123, 'If there be above five congregations
in all America, that own slaves, I never heard of them.' He then
mentions three of which he has heard, all in the Southern part of
Virginia. The Emancipator, in a note on this part of Mr. B's speech,
remarks, 'True, it is not the _general_ practice for churches or
ecclesiastical societies at the South, to own slaves as church
property, yet we suppose that the practice is by no means uncommon;
and the proof is threefold: _first_, that a number of instances of the
kind are actually known; _second_, that when such instances do occur,
they never produce any special sensation in the public mind--are never
spoken of as special and extraordinary cases, and never subjects such
church to reproof or the loss of ecclesiastical fellowship with other
churches; and _third_, that ministers very generally at the South hold
slaves, and that oftentimes when they are unable to buy for
themselves, some kind friend makes them a present of one or two for
house servants; and if to the ministry, why not the church?' It then
goes on to enumerate two instances, beside those admitted by Mr. B.,
of churches holding slaves, and one of a bequest of slaves to the
Missionary Society, [A. B. C. F. M.] and gives also an advertisement
of the sale of certain property 'belonging to the estate of the late
Rev. Dr. Truman,' including land, 'a library _chiefly theological_,'
and '_twenty-seven negroes_, two mules, one horse, and an old wagon.'
The note thus continues, 'And when these notices appeared in the
Southern prints, no body was struck with amazement; no protestation
was given to the public that they were extraordinary cases; no
Christian minister or Christian newspaper, as we are aware, ever
lifted their voice against them as rare cases, or bore their testimony
against them as being as monstrous as they were rare. What then is the
inference? Why, that such things, if not _general_, are yet never
regarded as singular or uncommon. Now add to these; and others that
might be named, the cases admitted by Mr. B., and to this, add the
fact that Mr. Paxton at least felt that his church in Virginia _could_
emancipate the _fifty_ slaves they owned, but _would_ not, and then
say whose statements have most of the "silly falsehoods" about them,
those of Mr. B., or the despised but honest-hearted negro?'

Mr. B. seems to regard it as a mighty grievance, that when there are
so few slaveholding ministers, church members, an