North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-09-02

1
that would leave his hearers to infer that
Bishop Hopkins had said something different.
He then said that African slavery coul have
no connection with the curse pronouced upon
Canaan or they were not his descendants.
However true this may be, We know that 1t
has been quite common with ministers to re
fer to this institution as a fuitilment of the
Scriptures in this respect. Many Of your
leaders will iecollect that the Rev.
Mr.. Wyatt, occupying as high apossitlon
III the NJ E. church as the Rev. Elder
himself in Sermon in Moneypenny's mill. IN
proving the authenticity of the Scriptures
placed great weight upon the existence oi
African slavery as fultiIlment of this curse
Bishop Hopkins did not however affirm that
| the African is the descendant of Clnaan
| 1t was not material to the ISSUE. The
question he was discussing was, whether
:" it is a moral eviI-a positive SIN to hold a
human being in bndagc." For this purpose
it was sufficient to show that any portion OF
dition. That they were the elder himself
tacitly if not expressly conceded. Well
now. what did the Bishop say? He first
Quotes the language of the curse or predIc-
ton, and thus notices the immediate oc
cason of this remarkable prophecy" TO wit,
" the heartlcss irreverence which Ham, the
father of Canaan, had displayed toward his
eminent parent, whose piety had jnst savet
him from the deluge." He invariably speaks
Of the curse as being pronounced upon ;he
posterty of Ham. This the elder conceded,
and thus all this huIlabaloo about mlsquot
ing and Misrepresentation vanishes into thin
air. 1t is most miserable repetition OF t he
farce of " stop thief"
Of piece with this were his remarks up
on the term of servtude among the Hebrews
repeating in part, jast what the Bishop had
said. but failing entirely to notice the dis
tinction bet ween the "temp 'rary servItude
of the lsraelte and the perpetual bondage o.
the heather race" We coull but pity the
man, tha, he had not more carefully read
either the Bishops letter on this pulnt or his
Bible. Here ag ain if he did not so state IN
terms, he evidently intended that his hear
ers should understand that Hopkins had de-
med that the servitude of the ISraelites was
temporary, declaring most vehenentIy
that 1t 1ras, just as if Bishop Hopkins did
not say the sam- thing, but failed to notice
what either the Bishop or the Bible said OF
the perpetual bondage Of the heataen. Thi S
may be very fne," bnt certainly it is no,
very fair; and if he had not apoIogized for il
by saying that he had only partially read
the Bishops letter, we should say 1T was not
very honest.
What next2 Why the Bishnp in con
trasting the conduct OF Christ, who lived in
the very midst Of slavery, with that Of the
ultra ahplitonist of the present day, says,
that He openly rebukei the sanctimonous $
PhariseeS )" "spared not the wealthy inf
del Sadducees;"" denounced the hypocritical
ScrIbes >" called tho royal Herod that
fox regardless of the kings dlspleasure
censures severely the Jewish practice of di
that they are the children of the devil makes
scourge of small cords, and drives the buyers
and sellers out of the temple and while he
| thus rcbukes the sin of all around him, and
and speaks with divine authority, he pro-
clairus himself The special friend aud patron
of the poor, heals their diseases, partakes OF
their humble fare, and, passing by the rich
and the great, chooses his apostles frog the
| publicans and the fi,hermen of Galilee,
and yet while thus living in the midst Of
slavery. maintained over the old heathen
races, in accordance with the Mosaic law, he
uttered not one word aga inst it, But how
doesthis model Elder, ,whohas concluded at last
to hang out his sign and preach aboIltlonism
for the reason that people know that he is an
abolitionist any way, endeavor 10 ward off the
shaft tha, is thus so accurately leveled against
hm2 Why, he says" Christ did not saw a
word about it," So said the Bishop. or, in
very words: G. He did not aUude 10 il
| at aU," Truly there are none So dumb as
the willfulIy blind. And if the Elder per
sists in not finding the point in the Bishops
argument the paint vii! persist as obstInately
in finding him Well may the Bishop ex :.
claim, " woe to our union when the blind be-
come the leaders of the blind" andwhen such
nonsense is quoted as very fine'
The Rev'd Elder then followed with some
thing about purchasing with money among
the Hebrews not implying property as un-
derstood by us, that was not understood by
many of his audience, if by any, or even by
himself fit was meant to be und rstood,
we suppose there is no improperly in ask
ing for information on the subject.
1t was however when the elder came to
speak of Bishop Hopkins criticisms on the
Declaration of independence, that he waxed
Il l..