Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-05-06


recovering of sight to The blind, to set a
| liberty them that are bruised" see the
when he did lead captivity captive, am
gave gifts unto men. that they who frs
lmblbed the precious doctrines of his Cos
! pei, had all things common; and anon
them could therefore have been no dis
tinctlon of master and slave see thsJ
this apostle preached that the law was
made for men.S.eaLe1S, and that tho one
who was bound should not be Ioosed, vet
if he could have his freedom, "use it
rather and he taught masters to give
unto their servants that which is Just and
Iequal-and to Philemon he wrote, that he
had authority from Christ to enioin' il
upon him to receive back Onesimus, not
as servant, but a brother beloved tho'
he would rather have him 10 do it will
Slingly, than of necessity. And read
another Apostle saying, go to, now, We
rich men, weep and howl for your mise
ries that shall come upon you. Your
riches are corrupted. and your garments
are moth eaten. Your gold and your
silver is cankered; and the rust of them
shall be witness against you, and shali
eat your flesh as it were fire.--Ye have
heaped treasure together for the last day.
Behold, the hire of the laborers who have
reaped down your fields, which is Of you
kept back BY fraud, crieth; and the cries
of them which have reaped are entered
into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaothn
These things, yea, all the principles OF
: the Christian religion teach me, that no
man can be Shareholder, without tramp
ling upon some of those principles ; with
out violating the great law, "Love thy
neighbor as thyself.' Think not that
modern abolitionists alone teach the doc
trine that slavery is sin. Some of you
, admire much the distinguished Methodist,
| Adam Clarke-and ii We're 10 be the
author Of such language as he has used
' in his Commentary on this subject with
h regard to Shareholders, know not whelh-
: er tarrng and gathering would be consid-
cred by some mild enough for me- Hear
: what he thought of Christians owning
= slaves. He says, In heather countries,
) slavery was somewhat excUsable; among
\ Christians, it is an enormity and crime,
: for which perdiiion has scarcely an ade-
quate state of punishment" Nor was
IT Adam Clarke the only Methodist who
0 thought slavery sin. John Wesley, the
a father of Methodism, declared, Liberty
e is the right of every human creature, as
: soon as he breathes the vital air And no
e hhman law can deprive him of that which
j. he derives from the law of nature" Nor
e did Methodists only thus testify 10 the sin
e of slavery. Yet admire the eloquent
n Robert Hall, hear what he said The
re claims of the planters to hold their ne
o groes in perpetual bondage, is vitiaied in
il its origin and having commenced in an
J., act of injustice, can never acquire the
sanction of right" If then, | have erred
10 mr. judgment of what the Scriptures
IS teach in regard to such slavery as exists
e. In the United States, there is some reason
IS for my ergor, when some of the most en-
n incnt ministers of the Gospel have erred
sc before me-and [ am sure, il must be
= time to suspect that slavery is sin against
ny God, when such men as Clarke, and
It Wesley, and Robert Hall. and Francis
al Wayland, SO regard it.
~ Having thus satisfied myself thar slave
- ry is wrong, l forthwith abandon i'll
!, shall no longer be responsible for its ex-
"a istences. Nor can conceive ofanv mid
~ die ground between right and wrong. If
- slavery be WRONG it crnnot be right-and
-, as prefer TO be right, and as reverence
- the principles of the christian religion
- above all things else. will endure power
- ty, yea, die in hospital, before will al
III low myself to be the instrument OF aiding
m' and abetling a system OF wrong against
' :, nv fellow man, and of sin against my
: God. Yes, before will practice contra.
"a. ry to the principles Of the gospel l pro.
fess TO love, will " hate father and moth
err and wife and children, and friends. anc
'us all things and trust my God for tia
ICY peace which passeth all understanding
aiy and which the world can neither give no
~. ~ talks away If the Scriptures be rattle
loie dark on this subject, perhaps. they are s
'ion from the same reason that Jesus spake /
ie. the Jews in parallels; because they see
" ing, see not; and hearing. they hear not
81 - neither do they understand for this pee
~ pies heart is waxed gross, and their cal
80 are dali of hearing, and their eyes the
lt 20 have closed lest they should see wit
iol their eyes, and hear with their ears, an
-y should understand with their heart, an
go should be- converted But TO my min
'iah the conviction has come. that the prime
IL IL, pies OF the gospel are incompatible wit
sn American slavery, and, acting upon tn
~ conviction, separate myself from II, an
leave it for those who have easier consc
Pho ences. TO maintain that system. which o
al liginated in breaches tf the eighth al
ainsl tenth commandment of Gods Moral La
,lol, and can only be supported by doing Vi
I Lnn Ience TO the gospel Of Jesus Christ.
Iesm But it may be asked, how SO many VI