Christians in general condemned the enterprise of John Brown, while
sympathizing with him, I hasten to acknowledge; and I am far from
blaming them. That many have committed the real wrong of recoiling
before the consequences of an open and decided conduct, I am forced to
admit. Yes, without even mentioning the South, where, as every one
knows, the reign of terror prevails, there are numerous Protestant and
Catholic churches in the remainder of the Confederation, which have
refused to declare themselves, as they should have done, in opposition
to the crime of slavery. Let us not hasten, however, to cry out against
falsehood and hypocrisy; most honorable and sincere men have believed
that they would do more harm than good by bringing on a rupture with the
South. Let us not forget that political rupture is complicated here with
religious rupture. Now, all the churches extend over both North and
South; all the charitable societies number committees and subscribers in
both North and South. The point in question then, (let us weigh the
immensity of the sacrifice,) the point in question is to rend in twain
all the churches, to break in pieces all the societies, to expose to
perilous risks all the great works that do honor to the United States.

Doubtless, to have gone their way, to have done their duty, and not to
have troubled themselves about the consequences, was the great rule of
action. I grant it; yet, notwithstanding, I refuse to stigmatize, as
many have done, those men who have committed the fault of hesitating; I
feel that to rank them among the champions of slavery is to pervert
facts, and to fall into a blamable exaggeration. Again, to-day, after
the election of Mr. Lincoln, cannot citizens be cited in the North who
are devoted to the cause of the negroes, but who refuse to participate
in abolitionist demonstrations, because they fear (and the sentiments
does them honor) to encourage the impending insurrections?

This said, I wish to prove by some too well-known facts, what has been
this forbearance, or even this pretended hesitation of orthodox
Christianity. On regarding the churches, I see two, and the most
considerable, which have openly declared themselves: the
Congregationalists and the Methodists. About six months since, the
General Conference of Methodists resolutely plunged into the current
without suffering itself to be trammelled by the protests which came to
it from the South. I read in a report presente