Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-07-12


ed servants in question had any chill
dren, their masters were bound by law to
incorporate them into the church and
nation. These children then were the
servants of the Lord, in the same sense
as the natural defendants OF Abraham
were; and therefore, according to the
law, Lev. XIV. ~, As, they could not be
made slaves. The passages of scripture
under consideration were so far from
authorising the Israel,es 10 make slaves
Of their servants children, that they evil
IDENTITY forbid it; and therefore are so far
from proving the lawfulness OF our en-
Shaving the children OF the Africans,
tina. they clearly condemn the practice
as criminal.
These passages of sacred writ have
been wickedly pressed in the service of
Mammon, perhaps more frequently than
any others: but does it not now appear,
that these weighty pieces Of artillery
may be fairly wrested from the enemy,
and turned upon the hosts of the Mann
monites with very good effect.
The advocates for slavery should have
observed, that in the law of Moses refer
red to, there is not the least mention
made of the children of these servants,
it is not said that they should be ser
wants, or any thing about them. No
doubt some of them had children, but it
was unnecessary to mention them; be-
cause they were already provided for by
the law of circumcision.
To extend the law of Moses to the
children of these servants, is arbitrary
and presumptuous it is making them
include much more than is expressed
or necessarily implied in the text. 1t
cannot be necessarily implied in the ex-
preston They shall be your bond men
forever because the word forever is
evidently limited by the nature Of the
subject; and nothing appears by which
il can be more properly limited, than
the life ofthe servants purchased. The
sense then is simply this, they shall
serve you and your children as long as
they live.
We cannot certainly determine how
these persons were made servants at first;
nor is it necessary we should. Whe-
Their they were persons who had forfeited
their liberty by capital crimes or whe-
Their they had involved themselves in
debt by folly or extravaganza, and sub
mitted to serve during their lives, in or
der 10 avoid greater calamity; or whe-
Their they were driven to that necessity
in their younger days, for want of friends
to take care of them, we cannot tell.
This, however, we may be sure Of, that
the Israelles were not sent by divine
law to nations three thousand miles dis.
iant, who were neither doing nor medi-
tating any thing against them, and with
whom they had nothing to do; in order
to captivate them by fraud or force, tear
them away from their country and al
their tender connexions, bind them III
chains, croud them into ships, and there
murder them by thousands, with the
want of air and exercise; and then con-
denim the survivors and their posterity
to slavery forever.
Bu, it is further objected, tina. the
Apostle advised servants to be contented
with their state of servitude, and obedient
to their masters; and, though he charges
their masters to use them we'll, he no
where commands them to set them
free.
In order to rightly understand the
matter, we should recoIect the situation
of Christians at this time. They were
under the Roman yoke, the government
of the heather ; who were watching every
opportunity of changing them with de-
signs against their government, in order
to justify their bloody prosecutions. In
such circumstances, for the Apostle TO
have proclaimed liberty to the slaves,
would probably have exposed many of
them to certain destruction, brought ruin
on the christian cause, and that with
out the prospect Of freeing one single
man; which would have been the height
of madness and cruelty. Ii was wise, it
was humane in him not to drop single
hint on this subject, farther that saying,
Uthon moyest be made free, use it ra-
ther.
Though the Apostle acted with this
prudent reserve, the unreasonableness
of perpetual unconditional slavery may
easily be inferred from the righteous
and bene, client doctrines and duties
taught in the New Testament. 1t is
quite evident, that slavery is contrary to
the spirit and genius ofthe Christian re-
ligion. 1t is contrary to that excellent
precept laid down by the divine author
of the Christian institution, viz. Whatso-