Watchmen, what of the Night!
The watchman saith, the night cometh, and also the morning. The "Minister's Association of the Rochester District" of the Methodist Episcopal Church lately held a Conference in this place. A resolution was offered and debated, requesting the next General Conference to so change the discipline, that slaveholders could not have membership amongst them. An amendment was offered granting them 6 months' probation for repentances. One thought the time too short; for in that time they could not easily get out of it. The amendment lost. A motion to lay on the table was left. Then came the original motion, which was debated at two of its sessions. One of those who spoke on the negative was a graduate, and, of course, a linguist. He gave us the proper meaning of dulos, which, he said, always means slave, except when applied to Christ, and then it is used as "trope." He said slaveholders were admitted into the Primitive Church; that Abraham was a slaveholder, and was now in heaven. The law of Sinai allowed; and slavery existed in its worst form in the Roman Empire in the days of Christ—and he and his apostles said nothing against it, but admitted them into the Gospel church. He instanced the case of Philemon; but failed to tell us who the commissioner or marshal was in the case of Onesimus. He was opposed to the resolution. Three other preachers took the same ground, and one of them advocated slavery to the full extent from the Bible.
The weight of the argument was clearly with the negative. The question is put over, and made the special order for the first day of the next Conference, at 2 o'clock P. M., on the last Tuesday of April, at Palmyra. Now, in view of those facts, allow me to ask, is that Church opposed to slavery? Nay verily.
LEVI J. HICKS
WALWORTH, Feb. 7th, 1853