Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1861-01-31


not in all its concomitant and surrounding
circumstances for some of the latter he
did rebuke and condemn, by the Spirit, il
not letter, of his teachings.
2. The Apostles were brought in contact
with slavery in all their journeyipgs; had
masters and slaves in their assemblies Of
worship; wrote letters to slaveholding
churches from slaveholding cities and com
munities; and yet they do not, by word OF
letter, charge slavery upon them as one o
their sins, of which they should either re.
pent, or from which they should extricate
in themselves. The mere fact of fslaveholdine
the days of the Apostles, never excluded any
man from the Church. But both masters
and slaves were received into full and last
ing membership in the Church. Not
word is said to masters, of any injustice OF
sinfuluess Of holding men in bondage, mol
to servants Of their right to freedom, and
to break away from servitude whenever
they might be able to do so. No complaints
are made of the system as injurious tc
Christian graces; or as subversive of reli
gion, and consequently detrimental to the
spirituality and purity of the churches
But on the other hand, churches which
held in their communion both masters and
slaves, are approved and highly commended
by the Apostles. c. g. l Cor. IL: 13
Gal. s:27, %; Col. 1:3-5; $40, H.
%; Al; Eph. l:l5-23; 6:5-9; 2
Cor. 1:13-l6; l Peter 1:s; 2:lS;
Philemon verses 1l-25. These facts are
made more significant by calling to mind
another, which is,
g. That in the extended and discrimina
ting catalogues of sins, as furnished by the
Apostle Paul, no allusion is made to slave
ry. In Rom. 1 29-S1 there is minute
and full detail of sins. 'sBeing filled with
all unrighteousness, fornicatiou, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity whis'
perers, backbiters, baters of God, despite.
full proud, boosters, inventors of evil
things, disobedient to parents, without un'
derstaoding, covenant breakers, without
natural affection, impacable, unmerciful. y
And in Gal. 5:19-21. CHOW the WORKS
of the flesh are manifest which are these
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciv'
iousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, va
rance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness
revelliugs, and such like" To which may
be added the enumeration of sins made in
Mark 7 7:21, %; l Cor. SILL; 60, 10
Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:S, 9; Tim l:9
10; 2 Tim. So, 8, 4; Rev. 21:S; %
Is. 1t would have been unaccountably
strange, that, amid this exhaustive classif
cation of actual sins, no mention shoulc
have been made of slavery, and yetas some
say, the very relation, as we'll as practice
of Slavery, is sinful The Apostles by ex
cluding it from their specifications of prev
alent sins, seemingly at least, designed te
pass different verdict upon it than that il
is sin in itself This is further eviden
from another fact:
4. The Apostles associate slavery witt
relations, which are ordained of God, and
so are moral, and give precepts by which
masters and slaves are to be guided in the
discharge Of their reciprocal and continu
ing duties. In Eph. 6:5-9; Col 3:22-
rs, Al, the relations of husband and
wife, parents aud children, masters and
slaves (Douloi) are grouped together, and
the duties of each are specified, and in YER
ses quoted, those involved in relation o.
servitude are particularly given.
So also in l Tim. 6: l, 2; Titus 2:9
10; l Peter 2: Is, 10, the duties of both
parties in slavery are enjoiued upon them
The duties there made obligatory are mo-
such as would destroy the relation, but evi
IDENTIFY contemplate its continuance. Tt
have slavery mentioned, ard so impliedly
ranked among the essential relations of So
cial life, and then to have specific rules tc
guide men who are associated as master and
slave, must surely divest it of being essen
TALLY sinful. For says the New Testament
as one may be father or husband, aud
not be involved in sin because of it, so may
he be master or slave and be as little
guilty of sin this is the import of passa.
ges quoted above. To deny it is to impeach
the inspired writings with inculcating the
practice of moral duties and Christian ODE
dience, in forbidden condition and rela.
tion. Such would be tantamount to saying
that the Apostles might, or could have
taught burglars, adulterers and murderers
to obey God and exemplify religion by con
tinuing in these practices. Those who
make thir charge would do we'll to re
member. 5. That slavery did not altar oul
relation to God, or necessarily interfere
with Christian duty, and hence was not an
obstacle to being Christian. See Gal
:2S; l Cor. - :l3; COL 3 Ill; I Cor
1920, 2l. To teach any other doctrine
than this, exposes one to the denunciatiou
of Paul in l Tim. 6:3-5. If the reader
is not yet convinced that slavery, as rela
ton, is not condemned in the New Testa
ment, then let him read the Epistle to Phil
emon and see master and slave both &C
knowledged to be true Christians, and thu
runaoay szare returned by the Apostle
himself to ais believing master, and eaci
instructed to be faithful as Christian mas
ter and servant. From all these facts it i