Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1850-12-19

scriptures with 60 liillc saraeious reflection.
requires but limited Theological learning 10 per
eeive. that the verses of Deuteronomy refer en-
2 nrely to the Jewish capIives taken in war By
their Heather neighboEs; and who, il they wcTI
30 lOftunate aS 70 escape from bondage, were d
course, not TO be- given up by their own fellow
citizens, bone Of their bone, and flesh Of theiI
Hesh; or even IL other than Jewish slaves fed
away from their pqgan oDners, they might not
retain them.
Isuppose the last word but one, in the
above extract, should be retWrm instead
of retain. / have read and re>read the
passage referred to, with its connection,
and for my life cannot see what 'Jack,
son" makes out ofrthe above, except a
| flourish. The command of Moses is sim
pie and plain. and can have but one
meaning-he makes no distinction as to
the pedigree Of the servants that should
come to them.
jackson" refers most complacently
to Levitt. XIV: ~. As, 46. and he might
have added the 47th verse; but it does
not read quite like the former,-not SO
much to his purpose-there seems to be
a voluntariness in the servitude, or two
parties to the contract, which would
make very different thing of it from our
american Slavery; but he then tri-
umphantly asks, "what will these advo-
Gates of the Higher Law say to this ?"
If jackson" had understood his Bible
as thoroughly as he does the creed Of his
party, he would not have used the pas
sages he quotes to prove his party right
ON the subject Of slavery. 1t is unnec>-
essary to say, in explanation of the above,
that the Israelites were surrounded by
heather nations, and Gods plan and pur.
pose were, in planting his people where
he did, to /" chastise these nations with
the rod Of men, and with the stripes of
the children of men," In enslaving the
heathen, and in killing them, the Israel
ties were not constituted the owners, or
disposers of these nations, but simply
the executioners of Gods purpose.
1t is arrogating to ourselves the pre-
negatives Of God, to assume. that, because
God chose to punish and destroy the ma
tons about Palestine, by constituting the
people Of his choice, the executioners Of
his wrath, therefore we have the right to
reduce to u ten fold worse bondage, and
a more severe punishment, our Jetto'o'
men, for no sin against us whatever
Having made the most that he could out
of the Old Testament, Jackson comes
down to the New, and thus perverts and
scandalizes its precious teachings:
As to the New Testament, l do not wonder
that the Anti-Slavery faction are silent about It's
teachings; for in every part OF It, domestic ser.
vitude g alluded TO- without dsappooa s Ton anc
made topics Of strong exhortation. will only
quote the remarkable instance where Panl sent
back the runaway slave Onesimus, TO- hls master
Philemon and did cot, like our modern Adolf
tionsts, counsel his fight. and advise him TO sseat
all he could TO assist IN ies execution.
The FIRST part, and in fact, the whole !
of the above extract, is an entire misrep- |
resentation Of the New Testament teach-
ings. Paul, seems to be, with "Jack-
SON. and others of his faith, the great
champion Of slavery. But what does
Paul say? Read Ephesians vi: 8, and
Colossians ": !, &c. &c. But then his !
letter to Philemon that jackson" re-
gards as such clencher. Now the facts
seem to be Just these: Onesimus, a half
brother of Philemon, lived with him as a
servant or hired man, and had been un- |
faithful; had probably taken up more
than his wages, so that he was in debt to
Philemon when he left him-he went to
Rome and was there converted to Christ.
After spending some time with Paul and
laboring with him, Paul desirad mes
senger to carry letters to the church at
Colosse. and desired also, that these two
brothers, now christian brothers, both of
whom no loved, should be reconciled to
each other; and hence the letter to Phil
emon. Onesimus did not 60 back to ser.
vitude, or to slavery, but continued to
labor in the churches as faithful servant
Of Christ.
intended to finish what / had to say
on this side Of the question in this COM
but cannot, and must beg
permission to give the balance in my next.
/ will trouble your readers with but
one more article on this side Of the ques-
ton IL have little more to do with
81 jackson" and will then prepare for the
other side Of the question under consid-
Grafton.
A. A,r ,vmv g, Axyupy VoTrp