Methodist. When to these
numbers you add all the colored members of
other unincluded organizations of Methodist
and Baptist, also of Episcopalians, Lutherans
and Prcsbeterians, Old School, New School
and Cumberland, you readily reach an agcre.
gate Of colored Church membership near thrice
as large as the strictly hcathen orthodox
Church membership of the world"
Here then the Almighty power, through US
as us instrument, has Christianized more than
double as many of those savage Africans as
have been Christianized in al! the rest of the
world. Why, then, should We stand here idle,
and fold our arms, and permit the run mad
people OF the North to come down and exter.
inmate this Institution? Sir, you will he held
to an accountability il You do not stand forth
as moral Christian men, and do your dutr in
this great crisis in favor of protecting this insti.
tuition which any man can sec is destined to
Christianize and civilizc a great part Of the
heathens Of the world.
Mr.. Chairman | intended to have said more,
but forbear. l have spoken longer than | in.
tended and have become exhausted. In con-
clusion have to say, that differing as I do
with my friends here, my earnest, honest, con-
victions-and | appeal 10 my God for the sin.
cerIty oil the declaratioE-arc that every con-
slderatIon of duty, Of interest, Of high Chris.
tan moral obligation, conspireS to make US
cause Virginia 10 secede at once, settle our
difficulties peaceahly afterwards, if we can
and il we cannot, (Orcibly.
IF | tini hat you will not 20 with me, if
you are determined to wait, wait, wait, and sec
when you will be hit, if my plan fails, | will
set up no f~actious opposition, but will 60 with
YOU for the next plan which ] think will best
promote the great object | have in view. Mr..
Chairman, | will not utter the common place
sentiment ct returning my thanks to the Con-
%vention. had 4 right to speak, and they had
4 right to listcn-ooth parties have exercised
that right. | will conclude my remarks with
this earnest, honest, declaration, that if am
in error it is an honest error OF my heart. |
believe | ain right; and | mean to stand by my
principles and doctrines to the hitter end. If
that day shall come-which God in his mercy
avcrt-whcn you and ! will have to be exiled
or yield to this horde Of Northern FanGals,
~rc.ccio, sir, (alluding TO Mr.. PREsToS,) your
eloquent sentiment. | will not be eXiled. |
will not be a second Nlarius to go off amid the
ruins of some Carthage, and there to weep
away existence in bitter agony over the me-
inory OF lost and past g~lories, but, like you,
sir, will stand at my post and fall as n true
uan-and when you shall sleep in your own
green meadow, beneath your w native noun
tain, | will stand on the shores Of my own
native Rappahannock, and there will | fall; and
the ripple Of its waves shall be the requiem
that will soothe my repose till the morning CT
the resurrection. Virginia ! will never for.
sake. | will die III Virginia, and trust to
God and 10 p~osterity to vindicate what is just
and what is right. applause on the floor and
rallery.)