The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1860-07-06

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Of the prophets. What He declares 10
have been the ''law and The prophets"
we, as Christians, are bound TO receive
implicitly, without denial, doubt, or cavil,
as the law and the prophets"
Without attempting to produce more
than mere shreds, as il wep, OF the text
Of the New Testament, obedience 10 which
makes the enSlavement OF m,u an absolute
moral impossibility, l shall exhibit only
the leading passages-insSting. by the
way that obedience TO the Old Testament
Scriptures as expoundcd BY the Gospe! is
the duty Of Christians, at whatever sacri-
fce Of worldly interest, OF PLEASURE. pride,
wealth or power. insist further, that
persistent and impenitent disobedience 10
these mora! precepts excludes all men
who have access 10 the Gospel from hope
OF the infinite blessings flowing from ODE
dance 10 its Divine requirements.
l begin, sir. with Mathews Gospel
and from it l take the golden rule"
"Is. Therefore all things whatsoever
ye would that men should do TO you, dc
ye even so them, for this is the law and
the prophets. ."-MuttheO, chap. 7.
Could infinite Wisdom communicate to
TO finite capacities more perfect rule oI
moral conduct? at is the law and the
prophe,s;" and so II is the end OF every
controversy among all men every where,
having access to the Gospel, so far as
mans moral conduct towards his fellow
man is concerned. The Son OF God, the
Savior Of the world, who came, mot 10
destroy, but TO fulfill the law" declares
obedience TO this commandment to be a
compliance with the moral duties enjoinei
by both the claw and the prophets"
Therefore, obedience TO the claw and
The prophets" as expouuded by the Sa.
vior of the world. is the duty Of Christians
at whatever sacrifice. The necessary in
| ference from these conceded truths is that
whatever act Of the human mind flows
from a motive different from obedience
to this Divine command, is opposed TO The
moral precepts OF the Flaw and the proph-
ets."
Il is in vain that sentences wrested from
their context, either in the Old or the
New Testament, are urged in the sup
port of a system opposed TO the 'golden
rule ;" for the divine teacher tells us ex-
pressly that rule is the substance Of, or
rather is. "tlIe law and the prophets. -
l am aware that slaveholding divines and
politicians have way Of getting round
this most wonderful generalization of the
relative duties OF the hdman race. They
say that the rule only applies TO equals,
bu, does not bind the superior in his con-
duct towards the inferior. How say they,
can the rude and repulsive barbarian
Judge Of what the educated and refined
European or Anglo. American would have
done TO him, # cast, for instance. on a
barbarous coast Sir, the barbarian in
such case is no more bonnd 10 do more
than he has ability TO do than would the
civilized man. In his case, as well as in
the case of the civilized, ability is tie
measure of duty. according to what
man hath, and not what he hath not, shall
it be required Of him." But the slave
holder objects, that the barbarian does not
know what is for his own good. while the
civilized man does know that i. will be
for The good OF the barbarian 10 kidnap
and convey him to a civilized and Chris.
tian land, and there make slave Of him
and his posterity forever. that, as a com
pensaion for this seeming outrage, said
barbarian and his posteri,y may become
Christians and be saved from the doom Of
chem that know not God" But, sir,
the morality of human actions is in no
wise affected by the results, immediate or
remote, which may or do follow them -
bu. from the motive and purpose and those
alone, from which those actions spring. \
The motive of the American or Euro
pean slave-stealer is one OF unmingled av-
arlce--tbc drtiest and most repulsive
form of selfshness and the Bible no.
where gives license for the exercise Of this
or any other Infamous motive, because
that, in the Divine economy. such wick
edness msy be wrought as link in the
chain OF events ending in the highest
good Of the injured sufferer, or Of the hu-
man race. "The damnation Of such as
say. Let US do evil that good may come,
is just" from. ch. 3. verse g.. You
meant IL for evil. but God meant it for
good" said Joseph to his guilty and con-
founded brethren, when, overwhelmed
with the toriures Of a guilty conscience,
''they were troubled at his presence."--
But why did not this brotherhood Of con-
victs reply 10 their brother.as do our mod
ern advocates and apologists Of slavery at
the present time: "Wby charge US,
brother Joseph. with meaning it for evil
did we not get as your value twenty
pieces OF silver Of the Midianite slave mer-
chants ?-and now. through that very ex-
celent bargain, you are able to preserve
us alive. and all our fathers louse be-
sides we do not want to hear any more
Of this kind OF fanaticism, after such
blessed result OF our trade with the ras-
cally Midianites. Besides, if we had not
sold you, Gods promise 10 our father
Abraham, that 'in his seed all the nations
Of the earth should be blessed would
have been no better than 'rascally abo'
lition lie.
Mr.. Chairman. on the principle Of this
reasoning, or rather this impious cavil.
those guilty men might have raised "a
much more plausible argument for the
sale Of the soul and body Of their brother
than the Shareholders are able to do in de-
fense of slavery, based upon the good
which the Divine economy has "educed"
from the "evil" of the African slave trade.