New-York daily tribune., 1865-09-30
THE SLAVE POWER AND THE
SOUTHERN CHURCHES.


SOUTHERN CHURCHES.
An interesting pamphlet has just been pub
lished in this city, consisting Of Two Sermons
Preached in the Methodist Church in Newman,
Georgia, by the Pastor, the Rev. John ii. Cald-
well. A. NJ. of the Georgia Conference. The
author is a South Carolinian by birth, has been
himself STAKEHOLDER, and for more than 20
years a member Of the Georgia Conference OF
the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He
has always been in good standing in his Con-
ference, and prominent men in the Southern
Church who radically differed from his views
on church poty and Slavery have given the
highest testimony to his personal character.
The sermons recently published here were de-
liyered by Mr.. Caldwell to his congregation at
Newman, Georgia on the llth and 18th of
June The first treats of the "Abuses of
Slavery" and the second of the Slavery Con-
fct and its effect upon the Church" The aim
of both is to show that the Southern Methodist
Church has allowed herself more and more TO
be oyerawed by the slave power; that she, in
the course of time, has abandoned the anti
Slavery principles which She still proicssed at
the time Of the great separation in lSii; that
she became an accomplce in the sins Of the
slave power, and that God has now destroyed
Slavery because of the moral evils inherent
in the system which the South would not re-
move"
Mr.. Caldwell distinguishes with regard to
Slavery three different principles: Aboltionism,
pro-Sayeryism, and anti-Slayerylsm, or Con-
servatism. Aboitionism, he says, regards all
saveholding as sin. The pro-Slayery principle
regards Slavery as a righteous institution,
which, as such ought to be perpetuated. Con-
scryative anti-Slaveryism, like Aboltionism,
may regard Slavery as a sin in itself, but inthis
case it does not propose, like Abotionism,
measures that are harsh, unjust, or inexpedent
for the e1tirpation of Slavery. Or it may hold
that Slavery is not of necessity a moral evil in
itself, but at the same time declare against what
is immoral in the practice. To the latter class
of what he calls Conservative anti-Slavery men
Mr.. Caldwell avows himself to belong, and he
contends that this class included at the time of
separation the main body Of the Methodist min
istry in the South.
Mr.. Caldwell has no sympathy whatever with
Abolitonsm in Church or State. He frankly
admits that he still abhors "both the principles
and the measures" Yet, from astandpoint which
we regard rs altogether erroneous, he argues
with great power that the institution of Slav-
cry has been surrounded by laws so unchristian
and so revolving as to fully merit its utter
destruction. He traces the rise of the slave
power and shows that il crushed out the anti
Slavery sentiment i'll Southern society and in
the Southern Church. 1t was not until 1855.
or fourteen years after the separation, that the
Southern Methodist Church, to satisfy the slave
power expungcd the anti.Slayery rule in its
discipline.
Though not agreeing with Mr.. Cadwells views
on Slavery, we hail his sermons as the first sign
that the people of the South will reclaim the right
of every American freeman to discuss frankly all
moral, political and social questions, including
Slavery and the slave power. We only demand
the fullest protection of this right, and we have
no shadow of doubt that, in the course of time
South Carolina and Georgia will become as
sound on the negro question as Massachusetts,
and Vermont.
But from present indications this right will
not be rcconquercd without many hard combat
Mr.. Caldwell, who has been one of the first to
claim il, has had to pay dearly for the attempt.
Moderate as his views son Slavery are, consistent
as he showed them to be with the views held by
the whole Southern Methodist Church some
twenty years ago, nc was at once, Oh the COM