Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1837-10-20
For the Vermont PhUnix.
BUTLER County, Onro,
April %. 1897.

'My DEAR SIR our AOoiitionlStS nave
|rmn,ed 10 inculcate the idea that God com
[nds hem TO aci; and as proof they refer
Hottie Bible! They bring such passages
,be following:-"Thou shalt love thy
Egbbor as myself, "-"Letthe oppressed go
Ien and a thousand other passages, which
Iud 90 to oppse all sin or wickedness OF
n kind But does the Bible teach the doc.
II Of incompatibleness2 IT, when love
Mack man. hate white man, am guilt.
la Besides, il you iorcd a friend, would
\ not refrain from showing him particu-
saof kindness, il you believed il would
kuh in greater act Of wretchedness, both
him and TO others2 | should myself be
Ioctive and as ardent an Abolitionist as any
\ can be- if it were not for the two consid-
&lions on which | have been writing and
posing them, viz the constitutional obi
lions and prohibitions, which hold sa-
HI; andthe moral obligations under which
I'll myself bound TO obey the gospel as
deraand it. When, therefore, [ hear peo-
saving that God, or Christ, commands
em 10 do thus and thus, am naturally led
ASK hem,-how, when, or where did you
this commando And am Immediately
\ with abundance Of quotations from scrip
be, to prove the command Well have
len all through the scriptures thousand
hes, and though can find abundance Of
idence 10 convince me that slavery alb
aclly is wrong, and heinous sin, and
light TO be abandoned as soon as practical
b yet cannot find any evidence from Ell.
fr the Old or the New Testament, which
uvnces me that ought to force my neigh
y to do what he believes to be wrong. !
b a confidence that | am justified by the
prd of God in telling my neighbor that
ink him wrong; and the same spirit would
fge me 10 kindly and afiectionately per
ade him 10 abandon the wrong But far
Ter cannot 60. And find ten thousa nd
ssages in holy wit, which convinces ME
al farther | ought not to go. take up the
|bspe and read the life OF the Saviour. /
pd he went about doing good. have
Patched him closely, and | do not find him
any case whatever, quarreling with the
Pvernmenl or with the different societies
Trough which he passed He invariably
fbuked personal sin. He tells the Roman
ldIers 10 be content with their wages-but
PfS not say word to them against the op-
e'sOns which their Emperor, through
em, had brought on the Jews, his own
uOlrymen. He paid tribute to Caesar. and
not object to it, When he heard that
on was lnnocenlly put to death. to CRAFTY
lusllul caprice OF an abandoned wretch
used no harsh epiiheis, he did not declaim
i'aS the authority or the arbitrary laws
IN force. He sometimes withdrew him
rom The multitude, rather than bethe oc
non Of producingtumult. When he was be
y'd'he rebuked the rashness Of Peter, who
commenced fighting in his defence. AND
r'ed nm 10 desist And finally, ahel
ing taught mankind that his kingdom
not OF this world, that to love God
all the heart, and our neighbor as our
e' was the whole duty OF man,-he dice
mad lived, righteous man. leaving Q
'm Tor all his followers. Now let me
not passing strange that this holy
''0'l ms Savior Of men, who came from
ta 10 do his Fathers will. and to teach
'1elr duties not only towards God, bu
aus each other in all future time, should
aaVe SAID one syllable on the subject o
tIS though there were then hundred,
neOsands of slaves in the Roman EN-
u Egypt, in Ethiopia, some in Syria
most probably muhitudes in Europe, il
uermany Gaul, and amongst III,
av'n nallons9 No, nor do we find hin
y one Instance aluding to the subject
',n l9'lmating that they ought not to Dc
" 10 that, as body polite. He say
gaooulStale rights, nor what would il
p union be the best policy for people, O.
.sorm ofgovernment No, though h,
NY 10 possess all power. and coul.
= customs and laws at word, he re
~ uae to his principles; his kingdom
spiritual kingdom" and his object wal
'nen from their sins and not TO abus,
ss M account of their faults. He knew
"y'' what was in man; he therefore ad
w. - himself 10 their hearts, and 10 III,
sanding He knew that slaves wer,
' ''p but he did not proclaim free
n " 'ne ne captives" in literal sense. No
"rw That all these things would be bette
lure wisely accomplished by the sure
,S VuI Peaceable operation of his precept
, i"e hearts Of the people. He knew tina
w ,J'eI heretofore bought and sold men
s %nsn he should "love his neighbor a
n he would stop the practice an,
he does not, for wise reasons. com
h. ,Iem to set them free. literally. we
% sf knew would be the practical tenden
oTeI's OF the Gospel Of peace on tn
es ' Sa men. Hence itappears that in nj
r ~ uoes the Savior encourage the ide'
10y destroying the connection between
SHu servant. by any direct physica