Year: 1859

BALTIMORE, MD., Aug. .. 1850.


"Call no man master; for one is your master
even Christ and all ye are bre,hereu"--even the
black cunuch. This text, l take it, is high au-
thority for the brotherhood and the equality of
man. and addressed by our Lord to his dsci-
Piles as part of his letter of Instructions given to
them and their successors guide forever. |
am glad it is in his directions to his followers
one Of the things they were to 'leGrn of him
Tor now, we can judge for ourselves of the duties
Of ministers on that all-mportant and exciting to-
pic-human slavery, And when men ''stand in
holy places and have not the spirit that maEeth
free indeed" we can invite them out and say with
divine sanction let thou thy betters in.


Perhaps sir, it is familiar to YOU that preachers
lat least of the Methodist Denomination) whose
Church is made up of lUing ,oorShjperS Of 'rhHe
and Glack, never call member Of African decent
brother or sister. but only by the worldly sobri-
quet of friend" or John or Mary; or If talking to
them collectively, "asar colored friends or good
coored people" Why is this? Is it because mas
ters of ebon flesh and blood haze ensaved Mei"
THE preachers) souls. l fear so. This may seem
to be a small matter, but to a religious mind |





for it is helping to debase temple fitted for the
"indwelling of the Holy Ghost" For be it ever
borne in mind thar God condecends as much when
he visits aud regenerates the of the most gi-
gantic intellect, and princely wealth. rs when he
touches with live coal from the altar" the dark,
unlettered soul Of the con emned and hapless ne
gro, reeking in the degradation from which his
masteI will not let him rise. Ministers of the
Gospel beware beware and lend not yourselves
to the debasement Of the souls of men


But sir I do not demand Pulpit agitation in
the Southern States yet. / only ask ministers to
bear personal. bold and manly testimony against
it in their private capacity as Christian men, and
by no means to pander to it in the Pulpit by prea-
ching against Aboltionsm or any other ism that
looks to the elevation Of our race-even though it
should BE the negro branch Of it-fOr call yc are
brethern." My reasons for not demanding Pulpit
agitation are; that it would create excitement and
bad blood, because the mud stills" Mr.. Ham
mona calls all the laborng people, are not inior-
med at all On the mater, and would take their
'cue" from that other class that leads to civiliza-
ton and refnementand who always m Ike and con-
troll public sentiment where free schools and Libra
res are scarce and crouching slave men and women
plenty; and because reasoning with a mob is ''cas
ting pearls before swine" But let them win their
hearts to God by kindly admonition and exhorta-
tions and then argue with them in their homes as
Saint Paul did to Philemon, telling them to treat
black people mot now servants but as breth-
ern," and let the preacher not forget to set the
example.


But sir instead of the course being pursued
have indicated or anything like it, they take the
opposite course and help to rivet stronger the
fetters OF the slave. l heard sermon in the
country few weeks ago, in which the Preacher
said it was his decided opinion that slavery had
better be let alone. it did good to talk about it,
ard preachers ought not to do so with that any
political question. suppose sir, if political par
ty was to arise advocating a law to grant prem
iums to the greatest drunkards. this mah-Jearing
minister of the righteous God would cry let il
alone it is politics. suppose he will so cry out
to his congregation let alone the Sunday ques-
ton," touch not. do not agitate it, it is politics
God grant that the Church may soon spue out
such tme-servsrs and aiders of diabolism, and
may the ministry soon be as free as it was in the
days of the apostles Yours.


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