The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-22

GL,rch. an organized body, as an In
Ci+nrIon among mankind as another
sLing: in other words, that Christ has
Sot always been rightly represented by
tSo church. The visible Church is
~composed of human elements, and
tborefore liable to make mistakes. The
Church is not infallible.
When we hold these two facts in u
mind. Christ on the one hand cannot
Ia held responsible for what the
Church has done on the other hand.
With this in mind, we might say that
the Church has been the friend OF
slavery, and bring no Just accusation
against Christ who came in the anOlnG
menU of the spirit to seteRG liberty the
captIve, and n whom there Is no bond
age, but all are free.
If this fact is kept in mind no preJu
dices will be aroused by any acCusa-
tious against the Church. Men have
controlled the Church; men have
shaped its destiny but this organized
body, imperfect as it is, making mis-
takes as 1t does, will stand up as the
representative of Christ until time shall
end. and until g perfect Christ shall
crme and take the place Of an imper
feet Church In the glory Of a second
advent.
But about the question of slavery:
you don't begin & read the Bible; GU
have gone scarcely half through IL un
til YOU find yourself IN contact with IL.
You meet with Abraham and you find
him with servants in his house, and
"born In his house." and bought with
me, ey." You find that Joseph was
sold to men for money, aud carried
and sold into Egyptian bondage. But
what was this slavery in patrlarchlal
timesP There Is not n word there
which leads US to believe that God the
Father instituted or established 1t. Ii
d sImDly recorded as a f. ct that comes /
under Derivation. God gives facts;
he acts the picture of humanity before
ma so that as the light comes from
Heaven IN ages to come the great diff
ference might ba plainly seen in the
upllfCing of humanity. God IN the be
ginning dId not teach His children to
throw off the yoke of bondage, but to
submit to it. God gave Abrahem di
rections as to how he should demeRn
himself towards the servants of his
house and promised him great reward
because he was faithful. God used
bondage, if you may so call it, to jus
tifv, to bring blessing to his people.
All things work together for good with
God and out of the sale Of Joseph God
brought blessing to HIS chosen people
10 all ages to come; and so We can not
deny it to be a fact in the patri6rchial
ages. and yet we can state that no
blame can be put upon the Fatherhood
of God, for i n the patriarchial times,
he provided for the blessing of all,
both the master and his servants.
Coming into Mosaic ages, there is no
evidence that goes to show that under
his dispensation slavery vas establish
ed, but there is all the evidence you
Wantt to show that it was recognized
as a fact. Slavery that grew from
paternal authority, and slavery for
stealing. You have got ONE OF that
now.
In this d~ispensation there was no
such slaves as existed among US with
the colOred people. When a man was
a slave he Juld go to another and sell
himself for the time, until he could
work out his bondage. If he stole he
became a slave to the one from whom
the property was taken. Girls were
sold as maid servants to men with the
view not to be slaves, but with the
view to afterwards becoming their
wives; and provisions were made I'M
der the Mosaic law which provided a
year Of jubilee for the releasing of
slaves.
Coming on to the Greeks and Ro-
mans we find slavery among them.
and yet Christianity did not throw eff
their slavery. This gospel was
preached to all classes the high classes
and the low classes, among the free
Tree was preached to all classes, and
whatever PlnGG "A man WAS ROnUpTfcn |
In he remained in that class. If he was
a Oondsman he was taught to be
o0edIent to his M aster and Paul, when
he sent back a slave to Philemon that
ne had run away, he sent him back
not as a slave-nOt as a servant, as he, |
but as a brOth' r beloved He was re
GognIzed as such in Christ Jesus.
Then comes negro slavery, as it origi-
mated IN the world more than three
hundred years ago by the Carthage
mans going into Africa and capturing
the poor negroes and carrying them
OF n trading them with other ma
tons. This same trade was taken up
by the Portuguese in the fourteenth
century, and by Spain in the fifteenth
century and when America was dis
covered In 1892. a great impetus was
given to the trade, and the trade was
encouraged by the Roman Catholic
church, under the power of which both
Portugese and Spain existed at that
time. Priests Of the Catholic church
encouraged slavery. and thus the
great controlling church, from the
tnlrd century up to the ffteen5h-the |
church that controlled the destinies of |
mankind and held the gospel within
Its grasp-encouraged slavery for all
these az, s.
No intelligent man will undertake. !
to refute this statement.
And coming on later the established
church of England reconizt d it and
encouraged 1t under that government