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

demnation OF those solemn and fearful
declarations Of Gods written word:
"18. The spirit Of the Lord is upon me,
because he bath annointed me 10 preach
the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me
10 heal the broken hearted, TO preach de-
liverance TO the caplives, and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised.
"l9. TO preach the acceptable year Of
the Lord. ."-Luke, chap. 4.
II we desire TO know what was that
ACCEPTABLE year OF the Lord, we are re-
Ierred to the year OF jubilee. (Leviticus,
chap. 25. verses Q and i0.) The year
when Liberty was proclaimed through
out oR tie land to all the Inhabitants
thereof"
AT this point may as we'll advert 10
certain objections TO the force and author
ity OF the passages Of Scripture before
cited. Many of these objections amount
simply 10 a denial OF the authority Of the
Bible itself. But to This class Of objectors
l reply. that If the authority of the Bible
is denied when il seems 10 condemn
slavery, it must OF course, be worthless as
an authority in fovor OF il. 1t cannot be
an authority both for and against the same
system.
A favorite modern pro.slavey argument
OF the genus before stated is, that the
negro and the white man are not Of the
same common original stock. But this,
il true, upseis the Bible argument for
slavery, inasmuch as il denies the veracity
Of its own witness. Thus the express
letter OF both :be Old and New Testament
asserts the common origin Of the whole
human family
"96. And hath made OF one Mood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face
Of the earth, and hath determined the
times before appointed. and the bounds Of
their habitation
"27. That they should seek the Lord,
if haply they might feel after him, and
End him, though he be not far from every
one Of US:
"28. For in him we live, and move, and
have our being as certain also Of your
own poets have said, For we are also lis
offspring"
go. And the times Of this ignorance
God winked at; but now commandeth all
men everywhere 10 repent:
"3l. Because he hath appointed day,
in which be will judge the world in right
eousness, by that man whom he hath or.
dained: whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him
from the dead. ."-Aets. chap. IL.
Whoever appeals 10 the testimony OF
the Bible must accept these proof texts
concerning the common origin of the hu.
man race, or he must deny the credibility
Of the whole Bible. These texts assert no
more significantly the common origin,
than they do the common destiny OF The
race. A common Judgment in right
eousness" awaits us all, white men and
black men, bond snd free, "bv that Man
whom he hath ordained" By this Scrip
ture it is very clear that neither superiority
OF race nor diversity of condition will avail
us before that august tribunal. But to
break the force Of these texts. it is said
that Rabbi Agassiz, RABBI Gliddon, and
divers others. linen Of renown," have dis
covered that tie different races o! men
are descended from different original
stocks and hence. that if it is not right,
il is at least not so very bad, to enslave
each other; and that the common Father
will probably have so great prejudice
against the color Of his dark children, that
he will not call his white skinned children
to severe account for treating them like |
the beasts that perish.
But, further, in confirmation of this
brilliant discovery OF the rabbis aforesaid,
another Of the same sort, and southern
rabbi al that, has discovered another SCI
entfic wonder, namely tha. the negro's
tooot is not true hair, as is the sorrel iop Of
the white man and hence it is inferred
by the philosophers aforesaid that the ne
gro is rather cousin germane 10 the bear
and the monkey than to the white man,
who has-if not bald-"true hair on his
head" The wool of the negro is sup
posed to prove him near of kin TO the
sheep, alpaca, or other wooled animal
the "woolly horse" for example. But ii
seems to me, Mr.. Chairman, that an ar.
gumert built on this woody basis may be
turned as well against the white mans as
against VIC uSStO buuaHitys NOH, Tue |
white mans hair is proved, by those same
savans, 10 be "true hair" and mol aoool in
the least SO these same philosophers
have discovered, by analysis, that the hair
Of the donkey is "true hair :" ergo, the
white man, or at least those white men
who resort to this argument, are near oi
kin to the donkey.
But aside from these crude and NOT very
creditable speculations of few lime.
serving men Of education and scientific
reputation, which are really unworthy OF
serious refuiatIon, there are passages Of
the New Testament which are, no doubt
honestly, supposed. under the teachings
Of a class Of time-serviDg, or perhaps really
sincere Christians, 10 favor the institution
of slavery. and to deserve a candid exam
iuation from candid men NOT however,
from any difficulty in the case. bu, from
the strength OF pro-slavery prejudice accu-
mulated 10 their favor.
No person pre;ends that either Christ
or His apostles taught the doctrine OF
slave emancipation as duty, as indepen-
dent of a compliance with the grand duty
OF masters doing to slaves as they would
have their slaves do 10 them were their
conditions reversed. The reason OF this
probably was that their mission was not 10
overthrow. directly, the existing arrange
u.anfe II .on;atu h,,l IN iaarh man The