The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-08-23
WILL AND TESTAMENT OF PRESIDENT
EDWARDS.

The Pniladelphis Presbyterian has the
following;
1.-THE last will and testament Of Jonathan
Edwards, the great divine, was published IN the
BiJLOtheca Sdcra for July. In the Inventory
is found negro boy named Titus, valued at $50
We place this stone conveniently, for the Central
Presbyterian to shy at Faneuil Hall and all
New England occasionally"
We knew long ago that President Ed
wards, one Of the best men that ever lived,
was a stakeholder; and so were thousands of
the most pious and intelligent people in New
England. They sold these bond-servants to
SOusherners, because it cost the master more
10 feed and rear them than their labor was
worth. I'VE commend to the Presbyterian
a magazine Of facts on this point, in work
published about ten years ago by certain
Mr.. Moore-himself a New Euglander.)
Those good men never discovered the sin of
holding or dispOsing of their slaves. Why
should they? since Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob did the same-and all aader the
sanction of the divine lar ! If, among the
oriental explorations in Palestine ard else,
where, the last will and testament of any OF
those worthy Patriarchs should turn up,
there is hardly doubt the Presbyterian will
find an "inventory of this part of their
estate. The New Englanders of the present
day consider themselves as having settled in
the court of conscience for all the money
and estates they thus inherited. They have
taken these old bills of sale in one hand, and
by the other they sent years ago to the
Southerner lecture or tract on the enOr-
nous sin of holding property in man, and
so the account vas squared.
There are stones, therefore, which one, if
so disposed, may "shy" sat Faneuil Hall, and
all New England, occasionally" But really
we do not trouble our spirit much about that
region. 1t is far of for one thing; and then
we feel towards the folks there good deal
as the old woman did about her husband,
when she complained to the Justice of his bad
treatment. After hearing her story, and
suspectiHg the fault was not all on one side,
he kindly advised her to 60 back, and try the
Christian method Of heaping Goals Of fire on
his head "0l DEAR she answered, otis
no use; I ve tried bilin water three tines,
and 1t didn't do a bit of good"
We beg the Presbyterian to consider that
there are plenty of stones which we are un-
der the necessity of "shying" occasionally
at things nearer home. If our contemporary
will glance at the records of it's Assemblies
from 1861 to 1866, it cannot fail to see some
things between those years, and on this same
subject of slavery, suited to mortify all right
minded people. We may refer, as exam
pies, TO the amazing perversion of the we'll
known truth of history in that elaborate pa
per drawn in 1868 by Judge Stanley Mat
thews, of 0aio; aud to the action of 1856 s.
which, in part related to the same genera
subject. Tnis paper of 1865, actually made
the adoption Of that new-faDgled opinion oil
the Assembly condition of membership for
Southern Presbyteriaus. And then, as il
this were not enough, they rejected prOpO
sal to apply the same discipline to members
of their own csa-ches who held the same
vieBs-the reason, as assigned by one of the
prominent speakers, being this, viz: that ii
Vould produce trouble! Wejudge that when
the Presbyterian comes to those pages ii
feels shy"