negroes, but devise ways and means to release them from their masters. But how did the great champion of the cross—this great, this true philanthropist act? He sends the servant back to his master—a christian apostle, acting under the seal and commission of Prince Emanuel, sends back a christian slave to a christian master.
I know it is in vain to quote scriptural precepts and examples, against the proceedings of bigots and fanatics, for they regard these as little as their brethren, the scribes and pharasees, regarded the law of Moses, though, they were forever prating about that law, and yet violating its every precept—so is it in these latter days: and the Son of God himself, were he again to appear on earth as he did, before, would, I fear, be treated no better.
On the broad and all sustaining grounds then, of scriptural precept, scriptural authority, and scriptural example, I take my stand, in defence of slavery, and fearlessly meet its opponents. Planting my right foot on the bible, and my left on the constitution of my country, I cheerfully and confidently abide the result.
The present controversy then is not between us and the abolitionists—but between them and Paul, or rather between them and Christ, in which position I leave them. Abolitionists tell us that no slave-holder can be a Christian. But here again they and Paul are at issue. Paul tells us that there are believing masters, as well as believing servants, and that both are the servants of Christ. Will the abolitionists unchristianise Paul and Peter and Timothy? They all sanctioned the existence of slavery in the primitive church; and it devolves now upon the abolitionists to show when these precepts authorising slavery were revoked, and that too by the same authority that first gave them.
Again, the abolitionists have declared that those churches in which slavery exists, “are the Synagogues of Satan.” Modest assurance truly! So then, the Corinthian, the Ephesian and the Collosian’s churches, and all the others which the apostles planted, were the synagogues of Satan! Fanaticism sometimes plays strange pranks with her votaries, and places them in awkard and ridiculous attitudes. And there is nothing like religious fanaticism to make men play the fool on the largest and broadest scale of folly and madness, where their insane words and actions are sufficient to provoke
“The loudest laugh of Hell.”
And yet none talk so much about duty and the will of God as they; while they overlook the fact, that the word of God is the will of God to us, and that, outside the circumference of that revelation, we are as profoundly ignorant of his will as the infant of an hour. And they overlook another fact, which is, that the positive and unequivocal precepts and commands of God, contain the sum of
