The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-03

tors answer and let me ask YOU whether the South
may not justly claim il vanagc-ground OF right
We ON the part of Justice, says the doctor,
that is equitable this account that slavery
fI 10 and that when legally practised, IL Is
SO their advantage namely when the license OF doin
mischief Is taken from the savage for, in condition
of oncstcity they will bear themselves better proper
ton they bore themselves worse when not donest
Gated. And in order that this be confirmed,
we may add noble example drawn from nature, and
ask Why therefore, does God control his creaure-ths
soul the body--and reason, the passions, and other
vicious tendencies of the lnnd IL is plainly evident,
from this example, that slavery is beneficial to some
With this quotation, which win not weaken by ANY
comment of mine, close, sir such authorities as have
deemed appoeite from the works OF st Augustine To
show that, in the year three hundred and hfty, or sixty
of early Christian cra the guardians Of tho faith not
only did not hold slavery to e sin buthlsn naantaned
that in instances niducrd il Is positive benefit 10 some
But they entirely arnonize with the doctrines Of the
Greek bishops | now proceed TO complete them 'y
Others, drawn from tho doctrm writings of the high
famed Chrysostoin, The valiant champion and eoidci
mouthed orator of the Christianity Of the Fast Like his
great brother of the Itin Church, all questions Of
faith and of course this of slavery, he goes TO the
sacred record inquire into the mandate OF the Saviour
and the teachings of his Apostles. Like him. he there
finds nothing that slavery into rim; but, on
the contrary all That naSes il allowable element OF
society, not clashing with tho intentions and will OF the
divine scheme. And none, sir, better qualified
than he to examine that question under every phase
which 1t might present Armed with all the resources OF
Greek dalectcs instrument friendly to In the
service Of pagansm, but weapon Of irresistible power
in the yindications of Christanyversed in what the
ancents tersely called the haaanar, dpaarumqe
peria trained to every form of human knowledge then
attained, and credited authoritative cxpoundcr cs
things divine -Chrysostom, with the stern logic of
Demosthenes enbelscd by the elegant copiousnesss c
Cicero, has developed every relation moral social po
/ itical, and religious, of the Christian organization
Nothing, SIR was too vast to eude the grasp OF his IN
ellect nothing too minute to escape the Something's OF
his inquiry And all OF those relations analzed aud
developed in due subordnaton to the mandates Of the
| Christian faith Numerous, sir the n,nnncnts
which could build up from the teachings Of man
who is acknowledged to have had superior In
pagan Christian antiquity must be content to ad
duce few authorities only from his writings and those
| of purely and strictly dogmatic character. ! open
the book of those immortal homilics which, if ! may so
term it, have constituted, unconscionsly in many m
stances the stock in trade of successive preachers and
among the multifrous subjects which they agitate.
find this of slavery in the Christian sense handled with
and rigor' unsurpassed In the outset of
his pastoral aborsn his preachngs to his flock preach
ngs widely differing, sir am bound to say, from those
of holy brethren Of the North to their focks Il find
the learned bishop in his fifth homy in Genesis intro
ucng this question OF domestic slavery under the Chris
tan dispensaon and addressing slaves, not to tell them
that their masters sinners because they hold slaves
but to justify such holding and to explain to the slaves
their duty under the requirements OF the Christian law
This" exclams the saint, q may be said to slaves
Art thou called slayeg Well, why should 1t concern
thee? Do you not that the Apostle shows that slave
W s n9al eVe s1"S ySs s %
better of your eondtonthat is, rather rsmon IN thai
slave, the truth of the Lord is the freedman Of the
Lord T. (St. Chryssotom Homel W
/ Human laws, Mr.. Chairman may, by legislation,
create crimes mean that acts against whicl,
there penal sanction may be, and they have
been, converted into msemcanors by the subsequent
will of society lawfully expressed But um yet to learn,
sir that the finds parallel in the divine law, and
that human agency add to detract from what il
has clearly defined under the sanctions Of uneng truth
Hence sir if the holding OF slaves involving the existence
of slavery was not sin in the earlier days OF Chris
tanty if the fact of slavery involving the existence OF
the MASTER not only not sin, but actually
condition in which of the great teachers of spiritual
truth e1hrd the ae 10 renoia am at loss to account
the grounds of malice and pcrversion, for the
late very late addition of slavery sin which pio's
brethren have, in the nineteenth century, made to the
catalogue OF inquitics, originally defined violations
of the law of God Somc doubt, may regret that
the great doctor and exemplary saint had not the assist
ance Of tho profound learning the benefit of the edy
ing practices of modern exposols Had this been his
privilege he would assuredly amended his hecsics
would he have pcrtnacousy held TO his premises
exclaning in their farther development " Do you mol
perceive therefore, that slavery exists merely NOM
nal thing, and is freedom in reality Why else did the
Apostle allow you to continue slavcs Why, but that
you should be made acquainted with the excellence oi
spiritual freedom For, it is much greater thing,
and worthy of moro admiration to have preserved
unscalhed the bodies Of the three youths in the burning
furnace than to ave quenchcd out the flames much
greater and admirable is IL in the pcrmanencc OF
slavery to give evidence of that freedom than to abolish
the slavery Hence has the Apostle said although you
yourself of the bondage that is remain ddrc--serrts
ntac-for you in possession Of the ucst liberty -
(St Chry sostom. ibid
Now AIr. Chairman if take the doctrines of tho
primitive teachers of the faith and contrast them with
the dcnu lciatons of lattcr-day champions OF anti
slavery, we nve opposition the most absolute per-
haps presented to the judgments of the human intellect
and the obligations of Christian faith The authorized
cxpounders of that early faith tell the slave that his oh
in the social organism should be matter Of concern to
him but the ingenious inventors OF days tell him.
in contradiction that it is his right at any cost and by
every means, to withdraw himself from the normal state
of things The former, ia the acquittal Of their
science, and i'll the discharge Of their ministry,
aud pastors, tell him that provided he profits by the
spiritual gifts which extended to him, il is better for
him, if he could become free, to continue in his
bondage and avaiIing himself of his servitude for the
benefit of his soul, to abide by his condition slave
The latter tell him that by all cost and by all means il
is his duty defraud the master of what st Augustine
calls bis temporal property ard Withdraw himself from
lawful authority. The former tell him that his condition
Is OF the various conditions OF human e which, fused
together go to constitute the harnionies of social order
under the foresight and intentions of tho suggestor
OF all societies The tell him that that condition IL
in the fitness of things and that it lis imposed upon
him ly the arbitrary will of In violation of tho writ
ten law God The former tell him that slavery is
mere name--that it is evil but tho contrary,
that il is a dervatvc benefit, 10 him. from which he
must not seek absolve himself The latter tell him
that slavery CALLING incubus that it is the o
curses the removal of which he is bound in the o
God and by tho faith of Christianity apply all his
ergcs in fight in contagration and IN blood Can these