Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1863-11-11

ed, and you have changed accordingly.
| For many years you have met in brotherly
council with these Southern shareholders.
You invited them TO the hospitalities of
| your house, and paid them especial defer
ence. The new light of Eastern Abolition
ism had not yet risen within our Church,
and you then thought as you now think,
! you took excellent care that no man
amongst your Southern friends should
know It. Moreover, your iavcrite Tbeo-
/ logical Seminary, only three years ago,
was the Virginia school at Alexandra,
raised 10 great prosperity by Bishop Meade
- SLa0eh0ldT-and ] am very sure that
nothing at variance with my Bible View
OF Slavery was ever taught in that institu-
tion. Yes we may well say Of YOU, as
OF many Others 9uaahm mutah@ a5 Wo -
How changed is the Bishop Of Pennsylva-
MIA in three years from his former course
OF conservatism, peace and spiritual con-
sistency.
but the word Of God has not changed
the doctrine OF the Apostles has not
changed the Constitution Of our country
has not changed; the great standards of
religious and real civic loyalty remain just
AS they were; and remain along with
them, Notwithstanding this bitter and un-
Just assault from you and your clergy. |
do not intend to initiate your late style Of
vituperalion for trust that ] have learn
ed, even when ] am reviled, not 10 revile
again. respect the good opinion of your
clergy, and am not aware that have done
anything TO forfeit it. respect your Of
/ flee, your taIents, your personal character
ana the wisdom and success with which,
for many years, your Fpiscorate has been
conducted. But | do not respect your
departure from the old and well settled
rule OF the Church, and from the Apos-
to.ic law oi Christian fairness and cour-
tesy. | do not believe in the modern dis
coyery OF those Eastern philanthropiGts
who deny the divinity of our Redeemer,
and attach no importance to The Bible
except as 1t may suit themselves. do
not believe that .he venerated founders
of our American Church were ignorant of
the Scriptures and blind 70 the principles
Of Gospel morolIty. do not believe that
i Washington and his compatriots, who
framed our Constitution with such express
provisions for the rights OF Shareholders,
were tyrants and despots-sinners against
the Law of God and the feelings of human
ity But do believe in the teaching Of
the inspired Apostles. end in the Holy
Catholic Tor uniyersal) Church, which you
ard your clergy also profess to believe
kHo,o that the doctrine Of that Church
was clear and unanimous on the laptgiacsS
Of slavery for eighteen centuries together !;
and on that point regard your protest"
and Indignant reprobstiou" as the idle
wind that passes by.
| wish you. therefore, to be advertised
that shall publish, within few months,
if a gracious Providence should spare my
life and faculties, a full demonstration of
the truth wherein stand" And ! shall
prove in that book, by the most uuques-
tionabe authorities, that slaves and slave
holders were in the Church from the be-
ginning; that slavery was held to be CON
sstent with Christian principle by the
Fathers and Councils, and b. all protest
ant divines and commentators, up to the
very close Of the last century, and that
this fact was universal among all Churches
and secls throughout the Christian world.
shall contend that our Church, which
maintains the primitive rule Of catholic
consent and ahjures all novelties, is
bound, by her very Constitution, to hold
fast the only safe and enduring rule, or
abandon her Apostolic claims, ana decend
TO the level OF those who are driven
{ about by every wind of doctrine" And
shall print your indignant reprobation"
with its list of names, in the preface 10
my book, so that if ! cannot give you
fame, may, at least, do my part TO give
you notoriety.
That the nineteenth century is n cen
tury of vast improvement and wonderful
d discovery in the arts and sciences ! grant
as willingly as any man. But in religious
truth o: reverence for the Bible, the age
in which We live is prolific in daring and
impous innovation We have seen pro
, fessedlv Christian communities divided
. and subdivided on every side. We have
, seen the rise and spread Of Universal;sm,
Millerism, pantheism, Mormonism, and
Spiritualism. We have seen even our
+ venerable Mother Church OF England
sorely agitate ed by the contagious fever OF
change, on the one hand towards super
stitution, and on the other toward iuiidel
, ratiopalism. And we have heard the in
! creasng olamor against the Bible, some
, times from the devotees of geological
speculation, sometimes from the bold de-
lAtNAo ~ an llhAANo duA llVt''NNt f''''At ~
least upon the list, from the loud-tongued
, apostles Of ant-saYery. We have marked
3 the orators which CRY down wich the
D Bible, # it maintains the lawfulness OF
slavery" We have marveled at the SEN
s ntorial eloquence which proclaimed that
s "i. was high time TO have an anti-slarerg
/ God and an auti-slavery Bible" We have
. heard the Constitution Of our country de
e nounced as a covenant with death and
{ hell" We have heard the boasted deter.
l mination that the Union shall never be
$ restored until its provisions for the pro
e lection OF slavery are entirely abolished. -
!, And what is the result of all this philan
4 throphy? The fearful judgment of Goo
has descended to ohastize these multi
f piled acts of rebellion against his divine
= tiovernment, and what the final catastro
/ phe shall be is only known to Him who
e seeth the end from the beginning.
After forty years spent in the ministry
+ more than thirty of which have been pass
a ad in the office of a Bishopy | can lool