North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-09-24
From the Washington Union
SUNDAY READIN t.

MToOl
and AboLitioniSm.
Hov;no in a previous number of this paper, &C
comnanied Mr. Graham through the very aD,e | ran
of reasoning by which ne proves ron 'aio
Testament ITSELF the existence OF cnaItel ei''sTJ
49, an institution recognised and approved OF oy
the ALMIGHTY from the earliest times to the latest
of which we have any record IN that sacred vol
,ine. we will now proceed to examine with MN
the New Testament, in order to ascertain whether,
under the Gospel dspensatlon slavery Is ProinpI-
ed as sin, or its existence, which, in their day,
was universal, is anywhere stigmatised or denounc-
ed by our Saviour or his apostles.
ain establishing the Christian Church" says
Mr. Graham, g our Saviour and his apostles taught
that they did not found church essentially new
Christ came to break down the middle wall OF par
tition, that the blessing of Abraham might come
upon the Gentiles' The covenant, the law, and
the promises, were made the common property OF
the whole world" This is so apparent from Ihe
general tone of the New Testament teachings a"
we'll as from the express declaration OF the saviour
himself, that it is unnecessary to argue The point
" / come not to destroy the law anu the ProPheCS'
but to fulfill are his own words.
The early Christians found the relation OF mas
ter and slave existing in the old Jewish Church,
recognised in both tables of the Decalogue, and
legslated for by the ceremonial law, like the other
domestic relations of parent and child, and husband
and wife, as occasion and circumstances would seem
it is offensive in the sight of God, WHILE upon the
other hand slaves are enumerated among the good
things which he bestowed upon the patriarchs and
other pious men who were the especial objects OF
his favor. The institution is clearly sanctioned by
the system of government which God established
for his own peculiar people, system which CHRIST
pronounced perfect and holy, Just and good, the
benefits of which He came to extend to all man
kind through the Gospel and yet, though not
syllable is to be found condemnatory of it from the
beginning to the end of that Gospel, are grave
ly assured by the aboltonists that it is forbidden
by the spirit of Christianity, and repugnant to its
principles. this be so how strange is it that so
crying sin never drew upon itself the reprobation
and reproof of the author of Christianity!
But we are not left to negative arguments for the
maintenance of our position. The New Iesta-
ment" says Mr.. Graham, best explains its own spirit
Does it in terms recognize the relation OF master
and slave as one among those authorized in the
Christian Church !'
For the first answer to this question re-
ferred to the hstory Of the Centurion, which is
commenced at the second of the seventh chap
ter of Luke: "And certain Centurions servant
who was dear unto him, was sick" 1t is allim,
portant IN this place, to ascertain the true mean
ing of the word douloS, which is translated SER
want; and this may be arrived at with entire pre-
cision by several satisfactory methods. For in
stance, the Greeks great shareholders
Athenians alone, according to the most accurate
historians, averaging three slaves to one free per-
son. The other Commonwealth of Greece all
possessed this species of property to greater or
less extent, and other generic name than dOutOS
ever applied to person held in unlimited bon
dage by Greek master. They had also, hired
servants but mental of that class they very APP
propriately denominated miSHioS-a term not only
synonymous with word hireling, but original
ing, like that, in another word, signifyng hire or
reward, and thus clearly indicating the nature of
hal - 49, To-,
boy and their oiketes Tor house servant, and sim
liar variations for females but these were precisely
the notifications of the term dOuLOS or slave which
used in our Southern States at the present day
They were never COMPOUNDED with the misthios Tor
hireling) Again: that the apostles meant that
the douLos sLave of the Centurion is evident,
because, had it been otherwise, they might, and
doubtless would, have used the Greek term which
was appropriate to his condtion-both description
of servants being equally we'll known to both He
brews and Greeks, and both distinguished by their
proper Names The same is also apparent from
the fact that whenever they their master contrast
the two conditions of bond and free, they use the
term doutos as signying the opposite of elentheros
Tor free } for example, (see Cali, iii, %, and Co
loss- iii, H. the same expressions made of
where there neither bond (douLos) nor free"
(eLentheros) Also JOHN viii, 800, where our
Saviour, In conversation with the Jews, says
" The truth shall make you Free" using the verb
Compounded OF Cne WOfQ eLe72L6eTOS. 1hey 1nn1e-
diately reply, I" We are Abraham's seed and were
never in bondage" or, more exactly, "never render
ed the service OF slaves to any man how then
sayest thou, Ye shall be made free 2" They at once
seized on the contrast, having never been douLoi
Slaves, how be (neade) elentteroi, free ?)
The Saviour replies, whatsoever committeth sin is
the slave (doutos) of sin. One other text, howev-
er,seems to set the matter at rest In Corinthians
VII, 81, we read: Art thou called being douIos
Tor slave,) care not for it but if thou mayest be
made etentheros, Qree,) use it rather Now such
language addressed to hired servant would be, as
general remark, absurd it would be perfect non
sense. Hirelings, or servants who work for wages
are usually solictous to find employment, and when
one obtains place he is anxious to retain it. Can
1t be supposed for moment that it is to servants
OF this class that the apostle is addressing his ex
hortaton 1t would be equivalent to saying, " If
you have got place where you are earning lv-
ing, do not let it distress you but if YOU can man.
age to get yourself turned out of it, do So" Such
construction IS an outrage upon common sense
10 place such a solccism in the mouth of the in
sPlred man of God is little short of blasphemy;
but such is the unavoidable RESULT of rendering the
word doutos as the aboltonists do-a hired servant
The Centurion spoken of in the text first above
quoted was doubtless Roman, and his doulos, or
servant as 1T Is translated, was Roman servus Tor
slave for the Greek term douIos is always transat
ed SerO~S IN the Latin. Let us inquire for a mo-
ment from what circumstance originated this name
SeTVuS, and what the condition of that sneciee
of servant who bore it. In Justinian's Institutes
l, 2 8, we find it stated: Slaves are denominat