Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1855-12-05
silsNtr question.

~ ttA,feear 1t-4~ - - -
institution Of slgYeryI
I'm presenting this branch Of the sub
!. jedi, it islimportant 70 observe the differ
Eeuce between abe recorded history Of
ffaetsAaad the practice Of acknowledged
\ rights. ,rhe sacred historians faithfully
recorded the lives and deeds Of mon,
whether they were good or evil. The
evil deeds f men are recorded for our
Eadmohition, and he righteous acts Of men
are presented forour example; hence it
4 ID necessary for us .to enquire whether
\ the shareholders ofithe Old Testament
\ were good Or bad men, Acorrsct dig
] elimination at tliistpoint win 60 very far
/ in settling the question, with earnest en-
quiries after truta.I I 2t.s3 15z
Job ispreschta to The religious world
las 4 model ofpatshee and piety, and yet
khe was a slaye-helder, according 70 the
leyidcnce adduceh corresponding with the
age and country u which be lived, and
1.-THE language employed in the narrative Of
his life; for after Gaming and numbering
the divisions d lis children, his goods
and effects, tie text adds, .and i very
great household; - that this man was the
greatest Of all the mon Of the east. a
| careful analysis Of die whole paragraph
will show cenclasi,cly that the VERY
| great househould 's+alludes to his slaves;
especially If We consider that slaves and
cattle constituted the wealth Of great men
ii that age and country, Of whom he "was
the greatest. Z Besides, he speaks Of
the relation Of servant and master, when
writhing under the influence Of intolera-
BIZ oppression, and in allusion to his flu
ture destiny, he says, "The small and
| great are there: aud the servant Is free
from his master" " II we admit that he
spake these sentiments byauthority Of in
spiration, we must also admit that the
doctrines inculcate5 the abolition Of the
relation Of servants and master in death;
and If this is by the force and operation
Of The Divine law, which ordains that the
dissolution shall take place at that time;
will it not follow, that the same law does
not absolutely require the dissolution to
take place at any period prior to the. time
appointed BY law?1 II is no. known to
any degree II certainty, what time job
aoufished; but, Is supposed to have been
some time between the resting Of the ark
upoli mount Ararat and THO Abrahamic
covenant. n IL Il. rs,.ss 5.l%&. 4 I. ,5rEs .ts
l. Abrahamzis set forth rs the, model
character Of faith and religious virtues;
and from tile important position that no
was calledto occupy, II il reasonable to
conclude that every ordinary precedent
in THO practical history pf his life was &C.
cordihg p the stfictest principles Of true
righteousness. Or al least with a few
exceptions Of acts which were peculiar to
ibis person and calling, whatever was Di-
E.vinelyI approved in Misconduct as right,
could not be condemned in others as be-
ling wrong. Indeed, if.therc i. any NOR.
al virtue in the Abolition Of slavery, as a
general rule, surely q s.practieal illustra.
lion oft would have been given in this
distinguished man, who was called to
stand as the head and representative Of q
great national nation that was appoint
ed to be the repository Of Divine reveal;
tons for a series Of centuries. But, 80
far from this, while he was required 10
separate himself from every form Of idol
atrous worship. and every other sinful
! practice and association Of life, he and
his fewfompanionss Mere permitted to re-
move seall theirsubstanre that they had
gathered, and tho souls that they had
gotten ii Hamn." Some knowledge o.
the probable number Of His slaves may be
obtained BY the following, "And when
Abram heard that his brother was taken
captive, he armed his Gained servants,
born in,his own house, three hundred and
pursued them unto Davs. + According
j 10 the, ordinary rules by which families
are numbered, the three hundred and
eighteen trained servants would not ex-
coed one1third Of the whole number then
Id his possession Of those ''born in his
own house, = besides thoss which be had
purchased with bis money the probable
number of all, when Mded together
would constitute . bodyef slaves sufii-
cient in the estimation Of IN ultra Abo,
!. litionist ID draw down a Divine maledic.
ton upon d whole empire, and cut Of al
hope Of future prosperity. And yet, such
was Abraham's connection with slavery
! at the time God entered into a formal ar.
rangementI with him on Q subject invol.
4 wing the redemption off the world. But
j .-.I ~. C.ssA.. a In l.-slgza-s