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

SO. Master, which is the great com.

"37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind.
"3a. This is The first and great com.
mantnent.
"39. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shat. love thy neigbbor as thyself.
$40. On these two commandments
hang all The LdU and The prophets. Md
MesO, chap. 22.
.'"23. Woe unto you, scribes and Phar-
isees, hypocrites for ye pay 1.-THE Of mint
and anise, and cummin, and have omitted
ihe weightier matters Of the law ju6g.
meht, mercy. and faith, these ought ye TO
1 have done, and not 10 leave the others
undone.
aga. Ye blind guides, which strain at a
y gnat, and swallow q came" Ibid,
chap. 90.
MIR. Chairman, is there not much o.
the like kind Of straining at gnats and
swallowing OF camels in these DAYS OF the
triumph Of spurious pro slavery Gospel
Sir, il call the law ard the prophets
hang on the above commandment, there
ends the Scripture argument for slavery
under the Christian dispensation. No
sophlstry can elude the conclusive force
Of that most comprehensive summing. up
Of the absolute and relative duties Of the
human race, as well those they owe 10
each other as those they owe TO their
common Creator. l have before shown
from the Bible, "who is our neighbor,"
and need only repeat, that each individ.
ual human being so related 20 us, by
whatever circumstances, as to stand in
need of kind Offices. which we are able 10
exercise towards him is "oUR EEIGHBoR :"
and we are, therefore, bound to consider
his sorrows and sutferings as our own.
and to relieve them as we would have him
relieve us were our relations to each
other reversed.
In continuing these extracts from the
Bible in support of the argument against
the Scripture morality Of slayeholding, |
shall extract some passages from the Cos
pei Of St. Matthew, which for sublimi,y
and pathoS, are without parallel, even
in this book of wonders-the Bible. II is
the description of the final judgment and
sentence Of the mpenitent and above all,
the reasons ON which their utter and
eternal doom is based. To my mind
those texts alone would be conclusive
against the righteousness OF the system Of
slavery, inasmuch as they utterly con-
denim all the motives of human action in
which that system can have its origin or
continuance: .-
"34. Then shal; the King Say unto
them on his right hand. Come. ye blessed
Of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre-
pared for you FROM the foundation Of the
world. Matthew, chap. 25.
Before slaves had been stolen and
worked to death undor the lash.
"35. For l was an hungered, and ye
gave me meat: was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink l was stranger, and We
took me in:
"36. Naked, and ye clothed me Twas
sick, and ye visited me l was in prison,
and ye came unto me.
"37. Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, and fed thee or thirsty, and
gave thee drink ?
"38. When saw we thee Q stranger.
and took thee in or naked, and clothed
thee
"39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unio thee ?
40. And the King shall answer and
say unto them. Verify say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one Of
the least Of these my brethren, ye have
done it'unto me.
al. Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand. Depart from me, We
cursed. into everlasting FIRE, prepared for
the devil and his angels:
"49. For was an hungered, and ye
gave me no meat; l was thirsty. and ye
gave me no drink:
"43 l was a stranger. and ye took me
not in: naked, and ye clothed me not 81
sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
'44. Then shall they also answer him,
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger. or
naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not
minister unto thee ?
as. Then shall be answer them, say
ing, Verify say unto you. Inasmuch as
ye did it not 10 one of The least Of these,
ye did il not to e."-Maahsw. chap. 25.
1t will not answer for the apologst for
slavery TO reply that this rule presents
tests OF obedience more severe than
human frailty can endure. These are
Blb,e tests. and by such tests the slave
holder submits when he vouches Scripture
as his title to hold his slaves. They are
tests prescribed by the Author Of Chris.
tianily in his own language, and evasion is
simply impossible. Neither is there any
lack Of ability in mankind 10 comply with
these tests OF obedience which may no: be
resolved into simple indisposiIion there
to. The only difficulty in the case is in
the human tOiH, mot in the work 10 be done.
That perver9e and non.complying will is
our own, and it is all for the government
and guidance OF which we are morally re-
sponsible in this life, or will be held re-
sponsible in the day and hour Of FINAL
JUDGMENT.
These passages show US further that
the Savior ofthe world has left to our care
and kindness, as tests OF our faith in and
obedience 10 Him, not the wise nor the
mighty Of the earth, but the lowly, the
sorrowing. and the outcast; and has
made our affections toward these, as man
ilested by our se,f.denials 10 relieve their
Al