The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-07-25
NJ NgRER AZ.

s,tuments, aud in the face Of human eHpec.
tation. Nay more, that every ntien pi
which has been made by fallible man 10 cx.
tort from the world obedience TO his " alb.
stracs notions ofright and wroug, Ia, trr;'
invariably attended with cs!amiies Gre ard
extended Jnst 10 proportion 10 tho breadth
and vlgor Of the movement. On slavery
10 The abstract, then, il would not be amiss
10 haze as little as possible TO say. Let us
contemplate /; as il is, And thus cuntem,
plating il, the first question we have 70 ask
ourselves is, whether il is contrary 10 The
i VIII Of God, as revealed TO Us in HIS Holy
scuptures--,ho only certain means given
Us to ascertain His will. iii is, then sa.
very isa sin. And admit a once that ev.
cry man IS bound TO sci his face agains, it.
aud to emsncipae his slave should liz held
any.
Let us open these Holy Scriptures. ln
the 20,h chapter Of Exodus, seventeenlh
verse; find The following words Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbours house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbours we, nor his
/ man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his
OF, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy
neIghbor 's--whlch is The Tenth of those
commandments that declare the essential
principles Of The great moral law delivered
TO Moses by God himself Now, disre-
galding all technical aad verbal qu0bling
as wholly unworthy to be used in intcrpfe.
ting the Word OF God what is the PLAIN
meaning, undoubied intent, and true spirit
Of this commandment Does II not EN-.
phatically and explicitly forbid you 10 dis.
iutb your neighbor in The enjoyment Of his
property ;and more especially Of that which
is here specifically mentioned as being law
fully and by this commandment made sa-
credy his Prominent in the catalogue
. stands his " man servant and bis maid scr.
want" who are thus distinctly consecrdteG
as his property and guaranteed TO him for
his exclusive benefit IN the most solemn
manner. You attempt TO revert The other.
wise irresistible conclusion. that slavery
was thus ordained by God, BY declaring
that tie word slave is not used here.
md IS not 10 be found ID the Bible. And |
have seen many learned dissertations on
tins point from Abolition pens. Il IS we'll
known that both the Hebrew and Greek
words Translated servant in the Scrip.
tute, mean niso and most usually "slave.'
The use Of The one word instead of the other
was mere matter Of ias,e with the trans
letors Of the Bible, as il has been with all
The commentators and religious writer's, the
latter Of hom believe for the uost part
adopted the term "slave," or used both
Unfortunately. If then, these Hebrew
and Greek words include the idea Of both
~ stems Of seryilude. the conditional and
unconditional, they should as the major in,
cludes the minor propositions, lie always
translated slaves unless the sense Of the
whole text forbids il. Tho real question,
then il, what idea is intended to be conveyed
by tho words used in the commandment
quoted And il is clear to my mind that
as 30 Limitation is affixed 10 them, and the
express intention was 10 secure to mankind
the peaceful enjoyment Of every species Of
property, that the terms 4" Bond men and
Bond maids include all classes Of servants,
and establish lawful, exclusive and indie
feasible interest equally in the " Hebrew
year and the yearly hired ser7ant," and
those purchased from the heatben round
about" who were 10 he " Bond.men for,
eFer,' as the property Of their fellor man,
Oh cannot deny that there were among
the Hebrews " Bond.men forever You
crnuot deny that God especially authorised
hs chosen people to purchase " Bond men
forever from the Hea,hen, MS recorded in
the 25tu chapter Of Leviticus, and that
they are there desgnated by the very lie,
brew word Used " the Tenth command
uent. Nor can you deny that Bond
man forever" is Slave :" vet you en-.
deayor to hang an argument of immortal
consequence upon the Vretched subterluge,
that the precise word slave" is mol 10 be
found III the translation Of the Bible. As if
the Tr1nslalurs were cauonjcal expounders
of the Holy Scriptures, aud theiruords, not
God's meaning, must be regarded as His
Revelation.
II is vain to look to Christ or any of his
Apostles to Justify such blasphemous per,
versions Of the word Of God Although
slavery in its most revolving form was every
where visible around them, no visionary
notions Of plety or philanthropy ever tempt
+ cu lutH 10 PAluStN Iue law, EVEN 10 HluT
gate the cruel severity of the existing sys,
TEN. On the contraryF regarding slavery
as an established as we'll as inevitable con,
drton ct human society, they never hunted
nj SUI n thing as its termination on earth,
any more that st the poor may cease out Of
the land" which God utlirms to Moses
shah never be aod they exhort all "ser-
wants under he yoke TO count their mas.
ters as worthy of all honor :" "to obey
them in all things according TO the flesh
not with an eye service as mep plea .eys
bot IN smg'cncss Of heart (eering God -
mot only the good and gepte, i,ul also the
frowatd y " for what glory j., il if " hen We
are bufleucd for your faults, We shall take il
patiently but if when ye do well and sui.
fer for II yo take ii patiently, this is accep.
table Of Cod" ST, Paul actually sppre.
hended runaway slave ana sent HIM 10 bis
master Instead Of deriving from the Cos
pei my sanction for the work YOU have
undertaken, 1t would DO difficult to imagine
sentiments and conduct more striking in