Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-01-24

mately interwoven with its social and
civil institutions. In Judes. IN Asia
Minor, in Greece, in all the countries
where the Saviour or his Apostles preach
ed the gospel, slavebolding was just as
common as it is to-day in South Caroli-
ma. tits not alledged by any one, or at
least By any one having any pretensions
to scholarship or candor, that the Roman
laws regulating slavery were even as mild
as the very worst statutes which have
been passed upon the subject in modern
times. twill not be denied by any honest
and well informed man that modern civil
ization and the restraining Influences of
the Gospel have shed ameliorating inhu.
ences upon the relation between master
and slave, which was utterly unknown at
the advent of Christianity. And how
did Jssus and his Apostles treat this sub
ject? Masters and slaves met them at
every step in their missionary work, and
were even present in every audience to
which they preached. The Roman law
which gave the full power Of life and
death into the masters hand, was famil-
liar to them, and all the evils connected
with the system surrounded them every
day as obviously as the light of heaven,
and yet it is remarkable fact, which the
abolitionist does not because he cannot
deny, that the New Testament is utterly
silent in regard to the alleged sinfulness
of slaveholding. In all the instructions
of the Savour-in all the reported sermons
of the inspired Apostles-in all the epis
ties they were moved by the Holy Spirit
to write for the instruction of coming
generations--there is not one distinct and
explicit denunciation Of slaveholding
nor one precept requiring the master tc
emancipate his slaves. Every acknowl
edged sin is openly and repeatedly con.
demned and in unmeasured terms. Drunk
enness and adultery, theft and murder
all the moral wrongs which ever have
been known to afflict society, are forbid
den by name, and yet, according to the
teaching of abolitionism, the greatest o.
all sins--this sum of all villanies-is new.
er spoken of except in respectful terms
How can this be accounted for.
Necessity compels us 70 cut out more
than half of this interesting discourse
which we much regret, as not a line
ought to be left out.-ED.
But it must be observed in this connec.
ton that the A postes went much further
than to abstain from preaching against
slaveholding. They admitted slavehold
ors . N tba M ~, ~ pn;on of tho ohurob T.
our text, masters are acknowledged a.
"brethren, faithful and beloved, partaker,
of the benefit" If the New Testament i.
to be received as faithful history, no mar
was ever rejected by the apostolic church
upon the ground that he owned slaves
If he abused his power as master, if h,
availed himself OF the authority conferred
by the Roman law to commit adultery
or murder, or cruelty, he was rejected fol
these crimes, just as he would be rejected
now for similar crimes from any Christian
church in our Southern States. If par
ents abused or neglected their children
they were censured, not for having chill
dren. but for not treating them properly
and so with the STAKEHOLDER. 1t was moi
the owning of slaves, but the manner ir
which he fulfilled the duties of his station
that made him subject for church dis
cipline. The mere fact that he was Q
stakeholder. no more subjected him tc
censure than the mere fact that he was Q
father or o husband 1t is upon the rec.
ognized lawfulness of the relation that
oil the precepts regulating the reciprocal
duties of that relation are based
These precepts are scattered all through
the inspired epistles. There is not one
command or exhortation to emancipate
the slave. The Apostle we'll knew that
for the present, emancipation would be nc
real 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 between
Greek or Jew, male or female, bond ol
free. Oh, if ministers of the gospel in
this land or age had but followed Paul as
he followed Christ, and, instead OF hurl :
ing anathemas and exciting wrath against
Shareholders had sought only to bring
both master and slave together.
1.-THE PRINCIPLES OF ABoITIoNIsM HAVE
BEEN PRoPAGATED CHIEFLY BY MIsREPRE-
sENTAT1oN AND ABUSE.
Having no foundation in Scripture, it
does not carry on its warfare by scripture
weapons. Its prevailing spirit is fierce
and proud, and its language is full OF
wrath and bitterness. Let me prove this
by testimony from it's own words. /
quote DR.. Claiming, of Boston, whose
name is tower of strength to the Abol-
ition cause, and whose memory is their
continual boast. In work published in
the year 1886, I find the following words:
THE Abolitionists have done wrong,
I believe; nor is their wrong to be winked
at because done fanatically or with good
intentions; for how much mischief may
be wrought with good designs! They
have fallen into the common error of en-
thusiasts, that Of exaggerating their OBJ
ject, of feeling as if no evil existed but
that which they opposed, and as if no
guilt could be compared with that OF
countenancing and upholding it, The
tone of their newspapers, SO far as have
seen them, has often been fierce, bitter
and abusive. They have sent forth their
orators. some of thom transports with
fiery zeal, to sound the slarm against
slavery through the land to gather to-
gether young and old, pupils from schools
females hardly arrived at years of discre-
fion tho iunoropt tho nv az l,la tba in,