The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-03-02
Tf11h r1tE5BYrTr1E;R ii AND
SLAVERY.

T11h pRE5BYsTil,iE CHURCH M
SLAVERY. .
EDITOR JouRNAL. Prof. Moore'a
article in your last issue was an admira.
/ bic effort tosustain my denial Of his
i charge. I am grateful for his aid
He gives the exact wording Of his
charge, and 50 helps me. He then gives
part Of a Report that was submitted to
tho General Assembly, following this
with two resolutions for these T am
grateful. After my first article appeared
he called At my study aud gave to him
al the authorities had 90 the subject.
he Of course examined them thorough
~. BE selects the action of 1885,
I assume therefore, that this is the gerry
'oorst record he could find, and his
charge must now stand or fall by this.
That charge consists Of the followisg
points: That the. Assembly pass
ed a resolution; that resolution sane
toned slavery as a d;vine institution ;
affirmed that it (slavery) was founded
of God Himself, and plainly set forth
10 His revealed word. I suppose this
last point means that slavery is taught
in the scriptures as divine institution,
&c. Now, to prove this charge, he &C.
lects that report and the two resolu-
lions. AS he says it was resolution
will omit the report for the present.
Read the first resolution as he gives it !:
"That the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the u. s. A..
was originally organized, and has since
continued the bond OF union in the
church upon the conceded principle
(what principle? that slavery is divine
institution, founded Of God, &c.? No y
that the existence of domestic slavery
under the circumstances in which it
is found in the southern portion of our
country is (well, what is it? A divine
institution, founded Of God, 60. f? No y
is no bar to christian communion" Is
it possible that this Is the resolution
that sanctions slavery as a d;v;ne insti-
tuition, founded Of God, 60? can
not find the words 'sdivine institution,
founded of God, plainly revealed" in
it from one end to the other. It can
not possibly be this resolution it
wants every specification of the charge.
Perhaps the Professor means tho other
one. Let us look. at it: "That the
petitions that ask the Assembly to
make the holding of slaves in. itself a
matter of. discipline, do virtually re.
quire this judicatory to Ito declare sla-
very divine, God founded institution
not quite y to dissolve itself and aban-
don the organization, under which by
the divine blessing it has so long pros
pered." I refer the reader to The
JOURNAL of last week for the remain
der Of the resolution, as it Is too long to
copy. But in the whole of it there
are not to be found tho words, "sanc.
ton, divine institution, founded Of God
&C." 1t cannot be this resolution eth
er, for there are none of the points
specified in the charge found IN it. ]
will DOW give the. Professor anothe,
chance. Perhaps he means that report
instead of resolution. I assume here
that the worst thing in that report il
the part he italicised. Here it is;
"This Assembly cannot therefore de-
nounce the holding Of slaves al
necessarily heinous and scandalout
sin, calculated to bring upon the
church the curse of God" Mr.. Ed.
tor, in my simplicity I thought that
slavery was a divine institution, found
ed of God Himself, and yet I hea,
the Assembly admitting that it is sin
though not necessarily a heinous and
seaDdalcus sin. Is God the founder oil
sin !? Is sin a divine institution Does
this sanction slavery as a divine insti.
tuition, Sc?
So much for what the Professor has
done. Now word as to what he has
not done. It is rot long since he lee
tured about making earbled extracts.
I do not say that he has done so.
leave that to the reader. But in the
report, part Of which he takes, and
on the same page and in the same sec
ton (e) are these words: "Nor would
they by any means couutenance the
traffic IN slaves for the sake of gain
TIE separation of husbands and wives
parents and children, for the sake o.
filthy lucure or for the convenience o.
the master Or cruel treatment of slaves
in any respect" Sec. J. reads thus
"Nor is the Assembly to be understood
as couutenanciug the idea that MASTER
may regard their servants as mere prop
erty, and not As human beings, rational
accountable, immortal" What doe
this mean If sl.very is divine institu
ton, &c.? Now, Nj. Editor, the Pro
fessor's attempt to defend himself for
ces me to do what I would rather 20,
So far, We are both in good humor.
do not take his charge aslntending dis
: respect towards the Presbyterian Church
but simply as = matter Of history. Th
resolution. he speaks of is a part 0
history, or it Is not. If it is not, b
should not make the charge. I max,
this proposal : If he will produce tn
resolution containing the specification
Of his charge, I will acknowledge wit