Samuel Salisbury to Frederick Douglass, February 20, 1855
CHRISTIANITY.
Christianity is that system of Truth revealed by Christ, which teaches man his
obligations to the Supreme Being as well as his social relations and obligations to his fellow-man. Christianity is an aggressive principle, and seeks the subjugation of the world to itself. To embrace Christianity is, to return to, and harmonize with the laws of our being; embrace that system of Truth as revealed by Christ, walk in that system and hold communion with God. This constitutes a Christian. It is claimed by some that Christianity is an abstraction. That is, that Christianity is poured directly from God into the soul of man, and nothing to do with man's social obligations, social relations,
and the commercial transactions of life. If this Christianity be such an abstraction as this, then it is an abstraction from all good, and unworthy to be possessed by any man, without which, the world would be infinitely better than with it. At this point, upon the authority of the Great Law-giver, I take the liberty to say, that Christianity is not an abstraction. For the system, as taught by Christ, as clearly teaches man's obligations to his race, as to his God. "What does the Lord require of thee but to deal justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God." "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind."—This is the first and great commandment.—And the second is like unto it, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." If these scriptures prove man's obligation to God, they as clearly prove his obligation to his race. Both must stand and fall together. To deny one is to deny the other. To deny both is to deny the Divinity of the text itself, and proves abstract Christianity to be modest Infidelity. Both these commandments are binding on all men everywhere, and form the grand basis upon which the beautiful system of Christianity rests—out of which, wide, gushing, sparkling streams of light, truth, life and salvation are to be poured upon the black as well as upon the white man.
To think of being a Christian, without obeying the letter and spirit of the above law, is as reasonable as to suppose a breathing, walking, living man with his heart dislodged and thrown to the winds. A Christianity that is not based in these two commandments is a Christianity without a heart, which may equal abstract Christianity, the votaries of which number legions. To view Christianity through the medium of very may of its representatives, needs but be seen, to be abhorred, detested, denounced, despised, ridiculed and branded with the indelible mark of Infidelity, from whose satanic form we shrink as from the Monsoon, the deadly Upas, or the demoniac reign and cruelty of Nero, Rome's base tyrant. Today, in the light of the afternoon of the nineteenth century, Dr. Dewey and a host of colleagues, would condemn in unmeasured terms, with ecclesiastical precision, the Mormon idea of a community of wives, and yet, if Slavery, (which embraces more glaringly than Mormonism the idea of a community of wives,) could be abolished by their making one prayer, they would not offer that one prayer. Poor, narrow souls thus to strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel, hoofs, hump and all! The abstract Christianity of this class of ministers, and people would, if the real Founder of Christianity were here, and fleeing from oppression, in the shape of a slave, thrust him back into the miserable hell of American Slavery. Do they not [k]now the living image of Christ? "Inasmuch as ye have done unto these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," says Christ. Christianity that sells babies by the pound, knows no marriage relations, whips innocent, Christian women to death, clasps to its broad bosom the untold adultery, fornication and licentiousness that result from the system of slavery, must be an abstract Christianity. Ministers would not preach an abstract Christianity on the question of Slavery, if Anti-Slavery was popular. But now, poor dogs! must bark the way the wind blows, or loses their bread and butter. No wonder that abstract Christianity is a fruitful source of infidelity. Too greater wonder is that infidelity is not more prevalent—Quicker than embrace abstract Christianity, that sanctions rum drinking, Slavery, and its concomitants, I would embrace down-right Atheism. Thank God that I am under no necessity on this point, but have a Christianity whose heart is love to God and man, whose voice in thrilling, silver, charming notes falls on the great ear of the world saying, "Peace on Earth, and good will to man," whose every element harmonizes with its charming voice, its great bounding heart, and makes his possessor right, himself right, with his fellow man, and right with his God, the common Father of all.
Yours truly,
SAMUEL SALSBURY
CASTILE, Wyoming Co., Feb. 20, '55.