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For The Signal Of Liberty

For The Signal Of Liberty image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
July
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
Letter to the Editor
OCR Text

Uev. G. Beckley - Bear Sir:-l notice ihat you have found it necessary to ruake a correction through the columns of the Signal of Liberty respeeting the use of your name in n communicalion irom Plymöiith, first published in the 'Wesleyan Methodist," which advertised you as one who liad witlidiawn f'rorn the Methodist Episcopal Church, and as my name stands in the same relation to the article above ulluded to, as yours, and'.ás I have not seen fit, as yet, to withdra w from the Mcthodist Episcopal ChurchjÜt my be proper for me to make somo remarles In relation thereto, for the benefit of my friends in this State and elsewhere. When 1 first read the article above alluded to,! supposed ihat Br. Lyon only intended to make ihe impressioa that we were ' with them" in the approbation of their course, consequently did not ihen see auy necessity for a public correction. In relation to the course of our Plyinouth breihren permití me to say, ihat Ido most-cordiallv approvtf of their secession from the Methodist E. Church. And if the nformaüon be correct which has been laid before me, I beliei'e thcy have beeu driven from the church to which many of them had beeu dcvoiedly atlached for years. I have no hesifancy in declaring that, had I been a resident among them them, I should have been "with them" fully in the sense that you understood the use of our ñames, i hold to the doctrine, as a Irüth of heavenly origin, that " governments instituted among men derive their just pouers from the consent of the governcd;" and that there are ruIe%Tand regulations of recent origin which iiave been introduced into the Methodist Episcopal Church designed to proscribe and destroy the antislavery feeling in said church, will be adniitted by all who are conversant with her modern history; but such rules and regulations have never obtained my consent, and they never did, nor ever shal'., God helping, govern me. They may for the time being embarrass and perplex, butshall not govern. There is a period ia the liis'.ory of most persons and communities who are persccuied and oppressed, when T.rbcp.rance ccases to be u virtue,"and I beüevethis to have been the case with our Piymoulh brethren. Had tliey continued Jonger to have complied with the requisitions made of ihem, they would have shown a servility unworvhy of their characters as frïends of the slave, and as christians. I would nero take the libcrty to state that I had the honor of being a corresponding member of their first Convention, which resul ted in their organizalion as a church, and had the pleasure to assist in its counsels. And i assuro you it is no little gratfication to me, to know that there is one branch of the Wesleyan family in our State, free from the pollu'.ing influencesof slavery. As it respecís a genera] relormation on ihe subject of slavery, in the M. E. Church, I have nohope unless it should be efiöcted by a división or seoession of same kind orothcr. Uf the administration in the church (ifl may cali itsuch,) I have no hopo, lor I honestly believe the s:ai;dard oí' moral principie is too low with many of them to be affected in asalutary tnanner by abolition trutlis. They may, it is true, be as vociferousas any otherclass of men in pouring their applause.out upon abo!il:ü:i, should it succeed and triuihph in the nation. But then they wiil know nothing of the heart of an aboliüonist. I have liilh- erto feit that I am bound in good faith to the Anti-Slavery Societies now forraing in the M. E. Church, and especially from thcofiicial relation 1 sustain to the '"Michigan Wesleyan Anti-Slavery Society," to continue my niembership with the M. E. Church. lioiv long this may continue of course I know i.ot, but I assure you I feel noto disposition to end my daysin a church, as fast wedded to slavery as I (hink the Ai. E. Church is at present.Aliecttunalely, yours, VViLLIAM M. SULLIVAN. P. S. Will Ziori'a Watchman and Wesleyan Methodist, pleaee copy. Ann Arbor, July 2, 1841. The Presbyteiiarj Clmrch. in Warsaw N.Y. has passed the follovring resolutions. We believe, that should we invite slave holders to preach to us, or to commune with us, or in any way to recognize them as christians, while they refuse to confess and forsake their sin of slaveholding wc should, in so doing, raake ourselvea pariakers in their iniquity. We believe, that those who jnstify or npologize for siavery, whetheru.8 a scir'eH system, öt for a limited time, to termínate )y a system of gradual abolition, do therey comfort and defend a system most abom nable to God and holy men. We believe that it is inconsistent with a good conscience, and the word of God, vhich says, "He hateth robbery for sac ifice," to mingte our religious contribuïons with those societies that send their gents among slaveholdera to solicit contributioys, or, who knowingly received intof the ir treaaury such contributions. By the grace of God, we will practice according to the foregoing declarution of principies.