Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-06-09
American Presbyfe rians and
Slavery.
tFfofn The n. Y. tribune, Thur,day.j

| ctaNGEIs
tfrorn the ". Y. Tribune, ThursdayI
We recently called attention to the
important resolutions on tho Slavery ones.
ton which we're passed by the General Con
ference OF the Methodist Episcopal Church.
and which, before the lapse Of another wear,
VIII exurpate slaveholding in the largest
rotestant Nhurch OF the country. As the
Methodist Episcopal Church has a yery
numerous membership in all the Border
Slave States, and has more recently estab.
llshed numerous missions in all the recover.
ed Rebel States, the effect Of this change
10 her Constitution cannot but be marLaJ
A series Of resolutions, no less importan,
aud indicative of the radical change which
the sentiments Of this country has under.
gone during the last four years in regard TO
Slavery. has just been passed by the Gen
erai Assembly Of the Old-School presby-
terlan Church. No one among the great
religious denominations Of the United State.
had more completely abandoned the Anti
Slavery position which at the beginning of
this century all the churches of the country
occupied; none, at the beginning of the
Rebellion, seemed more ready to grant any
concession which it might please the Slave
Power to demand. Its adoption therefore,
OF the strong though not prohibitory reso-
lutions against Slavery, is the more note
worthy.
The declaration Of the General Assembly
was prompted by an overture from ,be
Presbytery Of Newton, which asked for sucb
action as would meet the present position
Of the Slavery question. 1t was presented
BY the Hon. Stanley Matthews. formerly a
leading Democrat Of Ohio, and Dis,iiot.
Attorney during the Presidency of Buchan.
an; and. in its Introductory part, gives a
sueeint historical review of the action of
former General Assemblies. To the reojer
OF these testimonies, it must appear almost
Incredible that Church that adhered 30
strongly to Anti-Slavery declarations. could.
without censare, permit some of her most
prominent divines, like DR.. Thornwell and
u. Palmer, to advocate the most ultra Pro /
Slavery views. The strongest of these
Antl.Slavery testimonies is that given by
the General Assembly of 1918. The dele.
gates OF that Assembly, including those
from Georgia and South Carolina, solemnly
declared that they onsidered 1.-THE voluD.
tary enslavlng OF one portion OF the human |
race oy another as gross violation of the |
most precious and sacred rights Of human |
nature; as utterly incompatible with the law
OF God which requires US to love our neigh
bors as ourselves, and as totally irreconoils. |
ble with the spirit and principles of the |
Gospel OF Christ, which enjnins that AL |
things whatsoever ye would that men shsuld |
do to you, oye even 80 to them. ," They, .
therefore, declared il to be "msuifestlv the ,
duty OF all Christians who enjoy the light /
OF the present day, when the inconsistency |
OF Slavery both with the dictates of hu.
manity and OF religion has been demonstra-
ted, and is generally seen and acknowledged, ;
to use their honest, earnest and unwearied
endeavors to correct the errors of former |
times, and as speedily as possible TO efface |
this blot on our holy religion, and TO obtain |
the complete abolition of Slavery through
out Christendom, and, if possible, through.
out the world. They, in fine, earnestly
exhorted those portions of the Church |
where the evil of Slavery had been en,ailed /
upon them, to continue and. if possible, to |
increase their exertions to effect a total abo- |
lltlon Of Slavery" Such was the position |
OF the churches of South Carolina and
Georgia in 1918. In 1860 the leaders of
Southern society, including the leading
Presbyterian clergymen, attempted to
found a new Confederacy, with Slavery as
Its corner stone.
The report of 1884 cautiously refers to this
astounding transition by merely remarking.
We have all much to confess and lament Al
to our shortcomings in this respect" Tt
then goes on to define the present septi.
ments OF the Church. 1T is eurjudgment,"
1t says, that the recent events of eur his.
tory and the present condition of our church
and country furnish manifest tokens that
the time has at length come in the Proyi-
dcnce of God, when it is His will that every |
vestige of human Slavery among us should |
be etfaced, and that every Christian man
should address himself with industry and |
earnestness to his appropriate part in the |
performance OF this great duty" They |
declare that those who were most deeply |
interested in the perpetuation of Slavery |
have takena away every motive forits "futher
federation" and that they ''have rendered
the continuance of negro Slavery incom-
patible with the preservation Of our own
liberty and Independence.
Still more remarkable than the report itself
we're the debates on it, Although there
were delegates PRESENT from Prcsbyteries in
Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the !
District of Columb bia, beside many Northern
delegates whe in years past had always been
regarded as ultra Democratic, no speech was
made, not even vote cast, against it. 1t
will appear in the records of Church as
a declaration passed with entire unanimity. !
Though the Assembly did not follow the
example of the Mcthodists in providing
against the possibility of another apostacy /
of the slayeholding congregations, by exclud- |
ing shareholders from the church altogether, |
We take note of the report and the debate |
as remarkable sign of the times. .rtt