Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-10-23
Reply to Bi.hop Porter, Protest.

To THE RI REv. ALoSzo Porter. D. D.. Bisu-
OP OF TIE DIOCESE OF PENSsYLvANIA.-IuE
BIBLE VIEW OF SLAVERY.
have seen, with great amazement, protest
against my letter on the Bible View Of Slave
ry,'' signed by you and long let Of your cl.r-
", in which You condemn II a. ''usgJrtll OF
any SerrdHf Of Jesus thrist.' a. ian effort 10
sustain, on Bible principles, the States ia rebol-
lion against the government III the wicked at
tempt 10 establish. by force Of arms, tyranny
in the name Of a republic, whose cornerstone
shall be the perpetual bondage Of the African, 80
and as such you say that 1t challenges your
indignant appreciation.
Now my right reverend brother, | am sorry
to be obliged to charge you, not only with a
gross insult against your senior, but with the
more serious offence of false accusation. My
letter WAS first published in January, 1861,
more than three mouths before the war began,
at a time when no one coul snticip tie the firm
Of government which the Suu,heru States shou
adopt, or the course winch Congress might take
in reference 10 their secession And when [
consented to its republication, did not suppose
that II would be used in the ser ice Ct any Do
ltical party, although had no right 10 CON-
plain, if il were 50 used, because the letter
once published, became public property. But
in its present form there is nothing whatever in
IT which bears on the question Of rebellion, -
or Of the perpetual bondage Of the African"
or ola tyranny under the name Of a republic"
Of which slavery should be the corner-stonc.''
On the contrary, | referred. on the last page to
my lecture published in Buffalo, in lo5U and
to my book callel The American Citizen, -
published in New York in 1857. where II set
forth the same views on the subject Of slavery,
adding, however, plan for its gradual ADOLF
tioR, whenever the South should consent, and
the whole strength Of the government could all
in its accomplishment" Sooner or later - |
added, Il believe that some measure Of that
character must be adopted But il belongs to
the slave States themselves to take the lead in
such a movement. And meinwile { ieir legd
rights and their natural feelings must be rts pee
ted, if we would hope for unity and peace
With these facts before your eyes, am totally
at a loss to imagine how even the eKtravagtnc
Of party Zeal could frame against me so butter 4
Remuneration. The whole object Of my letter
was to prove, from the Bible. that in the r,la-
ton of master and slave there was necess Irly no
sin whatever. The sin, if there was any, lay N
the treatment of the slave, and not in tine r,lt-
ton itself OF course, 1t was liable TO aause, As
all human relations must be, but while II WIS
certain that thousands Of our Christ an brrth-
ern who hel slaves were treating them with
kindness and justice, according to the Apes les
rule, and earnestly ldboring TO improve me cont
forts and amelOrate the harlships Of the institu-
ton, 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 allowed under the Constitution and e.
tablished code Of their country.
do not know whether your band OF indi--
nant reprobationists ever saw my book, puD-
lished in 1857, but you read it, because sent
you a copy, and have your letter Of acknowl-
edgement, in which, while you dissentei from
some of my conclusions, you lid it with the
courtesy OF a Christian gentlemen. In that let
ter there is nothing said about my opinions be-
ing unworthy of any servant Of Jesus Christ
and nothing of Indignant reprobation.' But,
tempora mutdRfuT, ct nos mEidmur in Ills.
Yes the times are indeed sadly changed and
you have changed accordingly. For many years
you have met in brotherly council with these
Southern Shareholders. You invited them TO the
Inequalities of your house. and paid them es-
pecial Difference. The new light Of Eastern alb
olitionisln had not yet risen in our Church, and
if you then thought you now think, you took
excellent care that no men amongst your South
ern friends should know il. Moreover, your Ia
vorite Theological Seminary ,ony three years ago,
was the Virginia school at Alexandra, raised to
great prosperity by Bishop Meade, Il Shareholder,
and | am very sure nothing at variance with
my Bible view Of slavery was taught in that in
stitufion Yes ! we may well saw of you as Of
many others-Quantum nutatus a6 iilof How