The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-11-25


reasoning, We appeal 70 your judgments an
ronsciences. What. then, must We con
clude? Is slavery b system which Chris
tians should sanction, or even tolerate, i
their efforts can avail to abolish it? Tn
reply is often made, Goods word sanction
slavery, and it cannot Therefore, be sinful
1t cannot be our duty torelnquish our pow
er over our slaves, or the Bible would hav,
enjoined il upon us to do So" We viii
not attemp. an elaborate Argument agains
this plea for slavery--it needs no such an
swer. A few observations will suffice /.
show its utter laIlacy. II the Bible sane
toned slavery, il sanctioned the kind o
slavery which then existed, in the countrie.
where the apostlespreached and wrote rheil
epistles. This wS the system to which
the apostles are SUPPOSED TO have given theil
approbation-whichNth They are supposed to
have allowed their followers to support and
sanction by their example. Mark this well:
1t was the Greek and An.a,a slavery which
God is sale 10 have treated as thing whose
existence be did not oanlsmn, as a system
which his saints might, without sin, assist in
perpetuating. Now, it lisa notorious fact
that the Greek and Roman slavery, was as
much more cruel than ours, an the treatment
With which Rehoboam threatened his sub.
Jects was more severe than thai they had re.
celved from their father. Solomon, he told
them, had chastened them with whips; but
he would chastse them with scorpons-
Solomon had made the yoke heavy, but his
little finger was to be thicker than his faith
er's loins. There was no species Of misery
which the system Of Greek and Roman sla.
very did not infict upon its unhappy vic.
tins. Masters were permitted, by the laws
TO torture their slaves, to starve them, to
beat them to death, and even TO throw them
into their 6sh-ponds, to Gve an epicurean
flavor TO the mullets and carp, which they
were fattening for their ieasts. For the
breaking OF dish, or the splitting Of gravy,
a slave could be put to death with impuni.
~. 1t was part of this system, that if q
master was murdered, and he murderer
was not known, all The slaves OF his house.
hold were seized and pui upon the rack
Their limbs were mangled and broken, end
their lives often crushed out OF their bodies,
to extort from them the disclosure Of tran.
sacton with which they might be entirely
unacquainIed. Brethren, could any man
insult the God Of heaven worse, than BY
declaring that he does rot disapprove Of
such system! Moloch. "besmeared with
blood OF human sacrifices and parents
tears, might permit his followers to counte
nance such system, and assist in upholding
II; but who will say that the Father Of
mercles gives such permission to his chill
dren! Before we can admit so monstrou:
doctrine, we must reverse all our ideas Of
the attributes of God. II any man can
fairly show, that the Bible countenance.
such slavery as existed in the days OF the
apostles, he would construct more pow
erful argument against the divine origin o.
our religion than infdelity has ever yet in
vented. A religion that sanctions system
of atrocious cruelty can never have come
down from heaven. The overpowering ar
gument in proof Of the truth of Christiapi
ty is drawn from the Immaculate purity tn,
universal benevolence, the uncompromisin,
holiness. exhibited in all its principles AM
Precepts. When such religion car b,
shown to harmonise with slavery, we ma,
expect to see the literal fnlilment OF the
prophetic declaration, that 'the wolf shall
dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid"
1t is often pleaded, that in the Old Tes
lament, God himself expressly permitted hi
people to enslave the Canaanites. True
for God may punish any of the children o
sin as he sees fit; He has right to do so
and He alone has a right. He may com
mission either the winds, or the waves, o
the pestilence, or their fellow,men, 70 worl
lhis purpose Of vengeance upon any people
Gut man has no right to arrogate the prerog
aive Of the Almighty-he has no right, III
commissioned by his Maker, either to er
slave or destroy his fellow. God con,mi.
stoned Saul to exterminate the Amalekites
couh we plead this as an excuse for tn
massacre of an Indian tribe? God expires.
ly directed his prophet Samuel to hew Aga
in pieces: could any Of us allege this as
ground or cutting down every man whor
he considered as an enemy Of lions Kim
How, them can any man assert, that becaus
God Determined to punish the Canasnite
: and used the Israelites as the executionel
Of his decree, we are atliberty 10 obey ii
dictates of our own asarice, and hold OF
fellow-men in bondage? Is not such pc
i version of Gods holy word more shockir
than Belshazzar's desecraion Of the sacrt
! vessels Of the sanctuary, when he and h
4 concubines drank wine out Of them. am
/ the drunken revelry Of his impious feast!
b. Conclusion merit aceek.)