Year: 1860

may gu" hVi ucdicSp II gus Ill OtilcT re-
spccts Is the general Conference pre-,
pared to take this attitude before the world,
Is she prepared to take the position of di.
rect resistance to the civil power? If she
does, submit the question. Where will
she find an example for this!


She will not find it among the Protest
ant Churches of America. She will not
find il in the New Testament. The great
founder of our religion never arraycd him
self against the civil institutions of the coun.
try, nor required of his followers to act
in direct resistance to them. Now what
will be the result of this thing! If one
denomination is authorized to array her.
self against the civil power, then all the
den ominations are. If she is authorized
to array herself against one law that she
deems obnoxious, then she may against
every law. i ask, sir what will be the re-
suit of this D.? 1t does not require much
foresight to see that 'the sword of Caesar
will be mightier that the crook of the shcp-
herd 7"


But lift be ever proper for an eclesias-
tcal organization to array itself against
the State, it is clear it's only to be done by
that portion of the Church which is in the
States respectively concerned. "No inter-
ference from abroad" is the doctrine of
America; and what i. true of the general
government is true of the state governments
They are jealous of their rights. They
will not allow of interference on the part
of their sister states, as you have seen
lately in Virginia. Will the people Of
New Engla nd permit the people of Virgin
ia to say what they must do? Or will the
people of Virginia permit the people of
New England to say what they must do ,
If, then, there be a jealousy respecting
state rights, how much more will there be
a jealousy in regard to those Churches
who violate their civil obligations, and cs
pecially when it is done by those living be.
yond the territory concerned, and in spite
of the remonstrances of those residing with.
in the territory?


Where will the result of this be found
What will be the effect of it upon the
states respectively? This was not the
action of our fathers They regarded
the laws of the country; and what was
done upon the subject of slavery was only
to affect them so far as was con sistent
with the laws of the state. This has been
left for this General Conference, in the
year of grace 1860, to propose to do?


And what is more astonishing than all
this, the Golden Rule is quotel as author
ity for this arraying of the Church against
the state Now does the Golden Rule
require us to place ourselves in contact
with the civil power? Either the apost.
les understood it, or they did not II
they did, they must have been governed
by it under all circumstances. If Mes
did not, aohO Of as can understand it
If they did understand it as requiring them
to array themselves against the civil laws
of the country, they must have proclaimed
the doctrine. They were surrounded with
slavery in its most hidcous aud revolving
forms. Paul could not 60 to Athens
without passing by where slaves were
bought and sold, and one of the first acts
of his ministry at Corinth was to heal a
slave; yet they never denounced slavery
per Sc. They denounced the slave trade,
or, as it is called in our version, man
stealing" but never denounced it as a civil
or political relation. They sought to
control it by the principles of the Golden
Rule. They cxhorted masters and slaves
to the performance of their reciprocal
duties, but they never interfered with it
as an institution of society. If this be
true, it follows that they did not under.
stand the Golden Rule as the editor of
lions Herald and other brethren of the
majority understand it.


Christianity acts directly upon this rela-
ton of master and slave by destroying the
inacard relation. The master and slave
when they are converted become brethren
in Christ Jesus but it does not follow
that the out'eard relation is changed
That relation is determined by the laws
of the land and public sentiment. The
slave can be freed only in process of, and
in conformity with, the civil laws. 1t is
impossible for the master to elevate his
slave to a social equality with himself in
the face of the law and public sentiment
surrounding him. The influence of the
Gospel acts upon society by giving a tone
to society; and the only reason why it
has not been done more rapidly is the
course of unprincipled demagogues and