, 1860-01-19

ON their masters: and, also, it goes further, S
nd prtseriJ the duties suited to both parties in
ae,r present condition" Aor. tARos. P. 2la. Il
Dr.. Tyler, Of Eu.t Windsor Theological Semi II
his; Is slaveholdinga sin, calling Tor the dis i:
ipliue Of the Church: And this is answered Il
y the example Of the Apostles. They l.ved
nd la5ored in the midst Of it, and did not pro- :
louuce 1t a ain; and VIC may not, or cannot t
10 it," e
Or. Thompson himself, though 50 extreme M t
ebotion'st; says: "Hence the relation OF mas
%r and serv.a. was at once lifted tby the I
Apostles) out OF the plane of the civil law into
lie higher plane Of Christian love. The outward
'ela.'on constituted By Law might not cease, it
night not be possible legally to terminate this,
fundamental law Of Christianity" This funds
mental law, as stated by him, sass:" Ill re
ara drtth,en," but he forgets that this applies
only to eonctried slaves. And so far Us they are
Paul guards a,ainst-the very con-
clusiop to which Dr.. 7. comes: commanding
{who we're masters st'l) The more faithfully.
! Tim. s.: I, :. "This shows" says Scott. the
learned Commentator, that Christian masters
were not required to set their s'ares at liberty
though they we're instructed how 10 behave
towards Them in such u hummer rs would great
y lessen and nearIy ana1iiia:e the evils Of
slavery"
Let US, however, admit all that be has said.
And now, il the relation Of muster and slave
was necessarily sinful, o. sinful in the circuul-
stauces, bow could that relation be Lifted up in,
TO the Kingdom Of Christ. surely the Gospel
could net thus lift up ] sinful thing. hut We
do cheerfully admit, that the relation, t<suuse
i: ,rds not sinfui, tcas lifted up to u higher
plane whilst the legal relation continued aud If
unmltigatcd chattlelsm is The essence Of slavery
Presby terian church forbids masters 10 do |
many things which the civil law allows, md |
eriuius duties the cirii law does not enforce. |
THUS she his lifted the relation to higher |
plane |
Now, lid the Apostles admit into the church, |
without requiring them to abandon 1t: Did
they so dtsho1ot Christ, deceive sinful men, aud
corrupt the church!
Il Is surely rem arkabfe that the man among
tue Jews who exhibited the greatest flth, was
Eomar Centurion, who was shareholder
Whilst cur Lord was ut Capernaum, ia certain
Centurion's servant, who was dear nn'o h N,
Was sick, and ready to die" lie called ON
Jesus to heal his servant, aud the elders Of the
Jews said that be was was worthy" For be
loveth our nation aud he hath built us d syua-
go.ue." The servant was healed; and Jesus
salu to the people: IL have not found 80
great faith. no nut in Israel" This Centurion,
Ds. Thompson admits. Was d Shareholder; and
We here see evidence that true affection may
exist between u master and bis slave Our Lord
healed the servant, but did not command the
master to manutoit him.
Strangely enough, Abolitionists quote Gal 5:
q, -, in furor Of their doctrine: For Is many
| Of you Us have been baptized unto Christ haze
| put on Chr1s+. There is neither Jew por Greek,
there is nesher bond nor free, there Is neither
male nor fcsnae: for ye are all one IN Chr1st-
| But is it true, that the Jew ceased to be Jew.
or Greek ceased to be Greek, when converted
to Cha s,iunity: Will you say, literally, there Is
neither male nor -JsMlaie. This would leave the
world in somewhat anomalous aud rather un-
| promising easel What does the passage mean:
why simply, that all men arr equally sinners,
50 Christianity places all upon ,he same pat. M
| Kim, and lis u,sunest subject, as concerted stu
| uers stand side by side; the Hing is still King;
and the snhjsct still q subject 1t is not true
that the Gospel annilliates the distinctions in
society. Strange how, in thc elfort TO sustain Il
iavoritc doctrlae, good men lose sight Of the
pIainest principles of language.
| Ou this passage Doadrld::e says SlaEes are
| now the rd'strecn,en. and Fl e-meu the Lorus 5
servants; api this consideration makes the free
humble, and The Stare cheerful
But the most amazing Ut all the sta enents
We have seen, in the attempt to eya1c the force
oi i clear argument, is that of Dr. Thompson, iu
reatiun to The domestic Code ot lsonie- lie
tells us the father had unlimited power over III.
children and the husband unlimited power ose1
| the wife. Yet the New Testament Is entirely
l silent Win respect 10 4llS O9u0b9 Cp1t VI
| tic law, Nowhere IN that book Gun you hntl q
command, '' Husbands, do not whip OF Kill goul
wiyes;" nowhere can you lind Il command
| "Eailit1x DO not scuurge Tour sous, nur sell o.
tortutc c them, nor send them into exile. nor Pn
them to drath.'' But We do tind such com
mand as this: Husbands, love your wires
| even US Christ loved the Church. so 0ugh
men to lnve their wives. as thcir own bod'es
lie that loyeth his wife, loyeth himself. For III
mna ever yet hated his own flesh, but nour'sh
ctt, aud chcfishcth it, even ~ the Lpsd III
Church" Can q man love his wife US Chris
! loved the Church, aud yet whip or Kill her:
| not, :hen the New Testament Dies forbl suc1
| cruelty ia the strongest possible manner. "
; | do lind sucl, command as this: And :
; | fathers, provoke not Jour children to Ws*th
| hut bring them up in tile purturc md admon
. tio OF the Lord" Can father slo this, all
! vet abuse or murder his SOD. Ii not, then ID
New Testament does, in the strongest manner
forbid such cruelty. Strange, that IN the ral
| etirrt to sustain !AbUltloulstn, q minister 9
i ! Christ would assert that tho New Testament
| silent respecting the cruel domestic code c
, | Rome.
But it is admitted the Apostles did reeeiv
Shareholders into the church, as faithful tht1:
| tians; dill they receive men guilty Of abustn
. | ur numbering their wives an4 children:
they had done so, the case would have hscn
. I parallel one.
=. Eut it il sud, though Shareholders were NJ
cipiss iucu1catcl by the Apostles are >ubrers'c
| ot slavery, and prove slayeholding sinful AZ
nit that tue tendency Of tile Gospel Is tot cuos
. AIl evils, md slavery amongst thcn.. hut suf
| nose tile APOSTLES ulh reccIred thieves, isar
and ..lruukards into the church, without II
oui.io. them at once to abandon their cr
= PRACTICES and had conteutsd Themselves wit
inculcat'D:. principtt<, which, II regarded, wn'il
r | ultimately remove such viccs from the chuEcs
!. what would say: liut why not, il slave.hol
i. ing Is on . par with Auch sins: 1t siaTeho!s
IN. was xin, in the crcnnlst ances, it - ccrtal
!. | ,lls Sayiour aud lis Apostles treated 1t with
: | leneucy which they showed to no other class
:. | sins, ard which they could not CONSISTENT
sl,ow to any sin.
I have deemed it unnecessary to 70 fully inI
= tie argument to prove the facts that tue 'a
J. of Noses permitted the Jews to purchase TN
{ hold slaves, aud that shareholders were
e ccisel into the apostolic churches; because.
= Il,aye shown, leading Aholitionists admit then
J. u1,d none cln deny, that all commentators Ut
capouEIe1s uf the Bible, Of any nose, asse
= then.
+ | do not desire to draw any conclusions fro
c this argument which are not fully ~a:rante
; | do not profess 10 have prnred that sAvc!iot
ing US it.rist< in thistoHatry, is right or just,
]; able; much less, that the slave cudcs Of Il
u sonth ale right; hut l think l have clear
r law, au,. from the teaching and the example
Moses, Of Christ and the APOSTLES, tint the RI
; ton of Master and sllye IL not ntcfx!Ait!Yor Il
y s.ays xintm; that good men have been say
l. holders; that cireuHSsunrts AAfe trtttsd +" h1
II justified them, Tor the time being. III ho!di1
= slaves.
@e Since, then, the righsfunesS or ziniuEutss
y slaseholdins depends on circ"nst4ne<s, we CT
IS not determine, in lie case ot any cta"s Of sav
"a holders, whether they are justidahlc 10 ho!di,
lc slares. uatil We have carefully examined q
d circumstances surrounding them. Consequent
- all wholesale condemnation Of s!arehoding
u utterly uuwasrant bic.
y Inc:o,v, on next Sabbath evening, to
III iptp q careful examination Ut slavery Us it e
Is lists in this country, and to inquire IN the u:
&c Of {:o.i's Word how far Christians iu the s!as
Fe holding Stalcs are ius,iable in loIdi''s slave
and whether the Church can, on Scripture PIT
N | cp'es, refuse to hold fellowship with them.
:. Let nle say, in conclusion, think caa
of how it is tia: SO many ibolisionists hare
ut come inEdels. They have Eoue aback Of I
If Scriptures for their ideas oi human 1igh
q, They have then exhausted their learning a
IS skill in hair-.p'ittipS criticism. npon the u
p. guage Of Inspiration. to compel i. to utter
ID Sentiments thev have imbihcd from other SCI
Il c.s. until ycxed at the difficulties thst press
u On Them, they hare hurled the Eidle srotn the
ut | aa,I resolved to walk In their own light.
1e You know. my frieed=, that might gain pc
is uInrty By falling in With the current that i
re SC. in so strongly in this latitude, and raisi
&c the Abol,tionisr shout. But see before inc