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Un dee symboles suivsnts apparaitra sur la . damiAre image de cheque microfiche, seion le caa: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symboie ▼ signifie "FIN". Lee cartes, planchee. tableaux, etc.. pauvent itrm fiimte i dee taux de rMuction difftrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour itre reproduit en un seul clich4. il eat film* i partir de I'angle supMeur geuche. de geuche i droite, ec de haut en bee. en prenent le nombre dimegea n4ceasaire. Lea diagrammes suivants iliuatrent la m^thode. f^- 1 1:1 J,:,. P'' 11, -^-z*. /24 ■^^.>^- H-.. / SOUTHERN SLAVER^ NOT BOUNDED OK SCRIPTURE WARRANT: \fiX)Kit, BT' TBK f ; BEV. WILLIAM SOHMERVILLE, A. M., Refonuea Presbyterian MtnUtcr, OomwikUia, K. & > J SAINT JOHN, N. B. PRINTED BY BAIWES * COMPANY, nuNOK wuuAM sntncT. 1 18M. . . * /tl 4 i Sd^ > * *»t _^* u r- .K f J \ ' * » ■ -» SOUTHERN SLAVERY «*** NOT FOUNDED OM % SCRIPTURE WARR4.NT 'lidmt BV THE BEV. WILLIAM SOMMERVILLE, A. M., Eeformed Presbyterian Minister, Ctomwallis, N. 8. SAINT JOHN, N. B. PRINTED BY BARNES & COMPANY, FRINCE WILLIAM STREET. 1861. ■■i '% Dec«Bib«r, 18M. r ' ■ ■.■■■. i 1 are 1 pup 1 tion 1 wit] ^//^nS LECTURE ■■^. vjhofeel ah 'ST'Ven to the " The cml war now unhappily raging in the United btates, has led to the renewed disenssion of the subject of slavery. It is kncfwn to you all that the Bible has been appealed to as sanctioning the system of slavery as it exists m the Southern States of North America. Convinced that a faithful application of Bible doctrine would eventually extinguish human bondage, my object in the present lec- ture will be to unfold the teachings of the word of God on tins subject, and to shew that the slave-holders of the bouth can find no warrant for their system in the doctrine ot servitude as taught in the Scriptures. I would almost- prefer avoiding, "in the disenssion, the . term slave or slavery, and using in its stead, permanent servant or permanent servitude. The reason is this :— That the terms slave and slavery are so closely associated in the public mind with Southern thraldom, that their use IS calculated to leave a false impression : for there is no real resemblance between slavery, as it exists and is de- fended m tlie Southern States, and as it is'recognized by the word of God, except in the single circumstance of a permanent attachment to a household, and consequent subjection to its head. I would observe at the outset that an appeal to Scrip- ture m support of Southern bondage, is an afterthought. In the early part of the Eepublican history of North America, slavery was always viewed, both by slaveholders and ecclesiastical bodies, as an evil unhappily entailed upon a people whose fundamental doctrine is that all men are bom equal, and are entitled to life, libertv, and the pursuit of happiness ; and to whom had been left ^he sola, tion of the difficult problem of extinguishing slavery without a bloody revolution. T he change which hag tafam- *^e3t^Ji V I>Iace among slavcl.oldore and nre«ol,.» • ;™.ng. They have kamedVZij™. 2"^' """""- 'U as a wise, tencvolent and ,1™;!^. -^ ^'' ''""'mmond ho , lave and .h„ maate ft Ib « ,f ' V^"'""™' ^oth for 'k« Sronnd of expediency and p„ " ?k T'^?'"^ '^ «"" . el«m made „p„„ Biblical" np^:"^ «b«ndoncd and a bold traordirtary, is to f nd tl,„ „i' ■ > ""^ """" '» ''7 ox- , '"- i^ii high »d tanXS'"" "' ""> «-> man bondage, on prof™r.J^ ^ ^ "" °"PP»rt of hn- eannot donbf .'heir sCot^' a^dCt™', '""'""■'"»»• ^« , exercise of thecharity thai tbinl V* " '^"'"» » ^igh men, „ho read the Scripts S " " '"'' *" ''^"«™ "■»» Be in earnest in propostaV^I^ !? ""^ '"""'"™. should '-^>-« by men'^rdTf,;7owfd°;:r"'''""^°"<'"«« novolence of temporarj, /alter f ^° "Leiden tal be- f^m the acknowlodgj S J'., ^ "«"r""' <'^"'«a • which is, at all points ™b^cl^. .7"^' *« P'^™ of anthority. '^ '""'J^'='^ 'otho restraints of Divine' were under to himTathe h^"^ ""f ""-"g^ions they . the lord yonr God, ttich brlZ'" '"? •^'■«- "I™ land of Egypt \/^,, "™ /ro'ight youfortli out of the There isaoSlXy^j? '^'I' "^^ '^-' follows. .. I ut b7ken .rr T '"^^'"^ "".what made yon g„ upn,uTZX^T. °', ^°" ^"^^' »■"» ' dagc man is bent down unde,: h^7' . " " ""'* "^ hon- he soon loses the consciousn ' s „f '^u''"''*" "' '<>". »"aycst be iftade I great and sur- d recommond ™tion, both for prising to find ed, and a bold at 18 very ox- f of the Scrip- 'PPort of hn- iciples. "Wo Hires ^ high • believe that tion, should '0 a bondage cidental be- nts derived pressure of « of Divine' >e desired; ations they '^' " I am out of the bondmen.'''' TQ in^^what yoke, and • te of bon- f toU, and becomes holds out bondage, ition and ch them "ICor. 1 if they 3 South, ramany 3 Spirit '6 inade The Bible does not disconrago the slave from making his escape ; and the underground^ railroad is' built in the very spirit of God's cc^unsel. It is condenmed by the slave- bolder in opposition to a command from the fountain of all righteous legislation. "Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master ftnto thee, he shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose, in one of ^hy gates where it liketh him best : thou shalt not oppress him." Dent, xxiii. 15, IC. Tliis is a curious law addressed to a people who hold slaves. Was this intended to be a suggestion that the ^ practice of slavery was in itfifelf contrary tp the Iffw of nar ture and of God? Or is it intended to restrain the violent treatment which would incite the slave to escape, when the master knew that the runaway could not bo reclaimed ? Or, if there be an exclusive reference to slaves escaping, from heathen masters, are we thus to be taught that slavery among the Israelites was essentially different from slavery among the nations, and that the example of a fugitive pro- tected by law never perilled the interests or security of an Israelitish master ? Certainly the law is essentially and literally opposed to the " Fugitive Slave Law" of the United States, to which even some Doctors of Divinit^ gave their support, from Florida to Maine, and which bound the whole nation to oppositionto God's expressed will. At all events, we are here t^^pt that freedom is to be desired, that God would encoura^' that depire, and that men are not permitted to repress it. No one ever hesitated to admit that the Scripture as- sumes the existence of slavery among the Israelites, and legislates upon it. PractisedTsy Abrahapo, his descendants followed his example.^ Too often successors and sons rather copy what " disgraced their betters" and their sires than their virtues. Many a one has found an apology for the use of intoxicating drinks, in tha(^ his praying father would go to a tavern for a dram, who' never copied his father's prayers. It does not^however, follow from Divine legisla- tion upon slavery, that the custom had the approbation of God. Tlie law does not require men to hold slaves, b,ut ^^? >*^.' »'fe, .nd every «.,f„ ,„, ''^ '"•V. »''ool,f h.ve hy he former di,j„„3„ H ;""' ""''°»»» '» 'Lo n,en of l-oen Witney -betBeen thi 17 « "■"•-" '^''<'to«l I..8 «S«in.«t when, thou iZt iZtT^ i'° '"'^ "^ "W yoath ««™P«ion «nd the„"e„nIVo ''"'"''^' T^lllli"!,; ^makeono) Yet 1 J ,'» ,,'''^„«"r™«"'- And did W;,i^ 'wherefore one J Tl,», T . ™'"'""' »<■ 'he Snirit -obation of it «ajf, " Mo,e,, because „fh? t"". ^^ ■"'° ^'""""'os, l^e -ufteredyoutoputa "yo'r Jr'"r °'' ^""^ ^^^, . "'■■« « was not so ;--- .^ IL„ '°° '' I*"' fr"™ tha begin . ««my and pre,a,ent d'w^^/"^ °" '<- ^l«'" «hat p^ ! ^ «'« of on-l results. UnC it T ^'^ ""'• '"d P-'odne. ftren. evidenc.fron.th th h?,?e 1""'^' "^ ^"7 "^'f" "I'pphea, we arc warranted ,„ , ^^ respecting slavery "'f evil, and leadi^to ei r "^ " "»"• ^hat ft aS A diflioultj, however „ ~"^"ences. 'o^divorcean'i- srvtr'^r-" "°'"' ""^ »"'' -^Pect authority of the S.^onTZt^" ^'' """'' "P"" the .divorce waa wrong; and Issu^- ° """•"" P'-'etice „? "■y was and i, w?<^„g „ht"™"'»' ^ »o y.y, *., ..^^ he«d,t.ry. How sh.fl Ze ll„ i^"'"-.?' Pe™'anent, and H™ who ir of pnrer eZ S„ ^ T"? "" "'"'■••oter of who cannot look \Z,„^^- ^ ,^ heboid iniqnity and «I«eT. or div„wS°'"° '■■■' .'he legislative allowance "f it -V. "' uiTona. or An., «, j>— —"o allowance "ot d»„„„ert. .;dVo7JS.l "" " '" ' ^hy . ♦ ■ --t-- — X \ ' / ■"^i Mmt it ever timAtion than wording to the ^>ave hi|9 own The prophet tlie men of TJie Lord has ■ 3V^ youth, retisehekhjr ^didWiiot Pirit. And >ed. The re- al treach(!r-" ^ i6. sij 91 and one ' 5 room, for practice in ^.tion upon tion of it. irisees, he »• hearts, her begin- liat polj- ^ ' produc very dif- ^ r fiiarerj ^ t always respect ;>on the ■tice of 'a« .ela- it, and eter of r, and ice of iij is >ited ? To me tliQ difficulty udmita of an easy solution. We know 'that God hates all sin, and tlie wa^es of sin is death. We f know that Bin shall not go unpuriii?hed, because tlie right- eous Lord lo^Jh righteousness. But in refcrehce both to the ihultipTlcation of Wives and hereditary" bondage, God ■ was not {Promulgating laws simply to express his views of certain practices, but sucb laws as were to be administered by the Elders of Israel, or, as ^e wpuHrtay, by the civil . magistrate. ^ Tho^eonniVance of God, tfie^efore, does not imply that he approves of polygai^ay and bondage^ but - that they were evils which the civil magisirate was not competent to deal with. A very great evil may be inters woven with the texture of society, and magisterial attempts at correction would involve the destruction of the commu*' nity, or prove utterly abortive. We might illustrate this by an example that is at the present time deeply interest* ing to ourselves. Tlie evils of intemperanf e are admiftted on all hands. The traffic in intoxicating beverages hardly admits of a plausible excuse. Yet however desirable for the good of society, would be the cessation of the traffic, and the extifiction of intemperance, it is manifestly beyond the power of laws to put an end to them. So lt>ng aspien ^ are resolved to drink^ intoxicating Ijquors will'be furnished either by manufacture "v^hin or by importation. Inteni<' perance, and the means of it could never be l^islated out of existence* The (Jovemraent of Nova Seotia could not establish a^ legal cordon round its shores^ sufficient to delude all materials of intemperance, even if all internal production was at an end. All that can be done, all that can be rationally attempted, UHder, existing circumstance, is to- subject the traffic to euoh regulations as shall render » xiXena profitable to the trader, less hmtifvlio the consumer, and more disrepuitaUe to both. Whoever examines with care th& character and operation o^ the Scriptural laws^. - respecting slavery, canhotfail to discover that their direct tendency, when faith^y administered, was to put^an en«[ to a^istom in j^lf nnnataral, fall of danger, both to the nuutter and slavey and despotio: the very reverse of all slave laws in Nortk Amerioa^ thei.inte&tion' «id bearing <^ ■uJ .jy .V 8 ; which are to^xtend, perpetuate, and to intensify the hor v . nble degradation of the slave population. T^^s^l^,^ ^ laws we now proceed to examine. scriptural 1. I^ero are <^^ methods of obtaining slaves not direoflv prohibited :^wrc/l^, and consuest; and there k f^I-L^ arising out of the other two:^.,^: tt^l^^JtTt ' ent"^ru^f''"^°"^.^'' ^^^^-g^^nder very X W tV E/ P '''"^^ "" "^^^^^^ nominal X w 'rnf r' ^^* '^' ^^^"'^ ^^ <^^« tribe ov^ a^" Jtonlf i^'r^^'^"'"' t««««Iave his captive brore^ I recoUec only of one case in which tiie victor manSS a disposition to .«similate the fruite of triumphTw to the permitted effects of the conauest of^n k ' enemy. When Pekah, Idng of Crlld a'^^; victory over Ahaz, king of Judah, two hunc^d liouS with women sons and daughters, were taken capiiveTnd there was discovered a disposition to enslave Tern ' but ow as tiie ten tribes had smik in idolatiy anrimrrllitv ^e remonstrance of the prophet Oded prevail^d^Idt^' Tr /T.^^. ^^ "^"^^ ^^^ ^d consid;rTtion to ^v^Tl5. "'"'^*"^*'''^- 2^"S«-22,2CW ^ There is one special prohibitory law which would sub- jec thousands perhaps, in the Spates, Nortii Td Sout to capitel pumrfmient. « He that stealetii a man and sS-' leth him, or if he be found in his hand \^^ ai^oii 7 x :^t todeaih:^ Ex. xxi. 16 ' ^"^ *" war jLev. xx. ll-U), but the law does not recomize tiie liberty to make war to cf^tam elmee. '^S^^ the I flhaU only add that colour constitutes no index of a -racedoomedtoservitudewithouthope. Thiaw^r^ed for n^am refinement in despotism Sd in injustice 2. The pnvileges of slaves were guaranteed bylaw and were v^lai^ and liberal. To tiiL whoTav/nerer^ oTSodhrd ^'''t^'^'P'^'^"^^ andotiierri'te of God.hold slaves, who jump to the conclusion tliat Souti ^ ntensify the hor> The scriptural laves not directly there is a thirds Jier Hebrews or ider very diflfer- w. The truth is y nominal. See om to the hen- ' tribe over ano- captive brother. ,. Jtors manifested unph in IsraeT, of a heathen tained a signal dred thousand, Jn captive, and ive them; but id immorality, ailed, and they •nsideration, to 22, 2 Chron. ih would sub- h and South, man and sel- iall surely le tives taken in recognize the index of a was reserved lustice. 1 by law, and ive never in- ker servants D that South- American elavelioldcrs occupy, before God,. the same posi- tion with the Father of believers and his descendants, and who are wont to speak of Sonthern slavery as tliat patri- archal institution, an exposition of the legal po-sition of the slave in Israel, would excite astonishment. They would soon learn thrft there was more to contrast than to compare in the systems of Southern and Scriptural bon- dage. Tlie object of the God of Israel is not to depress, but to elevate, the members of the human family ; not to degrade to the rank of chattels, but to raise to the dignity of men. Every unprejudic^ed -inquirer wiUjpiiiscover that Israelitish bondage, regulated by law, wasSP honourable elevation above the condition of the worshipper of birds and beasts, arid inanimate objects, who dwelt in the region of darkness and cruelty : and if a man, who is free of debt, and eats his own bread, is more honourable and in- dependent than ho tliat quails before a creditor and trem- bles at the sight of a constable ; when a man is sold to pay his debts, his temporary subjection is a step to freedom. *' The borrower is servant to the lender." The Israelite must educate his slave Paul informs us that the circumcised person is a debtor to do the whole law. Of course he is imder an obligation to know it ; and he that is required to circumcise his slave, is bound to teach him the law of the God of Israel. The patriarch and his seed were obliged to give the same religious education to their children and to their servants, because they received, in common, the seal of God's covenant. The terms of the covenant made with Abraham, and ■the testimony to his fidelity beautifully harmonize, and unite to confirm the preceding statements. The covenant is this : — " He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is bom in thy house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not thy seed. He that is bom in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised." This is the testimony, — God's testimony to the results of Abra- ham's fidelity to the Covenant obligation. " I know him _ th a th fe^aall ^ o fflm aad Jii& ehild ren^od Mi li o us c hold aft e r <„ ■yv 10 seed, for the cniovmmt J . "y <>• Abraham and his -nderthe bond of the ^^^t V, 7T ^^ """' »o regard to the charaetTrttrJott ' 7^"" *'" " bringing up of children in ",' ' ™"'° °f servants, the theforf. becomesar™?- ?;T ""d «d">onition of . m™le cTslve Zra Tr""^^ -othing short of entered into eovonlnti^M;,! "''■'"' ^'^' »' ""'b, W./..«^::,"l-^^«;»2"'^ WUtes, f -: ir^n tr It r »-r ^^^«of Z M 10-15) * P"°P'" "'» ''™»^f- (Deut. xxix. ■ «od^J':iir:rbr""f '"^'t^- ^» «■"">««' bath of the Lord thy God. ??' T,""" ^"^^ "■« ^ab- thon, nor thy sonVnt %daXttnh?° ""^ "°"^' nor thy maid servant." (Deit vU ^n { "^ "™'^' Southern bondaire Tl,« .f : H ^"^^ *« "'th ^oundtocumXfo^^SLSraLSted^tr'"" °^ ■t from a certain hour on SaturdaytilfCd^ ^^^ IsraehtishsZTOen, was ii. »),;=. " ""naay. or Provincial *«"Cm XS'''^^,^*'* ter and miBtress go forth, on the I^rfTdav^™ ""v-""- How often, wMeTe ILT .^'^ ^' ^^'* *^«^' f"««dB. be seen on the box of the ^IT-F^' "^^^ *^^ ^'^"^ r:^ ^eT °6 -^X'l^neTrS:. t^-:^ .■espatch doe, not lead -.enrU^-^i^t^-thr^vit his liousehold,— 7 of tlie Lord, to may bring upon 1 of him." (Gen. Abraham and his ngs, presupposes rvants and sons, , where there is of servants, the d admonition of nothing sliort of ^od, at Horeb, 3 Israelites, the tood before the en God would • (Deut. xxix. Tlie Sabbath ay is the Sab- do any work, y man servant, trast this with a port ion of ed to improve ay. sr than British ^en the mas- to worship, — bere worship- he sweets of and cooks a :heir friends. I their child- ly the groom f the horses, b, having no t. There is a desiro for the Divine 11 law and the Divine rights of the hired servant. On board a Cunard steamer, which, from no other necessity than to catch light breezes, the sailors were being constantly occu- pied during a Lord's day in shifting sails, I overheard one of them in manifest bitterness, say, " There is no Sundm/ here." Not the engineer only, whose constant attention may be a matter of necessity ; but the cook, the baker, the waiter, know no more rest on tlie Lord's day than on other days, that the fastidious appetite of the epicure or gour- mand may be gratified. ,. In so far as the weekly sabbath is concerned, Israelitish slavery was not only better than the slavery of the South- ern States, but better than servitude among Cli^ristians in many cases ; and the servant cannot invoke the str^ongarm of law to protect him. Often the only alternative left to the hired servant or tradesmaif, is dismissal or Sabbath desecration and toil. The SahhaMcal year also, is the comtnon privilege of master and slave. " The Sabbath of the land shall be meet for you, for thee, and for thy servant, antl for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, smd for thy stranger which sojonrn- eth with thee." (Lev. xxv. 6.) T/ie Passover is tJie slave's privilege. " Every man's servant that is bought with moneys-hen thou hast circum- cised him, then shall he eat thereof" (Ex. xii. 44.) The slave has a common interest with his master in the Feasts of Weeks amd Tdhemacles. Where God reigns, joy to the master brings joy to the slave, a feast to the master is a feast to the slave. " ITiou shalt keep the feasts of Weeks unto the Lord thy God." "Thou shalt observe the feast of Tabernacles." "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God,— in thy feast, —thou and thy son and thy daughter, and thy man servant and thy maid servant, and the Levite, and the stranger^^ and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy gates.''^^ (Deut. xvi. 10-14.) The son, and Levite, and slave are equally honoured before the Lord. .^|^ ' - The Priest's servant has bis portion oPMe Pr ie st 's holy T ™r cr :4t itr ir ir\ - the slave fare, as well as hi To d "mfr,?° ^:'' com, and of tliy wine and of *l!, I', \ ' ** "^ % of % herds or'^f Z'Zuf^J^:, "' "^ ""> "■'^"'■'g' vowest, thy free-will offirinl 7 t ^ ''™' "'"■•='' *<"» hand, '-JouWJ'L tSr?'£fcf to? "^ !7 t.aS:,ra:^:rr^-"f»-^ "^ t-o -st pene. "elves Kindness to th^' «1 ^'Z^"'' '"™«^'"-» »"« «'om- fey do, *:«: ; r^rl^irr* t^^"^^- aons, the dance, in the S Had 7' '" ' '""' ""^ Lable?_as many a^^^'c tarcS b th'i,",f "«'?"'« North, have for slav~ „„ ' '" "'" ^outh and who, like some slaves 'aTe S'™m' °?™'""'' « *-« The Divine instrnctioV^f '^j ° ''^.'-S % ■"«* *-: distinctions, and lead to tfe orclnstTaTth ""' """ recognized. Sometimes, however an ;„? ?7 ""■' ""' snpplies an answer to « diffl i! ' ""'"''="«»' c'lpression "ite reply is s^ght n v in J IT""' '°.""«'' » "*• direct connection with the ^.bitt Tf™" ■""■'"« »» The Israelites were i^lr.^, r' "'"'''' " '""cid.tes. fa»^-" --'X. Samuel, the prophet of the Lord no; a ^0^1°" " 'T' man, nor a Southern derirvm.n . ^ Sonthem gentle- crn '""^gy^ an^yet an hono nrablaand an ■ bought with hia >f their festal ser- Before tlie Lord, The tithe of thy r of the firstlings vows which thou ■offerings of thy % God, in the se, thou and thy mt auci thymmtl ' gates." (Deut. r the most peno- agers once them- jquired to show, f Egypt. I'get his slavery, Israel, who has abitatibn. company ?--a8 in the feast, the not a separate 1 tlie South and ^sions, or those r a black skin; of such social they were not ital expression which adefi-' iion having no it elucidates, why, in their IS, daughters, >roprieties of 'dern society. ' on a time, "bern gentle- rable, and an c 13 upright man, and a judge or governor in the land, heldii. feast, to which the guests, abont thirty persons, had a special invitation. Saul and his slave had been wandering in search of the asses of Kish, Saul's father, which had gone astray, and met Samuel as he was going \ip to. .the high place to meet his guests, Samuel, by Divine sugges- tion, recognized the future King of Israel, and, having brought him into the parlour,- set him in the chief est place among them that were bidden. Where did he set the slave of Saul ? lie set him hende Ids master, in the place of highest honour. I do not read that any of the guests rose and left the table, or even offered any remonstrance against the indignity offered them. But Samuel's parlour was not the saloon of an Atlantic stealer, nor a Halifax or American hotel, nor the dining room of a modern slave- holder. AVe forget that God has made of one blood all nations in all the earth. A slave, without any degradation to the family to which he or she belonged, might he honoxirahly married to one of its members. But God has lifted up the SBgis of his pro- tecting power over the person of the dependent slave girl. He will not permit her to be deprived of character as well as liberty. If he has, in times of comparative ignorance, winked at slavery, he will not connive at impurity, the bane of all social comforts, confidence, and strength. I bless his name for it heartily, as I entreat him to hear the cry of the poor, dependent, and unfriended slave girl of the pro- fligate South. When an Israelite sold his daughter to another Israelite, and the latter, after having betrothed his slave, was displeased with her, he might allow her to be redeemed, although that seems, to have been the privilege proper to man servants ; but he is not permitted to sell her to strangers. If he had betrothed her to his son, she is to be treated as a daughter ; and if that son married another, her food, her raiment, and her lodging, shall be secm-ed to her in full 'measure ; otherwise she is free with- out ransom. (Ex. xxi. 7-11) The like protection^ is extended to a captive taken in JgflU _.I!hflLJg]iol #. p assage, which tr e ats of 4he subgeetf- :t l^reathessomuchnffi and such a d«j; 7 ^'^ndescgndinif tih a, . tion n« , ^®"^o»8tratc8 that fh/ • ' ** ^ «^^a]I jead won never loses siVJ.f «^ *"® a^m of Divine i Jt /• elevation of Z f , ^ P^^^^ion for the .?! . ^'^^^^*- thoufforstto^ '"'^" ^^'^'•acter a^d n ' •?- ''''^" *«<* " 6"est to War atrainHf fh; ^ Position. " wk - >-. tw lin hit wi''/ ""°» '■« "-r t,f •« not sell her at aJI #• ^ ^^"ther she will • h„* ?u ^ '"* hmZeZ^''^ *"*^en,ora^^;ide^ o r'r^^^'"^--^ is imt t„ V ^ ""Phyeand sla™ ♦!,„„ i. /'' " ii« taken 6*^ and iinmorRi «/v„ ««^iug aer the victim ^^ <««!».* God, o, S^CT'r- <'^ ^"O^ office." slave may takn f»,« u °*®'« amonff hia « ^^encp captor and 7no . ^°°<*''«*We place oif.K ^^P^^' *^« i'lur ana master. rSi Tu^ . °' "»e wife nf ».^ / '^Aicsaofthelord t^at I shalJ j-ead 'f Divine legi^i^. 3 protection and «ition. "When Qd the Lord thy ^ and thou hast iptivesabeauti- '<^ tiiou wouldst S her home to and allow iier ;t of iier cap- '^oise, and be- t^: and after ' and she shall no delight in >ut thou Shalt ^ke merchan- 'age of moral »8 of modern Jt is taken [>e, the idea ictim of an >«t offencp people, the ^ife of her 'cipitated ; *t exist or ated from ^ thegar- * for the »; (4) If ish wife, 'd a hus- tler she he gave iBelave. 16 Bible slavery did not involve the dcgradatipn associated with the name slave in modern parlance. The slavery with which we are familiar, is merciless in its origin, de-^ grading, intelfectually and morally, in its operation, and subversive of domestic and national confidence in its end ^am/t^« are vot separated against their ave earned it by th«r sweat _ C\ *\ Wl,icl, I,a, the best moral 1? / T"'*^"'"' ""<' ''"J'"'"-- 3- Slave, were Ha"le „ 't '"''^"""'eo ? Tl,„ p„„„ ofU titer tr'"'*"" ''^ "'»'■' "-t™- 'aw of God. ' T,,e W S c^ H' rer^""'"'"' "^"'^ "ctapted to call into exerfcise aTd °' ? 7 ''"''' "' "• ■lerestsenaibilitiesof oarnatle Tl, '"T''™' ""' '«" tnte, tlio poor and tl.ehelplo 1 ,1 v '''f ""'' "'^ ""i"- - « tho kindest oonsiderattn 0? tl '"1^'''''°''""™'^ and the inconsiderate dupHf bo d . T' f, ^''° '"''''^'' »>-e ever confoundinc^TiT , ,"■ '''^'''°»'' ^ertions, ■ • tended to regulate ftn 1 • 1 ^'""^""«». *■"' the laws in- And even th^at fal ^0^1'° f " -"'«'-<=->n..nity; ' «nco, that it was not became of .1 " " T ""^ "'^ "-"■■■ "■ey were sustained by tirn'^f "»'"^°"™«s that "gainst theCanaanites a^d ^7.°, """ * "'* «■•» that the sole eanse of the evt^ *• °-^l™=1"ti™ation , , people, was their d„la*:sTar"r,"'*"' ^"^o^" well calonlated to repre7th"t ,.'"'''''* ''"i"'"'7' ^as thirstiness, and to lea'v an ■ ,de He" n"'""™ """ '"'^- nn-nds, that if they adon, 1 1 l"''''™" "Po" their lite end. And the fact 1. n, ■""'''' "'"^ '*''"" ''ave a tjespiritofwara^t: iV:;;:^;^"-^'""^^ they are constantl;^ being slS to tC?"" '"'"'°"'^' eomingin the execution of tli^^r^ ''''"''«"= "''"''ort- hastc to have done w^^h " . ^^T""''""'"- '^''"r-'ake 1"iet of agricultural life !„"' T. ^f""- '»"" '"'<' «>« affections and virtues onltivation of domestic t"^o:utt:":!^i; ™r'" "H-"- » '^at his bnrien without hdpl'o 1!.''!^',°'"" "'<^">' """^^^ or the young are remov;, /^m t fcW's n't' 7"? "" "^^ fed in its mother's milk JT !ffl / !, ''"'"""^"'^ a fatherless child withrt. the widow or the thoirery, andtrgetiHrsr t''"' ''"^ ''™'<' '- -"Ser, andnot -ir to rcCi^rnVriaT- tt!^ ^ to tlie fnii't of I dilirrent Blave, ite, and idle son. eritance ? i^ their masters, -egulated bjtlio eiy part of it, ?tlien, the ten- f and tlie desti- reconimonclQd TJie infidel, less assertions - execute the h the laws in-, d'community. - ' by the assur- Bousness that - B- their wars 5s "intimation that devoted npuritj, was n and blood- n upon their shall ha\e a ^Hng to have ;e authority, '•geofshort- They make i^'n into the >f domestic lie ox that emy under in the eggs to seethe a 'W or the ould liear Ppress the its, — were 17 not likely to leave the slave to the will of a capricious and cruel master. If the master deprived either servan t or maid of an eye, or even knock out a tooth, they are free. (Ex. xxi. 26, 27.) " If a man smite his servant or his maid witli a rod, and he die under his hands, he shall surely be pu- nished." (Ex. xxi. 30.) There was no need of specitication- The law was ordained of old, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." (Gen. Lx. 6.) "Te shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put 'to death." (Num. xxxv. SI.) There is a supplementary clause, which requires a more extended 'discussion. "Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished : far he is his money." (verse 21.) This has sometimes been interpreted in support of the idea that the Israelites were taught to attach less value to the life of a slave than of a freeman, and that the value of the life was no more than the money which he cost. Nothing could be more unjust and inconclusive. The reason assigned for the punishment of death in case of ^ murder, is an ample refutation of the distinction supposed, . between the life of the bond and of the free. " In the image of God made he man." Are we to understand that, when the Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt, the Egyptian master is to be justified, in that he had despised their lives? Contempt of the character, the comfort, the elevation, and the life of the slave was reserved for Ch/ria- ti(m statesmen, Christian masters, and Christian ministers, falling back upon the laws and customs of heathenism,— the dark places ^of the earth whioh were and are full of cruelty. ; When a man's life is perilled, in a court of justice, under a capital charge, the uniform language of the judge to the jurors is,—-" If there be a doubt on your niinds of the coe^- clusiveness of the evidence, let the prisoner have the benefit of it." This is uniformly considered a proof, that the glory of Britain is, that, in the law, and the'administrationof it, justice and mercy advance with equal steps, "^^ave not aJUPut ./-'*" y^^ J^"^gM . ^^9T-eJhe^l HBtigg i^ "^g roy, tb« g|PrtiRlityL_ IS * , of Israelitisli law It i« ««♦ *\ . , bo put to deatl," pe,"™ fl r?.'^"°'^ <>» "hall „„. «>r execute. that the owner of the slav^^^ ! -^'"'""P^^^^^^^^nce serious injury, when helZ^^t"'* 'T^^ "^ ^^ ^m any nf i,4o 1 . ; ® *°*^te him with hlsstafF Ti,« 7 of his slave is the loss of his money. % Ml thp ? "*'' to throw away his money To sSk -^ ^*''^' ^« its destruction, or in the month f ^ ^,T" ^° *^^ ^^^ *<> tooth, while it discove^ no^H. '"'f't^^^^S out of a fests so -chsurs^rc; ttSi^t^^^^^^ ^ be considered safer awav frZ ?^'''*'''' ^^^t the slave must Wm his liberty iZi^ f^ ' "^^^^^ - *^^ <^od m^^ been thepunS^^e^.fi.^ .T- '^'^^^ '^ "^»^^ ^-v- When «ie Btr^cCaletX^^^ there being no evidenrt ^ff . ^^^ ^' *^^' ^thoyxgh, that he die^d C tCffl nf 7"?^ V^^ ^^i^^^^J^ tfiat he may havT di^ f^l L "l^^^'^^ ^^ ^gypt, of tlirone of God. it}i of two wit- rtljy of death, Js, ho shall not idont that, ac- al convictions, ,in reilcotin<^ wn approved ersons shonld n for tlie in- 3 his perfect 5 precedence tion.. "The ) to put hini ho people." lenee is put >f ambition, 10 sentence of an inno- superstition eoute. ve evidence lo him any The loss le slave, is the oye to ? out of a life, mani- -^ ilavo must ^od giviBS May have i rashness, although, ' probable ^possible nd there ken i^an v ; ' 19 may have been the subject^ of a WJcing, and not appre- hended djscase, that rendcrxxl a lilo^fi^I, which 7Lv- wiso would have been innocuous. 4. WiiiUt Hebrews might be sold, and so enslaved, tliero were special Hmitations of the, servitude to which thev were subjected. ^ '' <1.) TJ^y could m^la held to bond service, wiUiout tlteir own ooneent, for more than iioiymrs. '' Jf thou buy a He- brew servant, six years shall ho serve ; and in the scvenUi yearhcshallgoout free, for nothing." a etffiSgei-, there is the same Hmi ation to the ter^ of his bondage. In both cases he must be treated as a ^yearly Ured servant,'' and neither his brother nor the stranger may rule over him witli rigou/: and under the hand of the stranger, his bi-etliren are to take care th^t hik treatment be just. (Lev. xxv. 39-55 )* Tlie difficulty of leaving wife or children is obviated by obhgmgthe individual to wkim'he is sold, to take als^rhis tamily with hmi, so that wife and children are secured from want ; and poverty does not necasarily scatter theTUem- bers of a family abroad. This is necessarily imrAied in the mjunction, that at the terminatif»n of servitude, his wito and children shall go out with liim. An Israelite sold as a sti-anger, might bo redeemed at any time. Arty ^f his near relatives might redeem bun ; or if he wire ftblo^ he mi^ht redeem lunfsclf. And the master cannot fix his price. The price of redemp- tion IS regulated by law. The original liability is ascer- tained, and^tlio number of yeare from the sale to the year i» iiquiuaiea alter tlie aabbatical year, he raust return fe Betvice. The mM<^ w«i, m no coa t, extended bcyand the year of 'Jubilee. 20 . of Jubilee. Tlien the cost of redemption U in Dronortinn «he year, from li.e time of redem.,>tioM„ the Jubilee eom HreJ -nth the years whleh he h« «rved '°°'"' tarv"!l "J"" "'" ""^^ r" •'""K' "b«rty to theinvolun. taryhondBman among the laraelites, the temperarlve TrM- or°f Zr'"'''^'"'''^ into. eoId.„7jfl:, iiorld or If he have poBsessiong to which to reh.™ l, mmthave wherewith t„.et up hou«, loping. t^b'° go away empty : tI,ou shall furnish hhn merattv on ^ lu't ar;:eTm'^^l*\r ''"'^''"'«' "^- wast a bonfs::^T„ thX" ? ^^t'tTt' STd^ These coneiderations have- an important hp^rJn^ .1 oeatu 01 Chnsf, no permanent und hereditary slavenr witli D,v,ne approval. , It has ceased to have tto allo^r r i:tS '/I '"-^ """ ''"""'S » »>-" -dSldren :*^;^-i:;:^:-rrti^r»^"-«" "-^d^y S:^^':!^ "» 'P--.»Peoal.«o::'^U e^ w,WfI^!r ,"*"""*= norshallthe wisdoih of tl.e "tMlTJ^l*^"f"r»'''^''>»'i-PO«oth'ea; _^ a iiither or mother, under the K^fl ?,**«-'«'"«. till the child is of Shild shaU be treated as a yearly hired Who pressure /daiughter whe^that n proportion ; remain; or Fubileo, com-; ' the involun- porary slave d and seliisli ) return, he ?. '^When ; not let liim raUy out of wine press ; leased thee ir that thou e Lord tliy I this thing '^ on the . ipensation. alone, was •w neither has been , since the ivery with )wance of 8 children a God of ider the ?8on or lild is of y hired ■■% servant, ^ell fed, weM clothed, and taught to work arul cam . an independence, enjoying, meanwhile, the moral and reli- gions privileges of the family. And I believe it is under- stood that, in suditsases, the bond servant is not to be sent away empty, ^t pi^i finds fault, and this is just one form jlted ^ ^^^W^ *" ^"^^^'^ """ sometimes sub- ^ "^W^ ^«"^^ »f the Legislature of Nova Scotia w^ijl^ airw,.by which a debtor, miwillin^or unable tj^prwould .be obliged to work till his debt was dis- charged. Many, a loud complaint have I heard of the dis- honesty and falsehood of men, who obtained f^od for their tamihes, or money to procure necessary things, ;ind, pro- mismg to pay in work, afterwards either refused to fulfil or evaded their engagement. SucK.a law would be an improvement upon any insolvent act that has yet been T"! . ^* i".^""^'' ^^'^ ^^ inBolvendy. It wouldhave tlie effect of mak,ng*men more careful not to contract debts It would completely neutralize the efforts of those who would slneld .the debtor from the just claimq, of the cre- ditor. It wQuld at once put an end to the alienation of property that the creditor might be defrauded. It would counteract the rapacity of an unfeeling creditor, when he found that hB must provide for the delicate wife, and the sickly or mfantile children, while the healthy and the ^trone ^•7 ^?v f ','" ^^'^ ^^^^"'' * J'^'* ^^^^' .M*°y a time a con siderab e debt would be forgiven by a man, before lie would have a large family cast upon his hands for five or six years y2^.f 'P'"',*"^ independence, when men rea- lize im they are certainly reaching that point, when thev cto say they "owe no man anything;" and have learned the sweets of following the Scripture rule of working quietly and eating their cm, bread. This was another term of slavery among the Israelitea. I never yet qould realize the juatice of ajiy law that under any conditions,- would send out the debtor upon society, to flaunt his fineryin the eyes of his creditor, who . yet has to wear often the humble gar"b of hard toil. An mdustnoiiB man may have earned a comp^teyna fa hj^ \ ' ^c-' * Vi « Many a pr„„d ,nd imperione slaveholder in the South,.™ States, has been indebted to a despised YanL„ .n^i j .mabletopay. Bringhi^totheS Pltt'hl^rd:' t^^eeowlnde of his creditor. let him tasted "ijfo the d«.ple of " the peculia.-i„8titation"-patriMraWn nomy, as he wonld eall it, till he have paSTtttTn ytr-leSetf'tr "■''''"'■'• ^^'^.ttuZ'Z t^n'^ ■ f "1^ "^ * ™'""^' ■>« ^o-W find illnmina- t^on beaming fr„„, his bnrden. He would be tie TZt abo1,t,on,st north of Maaon's and Dickson's line Wo are aocnstomed to pnnisl. crimes bv sdbiecUn^ thn «nm,naltoharf labour. Idonotatprese/tSC?c^: of slavery among.the Israelites, npon which this TI^?T .n.ght he ba,^. Manslanghter subjected te^Z^t . confinement for life to the limits of the oitv ^T ""^ ^e tfeatt, of the High PriLfn ^rletS. "' '^"^^■ '^iTa;rLT:^!;,ir'<^--- - '--S™ . The wolf waa once sent to school. He leamprl Ma t^** w th commendable speed. But when heC-tttu" spelled no hing but ,hervant— but no/ / 23 ' - to dmmf, Ho entreated Philemon to receive him, not as ft servant, but above a servant, as a brother beloved, whe- ther in the hopse or in the church, with the full (confidence that his request would be gi-anted, yea, even, that he would be received as^ Paul himself. Tliis assurance is strongly implied in the engagement to be answerable, if Onesimus had wronged Philemon, or owed him anything. The apostle, at the same time, informs Philemon tliat what ho importunately solicits from Tme, he might have boldly enjoined, from a regard to ChHstian oonmtmey — the terms in our translation are, " as convenient." No man has any right ^o free another man's slave. Paul recognizes the right of manumission as vested in tile master, and would therefore do nothing without the consent of Philemon. It would be a violation of: human rights^ and of humanity, to send back the slave to dhains. But if he were morally certain the master would set free the returned bondsman, a legal liberation, by the pro- cess of the master, would be' preferaWeto an unrecog- nized freedom, which unforgeen events iii Providence might expose to interruption. A few remarks upon the injunctions of Paul and Peter to slaves, wiU bring this lecture to a close. Both enjoin submission, with great earnestness and force. The inter- pretation is easy, and perfectly consistent with the denial of the justice of modern slavery. 1. The bondage in which tliey were was involuntary, " If thou mayest be made free, use it rather." It is not to be supposed that a heathen master would respect the con- scientious subjeetion of his slave to the Divine testimony, the obligation of which upon hiuMelf he did not recogniae.' Believing masters might not at oiloe apprehend the obliga- tion to emancipate a Christian slave, willingly to remain with him. To set free a heathen slave, would be virtually to consign him to the corroptiiig inflaenees octor'8 gloss again is " moderating threat- ening." Tlie Apostle says, " Let it alone." . Henry Ward Beecher woulddiscuss the subject of " just and equal" in some such way as this. Take a m an'B ^vprk era should ibers than their own ber eluci- i just and le things 9.) Dr. -"I think jnsider it ntenance hole life ; tder it as 1 by par' iispensa- e subject hole life 8 idea of 8 service ," is the tor eon- ig. Th6 mediately purpose, requires ind deal ^e must them." ^er good ! Lord," ding to le slave ae mere ingdom threat- f "just J 27 and give him no ^Ages^^'^jmt'and equaV Sell a man like a» ox or a sheep,— **^'m«« and equal.'" Separate hiis- bands and valves, and compel them to take other partners, — ^^just and equals Take children from their parents, and sell them into a bondage from which they are never to return,— "^w^ and eqital.^^ Flog men or women, or chil- (ken, till the flesh is torn away by every blow of the whip, and wash the wounds with salt and cayenne,— "^ws^ and equal. Compel the slave girl to submit to the gratification of lust, and sell the fruit of your own body to bondage, degradation, and death. We would ask is this "jmt aiid equal ?" In preparing this lecture, and now in presenting the subject of which it treats, to your consideration, I have been influenced by the foUo.wing reasons : — i 1. A growing indifierence to the evil of slavery appeal in many parts of these Provinces. j 2. Sympathy with the Southern Confederacy is likely/to promote this indiflference, even if it should not lead -to an advocacy of the " peculiar institution" in which it glories. 3. Ministers, whose piety is highly lauded, speak v^ry/ confidently pf the ample support the Bible fumishesU^ slavery. The argument in the lecture is confidently su^i- mitted aa'an answer to all such as appeal to Scripture In support of a system which ignores honesty, mercy, purity; and for piety substitutes a mawkish devotionalism. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that Christi^ity and Southern slavery have no a%ity whatever. To attempt to vindicate the slavery of the Confederate S(tates, suBtaiued by iniquitous and cruel laws, and applaudid by, professed teachers of Christianity, by appealing tb the Bible, is an attempt at gross imposition. Its advocates first deceive themselves, and then go forth to propa^tethe lie which the Adversary has taught them. In the ovw-throw of Babylon, among those who weep and lament over her destruction, are those who are dealers in sla/vea (bodies) and souls of men. ^