Year: 1859

Another fallacy which has taken a firm hold
upon many minds both in the Church and out Of
it, is that because there but fe,o slareS IN tie
Church. therefore she is neither guilty Of nor respon-
sible for siaoeholdin9. We do not say, in answer
70 this fallacious idea, that the Church, by her
members, is guilty Of expressing as many men and
women, when her members hold but few, as
though they held many slaves. The question Of
many or few slaves held by members of the
Church, is not really the question. The real
question is, does she pursue course which
tolerates or sanctions slavery in instance,
and thereby ,adopts principle2 We are
aware that buf tew can be found who will deny
that the letter of our Discipline is not against
lslasery now. But what does that avail, while her
action, the very power by which she enforces the
right or wrong-the power which makes principle
effective, because it makes it active allows it to ex-
ist and even resists the reproois that are urged
against it by the almost ceaselsss cry, "why this
ado why so much fuss ? why this rending of the
Church, when there is only a lille slavery among
us2"


Suppose this is the case, suppose there is only
one Slape held by member of the Church, and the
case of that slave is brought to the notice Of the
authorities for adjudication, and they refuse to
hear the appeal or hearing it, admit the injustice
done, and yet refuse to redress the wrong of the
injured one, who needs to be told that that silence
and indifference IS a sanction of I'M ustice done,
especially while the doer Of the wrong still re-
mains in fellowship with those authorities? 1t is
the recognition of principle, which, il allowed to
oppress one man, may, by the same rule oppress
twenty men, or twenty thousand, or twenty million
1t is questi, n of right and wrong which, when
settled, if it be wrong, we have no more right to
tolerate towards man than towards mil
lion of men. Accordingly, the Savior did not say,
inasmuch as ye have done it to a multitude OF
these my brethren, "But inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one Of the least Of these my brethren, Zone
of tie least Of Mem) ye have done it unto me-
John Hampden could have paid the ship money
which was levied upon him and saved himself and
the government and the courts great deal OF
trouble But John Hampden an English citi-
zen; be reasoned, if submit to this injustice, it
will be laid upon others, it will fall upon another
generation the government will be more and
more corrupted by impuni'y in evil doing by
tamely submitting, sanction this crime against
my neighbor and against the nation, lie could
not submit because it WAS only single act; the
falacy could not blind him to his duty. lie
did not submit. and great principle was gained to
the English people, and another sturdy pillar be-
cause pillar of justice, was added to the English
throne.


Thus should be with every member of the
Church oil our bases should proceed upon ques-
tions of right; we should remember that that 10 the
essence of purity, and that the foundations of the
Church are firmly laid only they are laid in pur-
ity. She cannot be Indifferent supine over
wrong feature in her doctrine her government or
the practice of one Of her members, without haz-
arding in the course of time the whole structure
Such an error. however SMALL is like the little crew
ice in the embankment, which, if let alone, will,
in time bring the whole lake or river in ruinous
Good over all the adjacent country 1t is like the
deviation of a second in the revolution of planet
around its centre. which, in time would cut all the
Lines of attraction, and leave il to wander wild in
space and darkness. A rule which would crush
my neighbor, would crush me under the same cir
cumstances. The rule which will allow me to be
Indifferent to the misery and wrongs of one man,
will allow me to DO Indifferent to the misery and
wrongs of all fhen. Suppose it were your child
that is the slave, and that child was held by mem
ber of the Church to which you belonged, and that
you should appeal to the existing authorities of
that Church for redress. Would you 30 satisfied
were the General Assembly, or the General Con
ference, to tell you there was only one child IN
slayery-that it was unreasonable for you to make
50 much ado and distract the whole Church, by
your misplaced estimate of the real condition of
that child-that pressing this matter 80 trifing in