The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-02-13

/ cssd y.ag1g sta Etl8E GRO tGs 1850
more explicit and incapable of. psrversion.
When the abolitionist tells me that slave.
holding is sin, in the simplicity Of my
faith'in the Holy Scriptures, / point him
to this sacred record and tell him, in all
oandor, as my text does, that his teaching
blasphemes the name of God and his doc
trine. When he begins to doat about
questions and strifes of words, appealing
to the Declaration of Independence, and
asserting that the idea of property in man
is an enormity and crime. i still bold
him to the record saying, ''Ye shall take
him as an inheritance for your children
after you to inherit them for possession. =
When he wakes swarm, as he always does
if his opponent quote scripture (Which is
the great test to- try the spirits whether
they be of God-the very spear of Ithur
riel TO- reveal their true character) when
he gets. angry, and begirs to pour out his
evil surmisings and abuse upon slavehold-
ers-I obey the precept which says, from
such withdraw thyself,' comforting myself
with nthis thought. d that the wisdom of
Godis. wiser than men, and the kindness
of God kinder than men,. Philosophers
may. reason, and reformers may rave tin
doomsday they never .can convince me
that Gcd, in the Levitical law, or in any
other law, sanctioned sin, and as know,
from the plain passage / have quoted,
la - xh,k L
ton slaveholing among his ancient peo
ple,i l know, also, by the logic of that fate
which believes the Bible to be His Word
that slaveholding is not sin. .,.a.
There are men among protesting chris
tinns, and not q few ministers Of the Cos
pei. who answer this argument from the
Old Testament Scriptures by simple de-
nial of, their authority. They do not tell
US how God could ever or anywhere conn
tenance that which is morally wrong, but
they content themselves with saying that
the -Leviticalflaw is no rule of action for
US, and they appeal from its decisions to
what they consider the higher tribunal of
the Gospel. Let US. therefore, join issue
with them 1efore the bar of the New Tes-
lament Scriptures, @ 1t isan historic truth
acknowledged on all hands. that at the
adventsof Jesus Christ slavery existed all
over, the eiyilizsd world, and was intimate
ly interviewer with its social and civil
institutions In Judea, In. Asia Minor,
Greece, in, all the countries where the
Savior or bis Apostles preached the G os-
pei, slaveholding was just as common as
tits to-day in South Carolina 1t is not
alleged by any one, or at least by any
one ,haviog7any pretensions to scholarship
or candor, that the Roman laws regulating
slavery were even as mild as the very
worst statues which have been passed on
the subject in modern times. It will no,
be denied by any honest and well informed
man that modern civilization and the re
straining influences of the Gospel have
shed ameliorating, influences upon the re-
latien between master and slave whicf
were utterly unknown : at the advent Q
christianity And how did Jesus and ii.
Apostles treat this subject? Masters
and slaves met them at every step in thei
missionary work. and were even presen
| in, every audience to which they preached
| The Roman law. which gave the full pow
er of life and death into fhe master
hand, was familiar to them, and all th
evils connected with the system Surround
ed them every day as obviously as tn
4 light of heaven, and yet it is remark
able fact, which the abolitionst does no
because he can deny, that the New Testa
ment is utterly silent ein regard to tn
alleged sinfulness of eslaveholding Il
all the instruction of the Savior, in all tn
reported sermons Of the inspired Apos
ties, in all the epistles they were move,
by the Holy Spirit 10 write for the in
ssruction of coming generations, there j
not one distinct and explicit denunciatio
4 of slaveholding, nor one precept requir
ing the master to emancipate, his slaves
i Every acknowledged sin is openly an
!, repeatedly condemned and in unmeasure
/ terms. Drunkenness and adultery Sthel
and murder-all the moral wrongs whie
eyer had been known to efflict society
NJ. otO iotoioo0h oy nohO3 Sohu WV oSSoto
ling to 1.-THE teaching Of, abolitionism, thi
A greatest of all sins, this sum of all vi
lainies, is never spoken of, except in re
spectful terms How can this be account
! ed tori azudl ggogiH hssago9 sza aoa
kn Let DR.. Wayland, whose work on Mo-
al Science is taught in many of or
schools, answer this, question, and Il
parents whose children are studying thu
book, diligently consider his answer
} quote from Wayland's Moral Scienc
2lS' 5ha ,l89iG iabaeL so Ra3a aaia "a Z.
/, HThe Gospel was designed net fer one RAJ
! Ior for one time, but for all races and for q
Q times. 1t locked not TO the abolition Of 81
1 very for that age alone, bat for 9its univers
! abolition Hence the important object Off
author was to gain for it a lodgment in eve
. part of the known world, so that by its ur
s ysrsal diffusion among all classes Of society
l might quietly and peacefully modify and su
+ tdue the evil passions of men. In this ma
s ner alone could itsaobjeet- "a universal moa
q lreyolution--have been, accomplished For