"When will slavery cease from our church, if we continue to alter our
rules against it as we have done for some years past?" they observe--
"But we will not dwell on this part of our subject; it is
painful enough to think of; and as members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and as Methodist preachers, we readily
confess we are exceedingly afflicted with a view of it, and
still more with a knowledge of the fact, that the "great
evil" of slavery has been _increasing_, both among the
membership and ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at
a _fearful rate_, for thirty or forty years past. The general
minutes of our Annual Conferences, announce about 80,000
colored members in our church; and it is highly probable,
from various reasons which might be named, that _as many as
sixty thousand, or upwards of these, are slaves_; but what
proportion of these and _others_, are enslaved by the
_Methodist members_ and _Methodist preachers_, we have no
means of determining precisely; but the _alterations_ which
have been made in the discipline, show at once that _the
number is neither few nor small_; and if this evil was a
"great" one fifty years ago, what must it be now? What will
it be fifty or a hundred years hence, _should the discipline
be_ ALTERED _as it has been during half a century past_? Who
can tell where this "great" and growing "evil," will end? We
frequently hear Christians and Christian ministers expressing
the greatest fears for the safety of the "political" union of
these United States, whenever the subject of slavery is
mentioned; but no fears as to the prosperity and peace of the
Christian church, though this "evil" be ever so "great," and
though it be increased every day a thousand fold. But can it
be supposed that any branch of the Christian church is in a
healthy and prosperous state, while it slumbers and nurses in
its bosom so great an evil."
In reply to the challenge to produce one instance of a slave trading
Methodist, I give the following from "Zion's Watchman," a Methodist
newspaper, published in New York. It is from a letter of a
correspondent of that paper:
"A man came among us where I was preaching, a class-leader,
from Georgia, having a regular certificate, who appeared to
be very zealous, exhorting and praying in our meetings, &c. I
thought I had got an excellent helper; but, on inquiring his
business, I found he was a SLAVE TRADER: come on purpose to
buy up men, women, and children, to drive to the South!!! I
expostulated with him; but he said it was not thought wrong
where he came from. I told him we could not countenance such
a thing here, and that we could hold no fellowship with him."
He farther told me that on inquiring of a slave he had with
him, what sort of a master he was, he replied, "I have had
four masters, but this is the most cruel of them all;" and
told him, as a proof of it, to look at his back, which, said
the minister, "was cut with a whip, from his head to his
heels!!" The Rev. S. W. Wilson, of Andover, United States,
gives also an extract of a letter he had seen from a
gentleman of high standing, who was at the South at the time
of writing, which says, "The South is too much interested in
the continuance of slavery, to hear any thing upon the
subject. The preachers of the gospel are in the same
condemnation, and METHODIST PREACHERS ESPECIALLY. The
principal reason why the Methodists in these regions are more
numerous and popular than other denominations is, THEY STICK
SO CLOSELY TO SLAVERY!! THEY DENOUNCE BOTH THE ABOLITIONISTS
AND THE COLONIZATIONISTS."
To show the extent to which THE BAPTIST CHURCHES SHARE THE GUILT OF
THE SYSTEM OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA, it will be sufficient to read an
extract from a letter addressed to the Board of Baptist ministers in
and near London, by the Rev. Lucius Bolles, D. D., the Corresponding
Secretary of the American Baptist Board of Foreign Missions. The
testimony is the stronger, because the whole letter is a carefully
written apology for Southern religious slaveholders, and an attempt to
silence the remonstrances of the English churches.
"There is a pleasing degree of union among the multiplying
thousands of Baptists throughout the land. Brethren from all
parts of the country meet in one General Convention and
co-operate in sending the gospel to the heathen. Our Southern
brethren are liberal and zealous in the promotion of every
holy enterprize for the extension of the gospel. THEY ARE,
GENERALLY, BOTH MINISTERS AND PEOPLE, SLAVE-HOLDERS."
In this connection, I may notice the recommendation of the work of
Drs. Cox and Hoby. We are assured by Mr. Breckinridge, (though he
confesses he has not read the book,) that every representation it
contains relative to slavery among "the Baptists in America," may be
relied on. That book, thus endorsed by Mr. B., informs us that the
deputation were permitted to sit in the convention at Richmond,
Virginia, only on condition of _profound silence_, touching the wrongs
of more than two millions of heathenized slaves. We are gravely told
that the introduction of abolition would have been "an INTRUSION, as
RUDE as it would have been UNWELCOME." It would, says the Delegates,
have "FRUSTRATED every object of our mission;" "awakened HOSTILITY,
and kindled DISLIKE;" "roused into EMBITTERED ACTIVITY feelings
between Christian brethren, which must have SEVERED the Baptist
churches." It would have occasioned the "UTTER CONFUSION OF ALL ORDER,
the RUIN of all Christian feeling," and "THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL LOVE
AND FELLOWSHIP;" and the Convention would either have been "DISSOLVED"
by "MAGISTERIAL INFLUENCE," or "THE DELEGATES WOULD HAVE DISSOLVED
THEMSELVES." Yet this was "a sacred and heavenly meeting," in which
"the kindliest emotions, the warmest affections, the loveliest spirit
towards ourselves, (the Baptist Delegates,) towards England and
mankind" existed! Oh, Sir, is it possible to draw a more affecting
picture of the withering and corrupting influences of slavery, than is
here presented to our view in this description of the triennial
convention of Baptist ministers, assembled in the city of Richmond,
Virginia, in the year 1835.