Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-04-06

- that confidence in your religious in;t or
~ which you have reason 10 ex3ect fro.
9 YOU fellow christians Acknnv!xdoino
therefore, your right to an acquain anc
5 WIN our views, plans. and conduct 10 re
'e'ence 10 the subject of slavery, and know
'"e 'ha' reports uufavorabEe TO US as Meth
oo'StS ADD Christians have been circulated
We take this method TO present oorselv,.
20 you In our true character, and give vor
al honest exposition Of what we are as
= Methodist Abolitlonists. In DOING this
we will notice:
/ l. ""@t zoe me@" By slarery. By
slavery We mean the fo'cibIe detention OIL
one man by another as property, and sub.
Iect to his arbitrary will. The relation OF
master and servant is a lawful relation.
and may consist with the interests of both
part1es Such a relation we have no wish
to annihilate. La the formation of that
voluntary relation. both parties have a
voice. But IN the formation anC perpetu-
ly OF the relation of slare and master. one
party has no voice. The wretcbed slave
Is not asked whether he will yield his
physical. mental and moral powers to his
master, or what price be will attach 10 the
surrender. He and all his faculties are
se'zed upon and employed as the master
wills. The claims of CID upon man can
not be met by him, for the master stands
between him and God. The claims Of
husband and parent cannot be met bv him.
tor the master stands between him and
those claims. Such is the power which
the slave code gives to the master. And
II what are called kind masters grant them
temporary loan of what belongs to them
OF right, it is not yielded as a right, out is
still claimed by them, and will be resum.
ed BY them or their posterity at their pleas
ure' Such 10 part is slavery
II. What eoe think gift. We think it
s14tulto hold slaves. The Jewish law in.
fi'cted death upon The individual who stole
man. whether he kept him or sold him.
Holding slave is nothing less than con
s'antly stealing him. The Egyptians 60,
between The claims Of God upon the Is
raeItes and that people and when r. J.
gypI's lmperious monarch refused to r..
store those claims to their rightfuI owner,
God in anger blooded their Nile, gave
hem croakIng dlvlnities to their hearts,
content, sent them sWarms of insects to
'uzz In their cars, and eat up negotiations;
'ermln to teach them the disgrace of op,
preston, disease upon their cattle, and
torn and pes:iience upon their men,
Earkness to teach them the blackness oil
heir crimes, aud final overthrow in The
ted Sea, TO show his hatred of oppression
Ind wash it from the earth. In the time
If David, God declared that acts of oD-
preston, and the signs ofthe needy, should
lrouse him to vlndicate the cause of the
oppressed ones that were pulled at. Ia
prophetic times. right fast to be observ-
"a by oppressors was 10 let the oppresS-
I'd go Tree" In New Testament times
masters are "to give their servants that
which Is equal and right" and 10 nchDowI.
edge the claims of Master in heaven,
either of which would annihiIate slavery.
And finally both Testameuts command Us
TO love our neighbors as ourseIves.'
The only serVitude, making the Ieas, ap-
proach 10 slavery, that has any counten-
'nce from the Bible, was inflicted upon
he heathen among the Jews as puuish
ment But this in many respects differed
rom slavery.
|. Gods claims upon man were not
nterfered with. Sabbaths, and Sabbatical
Institutions, God would not allow them to
be robbed Of
2. We have no evidence that the social
relations of husband and wife, parent and
;hIld, and the mutual claims growing out
'f these relations. were ever violated by
hat serVitude
We account slavery, then, sin. .
list. Because the Bib.e.and the entire gen. {
us Of Biblical religion, is against it.
ID. Because it lays violent hands on the
claims of God upon man. i
3. Because that, notwithstanding the ,
of meeting those claims is grant :