The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-12

same time VT mat ne may put away MS VIE aud
turn her out of doors whenever he is tired of her
Or that he is in duty bound to carry disobedien,
son to the market place, and have him stoned TO
DEATH Or that it is equally his duty to have
the same punishment inflicted on all idoalors p
That lac is bound to undergo the rite OF crcum-
cision, and to abstain from eating touching
swine'
What, for example, would be the fate Of the
great State Of Ohio, where these doctrines are an
nounced, if all the pig butchers and eaters Of
swine were to be utterly condemned for transgres-
sing the law OF Moses, and in fact, as the Rev
MIR. Smart ahirms, the law of God since the pro-
hibition comes under the same sanction with that
forbddng the delivery Of Fugitive slaves What
ameancholy destiny would be that of "the Queen
Of the West" where at least FIVE hundred thou
sand swine are annually slaughtered, sold or eat
en-, in direct coniravention of the law of Moses !,
And what would become Of all the parsons, poll
ticians and their disciples, in that quarter, every
one Of whom, most especially Mr. Giddings and
Mr.. Chase, ! am credibly informed, are de-
voted to spare ribs, bacon and sausages' II Deu-
teronomy is to be their guide, they must abstain
the obligation to do both is equally sacred.
If all this appears ridiculous, it is not my fault,
but that of those meddling priests, who are thus
striving to.substtute the laws of Moses in place of
those of the constituted authorities of their coun-
try, who desert their appropriate duties in the
church, to undermine the State, and preach Sc
dtion and murder under the holy mantle Of re-
ligon. They cannot, without maintaining the
superior sanctiy of the Jewish law, deny that the
mission of the Saviour has abrogated all that por-
ton which does not harmonic with his doctrines
and precepts, and rendered it no longer obligatory
in his followers. If this is not So then christian
ity has neither rule nor practice and religion be-
comes farrago Of contradictions Ia many of
its fundamental doctrines, the Mosaic is utterly
irreconcable with the christian law, and in a
christian country the latter must be supreme.
No christian WILL it is presumed, deny tina,
the apostles were imbued with the spirit of their
divine master; that they fully comprehended and
obeyed his precepts; and that they are to be
| viewed in the light Of infallible oracIes. Unless
this is conceded, the entire fabric of christianity
falls to the ground, since it is only sustained
by the gospels of which they were the authors
If the prohibition to deliver up Fugitive slaves, in
| the law of Moses, continued obligatory, then the
apostle Paul was guilty Of crime when he sen,
| back the slave Onesmus to his master Philemon
IL not, then it follows that this law Of Moses al
least, liz no longer binding. If the former, the
apostles are no longer safeguards; if the latter, il
is no longer crime to deliver up slave to his
master. But, setting this question aside, let us
contrast the law Of Moses, in the twenty-second
chapter of Deuteronomy, with the law of Moses
in the twenty fifth chapter of Leviticus:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, in Mount
Sinai, saying, both thy bondmen and thy bond
heather that are round about you; of these shall
he buy bondmen and bondmnids. Moreover, OF
| the children Of the strangers that do sojourr
among you, of these shall we buy, and Of their
families that are with you, which they begat in
your land, and they shall be your possession.
children after you, to inherit them as a posses
sion; they shall be your bondmen forever"
Here is direct recognition of slavery as it ex
lists in the South, from the mouth Of The Suprem,
Being himself The Southern slave was original
ly of the heather; his posterity was begot in ou
land, and has descended as AN inheritance to oul
children If to be of the heather is essential te
the condition of slavery, then the holders Of
slaves have only to withhold from them doctrine.
of christianity, and their rights will remain intact
and whoever holds this doctrine does all he car
to discourage the master from permitting them te
receive the truths Of the gospel Referring to tn.
passage in Levitcus, well might the blasphemel
Wright, who is now disseminating his doctrine.
in Ohio, say that 'the Bible was not anti slavery
enough for him." | have 40 much right to TAX,
the book Of Levitcus for my guide, as the Rev
Mr.. Smart and the abolition parsons have to talk.
that of Deuteronomy for theirs, since it comes Il
us under the same high sanction; and to assum,
that slavery was not then n crime, inasmuoh a,
the Supreme Being condescended to give rules FOL
its government, in doing which, he distinctly re
cognized the rights Of the master. If the na,ur,
Of God, the nature Of man, and the nature o
things have so changed since he spoke unto Nose.
in Mount Sinai, as that his words are no Longer
of any authority, then both the book of Leycus
as well as that Of Deuteronomy, have ceased to bs
obligatory when coming in conflict with the law
of the land If, on the contrary, both continue in
force then all have equal RICH, to choae which
they will obey when they conflict with each
other.
On the authority Of the Supreme Being, there
fore assume that slavery is not sin, and it fol
lows that the Constitution in recognizing it, did
not sanction ga gross violation Of the law Of God
and the rights Of nature az the Abolitonists af
firm, II follows, too, that all laws necessary and
proper to secure the rights Of the master over his
slave, one Of which assuredly is that Of redeem
ing him when fugitive, passed in conformity
with that instrument, are Only legitimate deduc
tons from these premises and the obligation to
obey them equal to that of obeying any other law
| The truth is, however, that the entire subject Of
slavery, finally resolves itself into question Of
human happinessI and the only enquiry worth pur
suing in relation to it, is, whether abolition would
conduce to the welfare Of one, or other, or both
the parties alone concerned. or this, no human
being, unless inspired with the wisdom Of the Su
preme Being, who knows all and do all, is
competent to judge. II slavery 10 il reality uthe
greatest curse that ever fell on the heads of man