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Old School Presbyterian General Assembly On Slavery: For The...

Old School Presbyterian General Assembly On Slavery: For The... image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
July
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

This document, wlucli wrs acioptea ai me ato scFsions in Ciucinnati, by vote of 16 to 6 hos juatly been commented upon, with an inusual degree of interest. Wecnnnot but admire tho delibérate courage that with Bible in hand, boldly facos the entirc civihzed and christianized world, oad declares, that tliis "Assembly cannot denounce the holding ofslaves, os necessarily a heinous and scandalous tin, calculated to bring upon the church he curse of God, without ciiarging the ApogUes of Chribt with conniving at stiel) sin, inlrodiïcirrg-iuto the church such sinnrr?, and thus bringing npon thern the curse of the Almig-hty."Though the Asscmbly do not donounce sla vory, ci thpy attempt to confine it within metes and bewndp. They soy, '-The Assembiy are not to bc understood asdenying that tliere is cvil ronnectcd witli slnvcry, much leo-s do they npprove those defectivo and oppressive laws by which in sime of thestates it is rogiilalcd. Nor vvould they by atiy means countenance tlie traffic in slovee fot the soke of g-ain, the separation of hiubands and wivoF, purenis and children for the sake of 'iilthy lucro,' or for tlie convenience of' tho master; or cruel treatinent of slavcs in any respect," Much more a said to similar cfiect. If wc understood ihe import of tho document, the declaration that slavcry is nol 'necessarily" a sin, was satisfactory to the South, whiie the varkuts limitati -.is of thestitulion, ns there detineil, scciircd tho approbr.tion of members from tlic f ree stntcs.- Thus whüe tho Methodist nnd Baptist ilenomi nations nrc rent asundcr, the Old Schoof Prcsbytorian (knomination scans more firinly knit togethor tLiap ever. Wlrle we are more fnithiess thnn mnny in regard to the influence ofrcBolniionp and lccíaraíioñs of èccfesïaéftóal bodics, yctiiot ijiil regrc! boih the style ond eentimcnls. of the ilocunjent in question. Wo fcar that llio conscience ofmany a southern man will br ensed, whilothe qiialifying clauses will bedisrcirartlcd. Vê fenr tliat s-lnvery will stalk fort Ij in the .cluirch nu beinj "Scriptural," whiie the condmnatioii of fins connected with il will be overlookod. Likc most transactions bet ween the North nnd South on thifl subject, we Mippoct that o!l the advantage will accrue to sinvery. Now there;ccrtoin thlngs which we hnpe otirood OWT&hool brethren wil! beprepared to look iuto, and ifMnvery '-be a vessel of honor, sanctilïcd and ntect for the masters I uso," instcad of being a being a 'vcssel of wmthfiucd to dcstruclion," thcy have prepnied for thcmsclves work abundant. 1. Moriingg .ís honorable in all," and as there is no exception in renard to slavea we hope they will Inbor incessnntly, for the enactment of laws in every slavf holding state, legalizing marringe among slaves, and puniahing with exemplary eeverity every one who would "put asunder1' what "God hath joined togethcr."2. , Parents are commnnded lo bnng p heir childrcn m the "nurturc and admonhion 1' af tbe Lord." To this njunction ihere are no ! sxceptions. We hope the seseión of cvery 1 church will discipline, with exemplary decisión, any master who shull presume to te',1 a chiUI from liis parenr, or parent from child 60 as to prevent a compliance with this command. 3. "Masters give unto your eervants that whiel i." jiPt and equal," snys Paul . j Now we do nol consider t "just and equaV that the raaster should take ihe lion's share" in the case. Let him give the slave a fair chance to makc bimself comfortable nnd hnppy, and if he has a dccided preference to working and living by and taking care of I RitPselP, or for living wilh some other person let him do so. We do not cornprehend the jvsticc of fastening with buil dog gripe on a man and holding him to our eervice whether he will or not.4. "God has made of one hlood all the nationa of men to dweil upon the face of :he earlh," we therefore recommend that somc ofour white brethren tuk e ihe slaves place fora while, and after a fnir iriaT, do by them i as he would think to be fair and equitnble n n master toward him, if he and nis fpmily were reduced to bondage. Especinlly we recommend that they 6Pe that the J-iw in case of the death or the bankmptcj o"the maBter, do not fasten upon the slnve w'tih iron grasp, to plnrfi lüin i othor hnmip, to sepp.rnte wife and Imsband, paront and child for 'filthy lucre.' or for anv reison whatever.We cnnnot bilt ic-ir fiat our brellnen liaVe nol countcci the cdsI of this work of justificotion. Now for oirelvos, we would decidedly prefer the tast of Hercules, and attempt to clean the stablt where 3.000 oxen had been slalled for thirty jearp, over that of purifyir.g the institution of riavery so that it should not bring npon ihem the curse of the Almighty." We think they vill find it likc the attempt to regulnte tlm u.e of Alcohol as o drink - only to be done by "tdul abslincnce.'' Certnin we are that when shvery shall be circumscribed withm Jühlc limit?, it will nol orly be a nno Ihing, hut. nood a new definitk.n, so thot while the nnme alone exists, the Hing will have ber-n abolished.Regúlate slavery by the Biblo, nnd no posible motivo rxists for its contiiuinnce fnr n single liour. So enon as Jove of moaoy, Iovp of dominaron and licentinus-ness, cense to act tía stimulating motives for its perpelualiun, it will die ofshcer starvation. Could we mnkn onr voice heard by our hon e?t norlbcrn 01(1 School brethren. we wou Id ?ny: "Yon have been fairly taken in wc believe in this transnetion. If you woiild mak your declaraiions eflective it will be necessar to institute la searchng operalion' to ascertaiwhether any eftects ore being made at the f-outh to restroin 6lavery witliin gospel bovuda. l' slavery ilstlj, is "no bar to christian communion," we greatly fcar thnt ts practical workings will bc found but a continua! violation of ihe restraints, tliat by aoclamntion you have ogreod ló cast nround it. Your preambleand rcsohitions are but the bcg-imnnp o' your labor. No Hercules, can cleanse this stable of its fillh. The Spirit and Providence of God alone will enable yo to accomplish what you have admilud to Ie yovr duty. -

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News