The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-05-31

| the seamless garment OF Christ over this shock
ing wrong. But | am patient, and see clearly
how vain win be his effort, when call to mind
that within this very century other divines sought
to throw the same seamless garment over the
more shocking slave-trade; and that, among
other publications, a little book was then put
forth, with the name of reverend clergyman on
the title-page to prove that " the African trade
for negro slaves is consistent with the principles
| of humanity and revealed religion )" and think.
ing of these things, | am ready to say, with
Shakespeare,
| In religion
What damned error but some sober brow
| Will bless II and approve il with text?"
In the support of Slavery, it is the habit to
pervert texts and to invent authority. Even St.
Paul is vouched for a wrong which his Chris
tan life rebukes. Great stress is now laid on
his example, as it appears in the Epistle to Phil
emon, written at Rome, and sent by Onesimus,
a servant. From the single chapter constitu-
ting the entire epistle, take the following pas
sage, in ten verses, which is strangely invoked
| for Slavery:
| Il 6eseech thee for my son OHesinuS, whom
| have begotten in my bonds which in time
past was to thee Improbable, but now profit
able to thee and to me whom i have sent
again; thou, therefore, receive him, that is mine
own bowels; whom / would have retained with
me, that in thy stead he might have ministered
unto me in the bonds of the Gospel but with
out thy mind would | do nothing, that thy
benefit should not be as it were of necessity,
but willingly. For perhaps he therefore depart
ed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him
forever not n0,o as a Serrdnt, bat dboUe q SER
rant a brother 6eloved, specially to me, but
how much more unto thee both in the flesh and
In the Lord? !fMou count me, therefore, a
partner, receire him as myself If he hath
wronged thee or owcth thee aught, put that
on mine account. /, Paul, have written it with
mine own hand, will repay it albeit, do not
say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine
own self besides. "-Epistle 10 Philemon, uey-
ses 1913.
Out of this affectionate epistle, in which st.
Paul calls the converted servant, Onesimus,
his son. precisely as in another epistle he calls
Timothy his son, Slavery has been deliberately
indicated, and the great Apostle to the Gen
tiles has been made the very tutelary saint of the
Slave-hunter. Now, without relying on minute
criticism to infer his real judgment of Slavery
from his condemnation, on another occasion, of
! men-stealers," or, according to the original
| text, staUetrdderS, in company with "murderers
of fathers and murderers of mothers" and
without undertaking to show that the present
| epistle, when truly interpreted is protest
| against Slavery and voice for Freedom-alI
| of which might be done-I content myself by
calling attention to two things apparent on its
face, and in themselves an all-suficient response
First, while it appears that Onesimus has been
in some way the servant Of Philemon, it does
not appear that he had ever been held as a
slave, much less as a chattel; and how gross
and monstrous is the effort to derive a wrong
by which man is changed to chattel, out of
words, whether in the Constitution of our coun-
try or in the Bible, which do not explicitly, un-
equivocally, and exclusively, define this wrong
Secondly in charging Onesimus with this epis-
tie to Philemon, the Apostle announces him as
"not now servant, but above servant, a
RESPONDENT the hosppadhye 9 aas onT to ' free
man, saying expressly, "If thou count me,
therefore, partner, receioe him as myself"
ay sir, not as slave not even as servant, but as
a brother beloved, even as the Apostle himself
| Thus with apostolic pen wrote Paul to his dis
ciple, Philemon. Beyond all doubt in these
words of gentleness, benediction, and emancipa-
ton, dropping with celestial, soul-awakening
power, there can be no justification for a con-
spiracy, which, beginning with the treachery of
Iscariot and the temptation of pieces Of silver
seeks by fraud, brutality and violence through
officers Of the law armed to the teeth, like pi-
rates, and amid soldiers who degrade their uni
| form, to hurl a fellow-man back into the lash
resounding den of American Slavery; and if
any one can thus pervert this benefcent exam
pie, allow me to say that he gives too much &C.
casion to doubt his intelligence or his sincerity.
Certainly am right in thus stripping from
Slavery the apology of Christianity, which it
has tenaciously Rugged; and here / leave the
first part of my subject, assuming against every
objection the Necessity of our Enterprise.
| III. am now brought in the second place,
to consider the PRACTICABILIrY Of the Enter
prise. And here the way is easy. In showing
its Necessity, / have already demonstrated its
Practicability; for the former includes the lat
ter, as the greater includes the less. Whatever
is necessary must be practicable. By decree
which has ever been a by-word of tyranny the
Israeltes were compelled to made bricks with
out straw; but it is not according to the ways
of benevolent Providence, that man should be
| constrained to do what cannot be done. What
must be done can be done. Besides, the Anti
Slavery Enterprise is Necessary because it is
right; and the right is always Practicable.
| know well the little faith which the world
has in the triumph of principles, and l readily
imagine the despair with which our object is
regarded; but not on this account am / dis
heartened. That exuberant writer, Sir Thomas
Browne, breaks forth in the ecstatic wish for
some new difficulty in Christian belief, that his
faith might have a new victory; and an eminent
because it was impossible--credo quia inpossi-
bile. But no such exalted faith is now required.
Here is no impossibility, nor is there any diff
Guilty which will not yield to a faithful, we'll
directed endeavor. If to any timid soul the
! Enterprise seems impossible because it is too
beautiful, then / say at once that it is too
beautiful not to be possible.
But, descending from these SUBMITS let me
show plainly the object which it seeks to ac-
complish, and herein you shall see and confess
its complete Practicability. While discounte-
nancing all prejudice of color and every estab-
lishment Of caste, the Anti-Slavery Enterprise
at least so far as / may speak for it-does not
undertake to change human nature, or to force
any individual into relations of life for which
he is not morally, intellectually, and socially
adapted; nor does it necessarily assume that
a race, degraded for long generations under
the iron heel of bondage, can be lifted at once
into all the political privileges of an American
citizen. But, sir, it does confidently assume,
against all question, contradiction, or assault
whatever, that every man is entitled TO life,
liberty, and the pursuit Of happiness; and ,ciM
eqtal confidence 1t asserts that euery individual
,oao ,oears the human from, aohet1ser black or
tojsite, should at once be recognised as man. |
know not, when this is done, what other trials |
may be in wait for the unhappy African; but |
l do know that the Anti-Slavery Enterprise |
win then have triumphed, and the institution of
Slavery, as defined by existing lat0, will no
longer shock mankind.
In this work, the first essential practical re- |
quisite is, that the question shall be openly
and frankly confronted. Do not put it aside. |
Do not blink it out of sight. Do not dodge it. |
it. Let it rest in the illumination of speech, |
conversation and tho Press Let a eli tha !