Communications: The M. E. Church And Slavery: For The Signal...

íukfskks torroRS:- Jt scoms that I arncuiliHl or.t once more to explniri kjrtstiy my posiiicn -, which [ hope to do in such a way as to bfjng flijfi coúiróvérsy lo close. Allow me to bint that I üiink i!jc Editora have betrayed n dogree of prejudice in snppofing me vain ewïuph to "court the npplause oftiioslavelioldrr Sc iii? agplogist." Permit me also to remark lh.it 1 think jou havo taken exira pains to givo niy name publicity, as t hus appeared in b'azing capita]?, iis u cnption to cach of your articles in anewer to mine. llcally, firs! What í;refpoiuibi!y'f tío yon imagine I seek to "shim?v Tiü it appeared in the Signal, the tfiötrhi never orcurred to me that I was responsible to any one Tor tho honest ovovval of my abohtion seiitimonts, The Rev. G. Bpcklcy and Co. must be venj ' 'knoiviiig," as they soy they know rMr. Scotford has had the counsel and assislttnce of lus Breüiren in the Ministry in conductíng ibis' ContrpvorBy," a fuct of which Mr. S. and hrs ] ministerial brelhren rernain ignorant lili iIiib moment. Whelher I nm guilty of nslng "vague, cxpressioiis," or of "continued dudging," the candic'. readers of the Signal are left to jadge. And whetlicr the charge g.-avely laid against mo, iray not ín ju&tice be retorted, uiii be decidcd by tho indulgent reader. Thjus far ihe Editors have dealt citfier in broad assertions or flat denials, and if any scrap of testimony bas been introduced, it lias rot toi;ched the point in question, on'y by a forced 'ion. At the same time, my articJes have ! been tortnred to make Ihem speak a Êentimcnt never deíigned by the vvritrr. lluwever, lest the Editors of the Sígnal shoukl rest in doubt as to my roal opinioi), I wil! here suhjoin uhnl I wonld ca],CONSISTENT AEOLITÍON CREED. 1. I btlieve, tltat tlavcry is u si il of the ! ?rcatest mncnitüdc, ftót only dgainsi God, but.! igaiftst lïio "dearcit ond mest sncred rights'of nen - a sin fraiight vyill) !hc most falnl corsniiciices to stRtes and intions, ad to individnist and thath ought to be inimediatdy abc;lsiied. 2. That volvntary sjave-hohJing is perfect y t variunce vitli pure chiUtiaiiily : i:ml Üiat i: those sta les uhere the Inws will :,]!ov the i unancipaled slave to enjoy hbertv, évery Í liiircli men:ber liolcüugr flavo?, uiio will nol i x'ccnte a doed of legú emancipaliun, should : iGcxpcilod the chüicii. rl. In thoto slntes wiicrc tho Iiuvb nro snelt, ! Jint, en uct of emancipntiou, wou'd llirow ihe lavo int ó a worse bondage, t bccomes the luty of the tnnstcr to preier chims to tlic siavo, n on.'er to prevent sut-h tin event. He onylrt, i lowevor, to conpider him in effect (if the luw : loes not in fací) a free man, ciid treat him as : uch, givin to him that wlftch just md ■fjtial . 4. As slavery is a óreaturo of ];uv, its final ivertlirow can on! be efíbctetl by lavv. .nd i is the liuv in these United States emanóos ; iiimarily from the people, cliorefore, it Is the i liity of all legal voíer., bnih Ñorth nnd South, ' ihc'.her professing christians or not, to use heir influence in n poütical wny for its , hrow. 5. But os no grèhf chanjre can tnke place in lie public iffjiid ouly by n moral iflvaic: - rherefore, its hearing iipron the morol, Kocial, nd politicalprorf ority of indriidnnls nnd ' milities, should be frcely and fulJy Siéénnè'd. ' , 'ot in so doino-, our lanfriiafro, thowgli pointed, : 'lonld becandid and respetfwr. 1 G. As the various branchrsof ifie ChriF'ian ' líurch ii) thcáeÜnitrd Stáles, rxert a , il nilcenee npon the public miüd; that ice should be bronrrht to bear in favor of' ( nnncipa-ion. And that Assoriations. Synods. ' nd conferences vou!d vnv nilich aid in this j nod work, by pas.-iror rtíolutidns of i t ition iio:i slavery and the sluve trade. f 1 reJQico to sec that tlie Editara have í v ïowlcdgcd the correctneis of my pqsilii'n i.u e two eupposed case?, in my third letter. - ut by "silcnce but by a direct ndmiss-ipn; n ilh this difierenco only, that they (!o nol cali si irf ons in such case?, slaveholders. Now. if' n havo an ounce of "hgical acumen' n y u !iid I eliould cali that man a 3luvcholder, who s )lds elave?, whether the luv fies tl:c 1:ltion of master lo sla ve upon liiin, cr wbetlier lio Qssúme it volnntnrily. The individual wbo ceas-es o claim the riplil to liold property in man, though t!ic law l;.cs (lio rclalion of master to slave wpon him,1' j commits no sin n sustnining the "relation' thtis íixcd upon him. ShouM lie not exeit his infhier.ee for tíio repeal orMieli íawjí, lio commiis an error; but it dependa opon ciroumslancc3 whother that error produces guilt, and to what extent. That s a shvelioldiiiír Churoh whic'i, as a Ckurdiy lioíds blayea; As tlie M. E. Clmrch. as a Chiirch, holds io sIuvcf, it i?, tlierofore, not a slavel-.oltling Churcii. A Church may permit its M nis.ers nnd mcml crs to liold slaves undercirciimstancs. such as referred to in ihetwo coses in my third leder, without saxetioning the prinriphs of slaveholding, or claiming Cor t a {jdivine righl.' Anrl ifo ! Cnurch mny penn!t one of ity Ministers or inetnbers to Jio!tT thu "reïatioa of in:is'.er ío , slave vvhíiotii f&curring pni]t,pt '■'sonclionuig' or 'defindiñg VüLüJ'IRY slavJho'diior the'awd w Í,icL fiat tKat relatan theji íhc same Church may permit 400 iTf its Minstcis, nnd C5,000, o' iis tñeipbera to hohl tle enme relátion, under ihe snmn rircumstances, ;m:l nnt be justly cliarrr-ab!ü vyith "tol e rating and sanctwning" elovery. Nu-.v, as the Etiitors have not proved lliat a síiigic nicrnber or j minister holda sfnyes um.'er cïrcumstancea invi-Kino mom) guilf, they hnve failed to prove ihatthe Cliurcli ''tulcnttcstindsaiiclioiu' slayéI báye no wisli to prove ihat ünmcdialc cmauipation ontlicsoil, vvoujd bo Qttcnded I with any "disasirotis cönsrguence?1 for I go band in hand wíth ílio ÍBditota in t hut nmtter. I h;:ve nevcr pleaed "general ignoratici'1 for ilie conference, and"ilVc Edttors iiae betraycd a want of candor nnd fairncss in tlicir ! Ireatmenl. towarda me, not onlv tliis ente. ! bul during tl,c whole progresa ofthis contro vnrsy. lt is equally truc tii-.l [ Imve nevor appüéd the teiMns "croakers," 'Vjoi Jirail,'' j ".Ispiring Leaders," or "fmicti's ' !o '.he E 1iiors of the Signa], Nor hnve I applied them to any ono wiiere 3ofter lorms vvould convev my mran.npr. I am perfoclly wilUng to .staüd up before the trib-mal ofpub'ic opimon to say whether my mutlo, and my coniaicl do not j.er! feclly agree. I uül just add, ihat sliould I iccelve ihe saroé luigenérqus t rea t ment irom the editois ; in Ivlnrc, I shaíl be forred to the cqncliision { ! th man who fought l:e póle'cat, that a victo ry göined luider 'soch circurnstances is worse than a defeat.