The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-04-17

does, Cor that, though he should tive no reward
from men, be shall receive al the judgment re-
ward from Christ, whether he be slave or
freeman
I will trouble The Senate with one more
quotation. ID is from The third chapter al
coInssians:
Servants. obey in all things your masters ac- j
cording 10 the flesh not with eye-seryice, as
mrn-p n-pleasers. but in singleness Of heart, fearing
God; and whatsoever ye do, do il heartily. rs TO
the Lord. and not unto men knowing that ofthe !
Lord ye shall receive the rewsni Of the inheTi- 1
iance. for ye serve the Loid Christ. But he that /
doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he 1
hath done, and there is no respect ofpersons."
DIR. Mcknight explains Ibis passage in
The following note:
although The word doalcs properly signifies a
slave, orr English translators. in all the places
where the duties Of slaves are inculcated. have |
justly translated II servant; because ancently the
Greeks and Romans had scarce any servants but
slaves and because the duties Of the hired servant.
during the time Of his service. are the same as
those Of The slave. So that what the apostle said
TO he slave was, In effect, said 10 the hired ser
want Upon these principles. in TRANSACTIONS Of
the Scriptures designed for countries where slave
ry is abolished and servants are freemcn, the word
dotii0s may, with truth, be translated servant
In this, and the parallel passage, lEpLesians, 6.
So the apostle is very particular in his preccpts
10 slaves and lords; because, in all the countries
where slavery was established, many Of the slaves
were exceedingly addicted to fraud, lying and
stealing, and many Of the masters were tyranni-
cal and cruel TO their slaves. Perhaps, also, he
was thus particular in his precepts TO slaves, be-
cause Jews held perpetual slavery 10 be unlawful,
and because the Juduaizing teachers propagated
that doctrine in the church. But from the apos-
lies precepts il may be inferred that If slaves are
justly acquired, they may be lawfully retained,
as the GOSPEL does not make void any Of the po-
litical rights Of mankind"
Il Now. sir, the institution which existed
al the time when Christianity was pro-
claimed was thus recognised as lawful.
IL was proper slavery, perpetual slavery,
a servilude for life. with the obligation
Of servilude transmitted to the descend
ants; and permit me 10 say, II was slave
ry far more hard, far more liable 10 re-
) proach, far more deserving condemnation,
than any thing that has ever existed ~
!. this country. II was slavery in which
! the master had the power Of life and deall
5. over his slave. II was slavery IN which
II bodily hardship was imposed upon the
!, slaves OF kind aud in degree totally
! unknown in any Stale Of this republic
o The rural slaves often worked in chains
Q and were usually turned at night into ont
] common receptacle. in which each hat
i his cell, and there detained until thew were
y prepared 10 resume the labors Of the fol-
! lowing day. Il was slavery in which
5 the domestic servants acre subjects o
!. every species Of exaciion from hard an,
p tyrannical masters, whose hearts had no
been Modified by The benignant influence
' of Christianity; and. of these domestic
they who probably had the hardest Ia
e were the tyre-women, who waited upo
It the Roman ladies'. and who often receive
$ the severest treatment for any want {
$, skill and dexterity in arranging the hal
! and dresses Of their lovely but fasiidiou
, mlstresses, so as to display their charm
h 10 the greatest advantage.
$, So christianity found this institution
% Il took il up as an existing relation Of lif,
e Il denounced all oppression and cruelty
: : and incnlcaled justice. forbearance. an
!. humanity, from The master TO The slave.
/. demanded fidelity and obedience from III
l. slave 10 the master. II recognised ex
pressly that The master and the slav
might, without reproach, be both men
bers of the same church that belieyin
i masters might have believing slaves; an
.r il enforced their relative duties upon Go:
1t pei principles. Why was il left to exis
e. in the church, If wrong in itself! Ther
:. was no difficulty at all about emanclps
: ). iion. The restraints upon emancipation
) were few. and applied only 10 speci;
i cases. The principal were The prohib
n ton TO emancipate to the injury Of a cred
e tor, the restriction Of emancipation b
! ! testament, beyond certain number Q
!. proportion. and the provision that emar
cipation by persons under twenty years q
a age should be sanctioned by certain res
,f pectable official persons. Such were th
chief restrictions upon emancipation a
: the epoch Of The Christian revelation.
d Nothing could be easier than for 81
10 Paul TO have said, "Slaves, be obedien
1t 10 your heather masters; but | say {
q you, believing masters. emancipate you
IS slaves; the lawaof Christ is against ibs
Il relation, and you are bound therefore 1
,r set them at liberty" No such word j
spoken. From that day down, The churcl
v acted upon precisely ihe same principle
both before and after the empire becam
Is Christian; the emperors from time II
II time Especially the Christian emperors
!, by inierposlng laws for the purpose o
d preventing oppression and injustice Z
e slaves, and the church by her excommu
y nications, affording restraint against bar
!, barous usage on The part Of the Christian
o masters.
l. Now, Mr.. President. having an insii
t tuition among us so ancient. so sanctioned
surely il cannot be that il is. in itself, ut
!. terly unlawful and irreconcilable with III,