The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-21


Judge for the small as well the great, the black
AZ well as the white regardless Of the fear Of man,
his favor or affection; remembering that they
Judge for God, " that God stands in the congre-
CATION Of the mighty, and judgeth among the
gods Tor rulers) How long (ssys he) will ye
Judge unjustly, and accept the persons Of the
wicked Defend the poor and fatherless, do justice
to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and
needy, rid them out Of the hand Of the wicked"
These iujunctions are formed in reason and revc-
lation, aud our own Constitution, and clothed
with authority Of high Heaven and recorded for
our instruction, admouition, and observance
Not a word is said here about consulting the
wicked oppressor first, or compromising him for
his injustice and robbery; and should Congress
do this, il would be no less than sanctionng the
sin OF slavery, and participation in the crime
If drunkenness is a sin, the drunkard il sinner;
If robbery is wrong, the robber is a wrong doer,
and has no right TO make or receive any propo-
sitions or conditions on which he will resign his
stolen goods. Again, inquire, where is the rea-
son, or justice, or warrant in the Word of God,
in any scheme Of gradual emancipation, spoken OF
and approved by General Scott ~ " never have"
says he, attached blame to masters for not hber-
ating their slaves, knowing that liberation, with
ont the means of sending them in comfort to some
position favorable to the pursuit Of happiness,
would be highly injurious to themselves and all
| aroundD
To this apology object The labor Of the slave
! is not all of slavery. Ignorance and depression
are indispensable TO its existence, and the chief
corner stone of the fabric; the Bible, the light of
the gospel and the means Of grace, are withheld /;
the moral law is made void by this unholy " ira
ditionn its commands annulled, its prohibitions
Lgalized; relative obligations and duties to God
and our neighbor, destroyed family relations
also, and covenants, that which God has joined
together is disjoined; family worship, corjugsl,
| parental and flia duties, forbidden the natural
| ties and tenderest feelings Of the human heart,
| tantalized-all these vast and momentous concerns
are trifed with in every scheme Of gradual emanc-
! patton.
IL man belongs to his God, " made by him and
for him. for his own glory AID praise, subject
of his laws and goVernment-laws founded 10 the
nature Of God and of man. and IN the relations
men bear to him and to each other, with the du-
ties resulting from such reations-laws as immu-
table and eternal as his own nature-if so, then
- As-S@!a "a cecssiaSs and neremptarv> " let
my people 90 now that they may serve me-
Still, it is written in indelible words, am the
Lordn-J ehovah Whosoever iuterferes for
SeSt 81 ssn5ts9s} tses1A,, - ,>4ar !,
exposes himself TO the plaques and desolations of
Egypt, and those " written in the bookN Of Gods
word
slavery ana ltS COncOHllJaut eNltS are lnsephrd-
BILE aud one and all absolutely forbidden and just
so far as allowed and practiced, dersnges the
whole machinery of Gods laws and purposes Of
his grace to fallen man, closes the door Of mercy
and unhinges the gates of the eternal pit. Sla-
very, therefore, is sin against God, wrong to
man. and is not 10 be tolerated, moeh less legal
lied and rewarded by Congress-Gods especial
and instituted means for its destruction.
Again If slavery is wrong, the slave is wrong
ed, and ought Immediately to be liberated remu-
nerated, and treated like man, like other folks,
equal and just laws enacted for his protection as
we'll as government Who has the right to pre-
judge and forestall man, as an idler thief, an
incendary, because and only because, he is black?
Who shall say what part Of Gods morld he shall
live in, or Cots AIR he shall breathe2 "No man
can serve two mastersn-absolute sovereigns. The
laws of slavery and Gods requirements, binding
on his creature, man, are antagonists and as much
30 as God himself and Satan Gradual Emanci-
patton is gradual sin, and continuation of that
abominsble thing which God hates, and with
which he will have no fellowship, or gradual
connection, and for which there is, nor can be,
apology. II the labor of the slave is wanted the
same labor Of the same man freely performed is
wanted, and is worthy of his hire. "Thou shalt
not Cypress an hired servant that is poor and
needy, whether he be of thy brethren or Of thy
strangers that are in thy land, within thy gates.
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither
shall the 90 down upon it, for he is poor, and
setteth his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee
unto the Lord, and it be sin unto theen
IL slavery is wrong, Justice, and the God Of
justice, demands its immediate abolition, and the
hire of the laborers, land especially the unpaid
toll and labors of the robbed slave,l who have
resped down your fields, which by you is kept
back by fraud, creth land the cries of those who
have reaped are entered into the ears Of the Lord
Of Sabaoth) and will continue to cry, till the
fraud is regarded by civil authority, and restitu-
tion made-til the slave is treated as a man. his
family provided for, and his children schooled-
till the authority Of God is acknowledged and re-
garded, and the inalienable rights Of men pro-
tected
The ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (of armes) are
yet Open and as wide open TO the cries of his in
jured poor, and robbed, and oppressed slave and
stranger, now as they were. He is still their
Avenger and will a. surely execute his threaten
ings now for the abuse of the helpless and the
infractions of his laws, done by our rulers, magis
trates, and wealthy people, a. he did those done
by the rulers and people of Samaria and Jerusa-
lem, when he said, " Wo to them that devise ini-
guilty, and work evil upon their beds; when the
morning is light they practice it, because it is in
| the power of thine hand They covet fields and
take them by violence and houses and take them
AWAY bO tuty OpDEeSs uihu tuu nus nOuSt, tNfu
man and his heritage. Even OF late my people
is risen up as an enemy, We pull off the robe, with
the garment Of them that pass by The women
of my people Cherokee and Mexican) have We
cast out of their pleasant houses, from their
children have ye taken away my glory forever.
And ] said, hear, pray you, O heads of Jacob,
and We princes of the house of israel ia IL not for
you to know Judgment who hate the good and
love the evil who plucks off their skin from oft
them, and their flesh from off their bones The
rich men are full of violence, and the inhabitants
have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in
heir mouth. They build up Zion with blood,
and Jerusalem with iniquity; they abhor judg-
ment, and pervert all equity The heads thereof
judge for reward and the priests thereof teach for
hire. -. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and
| say, Is not the Lord among us none evil can
come upon us Therefore shall Zion, for your
| sakes, be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem become
heaps. They have cast lots for my people and
have given boy for q harlot, and sold girl for
wine, that they might drink. They have sold the
righteous for silver and the poor for pair Of
shoes They hate him that rebuketh in the gate
and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly
| Behold. will return your recompense upor
your own head, and will sell your sons and your
daughters to people far off, for the Lord
| hath spoken itD
What sin is here enumerated Of which We as
a nation and people, are not guilty and committed
under far greater light For these the nation
suffered and are now suffering and can He spare
us and Judge the world In righteousness
"With consent of the owners, and payment oil
compensation says General SCOTT, Congress.
may legislate at its discretion What discretion
AIRY power have they, but the rules of eternal JUS
tice? Again, he says; Masters and ssveholdinc
States ought to employ all means, not incompati
he with the safety Of both colors, to meliorate,
&c must be allowed to say, it is safe to libeyafs
and safe to pay and provide for them, bsoAuss
God commands 1t. And say, further: it d safs
for the people to elect legislators magistrates and
Presidents, that mil do it, and unsafe, and exposes
the nation TO the frown and curse Of heaven, to
choose men that will not do IT, because God com