f n yfm/ny (su^^^^c-^ Q^l6^/^<-e. Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.arcliive.org/details/discourseoncolonOOgoulricli -^A~ DISCOURSE fA^.-A/' ov COLONIAL SLAVERY. BY JOHN NELSON GOULTY. / . LONDON: PRINTED BY RICHARD CLAY, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE. 1826, NOTE. The following Discourse was delivered in Union Street Chapel, Brighton, on Sunday Evening, Feh, 5, 1 826, and, at particular request, again delivered on the next Sunday Evening, in the late Countess of Huntingdmis Chapel, It is printed at the desire of many who heard it in each place, and the expense liberally home hy the Author's Congregation, I, N. a Brighton, Fei.n, 1826. A DISCOURSE. The subject to which your attention is now requested, is Colonial Slavery — a subject on which the public mind is highly excited, though not yet sufficiently so, and in which we are, as Britons, peculiarly interested ; not only on behalf of our national character, and our Christian pro- fession, but as being participators of the produce of Slavery, and as having the power, as a nation, over its continuance or abolition in the Colonies of Great Britain. If this view of the subject should seem to bear any thing of a political aspect, I beg to observe, that we do not intend to treat the subject poli- tically. This, I conceive, is neither the time nor the place for that — but we may observe, that that course of policy which is founded in injustice, cruelty, and oppression, can have no correspond- ence with truth, and no foundation in Christianity. B 6 With regard to the present state of the question, it is a remarkable fact (from which the best results may be expected) that it is not a contest between differing political parties, but it is, among all parties, a contest between the principles of right and the operation of personal interest — between the love of gain and the right of freedom. Who- ever may be found in that state of neutrality on the question that fears to do right lest he should do wrong ; there is not, I believe, an individual who has hardihood enough to stand forward as the avowed advocate of Slavery, or even as its apologist, whose opinions on the subject may not be traced to relative connexion or worldly interest, or whose familiarity with degradation and cruelty has not reduced his mind to a mark beneath the reach of argument and the touch of feeling. Viewing the subject as one that calls for legis- lative interference, it is with a pleasure which I know not how to express, that we recognize it, as taken up by the Cabinet Ministers of our rightful Sovereign. It is never a gratification to us, who are known to exercise the right of thinking for oiiis;§elve3, to differ from the constituted authorities of Government ; but it is always with real regret that we find ourselves, in any instance, at apparent variance with them. More especially would it be so, as the case now stands, in this happy country. under a Monarch, whose liberal mind gives a tone to those around him, not. inferior to his exalted station, and under a Ministry, which catches that tone with an avidity that proves the high standard of their minds and of their policy. Thus is the helm directed and the honour preserved of a free and mighty nation — the gem of the ocean — the envy of every people — and the glory of the world. In this national distinction, it is not the smallest part — that, " Slaves cannot breathe in England ; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free ; They touch our country, and their shackles fall. That's noble, and bespeaks a nation proud And jealous of the blessing. Spread it then, And let it circulate through every vein Of all your empire — that where Britain's power Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too." The object of introducing the subject to you now, is to present the claims of about 800,000 of our fellow men, who are at this moment, under the British Crown, in a state of Slavery. It is asserted that the existence of this state of things is important, if not necessary, in order to maintain the rights of property, and to afford the luxuries of the country. It is, moreover, added, that such is the debased condition of the Slave population, that it is the only state in which these miserable beings b2 8 * can exist at all. I wish to present the subject to you in the strongest light, and therefore have thus stated it. The question before us is, — so far as our judgment, voice, and influence extend, — Shall this state of things continue ? Shall the proprietors of West-India Slavery, and the participators in the produce of Slavery, still lie under the guilt of oppression and the charge of inhumanity ? Shall the claims, in unholy property, of about 1800 proprietors be allowed to stand against those of 800,000 Slaves ? For one, I stand forward thus publicly, in my place, adopting the language of Nehemiah, 5th Chapter, and last clause of the 10th Verse, the language of decision and of in- treaty, " Let us leave off this usury." Yes, brethren, whatever be its profits, whatever be its luxuries, wherever it touches us, '' Let us leave oflP this usury." '' And there was a great cry of the people and " of their wives against their brethren the Jews. " For there were that said. We, our sons, and our " daughters, are many : therefore we take up corn ^^ for them, that we may eat, and live. Some also ** there were that said. We have mortgaged our *^ lands, viney^ds, and houses, that we might buy '* corn, because of the dearth. There were also " that said. We have borrowed money for the '^ king's tribute, and that upon our lands and " vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of " our brethren, our children as their children : and, '' lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our '' daughters to be servants, and some of our '^ daughters are brought unto bondage already : " neither is it in our power to redeem them ; for '^ other men have our lands and vineyards. And '' I was very angry when I heard their cry and '' these words. Then I consulted with myself, '' and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and " said unto them. Ye exact usury,»every one of his ^' brother. And I set a great assembly against '' them. And I said unto them. We after our '^ability have ' redeemed our brethren the Jews, " which were sold unto the heathen ; and will ye " even sell youi; brethren ? or shall they be sold *' unto us ? Then held they their peace, and found " nothing to answer. Also I said. It is not good " that ye do : ought ye not to walk in the fear of " our God because of the reproach of the heathen '' our enemies ? I likewise, and my brethren, and . '' my servants, might exact of them money and " corn : I pray you, let . us leave off" this usury. " Restore, I pray you, to them, even, this day, their " lands, their vineyards, their olive^ards, and. their 10 " houses, also the hundredth part of the money, " and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye " exact of them. Then said they. We will restore '' them, and will require nothing of them ; so will " we do as thou sayest." Adopting this sacred and appropriate text as a motto to our Discourse, let me request your attention to these three general points : — I. To THE NATURAL AND RELATIVE CONDITION OF THE Negro Population in the West Indies. ii. to their moral and spiritual condi- TION. III. To THE PRACTICAL QUESTION — WhAT CAN WE DO FOR THEM? In entering upon the subject, allow me to ob- serve that I do it without any solicitude as to '' the delicacy of the question," and certainly without anxiety as to its ultimate issue. I. The natural and relative condition of the Negro population in the West Indies. In their natural condition we assert that they are human — in their relative condition they are Slaves, To say much in answer to those soothings of conscience by which some men attempt to justify their apathy, or to support their interest in Slavery, 11 would be trifling with you, were it not that, by creating a strong prejudice (which has been ex- tensively done), the energies of others have been quieted, or their opposition to the whole system of Slavery suppressed. It has been roundly asserted that Slaves are only a species of being resembling man — a link only with apes and baboons in the chain that connects the instinct of animals with the powers of intelligence — that a Slave is only a degree above " the brute that perisheth," and incapable of the social virtues. Could this be proved, the question would assume quite another aspect. But what is the fact ? The fact is this — that in the shape of man, speaking the language of man, and only differing in the colour of his skin, the Slave is subject to the same feelings of our common nature, exhibits the same faculties of mind, the same sympathies, the same power not only to love his companion and his offspring, but to love his God. The same hopes and fears, it is manifest, alternately agitate his bosom, while he is liable to the same infirmities, diseases, woes, and destinies. Of these things we shall give some illustrations presently. Let us first turn to " the law and to the testimony:'' *' What saith the Scripture ?" Let the varied tribes of men upon the face of God's earth be summoned before the eye of your 12 mind. Behold the white inhabitants of the Northern pole, and the swarthy Indians under a Southern sun — the untutored Negro, and the polished European ; — and have they not an equal right, upon the testimony of revelation, to say, "Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created usT Have they not all descended from one common parent, whose fall in Eden " brought death into the world and all our woe T Do we not read that " God hath made of one hlood all the nations for to dwell on the face of the earth T and that " there is no respect of persons with himT In the plan of social and civil life, the divine instruction is — '^ Honour all men, love the bro- therhood, fear God, honour the King ;" while the universal law of Christ is, " love thy neighbour as thyself y In the scheme of redemption, the record runs thus : '' God will have all men to he saved f that is, the salvation of men, as men, is the delight of Jehovah. " In Christ Jesus, the Seed of Abra- ham, all the families'' (not of Europe only, but all the families) " of the earth shall be blessed," When Christ came into our fallen world, we read, that '^ He took upon him our nature^ Let the Bible be translated into the language of every people, and the poor Negro will read, as well as we, '' He 13 took upon Mm our nature" In that nature '' He tasted death for every man" Observe, moreover, the form of the Saviour's commission ; it is with- out restriction or limitation : ^^ Go ye into all tJw world, and preach the Gospel to every creature** And mark the correspondence of New-Testament prophecy, on the accomplishment of which we assuredly depend. " / saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them tJmt dwell on the earth ; to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people** '' In Christ Jesus** or under the dispensation of the Gospel, '^ there is neither Greek nor Jew, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free." " Can the Ethiopian change his skin 9** No. But " Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God** In their relative condition, we have now to advert to the fact that they are Slaves — in bondage and vassalage to their fellow-man. Here a question may perhaps arise. How came they to be Slaves ? Is there not an original law, or divine judgment, which entails slavery as a curse upon the children of Ham ? This inquiry may easily be answered, both in reference to slavery in general, and to the slavery of the West Indies in particular. With respect to all slavery, it is common to 14 trace its origin to the malediction of Noah (Gen. ix. 25) " Cursed he Canaan, a servant of ser- vants shall he he unto his hrethren" Supposing this language to have been a curse (and not a pro- phecy, as perhaps it was), it in no way applies to the inhabitants of Africa, but to the tribes of Canaan : but supposing it to have applied to all, it was under a dispensation which for 1800 years has been superseded by the universal benevolence of the Gospel, '' Glory to God in tlie highest, on earth peace; good will to menr It cannot, therefore, now be pleaded against any of the tribes of men. With respect to the Slaves of the West Indies. — Ah ! my brethren, they may, many of them, now be natives of the soil ; but their ancestors were not so : these were torn from their native shores of Africa by the inhuman Slave-trade, and brought hither as cattle to the market and to the field of labour ! ! '' It has been calculated that Africa has been annually robbed of 150,000 of her chil- dren. Multiply this by the ages through which the injury has been protracted, and the amount appals and rends the heart ! What an accu- mulation of misery and wrong ! Which of the sands of her deserts has not been steeped in tears, wrung out by the pang of separation from kindred 15 and country ! What wind has passed over her plains without catching up the sighs of bleeding or broken hearts ! " * How, we demand, is the Slave-trade to be utterly abolished, while Slavery at all continues ? Though it no longer stains the character of our national commerce, and is sentineled at every j^o^^/^/^ point by our laws, yet it is notorious, that under other flags, the system rages with brutal avarice. '' In September (1825), a French brig, from Mar- tinique, was lying within 70 miles of Sierra Leone, waiting for her cargo of 400 Slaves, 100 of whom were seen in irons on the shore." f But what is their actual condition, as Slaves ? The apologists of Slavery will tell you, that they are happy in that condition, and that they are better off than the poor of Ireland, or even than many of the poor in England. It is not denied that their condition might be improved : but we are told, that it is not necessary, and that the attempt might be dangerous. I appeal to the observation, to the feeling, and to the judgment of this assembly : Is there a poor wretch in this or in our sister country, who, with all his sufferings in a land of freedom, would barter * Watson's Sermon before the Wesleyan Missionary So- ciety, 1 824. t Missionary Register, January, 1826. 16 away his liberty for a maintenance! Personal liberty is of all things most dear and valuable to our nature. It is the gift of God : we inherit it from " Him who gives us all things richly to enjoy'* But is this statement true ? " Judge ye" from the following particulars. Slaves in the West Indies are treated as things, not men— as chattels that .may be bought or sold in merchandize, or seized for debt ; they may be sold together or apart from their families! and are so treated with a remorseless and savage bar- barity. In a paper, containing ^' Extracts from the Royal Gazette, published at Jamaica, in June last," there are upwards of twenty advertisements of Slaves for sale, promiscuously inserted, and in the same form and letter, with advertisements of sale of horses, and other beasts of burden. Here are also upwards of 100 notices of deserted and strayed Negroes, who, if not claimed in the given time, will be sold to pay expenses.* When Slaves are sold, the master commonly * It is part of the rigid cruelty and avarice of the Slave system, that if a Negro should be taken up under the suspicion of his being a Slave, he must himself prove his freedom ; and if he cannot, though really free, but perhaps unable to esta- blish his case to the satisfaction of the officers, he is sold, and again enslaved. 17 puts his mark upon them, as the dealers in Smith- field do upon their cattle, by a slit in the ear, or a gash in their flesh, or by the application of a burning iron. Such is the treatment of them as articles of merchandize, beasts of burden, degraded outcasts, and means of brutish gain. To the field of labour they are driven as herds of swine, and lashed to their work by the cart- whip ; and thus females are treated as well as men. It is true, there may be, and (for the honour of human nature, degraded as it is by the Fall) we hope there are some masters of more tender feelings than others ; but where there is one such character, it is to be feared that there are a hundred who are governed by foul and violent passions and hardened feeling. And what tenderness of feel- ing, I should be glad to learn, may be expected in cases of offence, when we read of devoted victims doomed to undergo the protracted torture of '^ a THOUSAND LASHES, AND TO BE WORKED IN CHAINS DURING THE RESIDUE OF THEIR LIVES !" Such WaS the case at Demerara lately. Let us not be un- derstood as being the apologists of insurrection. Is there no difference between the risings of in- sulted feeling — the bleeding complaints of a wounded heart — and deliberate hostility to go- vernment? The latter we pronounce to be a violation of the national compact, the very spirit 18 of rebellion, condemned by the testimony of Scrip- ture : but in the former, with which we think that this has no connexion, we recognize the common feelings of our nature : resistance to, or contempt of which, cannot but be deemed as rebellion against the laws of nature, and a de- liberate defiance of the laws of God. '^ But what was the cause, what was the immediate occasion of this insurrection ? What goaded these poor wretches on to brave the dread- ful hazards of rebellion ? One of them, now hanging in chains at Demerara,was sold and separated from his wife and family of ten children, after a marriage of eighteen years, — and thereby made a rebel. Another was a Slave of no common intellect, whose wife, the object of his warmest affections, was torn from his bosom, and forced to become the mis- tress of an overseer. His domestic happiness thus destroyed for ever, he became disaffected and desperate. Such provocations, added to their com- mon and every day wrongs, seem almost beyond human endurance."* The following is the statement of Mr. Thomas Clarkson, whose name, with that of Wilberforce, has obtained an immortal distinction in the cause of the oppressed and injured African. * Immediate, not gradual Abolition, p. 22. 19 '' It appears," says he, " 1st, From the tes- timony of living witnesses, whose accounts have never been disproved, and from documents laid upon the table of the House of Commons from time to time, and up to this present year, that the Slaves in the British Colonies, to the number of 800,000 souls, are, all of them, considered as property — as goods and chattels — as cattle. Like cattle, they are branded at the discretion of their owners. Like cattle they are sold. And here it must be obvious, that a great deal of misery may occasionally arise ; for it sometimes happens, that the father, the mother, and the children, are bought by different persons, and thus, it may be, separated for ever. " It appears, 2d, From the same authority, that they are made to work without wages ; that they are made to work in their provision grounds, where they have any, on the Sunday, or they must starve ; and that they are made to work, males and females alike, under the whip. A driver follows them with a whip of such tremendous power, that he can, if he pleases, cut out a flake of flesh at a single stroke. " It appears, 3d, That it is not only while they are at work, that they are subject to the whip. They are subject to the whip, the stocks, the chain, and other modes of punishment at all times. 20 whenever their masters or overseers may think fit. Their word is law. They can constitute any circumstance, however trivial, into a crime ; and be it remembered, that if any of these poor people lift up their hands against these their oppressors, the punishment is death. ^' It appears, 4th, That against these and other injuries, they have little or no redress. Their testimony is seldom taken against the whites, and never against their owners. " It appears, 5th, That their marriages are not protected by law. Any master or overseer can take from any slave his wife or daughter for the purposes of debauchery, and these practices are too common on the plantations. '' It appears, 6th, That the Slaves being obliged to cultivate their provision grounds on the Sunday, and to hold their markets on the same day, little or no opportunity can be had for religious in- struction. Here and there a well-disposed owner or overseer endeavours to make way for it ; but in forty cases out of fifty both owners and overseers set their faces against it ; so that these poor crea- tures are deprived of the only comfort which in their situation they could experience, the comfort of religion. " It appears, 7th, that a considerable tax is put upon manumission, so that taking this cir- 21 cumstance into consideration, and tiie very little time, that even the most favoured Negro can have to work for himself, it is not in the power of one field Slave in one thousand to purchase his own freedom ; not one field Slave in one thousand, has any other hope of a termination of his earthly sufferings, but in death *." Such a description is too shocking to pursue, or we might occupy more than the limits of a service like the present, with details of the same nature ; — and I trust it is unnecessary. Who that has been in any way upholding such a system ; who that appreciates the blessings of this favoured land ; who that knows any thing of the privileges of distinguishing and sovereign grace, does not ex- iplaim, '' Lord, what is man ? " and what man seeing this. And having human feelings, does not blush And hang his head, to think himself a man ? I would not have a slave to till my ground, To carry me, to fan me while I sleep, And tremble when I wake, /or all the wealth That sinews bought and sold have ever earned. No : dear as freedom is, •I had rather be myself the Slave, And wear the bonds, than fasten them on him. We have no Slaves at home — then why abroad 1 And they themselves, once ferried o'er the wave That parts us, are emancipate and loosed." * Speech at Ipswich, December 13, 1825. C 22 Let me remind you, brethren, that we are pro- fessedly the disciples of Him who came ^' to proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the prison to them that are hound; to loose the hands of wickedness, to undo heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free" As such, let the cause of the Negro Slave come before us ; for '' the Lord is the refuge of the oppressed" And he charges his own people thus : ^* Wash you^ make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek justice; relieve the oppressed." Then " let us leave off this usury." I have been accustomed, my hearers, to con- sider the subjection of distant nations and islands to the British Crown, as events in Providence that would be for their temporal and eternal interests ; and in this respect I have looked upon all India as a field of treasure, not for her gold and spices, but as a sphere of religious and spiritual operation, the most interesting and important. And surely, surely, the West-India islands were given by an unerring Providence to the guardianship and care of this country, for a far higher and nobler pur- pose than to be robbed of its hearts' blood in cruel and debasing slavery, to pamper our appetites and sweeten the luxuries of our tables ! Let us beware lest that come upon us which is spoken 'by the 23 Prophet, ''Let his table become a snare and a trap,'' Let two things, here, have the consideration which they deserve. The one is, that the plagues of Egypt were brought on in consequence of the children of Israel being kept in bondage, while the character of Pharaoh stands recorded as a melancholy instance of that hardness of , heart to which the habits of Slavery may reduce the oppressor : thus *' the moral perceptions of the Slaveholder are likely to be more perverted than those of the Slave. Oppression is more debasing and injurious to the intellect and feeling of the oppressor, than it is to the oppressed." The other subject of consideration we here notice, is the importance of individual influence in this cause, more especially as religious professors. While the character of a nation is, in the sight of God, composed of the moral character of its individual inhabitants, its judgments may be ag- gravated or averted, and its blessings lost or multiplied, by the influence of individual effort. While, therefore, those who are interested or indifferent will be careless or active abettors of Slavery, Oh ye, who have access to the Throne of Grace, making mention of the name of Immanuel ; ye Abrahams in the Church of Christ, ye Israelites, that have power to prevail with God ; go ye, c2 24 oppose to such unholy influence the power of prayer, of personal and united prayer ; intreat for this Sodom and Gomorrah ; for *' the effectual FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN AVAILETH MUCH." We come now to notice, 11. The moral and spiritual condition of THE slave population. We have seen what is the state of degradation to which these unhappy fellow - creatures and fellow-men are reduced with reference to this world ; — and what is to be expected, with regard to their moral state, but a corresponding depravity and pollution, ignorance and brutality ? To de- scribe this state of things is both painful and un- necessary. It is easy to conceive what must be the moral condition of a people who have compa- ratively no instruction ; who are treated and herded together like cattle ; who know no Sabbath except as a market-day ; whom no laws protect in mar- riage, and who recognize few examples of truth and purity. In such a soil, theft, deception, lust, and every foul and hellish passion, must grow in all the luxuriance of nature. But this is nothing, with all the horrid and abominable things implied in it, comparatively nothing, to the spiritual condition and prospects 25 of these wretched victims of avarice and oppres- sion. What an awful scene must be the afflic- tions, the death, the hell, of such degraded out- casts ! far from righteousness, and without hope for ever ! But are they immortal ? Yes, they are ! and every individual soul of more value than a world. '^ WJiat shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul 9 or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? " Methinks I hear some of you inquiring with almost breath- less anxiety. Are they, then, lost for ever ? This is a question which, perhaps, it would not become us explicitly to answer. What the merciful Father may do for these ignorant and debased crea- tures, it is not for us to determine : shall not " the Judge of all the earth do right F" But this we know, that as moral beings they are all under the curse, all under sin, alienated from God ; and that unless they are reconciled, they cannot be saved. ^^ Marvel not I' said the Redeemer, ^^ tliat ye must he horn again. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man he horn again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven:' and while we are assured that "there is no other name under heaven, given among men, wJierehy they can he saved, but the name of Jesus, in the absence of the only remedy, the alternative must be tremendous ! In the Slave population in general, we recog- 26 nize an empire of spiritual darkness and death, at once extensive and deplorable. The great enemy of souls may harass and vex us here : but he may well be content with a nominal Chris- tianity among us, while he is left in undisturbed possession of the successive generations that are in Colonial Slavery ; and malignantly rejoice in the awful account which we have to render of our responsibility for them: '^Brethren, we are 'eerily guilty concerning our brother l"" — ^^ The voice of our brother's hlood criethfrom the ground" But it is asserted, as a sweeping reply to all this, that Slaves and Hottentots are not in a state of moral accountability, and not capable of spiritual instruction. If so, to what causes this degradation may be traced, and with whom the consequences will lie, we leave to your own de- cision, after furnishing you with some materials to assist your reflections. 1st. Let me here present to you an extract from the pen and the testimony of the Rev. Richard Watson. "And yet, will it be believed, that this con- temned race can, as to intellect and genius, ex- hibit a brighter ancestry than our own ? that they are the offshoots, wild and untrained, it is true — but still the offshoots of a stem which was once proudly luxuriant in the fruits of learning and 27 taste ; whilst that from which the Goths, their calumniators, have sprung, remained hard, and knotted, and barren ? For, is Africa without her heraldry of science and of fame ? The only probable account which can be given of the Negro tribes is, that, as Africa was peopled, through Egypt, by three of the descendants of Ham, they are the offspring of Citsh, Misraim, and Put They found Egypt a morass, and converted it into the most fertile country in the world ; they reared its pyramids, invented its hieroglyphics, gave letters to Greece and Rome, and, through them, to us. The everlasting architecture of Africa still exists, the wonder of the world, though in ruins. Her mighty kingdoms have yet their record in history. She has poured forth her heroes on the field ; given bishops to the church, and martyrs to the fires; and for Negro physiognomy, as though that could shut out the light of intellect, go to your national museum, contemplate the features of the colossal head of Memnon, and the statues of the divinities on which the ancient Africans impressed their own forms, and there see, in close resemblance to the Negro feature, the mould of those countenances which once beheld, as the creations of their own immortal genius, the noblest and most stupendous monuments of her skill, and taste, and grandeur. In imperishable 28 porphyry and granite is the unfounded and pitiful slander publicly, and before all the world, refuted* There we see the Negro under cultivation; if he now presents a different aspect, cultivation is wanting : that solves the whole case ; for, even now, when education has been expended upon the pure and undoubted Negro, it has never been bestowed in vain. Modern times have witnessed, in the persons of African Negroes, generals, phy- sicians, philosophers, linguists, poets, mathema- ticians, and merchants, all eminent in their attainments, energetic in enterprise, and honour- able in character ; and even the mission schools in the West Indies exhibit a quickness of intellect and a thirst for learning, to which the schools of this country do not always afford a parallel." This able advocate and fearless defender of Missionary enterprise, in another passage, beauti- fully and eloquently brings the subject home to spiritual reality. '' Your Missionaries," says he, *^ have dived into that mine from which we were often told that no valuable ore, or precious stone, could be extracted; and they have brought up the gem of an immortal spirit, flashing with the light of intellect, and glowing with the hues of Christian graces." Allow me to present you with two or three of these gems, selected, indeed, but yet only spe- cimens. 29 The first is the case of a poor Hottentot girl, who belonged to Bethelsdorp, South Africa, which is about five hundred miles east of the Cape. It happened in the days of Dr. Vanderkemp. This girl had been instructed by the Missionaries at the Cape, and on her way back to Bethelsdorp, she lialted at the dwelling of a Dutch farmer, or Boor. She was asked who she was, and whence she came; to which the girl replied, that she had been at the Cape, and was going back to Bethelsdorp. She was asked what she had been doing at the Cape; she said, she had been learning to read and to write. " What!" said the farmer, in utter sur- prise, '' read and write ! Impossible ! It is all false. Never was it known that a Hottentot could write!'' She said, indeed she could, and if he pleased, she would prove it to him. Expecting to prove her to be false, the means of writing were put before her, when she instantly began, and proved her veracity by writing— what ? — ^her own name, or the name of the place she was going to ? No ; but she wrote the following words ; '^ It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy i. 15.) The second case is as follows : When the Rev. John Campbell first visited the interior of Africa, in the year 1813, in one of the kraals (or settlements) 30 of the Hottentots, he conferred with them on the subject of having Christian Missionaries sent among them, which they eagerly desired. ^' A very aged miserable looking man," says Mr. Camp- bell, '' coming into the hut during the conference, with scarcely a rag to cover him, excited my at- tention: he came and took a seat by my side, kissed my hands and legs, and by most significant gestures, expressed his extreme joy in the prospect of a Missionary coming amongst them. His con- duct having deeply interested me, I asked him whether he knew any thing about Jesus Christ ? His answer was truly affecting : he said, ' I know no more about any thing than a beast.' " The result of Mr. Campbell's visit and conference was, that Mr. Pacalt was stationed among these Hottentots as a Christian Missionary. In 1819, Mr. Campbell again visited the interior of Africa ; and after being highly delighted with the civilized and cultivated condition of the people, ^' I went," he says, "to the house of a person, known by the name of Old Simeon, the very inan who sat, in such a wretched plight, at my side in the hut, when I first visited tJie place, and who then said he Mew no more about any thing than a brute! I was informed that he had become a Christian, and had been baptized, and named ^ Simeon,' and because of his great age, they 31 called him ' Old Simeon.' I found him sitting alone in the house, deaf and blind with age. When they made known to him who I was, he instantly embraced me with both hands, while two streams of tears ran down his sable cheeks. * I have done,* said he, ' with the world now ! I have done with the world now ! I am waiting till Jesus Christ says to me, ' Come !' I am just waiting till Jesus Christ says to me, ' Come!' in the spirit of Simeon, who embraced the infant Saviour — 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,' "* The third is the case of a poor Negro Slave boy, who, under the instruction of the Mission- aries, had embraced the faith of the gospel in simplicity and truth, and who was honoured with the crown of Christian martyrdom. His religious character had excited a persecuting spirit in his master, who threatened to '' beat his religion out of him," and attempted the execution of his cruel purpose. After much violent and abusive language, he ordered him to be flogged. *' Give him," said he, " five-and-twenty lashes ;" after which, in a tone of blasphemous ridicule, he exclaimed, '' What can Jesus Christ do for you now ?" ^* He enables ♦ A very interesting narrative of this case, much more at length, together with other interesting and important matter, may be found in a little pamphlet, pubhshed last year, entitled " Pacaltsdorp" by Rev. John Campbell, price ninepence. 32 me" said the poor little Negro^ " to bear it." " Give him five-and-twenty lashes more/' exclaimed his cruel master. After which, *' What can Jesus Christ do for you now ?" said the unfeeling monster. '' He helps me/' said the innocent sufferer, '' to look forward to a future reward." '^ Give him five-and-twenty lashes more/' said the inhuman tyrant, in a transport of rage. This was done ; and while he listened with savage delight to the groans of his dying victim, he again asked — '' And what can Jesus Christ do for you now ?" The youthful martyr, with the last effort of expiring nature, meekly answered, '' He enables me, Massa, to pray for you /' and thus saying, he breathed his last. These are gems for the crown of Him who was once insulted with a wreath of thorns. Let us here pause for a moment, to indulge a few reflections. 1. What must be the state of mind and feeling which is cherished by the advocates of Slavery ! How awful is the process of the love of gain ! It petrifies the heart, and incrusts it with the world : it deadens and destroys the conscience. " Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, As, to be hated, needs but to be seen ; But, seen too oft, familiar with Jierface, We first endure, then pity, then embrace." 33 2. As a Christian congregation, let me intreat you to reflect on the infinite power of our divine Mediator, and the countless value of the blood of the cross ! What import and v^hat consolation there is in the language of John ! — " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ tJie Righteous: and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Oh! to know and to make known that that '^ foun- tain is open for sin and for uncleannessf and that the Redeemer says, " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." " Though foul are the sins, poor Negro ! that stain'd thee, The blood of atonement can wash them away ; Though galling and base are the bonds that enchain thee. The God of the Christian can lighten the sway." 3. We are here further led to reflect on the infinite power and influence of the Holy Spirit. With Him, my friends, is the effect of our labours, in this, and in every moral and spiritual cause. No interest, no persuasion, no human legislature, can accomplish all that we desire. The '' new heart and the right spirit" are alone the province of divine agency to bestow, and 34 without that co-operation we do but labour in vain. '^ Paul may plant, and Apollos water; hut it is God that giveth the increase" Come then. Oh thou holy and blessed Spirit ! open the eyes, touch the hearts, carry conviction to the con- science, and direct" the judgment of all '' who profess and call themselves Christians :" influence the public minjd, and bless the efforts of unre- mitting perseverance. 4. What a different state of mind and feeling accompanies the earnest desire for Negro eman- cipation, to that which is cherished by its adver- saries ! Blessed be God for the gospel, and that that gospel has free course among us! It is impossible for arithmetic to calculate, or the power of numbers to declare, the amount of value to be put upon this blessing ; in civil and social life, it has an influence which thousands are enjoying, unconscious of the source to which they are indebted for it. Let that kindness, sympathy, and benevolence, which divine and holy truth, which the spirit and power of the gospel inspire, animate our minds, and temper our zeal in all the pursuits of this glorious and im- portant object, till " ALL NATIONS SHALL CALL THE Redeemer blessed.'* Let us now consider. 35 III. What can be done for the Negro po- pulation? What can we do? What would Nehemiah say ? '' Let us leave OFF THIS USURY." If it be usury to receive produce in such a manner as deserves reproach, never was usury more justly applied than in the pre- sent case. Let us, then, not merely express our abhorrence of the system, and grieve over the sufferings of the oppressed; but let us carry out our principles into actions expressive of those principles — confidently asking, " Who hath despised the day of small things?'' The community is made up of individuals; and all we have to do is, first, personal with ourselves, and then influential with others; but whether others will be influenced by us, or not, let us " wash our hands in innocencyf '' Let us leave off this usury" Success in this cause is as certain as that the gospel will ultimately triumph; for Slavery and Christianity are incompatible. Just as dark- ness flees before the orb of day ; so Slavery must disappear, in proportion as the gospel extends its triumphs. Jehovah has said, " My word shall not return unto nw void: but it shall accom- plish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" We have the word of God— 36 we have truth and justice with us ; let us anti- cipate a triumphant result. " Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, Relies on that alone ; Laughs at impossibilities, And says — It shall be done." It may here be very properly enquired. How may success be expected? We answer, there are two ways in which it may be expected; the one, which we deprecate, is that of violence; the other, which we recommend, is that of kindness. Of the excitement of the Slaves to seek, by all possible means, their liberation, no man can, for a moment, doubt ; if their feelings should continue to be made the subject of protracted cruelty and indifference. They already know that the pater- nal government of England has expressed a wish, which the colonial authorities have resisted. They ^' neighbour upon states which are breaking off their connexion with European powers, and emancipating their brethren;" while the free dis- cussion of the subject at home, by means of the press, undoubtedly reaches them, in various ways ; and would any Christian man wish that discussion to be perpetually withheld from them ? or can any friend of man suppose, that if they are refused their liberation as a boon, they will never attempt 37 to claim it as a right? Whether it be wise to hazard such a result, may be an important question of policy ; but can be no question in the mind of a Christian moralist. But you probably begin to be anxious for the question. What can we do ? 1. We can petition the legislature of our country. This is our privilege — the legal, con- stitutional way of proceeding. Let us adopt it with energy and perseverance. What shall we ask for? I would say, as an individual, ask for all that you want ; — ask for their absolute and im- mediate freedom. Do not weaken your cause by half measures, and a delusive system of expe- diency. " The difficulty is only rendered dange- rous, by our own timidity in attempting it." '' Truth and justice make their best way in the world, when they appear in bold and simple majesty; their demands are most willingly con- ceded, when they are most fearlessly claimed." The government of our country have attempted much, and they are desirous of doing more. Let us hold up their hands, by bold and manly deci- sion. It was the public voice that carried the abolition of the Slave-tradey after a struggle of twenty years ; and why, it may be asked, was not Slavery then abolished? Why? because the friends of the measure were afraid of losing all D 38 by asking too much; and because they trusted to the one as leading directly to the other. But what has been done by the abolition of the Slave- trade, towards the abohtion of Slavery ? Compa- ratively nothing. Time has been lost, the enemy threatened, whereby he has been excited to more subtle policy, and deeper schemes of opposition. '' It would," indeed, " have been well ;" it will Tiow be well, to confide more in the goodness of the cause ; to depend more upon divine, and less upon human support; to assert the rights of Africa, " with more of the spirit of Christian combatants, and less of worldly politicians;" remembering that it is a conflict of sacred duty against sordid interest, and of right against power. Let us not be discouraged; the feebleness of the instrument is no ground of fear in the cause- of God, of truth, and of humanity: " the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; for it is 7iot hy might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord" As to immediate abolition, I firmly believe it would be safe and prosperous. An American gentleman (one of the Society of Friends, who are always alive to the interests of humanity and benevolence) became possessed of a small estate, on which there were Slaves, as part of the pro- perty. He instantly granted to them their liberty. 39 and employed them as free servants in the cultiva- tion of the produce. After twenty years, the report of that estate said that the population upon it had been doubled, and that not a single instance had occurred among them of any offence that called for the interference of the magistrate. The v^^hole Island of St. Domingo is another case well known to the public ; and in fact the enemies of the measure may be safely challenged to produce an authentic instance of liberated Slaves having abused their freedom. No instance is re- corded. It is really distressing to contemplate the subject, after so many years of delay and cruelty, as still only a distant and gradual process. Must the whole of the present generation die in slavery ? Let us ask for the liberty of all. Who can tell, if the friends of truth and humanity are firm and persevering, but God may put it into the hearts of the Legislature to ^' do even more than we ash or thinJc T The following passage from the pages of an anonymous pamphlet, that reflects a lasting ho- nour upon the writer, is at least worthy of serious consideration here, as a forcible application of that Scripture, ^^ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" " By converting the cry for immediate into gradual emancipation, the prince of slaveholders 40 * transformed himself, with astonishing dexterity, into an angel of light.' He saw very clearly, that if public justice and humanity, especially, if Christian justice and humanity, could be brought to demand only a gradual extermination of the enormities of the slave system ; — if they could be brought to acquiesce, but for one year, or for one month, in the slavery of our African brother, — in robbing him of all the rights of humanity, — and degrading him to a level with the brutes ; — that then, they could imperceptibly be brought to ac- quiesce in all this for an unlimited duration. He saw, very clearly, that the time for the extermina- tion of Slavery, was precisely that, when its horrid impiety and enormity were first distinctly known and strongly felt. He knew, that every moment's unnecessary delay, between the discovery of an imperious duty, and the setting earnestly about its accomplishment, was dangerous, if not fatal to success. He knew, that strong excitement was necessary to strong effort; — that intense feeling was necessary to stimulate intense exertion ; — that, as strong excitement and intense feeling are generally transient, in proportion to their strength and intensity, the most effectual way of crushing a great and virtuous enterprise, was to gain time, to defer it to ' a more convenient season,' when the zeal and ardour of the first convictions of duty had 41 subsided ; — when our sympathies had become lan- guid ; — when considerations of the difficulties and hazards of the enterprise, the solicitations of ease and indulgence should have chilled the warm glow of humanity, — quenched the fervid heroism of virtue ; — when familiarity with relations of violence and outrage, crimes and miseries, should have abated the horror of their first impression, and at length induced indifference." But immediate emancipation, it is said, involves the question of i^emuneration. If this be a matter of national honour, on the faith of Parliament, let the case be fairly put ; and if justice is to be the line of direction, '^ let justice take her free and impartial course— let compensation be made in the first instance, where it is most due — let compensa- tion be first made to the slave, for his long years of uncompensated labour, degradation, and suf- fering." If this be too much to expect in any other form, at least, let the sense of justice appear in the more prompt and kind attention to the relief of their woes — let us not attempt, only by insult and indifference, to wipe out the long arrears of justice. With respect, however, to the slave proprietor, I am far from wishing to urge a single step that should seem to indicate resentment towards them, or unconcern about their interests. As a minister of Him ^^ wh) gave his life a ransom for rrmnyl' I 42 would be forward to recommend any legitimate sacrifice in support of our petitions, and I doubt not that the friends of humanity and religion would be willing to take their share in an honour- able compensation. The connexion of Slavery with our character as a Christian nation is a reproach upon our profession, and a stumbling- block to the progress of the Gospel. Let us follow up the consistency of Nehemiah, (verse 9.) ^' It is not good that ye do: Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Jieathen our enemies? I pray you let us leave off this usury" The latest intelligence, my friends, which has been received from the Colonies, make it but too evident that all hopes of success, by recommenda- tion and entreaty to the Colonial legislators, are vain. Our cause is thus rendered the more clear and plain, — Parliament must be urged to pursue their course ; and " I trust that the voice of the nation will be raised, from north to south, and from east to west, in favour of 800,000 of our fellow-men, whose proprietors now hold, and would continue to hold for ever, in the most miserable thraldom." If immediate emancipation cannot be obtained, let us ask for a reduction of duties upon the pro- duce of free labour ; but whether this be granted or not, let us. 43 2. At all the sacrifice, substitute the East India produce for that of the West. By this means we may, at least, relieve our own minds from all un- comfortableness arising from a participation in the produce of Slave labour. It is not only necessary to petition — something must be done as well as said. About thirty years ago the use of West India sugar (which is the chief article of Slave labour) was extensively given up, and doubt- less had a powerful effect upon the question of the Slave-trade, as evincing the feeling of the nation — to this we must again resort* ; all other means have been tried to little or no purpose ; and I confess, that while I feel the fullest confidence in the government on this question, I am far from being disposed to trust the question of Colonial Slavery solely in the hands of the ^' hundred and ninety-three honourable members of Parliament, who, in the last session, voted that the Missionary Smith did not suffer more than he deserved." The operation of that practical proceeding to which we have adverted, will, I understand, in no way injure the personal condition of the Slaves; the proprietors are too much alive to their own interest to suffer them to be depreciated, when by * It is hoped that the views taken of the subject in this dis- course will be an answer to the aspersion, that the proposal is an artifice of East India merchants. 44. the process of free labour they may employ them to greater advantage. As to the danger apprehended, from immediate emancipation, to the lives of the white population, this savours too much of the cowardice of guilt to be worth much attention. Is it in the nature of things, that when blessings are bestowed, and a stu- dious attention is paid to their best interests, that massacre and bloodshed are to be expected ? and is there no civil power, and no Divine Providence on which to rely in such a season of mercy ? It is the province of guilt alone, to ''fear where no fear isl' — '' the wicked fleeth when no man pursuethr We come now to the last point : viz. — 3. Let us send them the Gospel, and earnestly pray for its success. Thus we shall be rendering them the most effectual and important service. The Gospel will proclaim to them — " I A liberty unsung By poets, and by senators unpraised ; Which monarchs cannot grant, nor all the powers Of earth and hell confederate take away : A liberty, which persecution, fraud, Oppression, prisons, have no power to bind. Which whoso tastes can be enslaved no more." ^* If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" By instituting among them the blessing of a 45 preached Gospel — planting the standard of the cross, and unfurhng the banner of peace — the best security will be given for the safety of the Colonies, and the best redress will be offered for their long neglected and aggravated wrongs — a re- turn will be made, at once the most valuable to them, and the most important to the proprietors, while it will aid the great and scriptural design of sending the Gospel " to every kindred, tongue and people" (e Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a high-way for our God, Every valley shall he exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all FLESH shall see it together : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" ' But it is more than to be feared, that this reli- gious object, this spiritual design, is not unconnected with the secret of that opposition which has- been manifested in the West India Colonies ; and has not this secret been too much overlooked in con- nexion with this cause ? Is not the bitterest per- secution levelled against the Gospel of Christ ? Have not the West India planters — the Houses of Assembly — assumed the language, the to7ie, the attitude of avQwed hostility to the cause of Chris- E 46 tian missions * ? Is it not here that all this spirit of oppression and of wrong is seated ? They have, indeed, done well ; they put an honour upon the Gospel of Christ, in that they have connected the doctrine of emancipation from Slavery with the doctrine of the Cross. If it be the duty of the disciples of Christ to send the Gospel '^ into all the world" I ask, whether it be possible to do so in a land where the very first principles of that Gospel may not be uttered ? where it is necessary to prune away from the New Testament all " the offence of the cross," — all that is unwelcome to interested proprietors and cruel oppressors ? What would be left, if thus the testimony of God were accommodated to " tJie heart of man, which is at enmity with God 9 " Brethren, '^ the word of God is not bound," it must have ^' free course to he glorified'" and woe be to that man who shall abridge his commission to preach that Gospel, in all \he fulness and in all the freeness of its sal- vation — " TO EVERY CREATURE." * Instances. — The case of the martyred Smith. The de- struction of the chapel at Barbadoes, and the dehberation of the House of Assembly at Barbadoes, April 5, 1825. The Governor of Demerara told the Missionary, when applying for permission to instruct the Slaves in the duties of religion, that he " would banish any man who presumed to teach the Slaves to read / / " 47 Our authority in this glorious cause is infinitely superior to all the authority of opposition to it ; and while we have friends in the cabinet of our beloved Sovereign, and in the Parliament of our country, let it be remembered, that we have a greater Friend above, " who sitteth at the right hand of God, making intercession for us:'' to Him let us first and constantly look ; in Him let us trust, for ^' all power is given to him in heaven and in earths At the same time, we must " work while it is day ;" we must give ourselves prac- tically, humbly, firmly, and perseveringly, to the undertaking. ^' Watchfulness without prayer," says St. Agustine, '^ is atheism ; and prayer with- out watchfulness is presumption." " This,'' said our Saviour, '' ought ye to have done, and not left the other undone," ^' If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." In connexion with the spirit and the habit of earnest prayer, let us also bear in mind the in- fluence of our country, and seek its highest honour and prosperity in the right application of its power : " England ! the nations know thy voice, 'Tis thine to make the awful choice : 'Tis thine to bid a world rejoice, Or close the gates of liberty ! ! " FINIS. LONDON : RICHARD CLAY, PRINTER, BISHOPSGATE, HTllt5 871780 ^/•*' THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY \ 'l