Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-29
For the Enquirer
THE MORAL CHARACTER OF SLAVERY.
LETTER EROM cLERGYh4N INO LLl

a character of domestic slavery But let make this n-
WIN eandor and reverence; with sincere desire TO see
~ o"h tue ngh whether it will be pleasant or unpleasant
" our incilnations. Far from us be the guilt of attempting
70 west The word of truth into the support Of foregone
and Tins " o.L own consciences suspect OF "fene
~ s ProslIung the sacedness inspiration to the sup
port OF aisehood and political Injustice If guilty
VI sucn an abuse Of the Bible should deserve the
which the jealousy and fanatcsm of abuses
nave ever invoked upon ue.
Leti DC well understood from beginning thar
nquring into the moral character of that thing which ubo
onsts paint domestic slavery: something horrid with
m oans OF Oppressed innocence and the cang OF
STRIPES. something which ramples upon mans rights TO
nr nerve Sbn, ms Ghea0 and to his soul
Y .ia. 'nese hlngs are not domestic slavery, but the
abuses OF IT, We do not dispute that they are wrong Nor
W that some of these abuses TOO often attend do
esoc slavery The parental authority is often abused
also The operations Of Gods own church are often attend
cd with injustice and abuse We must urge again tho trte
bul Just remark that there no logic nor Hs,ice n arguing
agninst thing from abuses: unless it can be moved thai
ABUSES are necessary and certain Of the
hng domestic slavery, then, consists simply of holding
for an unlimited tme II is Jus, this and nothing
~ Goes not imply the right of the master to disregard
inc immorta! soul and the human of his servant
70 uamPle on his chastity, to disregard the conupai
reaon or to compel him be ignorant Of or to break he
laws OF his God All these assert are not slavery itse
not essential parts the institution bu, abuses Of the ns,i
tuon And these abuses necessary and certain at
tendants of slavery In proof of hls have only to offer
the simple but al-sufcent fact that thousands Of masters
nave actually held slaves and yet pepeated none of these
abuses The fact that the thing does exist In multitude
OF cases. without any OF these abuses proves that they
not necessary attendants Of it. We done then with all
the decnmations OF anlslavery men, against bruyng hu-
man beings hiding The light Of life from their souls and
tearing husbands and wives apart "whom God hath Joined
together as though their union only that of BEASTS
we no more defend these things than the aboonsts We
have in this discussion, nothing do with them
ce express once for ALL strong adherence Of all such
unlawful abuse Of lawful institution.
Let US also understand we'll what the moral character
WHICH, assert, the Bible assigns 10 slavery. do assert
That III thing in itself evil but yet attended with such
circumstances In the case OF many ercfu and humane
by inhe
uHtary sayehoders that they personally excusahe
even ushable for continuing at present. in view Of the
and Kind anti.slavery men Of tho North that sa
very Is relation which may be expressly lawful and right
In itself consistent with tho eternal principles Of right and
wrong believe that 1t is not in the class of those things
which nre, In their essential nature sins, such as lying
adultery profanity To express this intrinsic sinfuness
ethical writer's have often used lhe latin phrase alu per
SCI and as this is accurate technical phrase apart by
usage TO The expression of my meaning will employ II TO
express my proposition: According 10 The Scriptures domes
In asserting this let it be noted do say that slavery is
every where obligatory, proper but It is relation
which may be absolutely innocent and not merely crcusabe
because oil circumstances.
If did not believe that the bible taught this must, In
consistency be thorough abotionst canno, how
men can say in one BREATH that slavery is aua per
and IN the next, that conscientious may lawfully
nue 1t for the present. because of the difficulties of
patton My conscience and my bible teach that If an
act Is nrong In its own essential nature, sim cease
It at once have right look at the supposed evil
sequences or difficulties of the reformation God has not
told us that we are TO love his law when convenience and
safety perm he has told that if we do not oye in pre-
terence TO convenience profit and life ITSELF cannot be
his disciples Consequences belong God duty belongs 10
What would be thought of the man. who should plead
hat ne ought not to cease living in duterous conneSo
because change would be dangerous and nconvenlent1
Would not you answer "unless you that connexon
all the pictures of the mschefs which emancipation would
bring on master and slave believed that slavery were in
ts own abstract nature nalun se should be compelled
TO answer in the words Of the well known maxim Fiat jus
tuia, TAat cGlnn!
When turn to the Scriptures, we find very early traces
Of domestic slavery Genesis xiv H. tells that Abraham
led forth three hundred and eighteen Of his trained servants
born in his own house. to rescue his reave Lot from
ivy He was therefore grea, stakeholder He continued
Isaac Consult Genesis xvi 3-xx. l4-xxv. 35xxv. a.
We will no. argue from the lifelong practice of this holy
man. The friend of God" the proprieIy of slavery because
we all know that good men The example of Bible
saint s not law unless the divine appreciation of this
example is implied; for know that the faults of,good
recorded in Holy Writ for warning, well
abolionis that this Abraham guilty Of telling
falsehood TO Abimeeck king of Gerar, Genesis Xxx 2 an
eh are y o, s 20 holding
slaves by good man. throughout his life, without hint
Of divine disapprobaon-suves, the bestowa OF whom Is
mentioned chap xiv. 35 as mark Of Gods ayor-raises
least presumption for the awfuness OF the relation.
But in Genesis xvi. g. We have something more than
presumption We there told that Hagar Sarahs female
slave had fed from her Mistress having probably undergone
real cruelty and was by angel directed to return TO her
mistress and submit herself under her hands, This holy
Angel the messenger Of God His command to the fu
give slave Gods own command. Here then We have
God commanding Of his creatures 10 return into this
(slnfu relation Of domestic slavery Is this consistent
with the scIptura ideas Of Gods 9nchansing and perfect
reciude9 1t may be urged Offset that He also COM
munded his followers, when they smlten on the one
cheek turn the other also and would take away
their let him have their cloak also But STILL the con-
duct of this Holy being Hagar stands in garng contrast
with that Of certain socaed christians and christian min
listers, towards our runaway negroes.
We will not therefore lay TOO much stress upon the COM
nd Hapar.
urge. When Abraham directed in Genesis xyH, 70
ccumcse himself as sign and seal OF the ana
covenant between God and himself he was also directed 10
cculcse all his male children. The parental relationship
was made ground of their inclusion in the same cove
nant And God directed hs slaves aso born in the house.
or bought with his money Of any stranger erse l2) 10 be
circuncised along with him. The parental bond brought
his children into tho sacrament of circumcsion and the
bond OF and slave brought his servants into It. Here
then we hive the relationship Of domestic slavery sanction
ed along with that innocent and blessed relation Instituted
in paradise, the parental sanctioned by Gods own direc-
on in the participation Of the hoicst sacrament Of the an
cient church. Must not then be innocent7 Would no.
ly God thus baptize unhoy relation by making Il title
of admission 10 religious If II .ny You
consider what would be thought OF minister OF tne Ne~
Testament which Saviour has forbidden plurality o
ives if that minister should desecrac the matrimonial
monies of his church the marriage Of the esn In the act
of committing 6gamy If such desecraton would seem
so shocking In minister OF religion, what would It have
been In the sacred author Of religion
And here the favorte of the anslavery men fails
entirely that Abraham lived in the dawn OF religious ight
that the revelation given him was only parta anolnat
while he possessed that rectude OF conscience which would
have made him renquish all sinful relations he had been
informed Of their character he committed in Ignorant
imitation of the of the age things which christians
afterwards taught 10 be SINFUL concubnage and tna
these things excu.abe in him. because of hs involuntary g
would be wicked In THERE'S justice In these
views but they nothing earth to do with this exam
pe the circumcision Of the slaves Gods and mol
Abrahams God knows all things. He is Interchangeable,
and perfectly holy IF he had that slavery
wrong and had intended at future day 10 declare so
would he have sanctioned 1t ten by makpgt the grouno
of a most solemn ordinance of religion
An attempt has been made TO parry this, anu ohe oa
Testament arguments for the awfuness OF slavery o
ing that the slaves of the Hebrews only hrea ms
assertion is only good to display the ignorance OF lnose Wo
make it, truly learned and honest an-savery man. suSh
as the venerable Moses Stuart would blush to employ H.
All antiquity proves that these servants were slaves M
They "boughtf for money! They were denoted " one
certain Hebrew word, while entirely different ~olu "s
employed denote hired servant and was never usea ~
terchangeaby with the former In Exodus Kill "a ane 80
the of the origin Of the other Sacrament .. e
jewish religion the passover the Contrasts a'u"h
between The slave for m and the hired servant ou. eve
ry mans servant tha, is bought for nonsy when nou nas
ccunicsed him. then shall he eat thereof olcgae' uo
q hired serraat shall not cat theroot ,f,o.. IS
This passage furnishes argument Tor inc VI
slavery exactly similar TO that drawn from tne