The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-01-27

|
YOU and ourselves. If this is no chiueri.
Cal apprehension, then your agents have
assumed very grave responsibility in
promoting these divisive measures in the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In relation to your views about the
establishment of an African church en-
tirely disconnected either from the North
ern or Southern Presbyterian Church,
there is some diversity of opinion among
ourselves. When the Knox Presbytery
assumed this position, and issued its pro-
clamation accordingly, many Of our peo'
pie regarded the experiment with inter-
est. 1t was thought that problem of
great interest to the African race in this
country might be wrought out by the
experiment. But the purpose had scarce
ly been proclaimed, when it was aban-
doned, by the Presbytery itself seeking
admission into your General Assembly.
My own impression is, that these peo-
pie are not yet prepared to stand alone.
Separate them from the whites and give
them Church to themselves, and the
great danger will be that they will
not only lose sight of the great and
fundamental principles of evangelical re-
ligion, but they will, in comparatively
short period, land in outright heathenism.
This is no unfounded apprehension
There are already unmistakable evidences
of this tendency among those of the
blacks who have detached themselves
from their former church connexions,
and no one can tell where they will land
unless more powerful restraints are i'm
posed upon them than exist at present.
But even if there were no just cause for
this apprehension, where is the use or
propriety of building up wall of sepa-
ration between those whom the Saviour
evidently intended to belong to the same
spiritual household? If the colored peo.
pie would only submit to such prudential
regulations as their peculiar circum-
stances evidently demand, land, if left to
themselves, they would never object to
such regulations, there would be no diff
ficulty whatever about their worshipping
with the whites. At the same time, they
would derive great advantage from the
kind care that would be exercised over
them in this important relationship
Indeed, it is the very thing that they
need above all others at the present time,
and any attempt to separate them looks
like direct resistance to q clear and
manifest providence.
You have asked my views, as 1 under
stand your letter, as to the best mode by
which your Church and people can coop
crate in the great work of enlightening
and improving the condition of the freed
men. would not have thought of OBJ
truding those views on your attention, if
they had not been so kindly asked. You
will, of course, expect me to use great
candor in expressing those views, even
if they should not be entirely coincident
with your own. Those views may be
summed up in single remark, viz, that
I regard the Southern Church as the
chief agency appointed By Providence for
the accomplishment Of this great object,
and that the Northern Church and people
can cooperate an no soay more efectually
than through the medium of that Church.
The course pursued by your own Board
of Foreign Missions for promoting the
cause of evangelical religion in Papal
Europe, is precisely the course, as it
seems to me, which you should adopt to
promote evangelical religion among the
freedmen of the South. That Board
rightly judged that the best agents that
could be employed in their work were
the native Christians of the country !;
and hence they never sent agents Of
American birth to labor there, but fur
nished the means to employ those that
were on the ground, and to whom the
language of the country was vernacular.
Differences not less marked exist between
Northern men, who have none but the
oretcal knowledge of the African char
acter, and Southern men, who have been
familiar with the race all their lives -
You have the means, but not the agents
suited to the work. We have the men,
but not the means. Your people have
but little practical acquaintance with the
African race; our people have not only
been familiar with them all their lives,
but they have beeu greatly blessed by
bringing multitudes of them to the knowl-
edge of the Saviour. In your Second
Annual Report, you intimate that many
of YOUR most effective ministers are de-
TERED from engaging in the work from
fear of losing their standing with the
Northern churches. We labor under no
such disadvantages. No minister here
is afraid of losing caste by laboring for
the blacks. On the other hand, he is
more esteemed for it. But l will not