CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1852 Abstracts 294 - 299 CHURCHES & SECTS Missions & Missionaries (Cont'd) 294 DTD Sept. 28:2/2 Mr. Clark, a missionary among the Choctaw tribe of Indiana, preached on Sept. 26 in the St. Clair st. Methodist church. He gave an account of missionary efforts amongst the tribe and told of their enforcement of a liquor law similar to the one passed in Maine. 295 - DTD Nov. 3:2/3 The Rev. William Guadeli, returned missionary from Constantinople, will speak in Stone church tomorrow night. Mormons 296 DTD Apr. 26; ed: 2/2 "The Mormons, according to their own story, are building up their 'happy valley;' and it is daily 'growing more and more precious'........... "The stories afloat of the disorder and anarchy prevailing, the NEWS 'Few 'All is prosperity and peace in Utah.' pronounces to be a lie. infractions of the law have occurred.'... "The Mormon story is, that they have done no wrong, and mean to do none,... that they worship God in their own way, and will do justice to all men." Presbyterian 297 DTD Jan. 5:2/6 - Dr. Edwin H. Nevin delivered a sermon at his What Will Prevent its Dissolution." 298 DTD Jan. 12; ed: 1/2 - We recently published, without comment, a This letter does not really meet the issue now in debate in the Presbyterian church. It does not cover even the case which called it forth. We all lean upon human authority, more or less. Yet we should not. The only earthly master we should know or acknowledge is our own inward, enlightened sense of right, our conscience; and never can we be men of principle, freemen, Christian men, until we occupy this position. We repudiate as inconsistent with Christian liberty and human progress any and all earthly authorities, whether clad in Catholic or Protestant garb. We are for carrying out the principles of protestantism without any qualifications and against the usurpations of protestantism. 299 - DTD Jan. 14:2/5 - In a letter to the editor, "A" says: Some time since the Presbyterian society of Euclid called a meeting to confer about building a new meeting house. that should be dedicated to liberty. not meet with the feelings of all, especially our minister; for he soon Some of us desired to build a house (2) (1) (6) (1) (20) CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1852 Abstracts 300 - 302 CHURCHES & SECTS - Presbyterian (Cont'd) made a move to patch up the old house, making it evident that he had rather have the old house and its connection with slave-holders, than a new one that must be free from such connection. Believing it the duty of every Christian to practice what he believes to be right, it becomes our most solemn and imperative duty to withdraw from this church so long as it remains in connection with slaveholders and their abettors. To this end we make the following request: We the undersigned, desire letters of dismission and recommendation from this church to the free Presbyterian church in Cleveland, or some other free church. 300 DTD Jan. 14:2/7 In a letter to the editor, Edwin H. Nevin says: I was surprised at the publication of the Rev. Albert Barnes' letter that you had written to Philadelphia in order to get assistance to help you in your present difficulties. I supposed you were prepared to defend the Western Reserve against the influence of the small "isolated" Free church. The very fact of seeking this aid shows you were convinced of the weakness of your cause. "Although you have obtained the name of Mr. Barnes to supply your want of argument, the intelligent, Christian community of the Western Reserve will not be seduced or driven from their deep convictions of right, by any such means." 301 DTD Jan. 15:2/3 (9) (13) The Rev. Edwin H. Nevin writes to Dr. Samuel C. Aiken through the columns of the DAILY DEMOCRAT. Respected Sir: In my last letter I gave copious extracts from the Rev. Albert Barnes' own book, entitled BARNES ON SLAVERY, published five or six years since. In those extracts it will be seen that the Barnes of 1846 is decidedly opposed to the Barnes of 1852. I could, if necessary, with the same ease show that the Dr. Aiken of '46 was opposed to the Dr. Aiken of '52. I think that from Mr. Barnes' opinions of '46 it will be seen that he takes the ground precisely that is now occupied by the free Presbyterian church. It regards slavery as "sinful." It, like the Quakers, has "detached" itself from slavery. The principal difficulty in Barnes' mind seems to be in applying the principles advocated in his book to his own beloved Zion. They are very good principles, but I don't wish to have them applied to our church. 302 - DTD Jan. 19; ed: 2/2 "We have more than once exposed the mistake of supposing that 'our Presbyterians of the South are generally opposed to slavery. ... "The New York INDEPENDENT condescends to remonstrate, and even to argue the 'orthodoxy' of this doctrine, against that Southern pink of Presbyterian piety. We would do neither; for the light which beams from the Sun of Righteousness must fall in blackness on the eyeballs of such pretended Christians." (15) (4) CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1852 Abstracts 303 - 305 CHURCHES & SECTS - Presbyterian (Cont'd) 303 DTD Jan. 20:2/2,3 In a letter to the editor, a pastor says: "I observed in your paper of Jan. 15, a letter from the Rev. Albert Barnes of Philadelphia to Dr. Samuel C. Aiken of your city. The letter relates to the connection of slavery with the new school general assembly.... "Now in the Presbyterian Assembly and in Presbyterian Churches there has been a remonstrance almost ever since the organization of churches in this country; but there has been no discipline for holding slaves and no exclusion from fellowship. The Assembly instead of growing better, has become more corrupt every year (sin corrupts where it is permitted to live), through the influence of slavery, and its testimony has become less pure and firm. The first testimony in 1794 called slaveholders, manstealers, and declared the ultra-doctrine that they were worthy of death. In 1818, the testimony of the Assembly declared slavery irreconcilable both with the law of God and with the gospel. Since then they have testified - but with less moral courage and truthfulness. Their last testimony at Detroit was the absurd action of declaring slavery a sin and leaving it with sinners who did not believe it was a sin to discipline themselves. They have met once since, and thanked God that they were so wise as to settle the question by the Detroit resolutions, and refused to take any further action. "Thus has the General Assembly done directly the reverse of what the Quakers did. Yet Mr. Barnes, in his book and in his letter, commends the action of the Quakers in 'detaching' themselves from slavery, while he pursues and commends a directly opposite course in relation to the Presbyterian Assembly, an assembly that sanctifies the sin it should promptly expel. I now proclaim the slaveholder, a sinner worthy of discipline and once proclaimed him worthy of death and while the man maintains his sin, the same General assembly administers to him, as a saint, the elements of communion with Christ. "I have lived among slaveholders, and I know that what Dr. Rice, of Cincinnati, says in his pamphlet on this subject is true. Many honest slaveholders, whether they be professors of religion or not, look upon such words in connection with such practice, as worse than inconsistent. Such conduct to support the unity and power of an unscriptural body that sends down a deathchill into the churches is worse than inconsistent." (43) 304 WTD Jan. 21; ed: 2/1 - The Rev. Edwin H. Nevin, who replies in today's paper to the Rev. Albert Barnes' letter to Dr. Aiken, is one of the ablest divines in the land. "Still we would not for that reason urge any one to take a single argument of his upon trust; weigh it; if sound, make it your own; if unsound, reject it." (2) 305 - DTD Jan. 23:2/1 - The PLAIN DEALER wishes to know if there is to be a new Presbyterian church built in this city. We are authorized to state that there is, and a good one, at the corner of Clinton and Euclid sts. CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1852 306 DTD Jan. 23:3/1,2 - President Blanchard of Knox college in Ill. inois in a letter to the Rev. Samuel C. Aiken says: "Your morning text in which Christ directs to let wheat and tares 'both grow until harvest' is explained by Barnes to mean by 'tares' not open, overt, disciplinable practices like Slaveholding, but unconverted members in churches, hypocrites, who resemble Christians as closely as green tares resemble growing wheat: - persons who do nothing which discipline can lay hold of but are simply not regenerate.... Thus you proclaim, against the very doctrine which you draw from your text, that you do not in your heart believe Southern Slavery to be one of those 'tares' in the church which Christ bids us leave grow there till 'the Harvest' which 'is the end of the world.' "I beg now to submit some thoughts upon the main issue of an Ecclesiastical separation from Slave-holders. "I believe the principal which requires it to be Scriptural and correct. (see 1 Cor. 5 11).... There is a point where if words are not followed by corresponding actions, they not only lose their power but become hollow, hypocritical and vain. And what are we to conclude touching our bretheren who have, by hundreds, for the last twenty years, voted with us for the most stringent and explicit resolutions for the casting out of slave-holding from the church, who now turn and tell us to let the 'tares' of slavery grow in the church to the 'harvest' 'the end of the world?' Are we to believe that they only voted with us to accommodate themselves to the sentiment of the people, and never meant what they voted? No, Brother! We believe you were sincere. if many of you sink in this hour of trial, we remember that there was an hour when 'all the disciples forsook Christ and fled!' And though at the moment they were 'men of whom the world was not worthy' yet their worthiness was proved by far far other acts than their dastardly forsaking the Son of God when betrayed into the hands of man. And It is...true that no considerable reform was ever attained in 'the church of God' the pillars and ground of the truth, 'but Satan has successfully wrought with ill-balanced minds and weak unsanctified natures to forsake 'the body of Christ which is his church, because erring men had defiled it. But neither your General Assembly, nor the Mission Boards which sustain slave-holding churches are necessarily, parts of the body of Christ, but mere human devices, good when they work good, and evil when they work evil. "If the editors of the TRUE DEMOCRAT can spare me space, I will, God willing, explain specifically what I think we ought to do." (35) 307 - WTD Jan. 28; ed: 4/2 Dr. Samuel C. Aiken has started a controversy. Our friend hoped to allay the storm, but he has raised it. "And it will rise in volume and power, till it sifts error and purifies the church." CLEVELAND NEWSPAPER DIGEST JAN. 1 TO DEC. 31, 1852 Abstracts 308 - 309 CHURCHES & SECTS Presbyterian (Cont'd) "President Blanchard, who occupies part of our paper, will be read. He has the courage to speak out, and not let the false cry of the church, or the power which utters it, baffle inquiry, or repress the truth." 308 DTD Jan. 31:3/1,2 In a letter to the editor, John G. Fee of "Slaveholders, themselves, hold Mr. Barnes responsible for slavery in his church. I have repeatedly heard slaveholders say, 'when any man admits that slavery is sinful, he has no longer any business in fellowship with us. "Whilst I was connected with the Harmony Presbytery, the Presbytery told me they 'did not care how much I preached or wrote against slavery, just so I kept off the church records the rule that no slaveholder should be admitted to our communion.' They cared not for our talk about slavery so long as we would fellowship with it. 'Tis said Henry Clay on one occasion remarked, 'I care not how much Abolitionists talk and preach about slavery just so they would keep it out of the ballotbox. He knew that, politically, this was the very place to kill slavery, and he knew that talk amounted to nothing when not followed by consistent action. So, slaveholders care but little how much Albert Barnes or Dr. Aiken may talk about slavery, so they keep it out of the discipline of the church so they neutralize their words by an inconsistent action. "Mr. Barnes comforts himself with the belief, that he can bear a stronger testimony against slavery in a slaveholding corrupt church, than out of it. Then was God in error when he said, 'come out of this (mystic Babylon a corrupt church a church in fellowship with gross sins, such as trading in the bodies and souls of men -) that ye be not partakers of his sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.... 'But here are slaveholders, pertinaciously, year after year, violating, as Mr. Barnes and Dr. Aiken admit, the sacred, immutable and eternal laws of God, chaining the image of their maker, and selling, beating and imprisoning Christ, in the person of his poor; and yet they will not separate from such men, for fear of making division and setting a bad precedent. Oh! when will men cease to strain at gnats and swallow camels? Much as I am in favor of Christian union, I do not desire it at the expense of purity - of fellowshipping those open palpable sins, which God has plainly commanded us not to fellowship." 309 WTD Feb. 4:3/6 At the Christian anti-slavery convention held (2) (38) (1) |