Christianity The Remedy For Slavery

The proposition is frequently advancec by religious persous, and by the leading persons in ecclesiastical bodies, that a po litical organization for the overthrow o Slavery is unnecessary, and undeserving of support, because the mornl influence of Christianity, operating through the ex isting institutions of religión, is amply suflïcient for the entire and speedy re moval of the curse from the Unitec States. We deny that the influence of the ex isting religious institutions of our country as a whole, tends to the extinction of Slavery in any degree at all adequate to its removal. This position of ours we think is as susceptible of demonstration as any mathematical truth whatever. The civil, religious, and servile institutions of our country were establishec at the same time. It is stated that on the very day in which the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, bringing with them the elemonts of civil and religious liberty, on the sel f same day a cargo of Slaves was landed in the Virginia Colony, as goods and chattels. From that time Civil Liberty flourished - Religión flourished - Slavery flourished. At the period of the Revolution, the ministrations of religión were enjoyed through all the colonies, and the number of Slaves had increased from a single ship load to about five hundred thousand.And now, at the end of more than half a cenüiry, what is our condition ? Om republican confederacy has extended ove twenty-six States. The number of Slaves has incressed to twoanda half millions ; and the religious institutions.of the country have been prosperous beyond all iormer example in ftny nation. From a statement in the Missionary Hcrald, quoed in the Cincinnati Herald, it appears hat the whole number of ministers in the Gospel in the United States, in 1843, was 17,073 ; of communicants, 2,544,763. - Of these the M. E. Church has 1,052,392 - about two-fifths. In 1832, there was ne minister to every 1,437, and one ornmunicant to every seven and a half persons over ten years of age : in 1842, here was oue minister to every 1,093, and one communicant to every five persons thus showing a large accession to be churches, and a rapid extensión of eligious principies. And has not Slavey enlarged her growth as well as Religon? In 1820, the n'iraber of Slaves vas l,cS8,039 ; ín 1840, it was ;535, being an increase of about a million in 20 years. Here, then, are facts whicH deserve the attention of every ono who expects that religión, as now taught, in the mass ofour churches, is to extinguish Slavery. Evangelical Religión and Slavery havo existed among us 224 years. They were implanted together, and have grown up side by side ; and after so long a period, in which Religión has had unÜmitod scope for working out tbe extinction of Slavery, we find that We have two and a half millions of Evangelical church members, and two and a half millions of Slaves ! As Religión has prospered, Slavery has prospered. The fact stands out by itself, undeniable. VVhile the reigious denominations have been making larger and wider drafts upon the community, Slavery has beon multiplying its victims, and that, too, within the bounds and under the toleration of those very denominations whose preval ence and extensión is hailed as the necessary concomitant of emancipation.We do not conclude from these premises, that Christianity itself is responsible for the existence of that Slavery which it most decidedly condemns ; nor that a majority of the 2,544,763 church members of our conntry would be for continuing the system, i f it were put to vote today : nor do we contend that all the religious denominations are equally active in sustaining it ; but our argument, drawn from the unvaried experience of more than two hundred years, is, that the existing religious denominations of our nation do not exert such an influence on the people as will effectually induce them to abolish Slavery. But the preceding remarles have hac reference only to what are styled the Evangelical denominations. The com municants in the Universalist, Roman Catholic, Unitarian and Christian Baptist denominations are estimated at 1,200, 000, which added to the Evangélica numbers above, make a grand total cf 3, 744,763 communicants,orone in 3i of the whole population over 10 years of age Thus it is not for want of religious principies or religious knowiedge that Slave ry prevails, and "grows with our growth and strengthens with our strength." But let us test the matter by an infallible standard. It is alledged that the popular religión will root out Slavery from our midst. Let us suppose the remedy to be applied to its fullest extent. Let one universal revival of religión take place, which shall gather in to the respectivechurches, all persons of a proper age throughout our country. How many emancipations would take place in conse quence of this glorious revival, supposin the same kind of preaching to be contini ed which now prevails ? A few hundreds or possibly thousands of Slaves might b voluntarily liberated by some nrasters through the anti-slavery influence of portion of the churches ; but the gener al result of the whole movement woul bc, that Slaves and Slaveholders wouk be gathered in a body, anti thtte th churches would have the responsibility o directly sustaining all the Sïavery in th land. But while we deny that the religión o the United States, as now taught, as . whole, is sufficientty anti-slavery to effec the abolition of this enormoua wrong, we firmly believe that the doctrines of the Gospel, in their are fulïy adequate to work out its extinction throughout the land ; and it does not affect the excellence of these doctrines, whether this beneficial result be attained through the of those truths on individual ininds, producing isolttted and voluntary emancipations, or whether their general influence on community be sudi as to excite so reat an abhorrence of the crime as to give origin and efficiency to legalutes of emancipation We are not aware that there is a single country on the globe in which Slavery has been wholly and peaceably abolished, unlass through the law-making power. We have no reason to anticípate that the same result will be attained in the United States, except through the same means - by law - and such laws will not be enacted, unless by those who are in favor of them, and are endowed with power to make them, by the votes of their constituents. How, hen. can an honest and sincere christian vote for a man who will uphold the Slave jaws ?