Methodist Episcopal Church And Slavery: The Church As It Sho...

ir, wlien the M. E. Church wus organized n this country, slavery wa8conirary to the laws of God, man nnd nature, huru ful to sociely, conlrary to the dicíutes Of contcience and pure religión, and doin{ wh.it we would not that oihers wuuld ('j unió us," it is fspeciully wrong and wick ed now. As slavery is a deep and "compïicated villaiiiy," ruinous to thá body and soul üf theslave, it a most certainly tho mperiousduty of thc church, and especially th0 M. E. CHurcfi, m her severa! branches and in her asscciated capacity, to bear, testimony ngniust it m proportjon to the magnitude uf il? crimitiülity. 1. Let Tiíj:.Mi.MvrKY frracii agai.t it.. Every enihaadür of Clmst is B9 much bound to preach against the sin of slavery as against the sin of murder, íheflv. polyganiy, or any oher abominarion that is cñtíiisive lo Gud or ruinous to man.- God has suid, "I hale oppression," and iL so he hatos alavery. Ifthero be ene duc-, trine more plainly and clearly taught n, ihe Bible than unolher, il is the doctrine, oí the condc;i]n;ition, reprobation and de- nuncíation of every kind of human oppression, especially slavislv oppression. It 3 a leading, prominent, principal doctrine of the Bible. God has snid, 'Open thy mouth for the dumb, picad the cause of the poor and tieedy' Again "Remembcr those that are in londs aa bound wiih them." Frorn.lhe above scriptures it 9 evident that it is nol enough that a minister of the gospel bo "silent on the subject of slavery,'' or "neutral,11 as nrmny are disposed tobe. Thcy are to open their mouths, not in opposition to every effort that is being made for the deliveranee of the bondmen, but for dumb } for those who are poor and needy, they aro to be remembered, the rights, the privileges and the blessings of which ihey are deprivedj remember it is the natural and direct tendency ofthesystem which oppresses them, to keep from their undying souls the lights of science and religion,'o crush their immortal minds, and shut them out of Heaven. Remenr berlhem, feel fur them as you would wilh others to feel for you, were you in their condition; - pray for them, and their oppressors, and all who oppose and censuro those that endeavor to oUy this command oí the infinite God, Remember them that are in bonds. No minister of Christ can say that he has done all bis duty unülhe has fuithfully proachcd against the sin of sliivcry, and affectionately admonished the apwögjfot of this wrong, of tho wickednc6S of bis course. It Í3 in vain to eay that slavery is apolilical evil - that ministers should not interfere with politics. Sueh an excusewill ávail nothiugat the bar of God, in the day of judgment. The gospel ministry are sent to be the "lightof the world,"and who but thev, we ask, are to eniighten the civil government. The scriptures are the standard of mofáis for governmenf, as well as for individuáis. And never will government reform while gospel ministers keep back the truth. The church must alvyaya be first in reform and ihe ministers should lead the way. The standard of moráis in the State, will pot be likely to raise above the Standard of moráis in the church. 2. It is the duty of the church to exclude slaveholders from her communion. In order lo exercise this discipline it is not necessary to decide wheiher a slaveholder can be a christian or not; The object of discipline is to bring offenders to repentance, and not merely that of excluding from the church those who have no piety. Let, then, the church exelude from church fellowship al! who hold slaves UD' der any pretext whutever, and Iet all her ministers lift up their voice and bring all the lightnings and thunderings of Sinaito bear upo it, and it will wither and dio like the mown grass boneaih the scorching sun, and disappear like midnight darkness before the orb of day. Let the METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH come back to her original purtty and sirnplicity, nnd at once commencü a mild, systemalic and persevenng coursc of discipline and she will soon free herself from that foul and deadly stain that renders her a hissing and bye-word among the nations of the earth. The dietance between Boston and Rochester about four hundred and fifty miles- has been iravelled within the past week D the brief space of 24 hours!