Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-10-17

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some measure of that character must be
adopted. But it belongs to the slave States
themselves to take the lead in such
movement. And meanwhile their legal
rights and their natural feelings must be
respected, if we would hope for unity and
peace"
With these facts before your eyes, I am
totally at loss to imagine how even the
extravaganza of party zeal could frame
against me SO bitter denunciation. The
whole object of my letter was to prove,
from the Bible, that in The relation of mas
ter and slave there was necessarily no sin
whatever. The sin, if there were any,
lay in the treatnpW Of the slave, and not
in the relation itself. Of course, it was
liable to abuse, as all human relations
must be. But while it was certain that
thousands OF our Christian brethren who
held slaves were treating them with kind
ness and justice, according to the Apos-
ties rule, and earnestly laboring to i'm
prove the comforts and ameliorate the
hardships of the institution, 1 held it to
be cruel and absurd charge to accuse
them as sinners against the Divine law,
when they were only doing what the Word
of God allows, under the constitution and
established code of their country.
do not know whether your band OF in-
dignant reprobationists ever saw my book,
published in 1857, but you read it,because
1 sent you copy, and I have your letter
of acknowledgement, in which, while you
dissented from some ofmy conclusions, you
did it with the courtesy of a Christian gen.
tlcman In that letter there is nothing
said about my opinions being "unworthy
of any servant of Jesus Christi and moth
ing of Indignant reprobation. But,
teng2ora mutantur, ct nos nautananr Sn
iW,S.
Yes the times areindeed sadly chang
ed, and you have changed accordingly.
For many years you met in brotherly
council with these Southern Shareholders.
You invited them to the hospitalities oi
your house, and paid them especial defer
eIce. The new light of Eastern Abol-
tionism had not yet risen within our
Church, and if you then thought as you
now think, you took excellent care that
no man amongst your Southern friends
should know it. Moreover, your favorite
Theological Seminary, only three years
ago, was the Virginia school at Alexan.
dria, raised to great prosperity by Bishop
Meade, shareholder, and | am vesy sure
that nothing at variance with my Bible
view Of slavery was taught in that institu-
tion. Yes! we may we'll say of you, as
of many others-Quaat~m mutat~s a5
lilo How changed is the Bishop of Penn
sylvania, in three years, from his former
course of conservatism, peace and Scriptu-
raj consistency!
But the Word of God has not changed |;
the doctrine of the Apostles has not chang
ed the Constitution of our country has
not changed the great standards of re-
ligious truth and real civil loyalty remain
Just as they were and I remain along
with them, Notwithstanding this bitter and
unjust assault from you and your clergy.
l do not intend to initiate your late style
of vtuperaton, for | trust that l have
learned, even when am reviled, not to
revile again. | respect the good opinion
of your clergy, and am not aware that |
have done anything to forfeit it. | re-
spect your Office, your talents. your per.
sonal character, and the wisdom and suc-
cess with which. for many years, your
Episcopate has been conducted.
) But do not respect your departure from
the old and we'll settled rule of the Church
and from the Apostolic law of Christian
fairness and courtesy. do not believe
in the modern discovery Of those Eastern
philanthrapists who deny the divinity oi
our Redeemer, and attach no importance
to the Bible except as it may suit them
selves l do not believe that the vener'
ated founders of our American Church
were ignorant of the Scriptures and blind
to the principles of Gospel mortality.
} do not belieye that WASHINGTON and his
compatriots, who framed our Constitution
with such express provisions for the rights
I of slave holders, were tyrants and despots
sinners against the law of God and thu
feelings of humanity. Blu. | do not believe
in the teaching of the inspired Apostles
and in the Holy Catholic Cor universal
Church which you and your clergy als'
: nro(oss to believo 7 EJlOy that the doc