Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-07-11

needs no defense from me, and there is lit
it hope of convincing Mr. w. and his clique
0 their error. Yet, as love the church of m
: fathers, will you permit me again to prov
= that the Old School Presbyterian Church S
e far from being pro-slavery is now and alway
J. has been anti-slavery and abolition in he
= teachings.
;. ;. In 1887 the synods of New York an
0 Philadelphia gave the following judgment:
That they highly approve of the genera
s principles in favor of universal liberty tha
+ prevails in America, and the interest whicl
many of the States have taken in promoting
the ABOLITION Of slavery, &c.
And finally they recommended to all thei
people to use the most prudent measures
consistent with the interest and the state o
civil society, in the counties where they live
to procure eventually the final abolition o
slavery in America.
In 1918, after the General Assembly hat
been organized, they unanimously adopted
the following report:
| w SOAoAuCA tAAO NOluAtsbly CAoASAVuS Va Out
portion of the human race by another, as
gross violation of the mostprecious and sacred
sights of human nature as utterly inconsist-
ent with the law of God, which requires us to
love our neighbor as ourselves, and as totally
irreconcilable with the spirit and principles of
the gospel of Christ, which enjoin that +" all
things whatsoever you would that men should
do to you, do you even so to them" Slavery
creates a paradox in the moral system it
exhibits rational, accountable, and immortal
beings in such circumstances as scarcely to
leave them the power of moral action. 1t ex-
hibits them as dependent on the will of others,
whether they shall receive religious instruc-
ton; whether they shall know and worship
the true God; whether they shall enjoy the
ordinances Of the gospel; whether they shall
perform the duties and cherish the endear-
ments of husbands and wives, parents and
children, neighbors and friends; whether
they shall preserve their chastity and purity
or regard the dictates of justice and humanity,
Such are some of the consequences of slavery
Consequences not imaginary, but which
connect themselves with its very existence.
The evils to which the slave is always exposed
often take place in fact, and in their very
worst degree and form and where all of
them do not take place, as we rejoice to say in
many instances, through the influences of the
principles of humanity and religion on the
minds of the masters, they do not-still the
slave is deprived of his natural right, degraded
as human being, and exposed to the danger
of passing into the hands of master who
may inhict upon him all the hardships and
injuries which inhumanity and avarice may
suggest.
From this view of the consequences result
ing from the practice into which Christian
people have most inconsistently fallen, of en-
shaving portion of their brethren of manhood
for +" God hath made of one blood all ma
tions of men to dwell on the face of the earth"
it is manifestly the duty of all Christians
who enjoy the light Of the present day, when
the inconsistency of slavery, both with the
dictates of humanity and religion, has been
demonstrated, and is generally seen and ac-
knowledged, to use their honest, earnest, and
unwearied endeavors, to correct the errors of
former times, and as speedily as possible to
efface this blot on our holy religion, and to
obtain the complete abolition of slavery
throughout Christendom, and, if possible,
throughout the world.
Twill not trespass on your time and space
only to say that the Assembly were impor-
tuned to pass various resolutions on the sub
ject, but always refused to consider the hold
ing of a slave as bar to church membership.
Her final action on the subject was in 1S45,
and closed with the following resolution:
"In the judgment of this house the action
of the General Assembly of 1845 was not in
tended to deny or rsscind the testimony Of
ten uttered by the General Assembly previous
to that date.
will only add that Mr.. X. did not ira
duce' the constitution of the United States,
nor "villify the fathers who framed it, He
did not even admit that it recognized slavery,
but said they say the constitution recognizes
it." True, he said "as slavery was contrary
to the bible it was wrong to compromise with
it." and the Gathers" made mistake. Does
any body doubt it? He said that slavery was
the cause of the rebellion. None but ''dough
heads" intensified doubt that the war was
waged to found kingdom, or empire, or re-
public, the corner stone of which should be
slavery. Friend and Christian brother Wal
lace, if you believe the teachings of the bible
and of our church on the subject of slavery,
how does your conscience reconcile your
shameful abuse of man for preaching just
what the bible and the highest judicatory of
our church teach, with Christian courtesy and
consistency? Neither Gov. johnson nor the
constitution can make right what the whole
spirit of the gospel condemns. He did not
pretend to point out the manner nor the time
of changing the constitution. Doubtless,
from the very gentlemanly and Christian man
ner in which you administer your "rebukes''
he can say with David, "Let the righte'us
smite met shall be an excellent oil which
shall not break my head" Iowa.