Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 3

[11] manner. President Mahan and the Rev. Charles G.¹ Finney, of Oberlin, who belonged to the same school with Noyes and (nominally) the editor of the Liberator, assumed an attitude of hostility to non-resistance very afflicting to the last-named. Finney held, in a Fast² sermon, ‘that circumstances may arise, not only to render fighting in defence of liberty a Christian duty, but also to justify Christians in actively supporting despotism.’ Noyes's society at Putney, Vt., some months afterwards,³ discussed the question: ‘Is it according to Scripture and reason that women should act as public teachers in the Church, in large assemblies, except in cases of special inspiration?’ and unanimously sided with Paul in the negative.⁴ Their organ, the Witness, for the same reason, pronounced the doings of Boyle, the Grimkes, and⁵ Garrison against the same Apostle ‘acts of flagrant sedition against God,’ and spoke of ‘the whole phalanx of Massachusetts Ultraists, with Garrison at its head.’ This outburst served a useful purpose in ridiculing the attempts⁶ to connect Mr. Garrison with the marriage views of the Perfectionists because he was in agreement with some other part of their doctrine. It was a poor rule that would not work both ways, and the identification of Noyes with Phelps, Torrey, and Colver on the woman question was sufficient to prove that these clergymen, therefore, thought lightly of the marriage institution.

All this did not prevent Mr. Garrison from coming to the rescue of the Perfectionists against attacks from⁷ ecclesiastical bodies all over the country on ‘the doctrine of sinless perfection, or entire sanctification in the present life.’