Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-02-15

for our edifieaiion among the sacred
writings OF The blessed Evancelists and
holy Apostles. Tlie facts, commentaries
miracles, and reported eases of these
inspired men. compose that part of the
sacred volume comnon,, called the New
testament. No faithful bell yer can
doubt, that The recorded doctrine. pre-.
copts and duties therein iuculcai-d con-
corning right aud wrong, justice and
iniquity, are Ut perpetual obligation -
Aud ali being dictated by the iioly spirit
OF GOd himself, cannot consistently with
our conception of his eternal inialibiliiy
and Infinite wisdom, Imply any repug-
nance 10 similar preceptS and prin ciples
OF duty, dictated by the same immortal
spirit, and which are ionnd boil, in the
primal tnrOcracy and The Moasic Law, and
recorded III the oid testament. Otherwise
Inconsistency might biasphcmousIy be
ascribed TO The Almighty and the reli
gion oi lie mW testament might be deem
ed repu2nani 10 The prophecies Of the oid,
ana The mW Of grace would not be The
iuifiinment oi The natural and The Mosaic
lars, upon the truth of which the perfect
verify OF The Gospel so esSeuiall, de-
Ponds
From such undeuiablc position il fol
lows that as The scripture of both tesla
menis has the same weight oi aulho.ilv,
essentially incapable of self runiradic-
hon, concerning the tn'rnic Hnralny or
immortality OF human conduci-so. what
ever is declared in The ohi testament 10 be
lnirlns icaliy good or bad in our lransac-
iious must inevitably be the same ac-
cordlng 10 HE principles of The nec feSta-
ment. Even were this reasoning un>up-
ported by nnmbe,less prnois iound ia The
written Gospel, would not such argu,
meni alone verify our third assevtralion {:
namely, tina, slave.hol ing is not iucom.
patbie with the d Grimes OF the new
testament but on The contrary aulho.
r'zcd by christianity The special state
meut oil such differences here seems The
more pertinent to our object, in making
these scrip'ural researches, because we
have reason 10 imagine Sat some good
men ccen an tie Siave4hoidiRg states, men
not qatte SO ingmSitiOe as sce hare been. er
Toneously suppose that by the establish
meut OF the Gospel. that The Mosaic L,p
10 an 'HteatS and purposes, moral and typi
cal, IS abotished Win such er,ng midi
viinalS, OF course, arguments that vimdi-
cate the moral validity of slave holding
drawn from The sacred writings i'm The
ofdtesfamcnt, would lose much Of that au
thenilc weight that in truth properly be-
loags 10 them. True i, Is thai the typjcaI
and ceremoaiai part of The Mosaic law is
now utterly abolished. But surely i, is
no less true That the fundamental prere,,fs
Of reciitmie, enacted, bath in The pyimat
and NeSdiC Institutions, are not abolished
because they are OF perpetual obligation.
The rules that establish the morality or
immortality, the reciitude or obiuuiiv Of
human actions, are as in,n,utGJie as the spi.
Tit az Immortal wiSdOUt from ,ckich they q.
namGte. The Almighty never did. and
great iheOioglans affirm, never cOuM, by
any dlspensation change those eternal
principles and laws, which are the yer,
basis OF the religion, incucaied in The
OW testament aud consequently remain in
the foundation OF the Re,c. In proof tina.
such doctrine Is Iadispuiabie, and Thai
the supposed opinion which we are ann
IuS 10 corr ct requires correction. we re-
fer 10 The very words of the blessed Re-
deemer uttered with such energetic and
beautiful simplicity in his divine sermon
on ihe mount: "rhink not (said he)
that am come 10 desiroy~the law or The
prophets am not come 10 destroy hut
to fulfil. Sooner shall the heaven anu the
earth perish than one little of the law
fail
We now proceed more directly TO evince.
that under the gospel. ienures of involnn,
larry service, were not condemned or Dro
hlbted-by the great luminaries of the
New Testament. Our tirsl general re
mark Is, that we find no Misrepresentation.
or any prohibition of involuntary service
III either of tie four Evangelisis. In all
OF then the Gospel diSpensaiion is xiii
bited as nerer interfering aCith aiy of tie
ctrlt institutions on political establishments of
the woTM. Hence perhaps the silence OF
lts great author concerning the subject
matter ot our researches. Nevertheless
The blessed RedeemeT in Two of his beau
iiiul parallels demonstrates, (by internal
evIdence,) that The Se,riLe condition vas
familiar TO his divine imagination. and
mat servant iciiieh knew his Loyd'S wW, and
prepared not himself, mar did accordi,g 10
ms wiIt, shell be beaten with MANI stripes. 4"
Again. " Ont IF thine oUn mouth wiH 7
Judge thee, hou wiched servant"
Slave holding was q tenure extensive
10 the Roman law; and none will deny
that our Saviour exhoricd his hearers TO
obey that law; in those remarkable words
" render unto Cesar the things that are
Caesars"
But If we examine The precepls and
doctrines of the Gospel dispensaiion as
erpo"nded for practice among tie Geafiie
nations 10y those great founders of Chris
tlaDity, ST. Paul and ST. Peter; il will
appear lnconIesiihIy that SiqUe. hoidiRg
icaS regulated and SGMcti0Hed-Jm nerey in
terdictcd by the pyimitiOr PreiateS aDd Apos
ties we shall cite suudry passages from
these inspired writer's 10 prove il. In the
Is I'D chap. of the st Episile Of st. Peter,
It is thus wrtlen!! You ,0ho arc seroanfs
be subject to yOtT mGstsrs with aH rereyemce.
Not only to tie good aHd gentle, but aiso to
the moreSs. II foheH acting ,oeH yoa meet