Year: 1865

Nv" NV i''use W biehops ool olJolutIy uskeu
God to crown the efforts Of the govern
Lncnt With speedy aud complete success -
heso houses were now requested to re-
urn thanks to God by the very spirit Of
that resolution then adopted. He desired
to remove from The Church the stigma
which would attach to her If sbo forgot to
thank God for the fulfllmcut of her pray,
crs.


In referring to the message which had
been received from Canada, the speaker
was interrupted by Rev. Ed. Y. Higbee,
D. D., Of New York, who said


81 deny that there is specified any
cause for the gentleman remarks" He
aGded that that noble letter received from
Canada, had not meddlcd with our aft irs


DR.. Vinton continued =. If it was c)n-
tended by those who would not vote for
the resolutions before the House, that that
letter did refer to slavery, shen there was
no cause for putting it under our feet
This House, in session three years ago.
had offered up prayer to God that he
would extend His authority, and bring our
Souther brethren 10 be OF better mind -
lie had done so and the Canadian
Church had sent their congratulations


Hon. Washington Hunt, Of NV York,
responded, and expressed his desire to
enter biz NEST solemn protest against the
attempt about to be made to incorporate
certain political theories and dogmas in
ihe very prayers OF the Church. Slavery
had been abolished. Bat did the geutle-
man accept the fact and show any willing.
ness to repose under the shade of the VIC
tory which thy achieved! ! If slavery
was the sole cause Of the war, wig was
in council of the Church assembled for
! FIR different purpose r. bad 30 ia-
IeutiDn II entering ipto auy political DIS
ru.siou whatever and nc prayed ,hai G cd
m cht forbid that h. Should say one word
to disturb the harmony Ut the Church
bat there were wide differences OF option
OH this question. There were those who
did not believe that slavery was the sole
cause of our national troubles; there were
those inside and outside the Convention
who believed that the Discussions and
troubles which bad distressed our country
for the last four years were caused main.
iy by a spirit of sectional st ife and the
determination OF men in all portions Of this
country that there should be no peace,
and that all harmony should be destroyed
both in our national and religious coun.
ciIs. 1t was we'll known that there was a
moral war in the country for some years
prior to the commencement of actual war
Gov. Iluat denied the right oil any nan
to compel another to accept as implicit
truth his private theory as the cause ofthe
w4r. The return ot peace had brought
with it the emancipation of slaves, which
was an incident resulting from the war -
" hen We returned thanks for peace the
House certainly returned thanks for all
the blessings flowing from it, among which
might be enumerated the abolition Of sla.
very, if that could really be considered a
blessing, He trusted it would prove 3 0;
yet there were great differences of opin.
ion as to The actual workings Of this sy.-
ten of emancipation, which had been
| brought about by fire and sword and de.
vastalion. There were other agencies OF
social progress far more beneficial in their
operations. There were those who look-
ed upon tho social disruption OF our ooun.
try with great apprehension as likely to
! result iu the destruction Of q very cousid.
cradle portion of the African race. But
the speaker hoFed the abrupt abolition OF
slavery, despite the appearance of things
would prove to be blessing. He was
opposed to the resolutions for mauy rea-
sons, among hers that they proposed nc
action, but were merely an abstraction
that they were calculated 10 destroy all
harmony and keep alive the spirit of dis
cord, He hoped that the negro would
not aga be introduced, now that slavery
was thing of the past, but that the dead
should be let bury their dead, Moreover
the hisotry of the late civil war was being
written and the ablest minds Of The coun
try were engaged upon it, and would diiIe
as widely in their conclusions as hit
cause of it as did the historians of tht
civil war which terminated the career o
the Roman Empire and yet it was her'
proposed in a Church Convention. Within
six months after the close of the war
to declare the cau-e which produced il
The speaker, in concluding, moved to loy
the resolutions on the table.


Raw nr Karf,nt uf ClDnenticnt saii