The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1868-12-09
Ceaseless Misrepresentation.

A late number of the Plymouth Pulpit con-
tains a sermon by the Rev. Mr.. Beecher, or
the text, "We, then, that are strong ought tc
bear the in6rmities of the weak. He might
have derived at least one lesson from that
scripture, viz that the victorious North, pop
ulous and rich in all material resources, should
cease depressing and vituperating the unre-
sisting and helpless South, but Mr.. Beecher'
magnanimity and Christian charity did not
lead him to such an inference.
1t did lead him, however, at the close of his
sermon, to introduce to his congregation me-
gro by the name of Matthews. He invited him
to the platform, that he might inform the au-
dience what the colored people were doing for
themselves. Mr.. Beecher closed his sermon
by saying, " You may believe every word he
says, for | know he is all right.
Accordingly Matthews, thus endorsed, made
an address to the Plymouth people, in the
course of which he said, that when their min
listers saw the deplorable spiritual condition of
the blacks in the South, and their utter ignO-
rance of the elements of Christianity, they de-
termined that purer Gospel should be
preached there, for, said he " In many OF
the Southern States they had no Church priri-
leqes at ALL In others, they were permitted
to occupy the loft in the white churches, and
at the close Of the minister discourse he
could address few words to his black hearers.
No matter what text the sermon had been
based upon, the text from which he spoke to
the colored people would always be, Servants,
obey your masters, telling them that if they
would only obey the superior will of some one
else, no matter tohat that aoW ,oaS, they might
possibly get into some corner of Heaven; but
even of this there was no absolute certainty.
They were taught nothing of the importance
of Christian character, &C., &c.
Now our readers may say, what is the use
of attaching any Importance to what is said
and done in the Plymouth Church? Does any
one expect fairness, and justice, and candor
there
That is not the point 1t happens to be a
fact that Mr.. Beecher breaches to a much
larger number of hearers than any minister on
this continent From the pulpit, and through
the press which scatters his sermons all over
the land, he comes in contact with more minds
than any other minister in America. A man
thus situated is obliged by the necessities Of
his position to be power for good or evil
And we regard it as one of the things to be de
plored by all who regard the honor and inter-
ests of Christ's Kingdom that man occupy
ing such position should abuse it to the dis
semiuation of error, and to keeping alive the
animosities which have so long prevailed be-
tween the Northern and Southern people.
Nowif it would not have served the purpose of
Matthews to tell the plain truth in Mr.. Beech
er's pulpit, why was he permitted, unrebuked,
to state the most astounding falsehoods I?
When he said that in many of the Southern
States the cOlored people had no Church prir-
deqes at all, did he not utter what Mr. Beech
er knew to be untrue?
In erery Southern State there were chapels
on some of the larger plantations built for their
special use, and where this was not the case,
seats in the gallery or on the floor of the church,
as comfortable as those occupied by the whites,
were appropriated to their use while in every
State some of the most pious, learned and
Jealous of our ministers devoted, some of them
their whole lives and all of them a portion of
their time, to the religious instruction of the
colored people.
For more than twenty years the writer of
this article has been in the habit of preaching
to the negroes and attending meetings con-
Quoted by other ministers for their benefit,
and in all that time he aerer once preached or