Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-03-09

the house oil d as his lawful property, in
conseq ence OF the gran made 10 Is.
Or il the Americans were Jews and the
Africans heathen, they would not by this
grant be permitted to go abroad TO pnr-
chase and enslave. 50 then /, prohibit
ed from going to Africa, and enslavlng
her distant sons, African slavery, agreea.
bly, to this grant, could never have ex-
istedin America, see Levi, 25lh chapter,
44lh, Ash, 46th verses. Both the bond
men aud the bond maids which thou shall
have, shalt be of tie heather that are
round about thee of them shall ye buy,
moreover oil the children Of the strangers
that do scjourn among you, OF them
shall ye buy, and OF the families that
are With you, which they begat in your
land. From these restricted privileges,
il is evident that the individuals vino
were to be bought for servants, were,
first, such among the heather who had
forfeited their right to The privileges OF
their own government, by some INSIDE
meanor. Second such as had been taken
captive in war (these were called siran-
gers in the land,) Thrd, the children
OF those captives or strangers who were
begoiten in Canssn. None others were
the beathen authorized to sell, or the
Jews to buy. What does this prove BIZ
a merlted slavery, about which there is
ID contention. We reoolect, TOO, that
according to the positive commands of
God, the children Of those bond men, as
well as The children of Abraham, were
TO be circumrised and when clrcum-
cised were no longer to be considereo
rs heather, but Jews; consequently en-.
titled ia all the privileges of Jewish CHI.
2eps; and were to be esteemed brethren,
children OF Israel, who were not to b,
ruled over with rigor The whole de
sign in extending this grant 10 the J ",
was, tina, the Jewish popuanon NIGH
he speedily increased in the promised
land, and that the heather might be-
come enlightened for the same design |
was polygamy also allowed. But should |
one OF your clergy undertake to prove |
from holy scripture the right of polySa- |
my in the present age, would yon not
consider it a nlonstrous outrage on even |
civil bur much more on religions sncie- |
ty And would you no. with united voices |
and upliIted hands, expel snch mon |
ster from your christian fellowship Bu, |
why this opposition to polygamy' II en-
Tilted to one Jewish privilege, why not |
another? Jacob who was the father OF |
The twelve tribes of Israel, David, Kpe
of Judah, and Solomon who succ eeded
him TO the throne, all had plurality OF
wives. Thus may the right OF poiyga
my, from Jewish privileges, IS Justly he
plead, as thai of slavery. But to plead
Jewish privileges at all, under the gos
PEI iIspensatioo, IS ,ra,oly tissue-ot
ignorance aud depraviiy. S}oe the
Legislator of the New-Testam nj has
spa,ned up in two commandments, all
tia, IS binding both in the law Of Moses
ard the savings Of the prophets, repeal
in all laws, paris Of laws, say ings or
p*rts Of speech, 10 the contrary notwIth
staadng, which commands are, Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all tht
heart. mind, and strength. Secondly.
thy neiehbor as ihyseit. As love is said
By some to be an involuntary act Of the
mind, lest from this the impossiDility Oh
keeping the latter command might be
argued, our Saviour has fully explain-
ed himself in Matthew 7lh and 10Th. |
Whatsoever We would that men should |,
do to you, do you even SO 10 them, iof |
,his is the law and the prophets. Afer |
all this plain legsaiing, II may be said
slavery IS no where forbidden in the
New Testament Whether doing to
others as we would they should do to US,
does not prohibit slavery, leave the
candid mind to answer. That servants
are frequently spoken ofin the New Tes-
,anent, and tina. they arc exhorted 10 be
obedienl 10 their masters, no one will
pretend to deny. Al this we need moi
be surprized. When we discover thai
soldiers, trsdesmen, apprentices and or
phans (Who were placed By law under
the patelnal authority of such as were
not their fathers in the 6esh) were all
called servants, il was not an nncommon
thing for such servants as we read OF 10
the New Testament, to be servants to
their own brothers in the flesh. See
Paul b Phllemon, Is verses. While
sul y scr, ants as these ale acknowledged,
and obedience to masters required OF
them, involuntary, unconditional, abso-
Lutte, perpetual, HEREDITARY slavery, is
every where forbidden, and man steal
ers and oppressnrs are ranked with the
mosi airocions offenders. Seeing then
,ha, srch slavery as we are iniicting on
the sons OF Area, is contrary to scrip
ture, nature, reason, justice. policy and
humdaily, | trust The enlightened and
humane citizens of Illi1ois, will on the
first Monday in August next declare,