[268] your heart; perhaps you will discover that your theological views have really little to do with your understanding, your conscience, or your heart, independently and absolutely, like the others—pardon my frankness—for if they had, it seems to me you would no more be startled to see an impartial discussion of them in the Liberator, or any other periodical conducted on the same principle, than you now are to see pro-slavery and antipeace sentiments admitted into its columns along with those of an opposite spirit. Is there any flaw in this reasoning? Is there any link in this chain of logic unsound? Is not the parallel perfect, the analogy exact, the illustration pertinent, the conclusion inevitable? What is it that induces you to hide the Liberator from your friends? It cannot be that you have ever seen anything in it, from my pen, detrimental to the peace, liberty, or happiness of mankind. Is not its standard of rectitude exalted, unswerving, absolute? Is it not boldly and continually rebuking sin and sinners in high places and in low places? Is it not hated, feared, and persecuted by all that is pharisaical, intolerant, cowardly, time-serving, brutal, and devilish? Does it not advocate, in practical life, love to God and love to man—peace on earth— the brotherhood of all mankind? Is it not straining every nerve to overthrow, by sublime moral instrumentalities, that horrible system in this country by which millions of our brethren and sisters are reduced to the condition of things? Is such a paper to be secreted? Is its circulation to be a cause of disquietude to any pure mind, to any free spirit, to any philanthropic heart? I have never allowed a single number of it to go forth to the world without feeling that it would do something to redeem that world from sin and error. My mistakes and infirmities have been numerous, undoubtedly—for who is infallible?—but the moral tone of my paper, I am confident, has been uniformly pure and elevated. . . . My worthy friend at——comes right to the point in her letter, of which the following is the introductory paragraph: “ My dear sir, I am sorry to say that I cannot read the Liberator any longer. You will, therefore, not send any more papers to my address. Ever since the Sabbath and Scripture questions were brought forward, I have read it only to mourn over it. I know the Bible and the Author of it so well (?) that I have not any fears for my own sentiments being injured. But I cannot put it into the hands of my family, because I consider its sentiments on these points calculated to bring forth the grapes of Sodom and the apples of Gomorrah.”
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