The Placer herald., 1862-10-25
Bible View of Slavery.

In the yefersonian of the I'd of August
we gave letter from Hon. Amos Kendall
on this subject of slavery, which is continued
in the following:
From the National Intelligencer.
To ABRAHAM LINCOLN, PRESIDENT OF
THE U. S:-Respected .Su:-My object in
these letters, be 1t distinctly understood, is
not to commend slavery as a desirable insli,
tuition, nor to mitigate in the least the crime
or the penalty of the Southern rebellion;
but it is, by the light Of truth, to disarm, in
some degree, a set of Northern fanatics
whose insane hatred of slavery makes them
1t is to show the honest people of the Free
States that, as a political question, they are
not responsible for it, and have no rightiul
control over it, and that as moral question,
there is nothing in it which jus,ifes their
interference by virtue of any higher law, y
than the Constitution of their country.
Rebel masters may be dvested Of their
right to the labor of their slaves as pun
ishment for their treason, just as far AS they
may be divested of their anal; gous rights,
and no farther; but for the U. s. to abolish
the institution because individual slavehold
ers head the rebellion, would be AS gross an
usurpalon as a sweeping act to divorce all
wives from their husbands and free all chil
dren from their parents in the Slavehoding
States for the same reason.
Not from any other motive than TO bring
home more wildly to the minds of the read
er the Bible truths developed in my last let'
ter, | address to Reverend representative
of cl SIS.
say to him, do you, in common with all
or most Christian teachers, recognize n oah
as prophet Of God who spoke by nspira
tionl If so, it was God himself who doom
ed the descendants of Ham to perpetual ser
vitude. If therefore, slavery be sin, God
in this case is responsible for ii; and when
you attempt on that ground to rescue the
African from slavery, you assume to be
more wise and just than God! 1t is not so!
Abraham bought servants with his money,
and bad ''hundreds born in his house" He
was a special favorile with God, who not
only heaped blessings upon him, but chose
him to be the father of bis peculiar people,
and the prooeuitor of the Savior OF man
kind.
You denounce the buying Of men and
women with money as sinful, and its tolera
ton IL our country rs "a great national sin, y
which has brought down upon us the judg
ment of Heaven. Abraham did the same
thing, and Heaven showered blessings upon
him. Our fathers and brothers did the
same thing, and was blessed .as Abraham
was until the reformers of Gods moral law,
hy their impious assumptions disturbed the
peace of The country, and aided in bringing
down upon it the caIamties under which it
now mourns :.
You denounce slavery as a sin. God says:
Exodus, 2l. 2 IF thou buy Hebrew SER
want, six years shall he se;ve." That IS
slavery, or inpoluntary servitude by the COM
mond of God. Who knows best what is
sin, you or God!
He may become free at the end Of six
years." bu: if he choose, he NAV be made
slave ''forever," by means of ceremony
prescribed in Exodus, 2l. g. and Deuterono
my, Is. II. He had no further option on
the subject; but says God, "he shall be thy
servant forever"
But you may say this is voluntary servi.
tude. Not certainly for the frs, six years;
and, according to your principles, man
cannot ALLEVIATE his liberty. If so, this vol
unlary slave, after he has become so voIum
tarIy, may change his mind and resume his
freedom; but Gud says he shall be servant
"txeper" Is God a sinner!
But if he accept his freedom at the end of
six years. his sons and daughters, if born OF
wife given him by his master doubtless
slave herself,) "shaH be her masters; and he
shall 90 out by himself" In other words,
they shall not be free on the seventh year,
but shall remain slaves forever This is
Gods order. Is it a sin, Reverend Sir!
You say there cannot be ownership in man
Col says the woman AMI sons and daughters
in this case 'shaU be her master's:"
In the 2lst chapter of Exodus, after di
recling that if master bea, his slave to
death he shall be punished, God says, verse
81: notwithstanding, if he continue a
day or two he the master shall not be pun
ished; for he the slave is his money! Is
not mans money his property You,
Reverend sir, say that mans slave is not
his property. God says he is; which shall
christian believe! | would like to hear
you preach sermon from these words of
Scripture: "Fcr he is his money!"
"Ihus saith the Lord" in Leviticus, 25.44:
"Both thy bondmen and thy bondnaids
which thou shalt have shall be of the hea,
then that are arounl about you; of them
shall ye buy bondsmen and bondmaidens."
Give us sermon upon this text also, and
show US how acts which God expressly aul
thorize can he sinful.
"zHus saith the Lord" in the next verse
"Moreover, of the children Of the strangers
that do sojourn among you of them shall
" buy and of their families that are with
you, which they begot in your land, and
they shall be your possession"
Another good text, Reverend sir, from
which | should like to hear you deduce the
conclusion not only that buying these chill
dren WAS a sin, but that possession" does
not mean 'property."