The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1781-02-14 00:00:00, page 1

For the NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE,
THE manumission of our slaves I fee deba
ted in your Gazette with a considerable
degree of warmth. I confider it, in our.pre
fent day, as a matter of important conse
quences ; and therefore beg the attention of my rea
ders to a few thoughts, suggested on that fubjert.
It must be acknowledged, that ail mankind are born
equally free; but this freedom, as to individuals, mult
be regulated and re/lrided to promote the good of socie
ty. Therefore non-aged children are fubjeded to theif
parents, wives to their husbands, &c. so the greatest
part of mankind are necessarily deprived of that liber
ty, to which they were born. Therefore, arguments
drawn from this topick prove too much ; and there
fore nothing.
Slavery is generally acknowledged, to be founded
on captivity or being born of a bond-woman, The
German Divine, Joh. Crocius, on Ephef. vi. 5, fays,
Servitus perpetua jure gentium vel ex captivitate vel
ex nativitate—'' Perpetual slavery, according to the
law of nations is founded on captivity or birth." If
the custom of nations at war is the killing or felling
their captives, then buying is just and humane: be
cause qualified slavery is preferable to death. —Slave-
ry by birth, is not founded on being born of a slave;
but because the time and labour of the mother, the
food and raiment of the child belongs to the matter:
Therefore, as such child has no parents, who can give
its necessary support, itfelf is bound in justice to
make fatisfadion, if able. It may be said, perpetu
al slavery is too high a price for such support ; to serve
until they arrive to the age of twenty-eight or thirty
years is fufficient. But let the matter be candidly con
sidered ; is it to be supposed, that one in ten would
be at the expence and trouble of bringing tip a child
until nine years of age, under ten pounds per year?
At such rate these children stand their matters in nine
ty pounds, the full value of a slave. At a medium,
from nine.until eighteen or twenty, their labour may
pay for their keeping. Add the interest of the nine
ty pounds, to the long risk of life, and then fee what
a price such owners would pay, for eight or ten years
service ; whereas an indented servant is bought for
the term of seven years at twenty pounds.
On such grounds has a holy and a just God allow
ed slavery both under the law and gospel.—Under the
law we find an holy Abraham possess servants purchas
ed with his money ; and those born in his house, Geri,
xvii. 23. We hear a supreme lawgiver declare, " both
thy bond-men and thy bond maids, which thou Jhalt
have, Jhall be of the heathen that are round about you ;
of them Jhall ye buy bond-men and bond-maids. Moreo
ver, of the children of the grangers, that sojourn among
sou, of them Jhall ye buy, and of their families that are
with you, which they begat in your land: and they Jhall
be your possession, And ye Jhall take them as an inheri
tance for your children after you, to inherit (hem for a
p o ff e fe n , they Jhall be your bond-men for ever. Lev.
xxv. 44, 45, 46. It may be said, this was a parti
cular command touching the Jews, which cannot juf
tify us. I answer, if slavery is tyranny now, it was
then : if it is something polluted in its nature now, it
was then. And therefore it charges, in effed, the
kind and holy God with approving tyranny and a pol
luted thing ; the accursed thing. —But if it was intend
ed only for the Jews, it would have been disavowed,
and not allowed under the gospel; which, however, is
not the case, but clearly the contrary. Theapoilles
throughout their epistle, prescribe the duties of ser
vants to their matters in such a manner, as plainly im
ply the lawfulnefs of it. Paul fays, let every man a
bide in the fame calling wherein he was called. Art thou
galled being a servant, care not for it : but if thou
mayefl be free, use it rather, 1 Cor. vii. 20, 21. The
fore cited German Divine, Doctor Crocius, observes,
on Eph, vi. 3,6, that it is evident from compar
ing this with ver. 8, that the apostle addrefles him
felf-to servants for life ; and then proceeds, et jam
illo tempore erant, qui putarent, fe per Chriftum a
fervitutis jugo liberates, unde nee infideli, nec fideli
fervire volebant, &c. contra nititur Paulus, eodem
verbo declarans officium fervorum, quo filiorum de
claraverat, idque opinarentur indignum effe Chrifti
anis, et a libertate evangelica alienum, aliis fubjici.
i. e. " At that time there were, who thought them
selves freed from the yoke of bondage by Christ, so
that they would neither serve believers nor unbeliev
ers. These the apostle opposes, and exhorts to their
duty in the fame manner of expreflion as he had done
children, to shew that they ought not to imagine
that a state of fubjedtion to others is unbecoming
ehriftians, or repugnant to gospel liberty." View this
apostle's conduct in the case of Onefimus, a bond-man
•f Philemon, The straggling. slave had been converted
'[Vol. IVJ T HE [Numb. 164.]
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
WEDNESDAY, February 14, 1781.
by Paul's, preaching. His master was a true chriflian,
probably a preacher of the gofpel —See verse 3 of
that epistle. What did Paul do in this case ? did he
call Philemon a tyrant because he held a slave? did
he tell him it was wrong to keep him ? did he command,
or even advise him to manumit his slave ? No, he fends
him back to his master; he pleads for his pardon, and
fays verf. 15, For perhaps he therefore departed for a
season, that thou JbouldeJl receive him forever. The
Pivines of the synod of Dort, in their annotations
on this verse, fays, forever fignifies, here all his life
time ; for " since he had now become a pious chrifti
an, so he should not now once think of running away
again, or being unfaithful to his master. It seems,
fay they, the apostle here somewhat alludes to the
law of perpetual slavery. Exod, xxi. 6, Deut. xv.
17. I recite the sentiments of authors in countries
where slavery is prohibited by the laws of the laud,
and therefore rather might be supposed prejudiced a
gainst it, than in its favour.
Is it not very strange, if we confider this scriptural
account of the matter, that gentlemen of sense will
undertake, in order to carry their point, to terrify
weaker minds, by representing Slave-keeping as an hein
ous fin, for which we have to fear the judgments of
God upon us ? but there are blind guides who flrain
at a gnat, and swallow a camel. I know, to my sor
row, that the keeping of slaves among ehriftians, in
Stupid ignorance, negleft of the gospel and its ordi
nances, permitting them the profanation of the Lord's
day, and indulging them in all kinds of wickedness,
if the owners get but their labour, they disregard
their immortal fouls, I fay; I know this is counter
to the revealed will of God, and an heinous fin, under
which, I fear, this nation groans ; and perhaps may
more, if not prevented by a speedy reformation. Here
I would join issue with such gentlemen : but as for
the other, had I no other reasons for their manumissi
on but such as are drawn from scripture, I would be
'content to be called a tyrant with good father Abra
ham, and a polluted person with holy Philemon, Paul's
fellow-labourer.
Slaves, however, are to be considered as our fellow
creatures, and therefore ought to be treated as such. As
to labour, mankind is doomed to it by reason of fin;
and I am persuaded the greatest part in Europe are
forced to much harder labour than the slaves in our
middle dates, without being as well accommodated
as to the necessaries of life. But (till liberty is defin
able, and carries many advantages with it for the pro
motion of industry, and the improvement of the human
mind thereby rendered more susceptible of religious
impressions. And from thele conliderations I could
cordially with the emancipation of this class of my feb
low creatures; which may be attempted at a favour
able period, to their and the community's advantage.
But in such an attempt some leading principles ought
to be considered, and carefully observed.
1. The p reservation of property, so that no one has bis
slave forced from him, or put to necessary trouble and
expenses in bringing them up without receiving an equi
valent. To assert that they are stolen, and therefore
no legal property, requires proof. All such as I have
examined upon that head acknowledged to have been
taken in war by the natives of their own country : If
so, I have proved their purchase lawful. But suppose
some to be stolen, is he who purchases under the func
tion of the laws of his country answerable forthat ? In
ftanee this, by a similar example, our title for the foil
we'poffefs—The natives had undoubtedly a just right
by virtue of prior possession, Can anyone prove that
our farms are justly purchased from them ? If some are
not, must all be ceded to them again with proper al
lowance for their use ? Am I bound in confeienee to
find out whether mine is ? If the one I possess should
happen to have been obtained from them by fraud or
violence, am I to be considered as an accomplice ?
Proper answers in the one case will fully answer in the
other. And I feel confident, that if such cession was
made they would come and fight for us, more bold
than our manumitted slaves. Slaves then bought with
money, or for trouble and expence of bringing up,
are as much their owners property as any thing we
possess. They have obtained them under the fanelion
of the laws of their country ; have given equivalent
property for them. God declares it so —Abraham had
them so. A slave is expressly said to be his maker's
money, Exod. xxi. 21 ; as such they were to pass for an
inheritance, Lev. xxv. 45, 46. Even a child born of a
Jewish father by a bond woman, was to be a ilave,
Exod. xxi. 4. The Hebrew servant, as well as bis
wife, owed .his time and labour to his master, and
therefore his children had to pay for themselves by per
petual fervitudc.—-Note here, the special care God took
of property. Therefore, ' A Friend to Juftice,' who
pleads for manumission without a just recompense, in
contrast with true equity and juflice, accords well with
the story of the apple.
2. The prefer^ation and intereJi of civil feciety ought
to be regarded. If the whole number of our slaves
should be set adrift, by their freedom from their pre
fect state of dependance, what would the unavoidable
confluence be "Slow, sluggish, and stupid by na
ture, unaccustomed to prudent care, without any
thing in hand, or trades to begin with, numerous fa
milies of children to take care of and to be provided
for. Who, that has any forecaft would not with to
be far distant from such a civil society?
3° The general rules of decency ought to be observed,
Suppose the number of blacks among us all enfran
chifed and living among the whites, what would pre
vent their intermixing. What kind of a nation would
Americans then be a century or two hence ?
I can fee no other way for their just emancipation
but by either of these two —Or by free donations, pur
chase or obtain their liberty, find that a proper separate
refidenee be provided for them : Or that a number of
well Qifpofed gentlemen be incorporated for the py^-
pose of erecting manufactories of various kinds ; a^
these bodies politick raise some funds, and so purchi
them,- and as far as their funds fall Short, that the rest
be paid by the fruits of their own industry in their re
fpedive manufactures. This might answer the fore
going principles, and prove advantageous to them and
the community at large.—To them, because it would
gradually accustom them to care; prove a spring of
industry ; fit them, by their trade, to maintain the„-
selves and families ; and Afford a regular opportunity
to improve their minds, by proper inftrudiQus; and
their morals by discipline.—To the community also it
might be beneficial ; for then perhaps our youth
would be brought up more industrious ; have less op
portunities for luxuries and vice ; and the produce of
these manufactories spare us Jhoufands of importati
on, and turn that balance of trade, which is now
ruinous against us, in our favour.
As this is a matter of serious consequence in our
present state of affairs, I hope authors on the fubjedt
will give us solid reasonings for consideration.
A Lover of true Justice.
TO BE SOL D,
By the Single, Dozen, Gross or Thousand, by
ISAAC COLLINS,
At the Printing-Office in Trenton,
S A neat EDITION of
THE NEW TESTAMENT,
Printed on a good Type, and good Paper.
S O L 1),
AN excellent NEGRO GARDENER,
about 40 years of age, has bad the small pox
and mealles. Enquire of the Printer.
Trenton, 5 February, 1781.
WHEREAS many depredations are committed on
the property of the United States in this town,
such as Stealing the boards and other materials from ,
the public buildings and fences, carrying off parts of
waggons and other articles, Which cannot be put un
def cover, or otherwise secured from the plundering
hands of those who have a disposition for such vile
practices : The Quartermaster requests the assistance
of every good citizen in detecting such injurious and
worthless members of the community, and offers a
reward, equal to the crime, to any person who will
difeover the person or persons guilty thereof, in such
a manner as to enable him to prosecute him or them,
to fonvidion. By this means only the property which
every individual is interested in can be secured.
4W JOHN NEILSON, D,Q.M.
Thirty Shillings Reward.
MADE his escape from the fubferiber, one of
the Constables for the townfuip of Windsor,
a certain Jacob Maple, who was convided of lar
ceny before two of the Justices of the county of
Middlesex, and was sentenced to be whipped at the
publick whipping-post, but made his escape while
preparation was making to put the said sentence in
execution. The said Maple is about five feet ten
inches high, of a dark complexion, has very black
hair; wore 2 mixed coloured coat and leather
breeches, and an old hop'd hat. Whoever fecur'
the said Jacob Maple, so that he may be brought
to punishment, Shall be entitled to the above reward
and all reasonable charges. &
3w* r JOHN TOTTEN, Conft£
Princeton, Feb. 5, 1781.