The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1863-10-14


to the principles of Gospel mortality.
do not believe that Washington aud his
compatriots, who framed our Constitution
with such express provisions for the rights
of slave holders, were tyrants and despot,.
sinners against the law of God and the
feelings of hun auity. But do not believe
in the teaching of the inspired Apostles.
and in the Holy Catholic Cor uniyersan
Church which you and your clergy also
profess to believe. k,,o,c that the doc
trine of that Church was clear and unani-
nous on the la,cfslaess of slavery for
eighteen centuries together; and on that
point regard your protest and sTn-
dignant reprobation' as the idle wind thas
passes by.
1 wish you, therefore to be advertised,
that | shall publish. within few months
If a gracious Providence should spare nv
life and faculties, full demonstration of
the truth "wherein stand." And I shall
prove in that book, By the most unques.
tionable authorities, that slaves and slave
holders were in the church from beginning:
that slavery was held to be consistent with
Christian principle by the Fathers and
Councils, and by all Protestant divines and
commentators, up to the very close of the
last century, and that this fact was uni
versal among all Churches and sects
throughout the Christian world. I shall
C ontend that our Church, which maintains
the primitive rule of catholic consent and
abjures all novelties, is bound by her very
Constitution, to hold fast that only safe
and enduring rule, or abandon her Apos-
tolic claims, and descend to the level of
those who are "driven abou! by every wind
of doctrine" And shall print your
indignant reprobation, with its list of
names, in the preface to my book, SO that
if cannot give you fame, | may, at least,
do my part to give you notoriety.
That the nineteenth century is ceDlu-
ry of vast improvement and wonderful dis.
covery in the arts and sciences, grant as
willingly as any man But in religions
truth or reverence for the Bible, the age
in which We live is prolific in daring and
impicus innovation. We have seen pro-
fessedly Christian communities divided and
subdivided on every side. We have seen
the rise and spread of Universalisin, Mil
ierism, Pantheism, Mormonism and Spirit
ualism. We have seen even our venerable
Mother Church of England sore1y agitated
by the contagious fever of change on the
one hand towards superstition, and on the
other towards infdel rationalism. And
we have heard the increasing clamor
against the Bible, sometimes from the de-
votees of geological speculation, sometimes
from the bold dcniers of miracles and
prophecy, and, not least upon the lit,
from the loud-tongued apostles OF anti
slavery. We have marked the orators
which cry "Down with the Bible. if it
maintains the lawfulness ofslayery." We
have marveled at the senatorial eloquence
which proclaimed that lit was high time
to have an auti-slaverv God and an anti
slavery Bible'' We have heard the Con-
stitution of our country denounced as ga
covenant with death and hell" We have
heard the boasted determination that the
Un'on shall never be restored until its pro-
visions for the protection of slavery are
utterly abolished. And what is the result
of all this new philanthropy The fear
full judgement of God has descended to
chastise these multiplied acts of rebellion
against His divine Government. and what
the final catastrophe shall be is only
known to Him who seeth the end from the
beginning.
After forty years spent in the ministry
more than thirty of which have passed in
the office of Bishop, l can look back
with humble thaBkfulness to the Giver of
all good for this, at least that all my best
labors have been directed to the preserva-
ton of the Church from the inroads of
doctrinal innovation. At my ordination
promised $50 to minister the DOCTRINE
and sacraments and discipline of Christ.
as the Lord hath commanded, and as this
Church has TeCeiUed the san1e''-and GER
tain it is that ''this Church had not re-
ceived the modern doctrine of ultra -Abo-
litionism at that time, as | trust she never
will receive it, because its contrary to the
Sacred Scriptures. | also promised "witb
all faithful diligence to Danish and drive
away from the CHURCH all erroneous and
strange doctrines contrary to Gods Word"
and | made those promises in the true
sense which the venerable Bishop White,
my Ordaner attached to them believed
then, as he believed, that our Southern
brethern committed uo sin in having slaves
and that they were men of as much piety