The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-09-12
For the National Era.
SLAVERY AND THE BIBLE.
BY A CITIZEN OF MARYLANp.

Having been a reader of the NsiU York Obysrrer |
for many years have been pleased to see it con.
Quoted, in most cases, with so much frmness, and
in such an Incorporating spirit The only !
matter in which | have thought there has been !
1914 alteration from the path. and some little /
fsx1-s.Ttc--D x1-i-|i--- - nrynr j. this tbiDg J
of slavery. have seen with regret an alacrity J
IN giving ISiSss ~ NV tsas.o p1&.SsA,
seem suited to quiet the fears Of the STAKEHOLDER.
and to lull his conscience; while papers Of an op-
posite character are remarked upon with no little
severity, placing all anti-slavery movements in
one great class, with the heading antsabbatical,
radicalism, deism, turning the world upside down,
&c. We have seen want Of care 10 keep before
the public eye the difference there is between the
cause and the occasion Of thing The preach
ing of the Gospel was the occasion, not the cause
of the prosecutions that ensued the evil passions
of men rising against its pure and pacific exhibit
tons were the cause The abolition movements
have been the occasions of enacting more severe
laws, by which the poor slave has suffered very
great increase Of wrong; the evil, vindictive pas
sions of Shareholders were the cause The very
signature appended to so many articles " Il South
srH Clsrgymda,n reminding US of high ecolesasti-
cal authority was no doubt soothing to some
minds, however imbecile the logic And with
what promptitude was il announced, that Profess
sors Stuart and Wood had signed the commend
atory letter to Senator Webster. And again, how
cavalierly are anti-slavery men treated by iu-
sfii0us,y dasfsss,Se their eenscientlcS' sr>,sl~
touching the case of fugitive slaves, with the do
ings cs tsese good NEE who drew mp our Magma
Chsrta And then to show forseo4h, by extracts
from the book of Professor Stuart a celebrated
Biblical critic that the Bible, rightly interpreted
(Dem xiii Is, l6 &c y does not prohibit the ar
re st and delivery of fugitive slaves Now, know
nothing of this book save what learn from the
extract and the editors Introductory remarks.
But whatever effect this extract may have in dis
sipating the scruples of anti-slavery men, and in
cheering the slaveholder on his weary way to
arrest his trembling fugitive, coming, as il does,
from one so good and, in most cases, so judicous,
| must say il does not answer the end for which
it was written and for which it has been here
adduced viz show that the Bible Dat XIII,
Is. l6, &c) does not prohibit, in our country and
in our day, the arrest of the runaway slave, and
delivering him to his master. | would know and
be ruled by the teachings of the Bible in this
matter The opinions of great and good men are
TO be respected; but, remember thst to err is
human can follow the Professor and find his po-
sitions in the main consistent with the Bible, and
his reasoning logical; but his conclusions are vi
tiated by false assumptions: "The Mosaic lawn
saws Mr.. Stuart, contemplates Hebrews held as
slaves by Hebrew masters would rather say
held to service because such state as in common
parance is set forth by the term slavery, did not
exist among the Hebrews. One of the most OBJ
noxious features of slavery, as it is among us is
this the master has an absolute and uncontrol-
liable right TO the person and services of his slave
it is as his right to his horse or his OK. The
slaves next friend, or any one prompted by hu.
name feelings may intercede for his liberty he
may, in the kindness of his heart, propose to re-
deem him. and the master may refuse. The pro-
posed redemption price may be increased hun
dred or il you please, a thousand fold, and the
master may still refuse TO liberate Not 30 among
the Hebrews: for the Hebrew could not hold his
brother Hebrew 20 service more than six years,
and even for that term not as a bondmsn but as
| a hired servant and in the end be must be sent
out literally provided for When An alien, or
stranger, sojourning among the Hebrews, had
purchased Hebrew servant, the next day, or the
next hour. his friend might present the price paid
| for him. and the master must accept it, and set
him at liberty The sum could not be increased
by the caprice or rapacity of his master; it de-
pended entirely upon the sum paid and the prox-
unity of the Jubilee (Lepa. XIV, 47-52) No
one, then, can legtimately refer to this kind Of
servtude among the Hebrews in justification Of
slavery as II Is with us. In this very important
point they are totally dssimlar. or such servi-
tude who would pronounce 1t sinful PR Sc? But
What is slavery among us7 IL certainly is
not the mere holding Of our fellow man In bond
age. while we treat him humanely and compen-
safe him for his services permitting him to have
his own wife and TO treat with kindness the chill
dren of his own bowels TO entertain the yearn-
ings of paternal love, and to exercise paterrsl
authority IL is not that state Of things which
obtains when though living in land governed
by rigorous slave laws the kind, upright, benevo-
lent Christian man Il rejoice that there are many
sucb) holds to service his fellow man Slavery
is inst what the laws make it. II is not only
holding the person to service, but il is practicng
all that barbnrty and cruelty which tho laws tole
rate and Justify under which, though he be a
brother in Christ, your servant il as much your
property AZ your house, or your horse-under
which the husband may he deprived by his master
Of his wife, Of his children, Of all the endear-
ments of the domestic circle, the comforts Of his
own "hcarthstonen- which promiscuous
and degrading concubinage Is allowed to super
sede the copsecrated marriage relation, and nm.
der which the slave Is not permitted 10 worship
God, except by the snfferance and under the es
pionage Of some impious and tyrnnnical master
under which he Is kept in ignorance Of his own
character, as a religious accountable, and immor-
tai being, that he may be the more servie and
obsequious--and where the master may separate
Mt pleasure what God hath joined This Is sla-
very as we have it. IL this is not sinful, per Sc,
what Isl
2. "The Mosaic law contemplated says Pro-
lessor Stuart, "heathen slaves Of Hebrew mas |
tersp Here, again, would substitute bondmen
for the word slaves because the theocracy under |
which the Hebrews were. ms I have already shown,
never countenance anything like slavery as we
have it among us. And even this bondage was
not necessarily perpetual except in the case of
-. la,;o ;ty ~ heathapisu
and refusing to he amalgamated with Gods
church and nation; for the Mosaic law provided
for the admission of heathens into the israeitish
church and nation, and when thus amalgamated
they received all the privileges and immunities
that belonged 10 him who was OF patriarchal de.
scent Now IL apprehend the matter correctly, !
the application Of these principles Of tho Mosaic |
law to the Christian dspensafion would set at
liberty all slaves who make credible profession
Of the Christian religion, soon as their masters
were Unidentified by their services for his care
ovfr them during their minority and pupilage.
Thus slavery, with the definition we have given
Of H. could not exist among the Hebrews, viz
the Jew could not hold his brother Jew In
slavery-the same law substantially obtained
whether the servant was Of patriarchal descent,
or a "proselyte of Righteousness"
There were things that the Jew might do TO
the beathen which he might not do TO brother
Jew; the why and the wherefore OF this we pre-"
tend not TO give. That which died Of itself the
Hebrew might not eat but he might give It to
the stranger or sell 1t to an alien that he might
eat It. He might not hold his brother Hebrew
in perpetual bondage but the heather he might,
II he persisted in his heatbepism, and spurned the
holy rites aud services Of Gods church. know
not why IT WAS that overtures OF mercy were, Tor
80 many ages, confined to Israel why God did
not make It obligatory on the Jewish church to
preach to all the nations Of the earth by means OF
his law by scribes we'll instructed and by his in
stituted ceremonies and sacrifices, the way Of life,
and press upon their attention the blessings OF
the gospel. know not Why u was that when