It is folly to attempt to conceal the fact, that it has originated sectional jealousy and prejudice, which endangers the perpetuity of the Union. This is a serious view of the subject, and it demands the sober consideration of every friend of this glorious Union. _The Union must be preserved_; should be the motto of every one who has a spark of patriotism in his breast. All those questions of national policy, which have separated the great political parties in this country, when compared with this great question, sink into utter insignificance.
Whatever endangers the perpetuity of this Union, demands the attention of every friend of his country; every man who is worthy the name of an American citizen. It calls loudly for prompt and effectual action, to avert the calamitous catastrophe. _G.o.d save the Union_, should be the prayer of every Christian. This pet.i.tion, should begin and end their devotional exercises. _G.o.d save the Union_, should be the first lesson taught to the child in the cradle; and from infancy to old age, the reverential aspirations of our hearts should ascend to him who holds the destinies of nations in his hands; to save and bless our common country.
From morn till eve, our hearts should breathe, Father of mercies, G.o.d of love preserve-- Oh! preserve, our blood bought liberties; Preserve them unalloyed, unimpaired While time shall last.
If we all could be animated by this spirit, then would peace, prosperity and good will, abound more and more, throughout the length and breadth of our land. Bound together by cords of love; as a band of brothers; we should know "no North, no South;" the prime object of all would then be, the prosperity and preservation of our common country.
We are the conservators of liberty. We hold it as a trust, and the oppressed of all nations expect here to find a refuge from tyranny; and here they may find it, so long as we preserve our Federal Union unimpaired.
But unfortunately for us, ambitious demagogues have seized upon the subject of slavery, and are convulsing the country from one end to the other. Slavery is the demagogue"s hobby, and he mounts it, raises his hat, kicks and spurs, as if the salvation of the universe was suspended on his elevation, to some petty, insignificant office.
Slavery is to us, as a great subterraneous fire, which is ever ready to burst upon us with volcanic violence, deluging our country with boiling lava, red hot stones, smoke and flames; carrying devastation, death and destruction in its train. But the subject will be agitated, more or less, and unless the people of this country become better informed on this subject, and peaceably adopt some practicable means for its final extirpation; sooner or later the Union will be endangered thereby. The North should cease to vex the South, and the South should cease to vex the North, and patriotic men North and South, should devise some means, by which the end might be accomplished at some future day. The question now presents itself to every friend of humanity--to every philanthropist; is there no remedy for these evils, or must we groan under their pestilential influence forever?
I know that the subject of slavery is a perplexing question, and that its abolition will be attended with dangers and difficulties, take what course we may; but shall we for that reason, fold our arms, sit still and do nothing? Or else flee from its hydra-headed ghost in dismay? No, my friends and fellow citizens; to those who put their trust in G.o.d, and have the wisdom to plan, and the will to work, all things are possible. It is, however, folly for us to flatter ourselves, that slavery can be extirpated in the United States in a short time. It will require time and patience to attain an object, so desirable. Hasty and inconsiderate action will be likely to prove abortive, and result in no good to either master or slave; if not in irretrievable ruin to both.
We should avoid everything in word or deed, which has a tendency to irritate the South and arouse them to resistance. Abolitionists by their low abuse and vile misrepresentations, have done everything in their power to excite and irritate them; hence, there is an impa.s.sable gulf between them and Southern men. We should beware lest we fall into the same error. The course of the North towards the South, should be kind and conciliatory. We should consult her interests, and appeal to her patriotism, and thus may the North and South as a band of brothers, heartily co-operate in the great and glorious work, of restoring liberty to the enslaved Africans, and of enlightening their minds and thereby qualifying them for the enjoyment of freedom. What patriot, what philanthropist, does not respond a hearty Amen? Not one. Show me the man who says no, and you show me a man in whose bosom a patriotic, or philanthropic sentiment never found a resting place--a man who is an entire stranger to every sentiment of humanity--to every tender and sympathetic emotion of the soul--to all the kindlier and better feelings of our nature.
I have in the preceding pages endeavored to show, that the visionary schemes of abolitionists can never accomplish anything for the slave; but that they are on the contrary, potent for evil, and powerless for good. It is therefore inc.u.mbent on me to reply to the interrogatory, what can be done? By what means can slavery be abolished in the United States? Is it practicable? Yes; it can be done; and the only means by which it can be accomplished, is by colonization. There is no other safe and practicable method, or way, by which slavery can be abolished in the United States. It is probable that an objector will point to the African colonization society, and ask, what has it accomplished towards the abolition of slavery? But little, I admit. The reason is obvious. It grows out of the immense distance of Africa from the United States and the vast difficulties, and expenditures, consequent upon the transportation of free blacks from the United States, to the colony in Africa, and also the unwillingness of a majority of the free blacks to leave this country, or at least, to be transported to Africa.
Those philanthropists, who originated the African colonization society, had another object in view. Their prime object was, the regeneration of Africa; and in this they will probably succeed. We must colonize the free blacks nearer home. We must have territory set apart for that purpose, somewhere on this continent; if we expect to accomplish anything toward the abolition of slavery by colonization.
Slaveholders must get their eyes open. They must have light on the subject. They must become satisfied that it is not only their duty, but their interest, to prepare and qualify the rising generation of slaves for the enjoyment of freedom. Slaves must be educated and enlightened before they are liberated.
We of the North must approach our Southern brethren in a spirit of kindness, conciliation and concession; and talk to them as brothers, and not denounce and stigmatize them as murderers, rogues, rascals, slave-catchers and kidnappers. We have mistaken Southern men and Southern character.
We may lead Southern men, but we cannot drive them. We must treat them as gentlemen; we must approach them as friends, holding the olive branch of peace in our hands, and treat them with that civility, kindness and condescension, to which they are accustomed, and to which they think themselves ent.i.tled. Don"t talk to Southern men about liberating slaves, until some provision is made for manumitted slaves--an asylum provided where they can quietly repose in peace, and enjoy the blessings of freedom. Don"t urge them to liberate their slaves, when both the condition of the master and the slave is made worse thereby. "Tis folly--"tis sheer nonsense; and well informed men ought to be ashamed thus to conduct themselves. If you know anything, you ought to know better; and if you know nothing, you ought to say nothing, until you are better informed. Congress should be memorialized in every town, city, and village in the United States, to set apart territory for the colonization of free blacks. It should be done speedily. It matters not what it might cost this government, it should be done. Talk not of dollars and cents. Mountains of gold are lighter than a feather, if thrown into the balance against a cause which disturbs the peace, and endangers the perpetuity of this Union.
Territory should be secured and set apart, near the Southern border of the United States. I repeat that it should be done speedily. Humanity and justice demand it at our hands. What can the free blacks do? Where can they go? They will soon be legislated out of the free states, and their condition in the slave states, must necessarily be one of wretchedness and degradation. Reader, what say you to the above proposition? It is offered for your sober and prayerful consideration.
Does it commend itself to your judgment? Is it safe? Is it practicable? Is it suitable, proper and right? Consult that inward monitor conscience. Ask him if all is right; if all is well within you? Ask him if something should not be done for the African.
Thousands of slaveholders at this time would cheerfully liberate their slaves, if they could be removed beyond the limits of the United States, and provision made for them, that would conduce to their peace, happiness, and well being. Knowing, as I do, the feelings and views of Southern men; I here confidently a.s.sert, that if our national legislature will colonize the free blacks somewhere on this continent, contiguous to the Southern border of the United States, and make suitable provision for them; in less than twenty years from this time, at least one fourth of the slaves, now in bondage in the United States, will be manumitted and colonized. Don"t talk to us about colonizing the free blacks in Africa; it can"t be done; it never will be done; the majority of them are unwilling to go to Africa. They prefer bondage in the United States, to transportation to Africa, During my residence in the States of Virginia and Tennessee, I had knowledge of several instances, in which masters proposed to liberate slaves, provided they were willing to be removed to the colony in Africa, and in most cases they refused, declaring that they preferred bondage in the United States to a removal to Africa. I interrogated at different times hundreds of slaves, old and young, male and female, as to whether they would consent to a removal to Africa; provided their masters would liberate them, and in at least, nine cases out of ten, they would promptly and emphatically answer, No; they would not go to Africa--they would rather continue slaves--they would rather die, &c.
Make provision then for liberated slaves, and cease, oh! cease, ye fanatics and fools, to agitate the country by your clamor; and then shall we behold the n.o.ble and generous sons and daughters of Kentucky and Tennessee, conferring the boon of freedom on the African race, within their borders. Missouri and Maryland will soon follow their example; nor will North Carolina and Virginia long lag behind; South Carolina will straggle long and hard, but she must ultimately yield; and the soft zephyr of freedom will then fan the fair fields of Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas; Louisiana will feel its refreshing influence; and the Lone Star, (Texas), cannot long stand alone, in her opposition, to the rights of man, and the impulsive calls of humanity.
The shades of Washington and Clay will then hover over the states of Virginia and Kentucky, and around them will cl.u.s.ter, a convoy of angels, and the spirits of the fathers of American freedom; all watching with intense interest the great and G.o.dlike movement.
CHAPTER VIII.
I shall now proceed to show, that the holding of slaves is not necessarily sinful under all circ.u.mstances; or in other words, that the relation of master and slave is not, under all circ.u.mstances, inconsistent with, or in opposition to the revealed will of G.o.d. In the discussion of this question it will be necessary, first to glance at the origin and history of African slavery. I am apprised of the difficulties which I shall encounter in the investigation of this subject; and I am by no means blind, or insensible to my own incompetency; but I set out with the determination to look the subject of slavery full in the face, and fearlessly to express my opinions, regardless of consequences; at least so far as my own personal ease, interest, or reputation is involved; I shall, therefore, take the responsibility of openly expressing such opinions and views, as I conceive to be in accordance with the Holy Bible, and leave consequences to a just, wise and righteous G.o.d. To Him, and to Him alone, am I responsible for what I write.
G.o.d in his infinite benevolence and wisdom, and for the manifestation of his own glory, created man in his own image, and placed him in the garden of Eden, holy and happy. And he commanded him, "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Adam disobeyed the high mandate of heaven; he ate of the forbidden fruit, and thus he fell by transgression from his high and holy estate. He was our federal head; and he fell not alone, for on all his posterity fell the withering curse of Almighty G.o.d. "Curst is the ground for thy sake." "Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee." "In the sweat of thy face, shalt thou eat thy bread, till thou return unto the ground:--for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." The posterity of Adam soon forgot G.o.d. Gross wickedness soon covered the earth. Vile and depraved, the descendants of Adam went forth, perpetrating every act of wickedness, every abomination that the heart of man could devise.
The world was soon filled with brutality, l.u.s.t, and violence. "And G.o.d looked down upon the earth and behold it was corrupt." "And G.o.d said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me." "And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh." Righteous Noah and his wife, and his son"s and his son"s wives were preserved in the ark; "and the winds blew, and the rains descended and the floods came;" "and all flesh died that moved upon earth;" and G.o.d said unto Noah, "go forth of the ark, thou and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy son"s wives with thee." And G.o.d said unto Noah, "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and j.a.pheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. And Noah drank wine and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent; and Ham saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren, Shem and j.a.pheth; and they took a garment and covered their father, without beholding his nakedness; "And Noah awoke from his wine," and after being correctly informed as to the conduct of his sons while he was intoxicated, "He said, cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."
We learn from the Sacred Record, that the curse of slavery fell on the posterity of Ham in consequence of his dishonoring his aged father.
Every Bible reader must have noted the severe punishment of children, under the Mosaic dispensation, for disobedience and disrespect to parents. It appears to have been cla.s.sed amongst the worst of crimes, and death was the penalty. "Cursed be he," (said Moses on Mount Ebal,) "that setteth light by his father or his mother." "Every one that curseth father or mother, shall die the death." The children of Israel were commanded to "stone a stubborn or rebellious son to death." "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days maybe long in the land, which the Lord thy G.o.d giveth thee," is one of the commands which was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai. Here is a command with a promise of long life annexed to it on condition of obedience, and it is but a fair inference, that those who disobey the command, will be cut off in the prime of life. It appears that the punishment for disobedience to parents, is the same under the gospel dispensation; for St. Paul says; "Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth." The language of Moses and St. Paul suggests some solemn reflections, and I entreat my juvenile readers to observe well the language; it is the voice of G.o.d that speaks. Beware, lest you are brought to an untimely end, and the curse of a sin-avenging G.o.d falls upon you. I cannot dwell on this subject, but I entreat you, my young friends, to pause for a moment, and reflect on the awful, the calamitous consequences of disobeying, or otherwise dishonoring your parents. I must pa.s.s on.
We have no reason to believe that Noah was moved by resentment to denounce the curse of slavery on the posterity of Canaan, in consequence of the disrespect shown toward him by Ham. We have no reason to suppose that there was any abatement of parental solicitude, for the future welfare of this unG.o.dly son and his posterity. He was moved by the Holy Ghost, and uttered but a prophecy, which entailed slavery on the posterity of Ham, as a consequence of wilful disobedience of G.o.d"s just and righteous laws. He uttered but a fact _in futuro_, which had been revealed to him by an omniscient G.o.d. How fully the above prediction has been verified, is familiar to every historian. The continent of Africa was princ.i.p.ally peopled by the descendants of Ham; and for ages, the better part of that country was under the dominion of the Romans; then of the Saracens; and more recently of the Turks; and the fact, that the slave trade has been carried on for hundreds of years with all its horrors, iniquities, cruelties and abominations, is familiar to every one. A large portion of the children of Ham have existed in a state of slavery for more than three thousand years. It is said that more than nine-tenths of the whole sixty millions of Africa are slaves. Negro slavery existed in the colonies of Greece for ages before the Christian era. All other races of mankind have enslaved the African. The phraseology of Noah"s prediction is a little remarkable. The children of Ham were not only to be servants, but "a servant of servants." It is true that unconnected with all other races, one portion of the negro race have been enslaved to another, ever since the earliest dawn of history, and that in a greater proportion too, than to any other race. It is recorded by historians, that there are perhaps twenty negro masters in Africa to every white one in the United States, and that they hold in bondage at least ten times as many slaves. It is moreover stated, that those portions of Africa where the slave trade with the white man is unknown, are the most inveterate slave regions. In the negro islands of the Indian Archipelago, the negro is enslaved to the negro.
Some are, no doubt, ready to ask, how is it that Africans became slaves to their own race? Many of them were taken captives in war and subjected to slavery. The different tribes in Africa have in all ages engaged in predatory warfare, and the captives taken in those wars became slaves. Necessity may have forced many of them to subject themselves to servitude. Negroes have not that aversion to slavery, that many suppose who are unacquainted with the peculiarities of negro character. They are ignorant, indolent and improvident, and in many instances are neither competent nor willing to provide for themselves; and, therefore, they probably frequently became slaves to the more highly gifted and fortunate of their own race from necessity, and it may be from choice.
How is it that one nation acquires dominion over another? that one nation falls a prey to another? that one nation makes slaves of another? By what means were the posterity of Shem and j.a.pheth enabled to enslave the posterity of Ham? Some will say that G.o.d willed it thus, and so it is. I consider the phraseology of this answer faulty.
It would, in my view, be more appropriate to say, G.o.d suffered it; or permitted it; and so it is. I do not believe that Ham"s crimes were in accordance with the benevolent designs of Providence. The degradation and slavery entailed upon his posterity, was but a necessary consequence of his crimes, a just judgment, which a righteous G.o.d suffered to fall on his posterity. It was a violation of G.o.d"s laws, which involved the African race in accursed slavery. G.o.d has attached certain punishments to the violation of certain laws, in other words, to the commission of certain crimes. The law is violated, otherwise, the crime is committed, and the penalty, or punishment falls on the head of the offender. Now all this is brought about in opposition to the will of G.o.d; for when G.o.d gave laws, he willed that man should obey those laws. If he says, "son honor thy father," and the son dishonors his father, he acts in opposition to G.o.d"s will. And to secure obedience to his laws, and uphold moral order, he has attached to every crime its appropriate punishment.
But every effect has a cause, and if one nation acquires an ascendancy over another, there is a reason in the nature of things, _why it is so_. There are reasons why individuals differ, and why they are found under different circ.u.mstances and conditions in this world. Why one becomes poor and another rich; why one acquires wealth and influence, while another becomes poor, indigent and miserable--it may be a slave to his wealthy neighbor. There is an internal cause; a const.i.tutional difference in individuals, physically, mentally, and morally. So it is with nations. Locality, climate and other external causes have also had much agency in shaping and moulding the characters, and determining the destinies of nations. Nothing is more true than the trite saying, "that knowledge is power." The Author of our existence, "the giver of every good and perfect gift," conferred on Shem and j.a.pheth, or rather, on their posterity, superior mental endowments.
The African and the Anglo-Saxon races differ widely in their physical organizations; their mental susceptibilities, and their moral natures; and the advantages are in favor of the Anglo-Saxon. The Anglo-Saxons are a superior race. They are the best specimens of humanity--the n.o.blest work of G.o.d. They excel in all those qualities and endowments that raise man above his fellow man. The whole posterity of Shem and j.a.pheth are intellectually superior to the posterity of Ham. Locality has had its influence. The human species degenerate mentally and morally in a tropical climate.
Vice saps the foundation, and gradually impairs and undermines the mental and moral const.i.tutions of mankind. Ham being more vicious than his brothers, the mental and moral deterioration of his race, commenced in his own person, and was transmitted by him to his posterity. A man transmits his intellectual powers, his moral nature, or sentiments, as well as his physical organization to his progeny; and this he does with positive certainty, unless the mother possesses opposite qualities and properties. The children of the vicious are by nature more vicious than the children of the virtuous. Hence, we see that men by ordinary generation, transmit their own peculiar vices to their offspring. Every innate principle, pa.s.sion and propensity of soul, body and mind, is transmitted from parent to child. This view of the subject need strike us with no surprise, if we would reflect, that men beget the souls, as well as the bodies of their children. I read in Genesis, that G.o.d breathed into Adam"s nostrils the breath of life, "and that he became a living soul;" but I am not aware, that the Divine Being has breathed a soul into any other living being since the day he created Adam. No! When he breathed a soul into Adam he invested him with the power to procreate the souls as well as the bodies of his progeny. Hence, every man begets a soul and a body like his own, except so far as his own qualities and properties come in contact with opposite ones in the female; then, of course, some modification of the foetus may be expected. If an acid and an alkali are brought in contact, the result will be a neutral salt. We will generally find, however, that in what are called neutral mixtures, there is either a predominance of the acid, or the alkali. So it is with the children of parents possessing opposite propensities and qualities, either those of the father or the mother, are likely to predominate in the offspring.
Slavery was entailed on Ham"s posterity, in consequence of the indignity with which he treated his aged and pious father. Ham was a free agent; it was an act of his own. The Divine Being suffered him to transgress his laws; and foreseeing that it would involve his posterity in the curse of slavery, he foretold the result of the transgression, by the mouth of Noah, Ham"s father.
I have remarked in the preceding pages, that Ham was more wicked than his brothers; and that he transmitted his own corrupt nature to his offspring; and that in consequence of sin, his descendants sank into ignorance, barbarism and brutality which subjected them to the dominion of their more enlightened and virtuous brethren. Thus, we see, that it was the wickedness of Ham, which involved his race in ignorance, degradation and slavery. I repeat, that Ham entailed slavery on his own race; it was an effect of the violation of Jehovah"s righteous laws; a just and righteous judgment. It is clear, from the foregoing remarks, that Ham transmitted the germs of slavery to his posterity, by ordinary generation.
G.o.d permitted the transgression, and he also permitted the penalty to fall on the transgressors; and it then devolved on him, as Supreme Ruler of the universe, to regulate, govern, and control the transgressors, and the calamitous consequences of their transgression according to his own righteous will. "Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, and righteousness goeth before him." "The wrath of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath wilt thou restrain." That the almighty and all-wise G.o.d governs both men and devils, and the consequences of their acts, in accordance with the strictest principles of righteousness, judgment and justice, we have no right to doubt. He, in his amazing condescension, illimitable goodness, and boundless mercy, has given us a revelation of his will, to regulate, govern, and control our actions; and all that comports with our best interests, or that is essential for us to know concerning himself and his government of our world, is revealed in this Holy Volume; and if there are some things in the moral government of G.o.d, which we cannot comprehend, we have no right to cavil. "The Judge of all the earth will do right."
If either masters or servants wish to know the will of G.o.d concerning slavery--if they would learn their respective relations and duties, as masters, and servants, I must refer them to the Bible. There they will find a revelation of the will of G.o.d in relation to slavery, clearly set forth. If we have any other authority, or guide, I am not aware of it. I know of none. It is true, that I have heard something about a _higher law_ but from whence it came, "to whom related, or by whom begot," I know not. It is enough for us to know, that it did not come from G.o.d. Christians must take the Bible as their guide, and G.o.d as their master; and if others think that they can do better, let them try. Poor old Ham, I suppose, thought that he could do better; and he deserted the source of all mercy, goodness, truth, light and knowledge; and what was the consequence? Ignorance, barbarism, degradation and woe; ending in the accursed slavery of his race.
Accursed of G.o.d! A curse entailed on sin--an individual curse--national curse! Too often, a curse to him that serves, and him that rules! G.o.d be merciful to the slave and his master. The master, as well as the slave, is ent.i.tled to our sympathies, and not to our maledictions.
Whether the mental powers of Shem and j.a.pheth, were originally superior to those of Ham, we know not. We know that the posterity of Shem and j.a.pheth, are mentally superior to the posterity of Ham, at the present day. To me, it seems probable, that Ham came from the hands of his Creator, in every respect equal to Shem and j.a.pheth; and that his mental and moral powers were debased by sin, and they thus acquired a superiority over him. But, supposing that Ham was originally inferior to his more fortunate brothers, he had no right to complain. Suppose that the Divine Being gave Ham one talent, j.a.pheth two, and Shem four; he, in so doing, inflicted no wrong on Ham. To whom much is given, of the same much is required. In order to secure the blessing of G.o.d, it was only necessary for Ham to improve what he had received. G.o.d required no more at his hands. But it is evident, from the manner in which he conducted himself toward his heaven favored and pious father, that he was an egregious sinner, and the curse of G.o.d fell upon him, and his progeny. "The curse causeless shall not come."
When the Almighty in his providence suffers a punishment to fall on a man, or a race of men, he has a good and sufficient reason for it. If He hides his face, or withhold his blessings, we may search for the cause in our own hearts. "It is your iniquities," (said the prophet), "that have separated you and your G.o.d." But to return to the sovereignty of G.o.d. He has the power.--He has the right. He, alone, is competent to decide what is best for us. "Hath not the potter power over the same lump of clay, to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor." He is under no obligation to any one; the best of us having forfeited all right, t.i.tle, or claim to his mercy. Whatever mercies or blessings we may receive at the hands of Divine Benificence, are unmerited; undeserved on our part. The Divine Being is debtor to no one. There is no merit on our part, there can be none.
G.o.d nevertheless has respect to character. Shem and j.a.pheth, acted in accordance with Divine will, and He chose to confer on them certain favors and benefits. Ham incurred his displeasure, by violating his laws; and He left his posterity to those temporal misfortunes, which must necessarily grow out of moral infirmities, and mental disabilities.
I think I have clearly shown that African slavery originated in the inferiority of the African race; and that the inferiority of the African race, originated in the violation of G.o.d"s laws. Slavery is perpetuated by the cause that brought it into existence. I have alluded in the preceding pages to the mental disabilities and the moral defects and infirmities of the posterity of Ham; as subjecting them to degradation and slavery. Physical conformation and color, viz., the curly hair, the black skin, the flat nose, the broad flat foot, &c., have had no small share in subjecting the negro race to degradation and slavery. All other races of men shun and despise them on account of their physical peculiarities. This is the key to that universal prejudice against the African race, the world over. The negro race are then, slaves from necessity, viz., they are slaves because they are incapable of attaining to the rights and privilege of free men. And those rights and privileges they never can enjoy in the midst of the Anglo-Saxon race.
We have seen in the preceding pages, that slavery and all the evils and calamities appertaining thereto, were entailed on Ham"s posterity, as a penalty for the wilful violation of G.o.d"s laws; and, I shall attempt to show before I bring this essay to a close, that in consequence of disobedience on the part of masters, as well as servants, that the evils and calamities of slavery fall not alone on him who serves, but also on him who rules. Therefore, the evils of slavery can only be mitigated, or removed by obedience to the requisitions of Divine revelations, on the part of masters and servants. This is the only remedy. There is no other. Here is a great principle of G.o.d"s moral government of the world, which we should never lose sight of. It is a principle of universal application. All those evils that befal mankind in consequence of transgression, may be mitigated, or removed, or otherwise the penalty may be averted, by repentance and obedience to the requisitions of the Holy Bible.
CHAPTER IX.
I shall now take a glance at slavery under the Mosaic dispensation.
Whatever our views may be on the subject of slavery, if we have read our Bibles, we know that it was tolerated and regulated by the Divine Being among the children of Israel; no doubt for wise and beneficent purposes. I know that it is vain for us to attempt to elevate our minds to a clear comprehension of the moral government of G.o.d. There is much, I admit, that to us is incomprehensible. Finite beings, cannot fathom the Infinite mind of Jehovah. We can, however, if we will read our Bibles, learn the will of G.o.d concerning ourselves and our fellow creatures; at least so far as our respective duties are concerned. This may be learned from the Old, as well as the New Testament. Forms and ceremonies may change; but the eternal principles of truth, righteousness and justice, change not.
Prior to the Mosaic dispensation, we read that Abraham held servants, and that when Sarai treated her maid-servant unkindly, and she fled from her face, the angel of the Lord said unto her, "Return to thy mistress, and subject thyself under her hands." It is a notable fact, that when the law was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai, he received from the hands of G.o.d Almighty the following words: "In it," (the Sabbath,) "thou shalt not do any work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant." It appears that the Hebrews under peculiar circ.u.mstances became servants; and they were released, or went free on the seventh year. If, however, they preferred to remain with their masters, they then became servants forever. The Hebrews were not suffered to enslave each other, except for a limited time; their servants were taken from the heathen nations around them. See Leviticus, 25th Chapter, from the 39th to the 55th verses inclusive. Mention is frequently made of servants throughout the Old Testament. Men women and children were held in bondage by patriarchs, prophets, kings, and others. Moses delivered various laws to the children of Israel, for the guidance and regulation of both masters and servants. The holding of slaves is nowhere denounced as sinful in the Old Testament; on the contrary, the Hebrews were _permitted_ to buy slaves from the surrounding heathen nations.
Masters were commanded in the Old as well as in the New Testament, to treat servants with kindness and humanity. Inhumanity, cruelty, and oppression being every where forbidden in the Bible.
Having briefly alluded to the revealed will of G.o.d tinder the old dispensation, we will now hastily glance at the position occupied by Christ and his apostles in relation to this inst.i.tution, and at their instructions and admonitions to masters and servants.
It is clearly and indisputably true that their course with reference to masters and servants, and the doctrine which they taught, give no countenance to the wild and visionary views of the faction, known in the United States by the name of abolitionists. I cannot, however, stop here to draw fully the contrast, but it will be found in other parts of this work.
Christ came to preach the gospel, and not abolitionism. Christ came to preach peace, and not to foment strife. He and his apostles taught servants to love and obey their masters, to serve them freely and cheerfully, and not to run away from them. No! No! They never incited servants to murder their masters, nor to murmur at their service; nor yet to steal all they could get, and then leave then. But there are those among us who have been guilty of all these things; and yet, notwithstanding, they have the audacity to tell us, at least those who have not embraced the views of Tom Paine, that they are Christians.
The more consistent ones, I believe, are open infidels.
Our Saviour said nothing that could be construed into a condemnation of the inst.i.tution of slavery; nor yet did he invest his apostles with any authority to interfere with it. It was no part of their commission. Our Saviour preached the gospel of peace and glad tidings to the bond and the free, to masters and servants, to the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind. He intermeddled not with the civil inst.i.tutions of the day. On the contrary, he inculcated, both by precept and example, submission to the ruling authorities. His apostles followed in his footsteps, for they likewise enjoined on their followers, to be subject to the higher powers--to those in authority. They too, preached the gospel to the bond and the free, masters and servants; and gathered them together in the same fold, as brethren beloved--the sheep of one common shepherd, the servants of one common master--members of the same church--partakers of the same joys. But they did not in a solitary instance denounce the holding of slaves as sinful; nor yet enjoin it on masters to release their slaves. They carefully instructed both masters and servants in their relative duties, as masters and servants; and otherwise left the inst.i.tution of slavery as they found it. How unlike the great apostles of modern reform! Many will no doubt be ready to ask, if slavery is an evil, why did not Christ and his apostles strike directly at its root, and eradicate it from the face of the earth? Others may impiously ask if it is an evil, why did the Almighty permit it, or why does he tolerate it? The latter interrogatory is fully considered in the preceding Chapter; but I will for obvious reasons make a few additional remarks in reply. I again beg such persons to recollect that we are but finite beings, and cannot, therefore, fully comprehend the Infinite Mind; and that G.o.d is moreover the Supreme Ruler of the universe, and that to Him belongs the right to govern and dispose of the work of his own hands, as he, in his infinite wisdom, sees fit and proper. We may observe His dealings with man, but we cannot in all cases say why he acts thus; nor have we any right to ask him, why hast them done thus? Slavery is a consequence of sin, and G.o.d, in his providence, suffered it to fall on the posterity of Ham as a just and righteous judgment--as a punishment suitable and proper--as a punishment proportioned to the magnitude of the crime. The Divine Being, no doubt, intended that the signal punishment inflicted on Ham"s posterity, should be a warning to all future generations, in all future time, to warn them of the danger of violating his commands, and deter them from the commission of crime. G.o.d, no doubt, willed that it should continue until the crime was adequately punished, and future generations warned of the danger of violating his laws; and his own honor vindicated. We have reason to believe that G.o.d moreover willed, that in his own good time, this evil, as well as all other evils should be eradicated; and that the sons and daughters of Adam should enjoy universal freedom; and that "righteousness should cover the earth, as the waters cover the great deep." But G.o.d willed to bring about this result, not only in his own time, but in his own way. By his own appointed means as revealed in his Holy Word; and that we as co-workers with him, in the accomplishment of his designs, should be guided by his revealed will. So far as we deviate from the revealed will of G.o.d in the use of means, we sin against him, and are destined to disappointment. The Holy Scriptures justify the conclusion, that in the process of time, the Almighty disposer of events, will root out all evil from the face of the earth. "Every plant," (says Jesus Christ,) "that my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up." But there are many evils so interwoven with the inst.i.tutions of society, that they can only be rooted out by the general spread of the benign and purifying influences of the Gospel.
Much has been said and written about slavery as an evil--a curse--a misfortune, &c. It is admitted on all hands that slavery is an evil; but it would be well for those who undertake to propose remedies for it, first to ascertain wherein the evil consists; or in other words, what are the circ.u.mstances which give rise to it. It is essential to the success in medical practice, that the physician correctly understands the disease which he proposes to treat. I have shown in the preceding Chapter that slavery originated in sin; or otherwise, that Ham entailed it on his posterity by violating the laws of G.o.d. The evils of slavery, to the present day, originate in the same cause, viz, a violation of G.o.d"s commands; a failure on the part of masters and servants to comply with the requisitions of the Holy Bible. It is disobedience to G.o.d"s commands, that makes slavery an evil and a curse.
The curse of slavery originates in the disobedience of slaves, and the cruelty of masters. "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters--masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal."
Here, in a sentence of twenty words, the Apostle Paul prescribes a remedy for the evils of slavery, a remedy too, that has never failed--a remedy that will remove the curse of slavery; and under some circ.u.mstances, make it a blessing to both masters and servants. A compliance on the part of masters and servants with the requisitions of G.o.d"s word, will disarm slavery of all its evils and terrors. It will bring peace and consolation to masters and servants. Herein is manifest, the wisdom and goodness of G.o.d. When the gospel was first promulgated slavery existed in the world, in a form, no doubt, which made it a sore evil--a grievous curse. The cries of the oppressed had come up before the throne of G.o.d. He was moved with compa.s.sion for masters and servants. Go, said He, to his beloved son, to yonder world, and remove the curse of slavery. Instruct servants to love and obey their masters, to serve them freely and cheerfully--without murmuring or repining--and to be content with their lot. Instruct masters to give unto their servants that which is just and equal. To never loose sight, in the treatment of their slaves, of the great principles of love, justice and humanity.