The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1845-08-07

hesween EhEa MASTER and ne Save eAf0ln.
iaF On eaeh der sppEoFTiale calies, hdi
n 10 manner inserlfrIng With ne civil con
d;sionof ether = ezsahlishedLy laE. TIE
ONLY instanos thar bears me apPsarAnes of
an excepsi0a i that II he zth chapter Of
the 6Iss epissle % he Corinthians. and
2Iaserse. An Ihoa called being ser
Vanfl Care nor Cor it= bus i shoa mayestl
Be made free, use il rather" Bot his.
when vel considered. affords strong ron
6rnalion ofmy position. The laws both
o. Greece and Rome. allhocgh they gave
he masleF absolute power over his Save.
vet allowed Of emancipation with very lii-
lie restraint. When. therefore. The Ap0s-
lie advises the Christian slave 70 receive
The benefit of emancipation Il i should be
offered. Ne does not IN the least degree IN
ierfere With any civil regulation. Yea he
touches he subject with extreme caution.
The words Immediately preceding show
this. Let every man abide Ia the same
calling wherein he was called" Then
follow the words before quoted. The
meaning Of which obviously . this: Let
every one who becomes aehnstian remain
in the condition in which he was. when
he was called into The Church; if he was
a JeK lei him rellain so; il Gentle let
him not be circumcised: IL he is slave:
LEI him not care for II; but if his master j.
willing 10 emancipaie him, lei him enjoy
that advantage. The whole passage shows
the extreme caution with which the Apos-
lie touches this subject, and his deiermi-
nation not 10 interfere with civil regula-
tons.
The epistle written by this same Apos-
lie 10 Philemon affords another striking
proof Of his determination not 10 interfere
with questions Of right or property in re-
laiion 20 master and servant.
The facts in relation 10 this whole sub
ject being thus established, we may, with
out presumption, inquire, whether they
are not Of such character as 10 afford inn
porant lessons 10 the ministers Of religion
in the present day. The subject resolves
itself into this question; do the reasons
which determined the conduct Of Christ
and his Apostles, in regard 10 this matter,
exist in full force at the present time!
To ascertain the truth, we must find
what those reasons were. / apprehend
they were in part derived from the nature
Of Christ's religion.
Now this religion has for its basis, the
character of the true God, the relations
which man sustains to him, and the way
in which man may be made happy in the
service and enjoyment Of God forever. Its
cardinal truth respecting man, is his i'm
mortality; and It's great design is TO pre-
pare him for everlasting happiness. Itthen
has nothing directly TO do with any ar
rsngement Of this worlds policy. The
kingdom Of Christ " is not Of this world. T"
His religion takes man in all the rela-
tons in which it finds him, Of ruler and
subject, husband and wife, parent and
child, master and servant; il admits, that
by cherishing right affections and pursuing
.sIssIsoOssSO vi SvtuuSti man fiI any vi
these relations, may be fitted for the hap
piness Of heaven. To interfere with them
then would be travelling out of its own
proper and peculiar sphere. II, indeed, in
any case, the relative situation Of man
were such, that in that situation his soul
could not be saved, then the religion Of
Christ would interfere with his relations;
but | can conceive of no other in which
interference is not a departure from the
true spirit of the Gospel.
Unless we admit this TO be the rule,
where shall we find a stopping place! II
the ministers ofreligion may interfere with
the civil condition Of men, because, in
their judgment, this condition is violation
Of natural law, they may, for the same
reason, interfere with their political con-
dition, and enter the pulpit or the ecclesi-
asiical council, as jurists and politicians:
they may leave the appropriate business
Of preaching Christianity, to settle matters
of right and questions of polity. But this
would defeat the very purposes for which
the ministry of the Gospel was Instituted.
II would be contrary to the whole example
of Christ and Paul. In Judea, in the days
of our Saviour, there was the constant ex-
ercise of arbitrary power. He lived under
an oppressive government, which was
continually performing unrighteous and
cruel acts before his eyes. The people,
however, acknowledged Cesar's autho-
rity, and our Saviour as the founder of
Christianity, when urged on the subject,
said nothing but " render to Cesar the
things that are Cesar's." And when ap-
piled to in case ofindividual wrong, he
promptly and positively declined all inter-
ference, saying, man, who made me a
judge ora diyider among you!" In the DAYS
of the Apostle Paul, the last remnant of Ro-
man liberty was gone; and more absolute
or detestable tyrants never trod OH the
necks of degenerate and crouching peo-
pie, than the Roman emperors. Yelin all
that Paul wrote, notwithstanding his high,
fearless and generous spirit, he said not a
word on these topics. He confined him.
self 10 his proper sphere as teacher Of
Christianity.
There is another view which NAV be