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THE CUMBERLAND CONGREGATION.

CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,

LETTER I.

THE circumstances under which we separated have induced me to address to you the following letters. The subject on which they treat, had a connection with our separation. That event led me to examine it more carefully than I had previously done, and there appears a propriety in addressing to you the result of said examination. A part of the matter in letters XI. and XII. and a small portion of it, with but little alteration, belonged to an essay, the third number of which, perhaps rather incautiously written,* gave some offence-and was the immediate cause of my leaving you.

It will to me be a matter of regret, should you consider these letters as designed to fix a serious charge on you, or raise an odium against you in the public mind. This is not my object. It is due to candour to say, that I have thought, and still think, that I was not kindly treated. Admitting that the piece in the Visitor was incautiously written-that as a friend since suggested, it had "too much truth in it-that I gave at once what was enough for half a dozen doses;" still, as it was, by general admission, all truth, it might, I think, in a world so false as this, and at a time when truth is so hard to come at in the public prints, have passed with much less complaint.

I am satisfied that much the greater part of the congregation soon became sensible, that improper means were used by a few, to get up the excitement, and that it greatly exceeded the cause of offence. Of this I had evidence be

* See Appendix, A.

fore I left the neighbourhood, and have since had it confirmed from quarters entitled to credit. This state of things would of itself be a sufficient reason with me for cherishing, even if it had been interrupted, all that kindness of feeling and good will towards you, which I ever wish to have towards all people, and especially towards those among whom I have laboured in the Gospel. I experienced, however, during the whole affair, much less interruption of those feelings than many of you may have supposed. I was conscious that my purposes were good— that I had at heart the real interest of the master as well as the slave. Offence, however, was taken. I regretted it, and especially the course which those offended chose to pursue. I viewed it and endeavoured to bear it as one of those trials we are all liable to while labouring to benefit our fellow men.

No good would probably result from dwelling at much length on those unpleasant affairs. It may however serve to correct some misstatements that have gone abroad, as well as explain some things not generally known, and at the same time to answer the charge made against me, of undue zeal and imprudence, to give a short statement of my views and course respecting slavery.

I know not that I could, in the same compass, better express my views of slavery, and the duty of professors of religion respecting it, than is done in the following extract from the minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of 1818, containing its opinion respecting slavery:"The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, having taken into consideration the subject of slavery, think proper to make known their sentiments upon it, to the people under their care. We consider the voluntary enslaving of one part of the human race by another as a gross violation of the most precious and sacred rights of human nature-as utterly inconsistent with the law of God, which requires us to love our neighbour as ourselves, and as totally irreconcilable with the spirit and precepts of the Gospel of Christ, which enjoins that all things that ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.' Slavery creates a paradox in the moral system. It exhibits rational, accountable and immortal creatures in

such circumstances as scarcely to leave them the power of moral action. It exhibits them as dependent on the will of others whether they shall receive religious instruction; whether they shall know and worship the true God; whether they shall enjoy the ordinances of the Gospel; whether they shall perform the duties and cherish the endearments of husbands and wives, parents and children, neighbours and friends; whether they shall preserve their chastity and purity, or regard the dictates of justice or humanity.

"It is manifestly, the duty of all Christians, who enjoy the light of the present day, when the inconsistency of slavery, both with the dictates of humanity and religion, has been demonstrated, and is generally seen and acknowledged, to use their honest, earnest and unwearied endeavours to correct the errors of former times, and as speedily as possible to efface this foul blot on our holy religion, and to obtain the complete abolition of slavery throughout Christendom, and if possible, throughout the world."

I was a member of the assembly that passed the resolutions of which the above is an extract. They passed unanimously, and were sent down in the printed Minutes for the information of the Churches. This took place several years before you called me to be your pastor. I never concealed my views, nor that I was disposed to act in accordance with them.

I propose in the present letters to prove what is asserted in the above extract-the moral evil of slavery, and the duty of Christians to let no selfish interest prolong the sin and injustice, but in the fear of God to do all they can in consistency with duty, to fit for and restore to freedom, those in bondage.

In accordance with the above views, I was led to pursue a course in several respects, with which I found some of you were not satisfied. It led me to favour the Colonization Society-to take up collections for that object, and to attempt founding an Auxiliary Society among you.

I thought the plan of colonizing in Africa, well calculated to benefit that country, by introducing Christianity and civilization there; to benefit those coloured people who might go out, by placing them in a situation where

they would be free indeed; and especially, that it would benefit our beloved country, by the effect its success would have on the public mind and the whole system of slavery among us. That it would result in removing the whole coloured population from among us, I did not much expect, nor do I yet; but that it would tell, more or less, on the public feeling I did not doubt. I considered it as the result of a progress of public feeling, and as calculated to call forth, still more, that feeling, and give it a safe and profitable direction. Had not the colonizing scheme been projected, some other, perhaps less safe, would. The spirit of the age made this certain. The public feeling long gathering, but pent up, must have poured itself into some channel, that promised to open a passage through which the oppressed might go out free.

These views led me to refer a little to the subject, a few times, in preaching. There were, however, usually, slaves in our worshiping assemblies, and that, together with a wish to avoid giving offence, induced me to touch very seldom on that subject.

By marriage, one or two families of slaves came into my possession. Mrs. P.'s views on the subject of slavery, I found to agree substantially with my own. We both felt it our duty to free said slaves, as soon as it could be done to their apparent advantage. We watched the progress of the colony at Liberia for several years; and in the meantime used means to prepare our slaves for freedom. As soon as we were satisfied that they had better prospects there of doing well for themselves, than they could have with us, we encouraged them to go; gave them such an outfit as our means afforded, and sent them to the colony.

Our reasons for this course may be summed up in few words. We believed slavery morally wrong, and felt in duty bound not to continue it after a way was open to get clear of it; and taking all things into view, we thought their prospects for doing well, permanently, were better at Liberia than in this country, either in the free or the slaveholding States.

Their personal interest, however, although important, was not the only thing I felt bound to regard. What effect would my continuing to be a slaveholder, and rais

ing my family in those habits, have on the general question of slavery? Actions speak louder than words. My words condemning slavery would have passed unheeded; my conduct would have been pointed to as sanctioning it. Every person of any observation knows that words are considered as cheap things; and when weighed against a man's actions, are light as vanity. Where there is any sense of religion, and with most, there is a little; the practice of professors of religion, and especially of ministers of the gospel, forms with many, a very common standard of right and wrong. Persons who seldom look into the Bible to see what it says about the morality of any kind of conduct, are sure to know how professors of religion act respecting it, and especially what the preacher does. Professors of religion usually allow themselves a little more liberty than their preacher takes, and nonprofessors, allow themselves a good deal more than is taken by either preacher or professor. I once, soon after I entered the ministry, happening to be in a place where some curious feats of horsemanship were exhibited, walked some hundred yards, and paid perhaps a ninepence for the privilege of seeing them. I thought few, if any body there, knew me. In a few hours afterwards, I fell in company with some professors of religion, who let me know that they had seen me at the show: adding that they feared they were doing wrong in going to such a place, until they saw me come in, but felt no scruples afterwards, as they took it for granted, that if it were wrong, I would not have attended. The very fact that my attending removed their doubts, increased mine, as to the propriety of going to such places. I never did and never will attend again; without saying it is assuredly wrong to attend, it is enough for me that such amusements are not things to which I ought to reconcile the consciences of others, by my example.

The continued practice of slavery I considered of more than doubtful character. I considered it positively wrong; and whatever others might do, and persevere in doing, I felt that I owed it to God, to the purity of the gospel, to the cause of truth and equity, and to my own consistency and peace of mind, not by word or example to justify the unnecessary continuance of such hard dealings of man to