perfection, and never tolerates any thing wrong in the smallest degree. The judicial law, given especially to the Jews, neither commands any thing morally bad, nor forbids any thing morally good; yet, in two essential particulars, it differs from the moral law. It takes things as they are, not as they ought to be; and, as it was to come under the cognizance of the civil magistrate, it had respect to outward actions, rather than to the motives and feelings of the heart. The whole tenour of the gospel evidently discountenances slavery. It is only necessary to refer to the "golden rule," "the royal law of love," which must be considered as absolutely prohibiting it,—" Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," and "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." Now, unless a christian could lay his hand on his heart, and say, as in the presence of Him who reads it, "I am willing to become a slave," he can never say that the gospel does not forbid slavery. There are some passages in the epistles which have been thought to countenance slavery; such as the exhortations to servants to be obedient to their masters,—to abide in the same calling in which they were called,—if that of a servant not to care for it, (see Ephes. vi. 5—8; Col. iii. 22—25; 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2; Tit. ii. 9—14; 1 Pet. ii. 18—25); also, the conscientious care of the apostle Paul, having been the means of converting Onesimus, a runaway slave, to send him back to his master Philemon, at Colosse, that he might confess his past misbehaviour, obtain his master's forgiveness, and receive his permission to return and serve the apostle, or otherwise promote the cause of christianity. Now admitting that, in all probability, the persons to whom these exhortations were addressed were bond slaves, for that was the common case of servants in those days, it may be remarked, that the gospel takes men as it finds them, and gives them directions for their conduct in that condition, rather than directs them to change it; but this, by no means, implies approbation of the condition itself; it only shows the excellency of the gospel, which is a universal blessing, and is almost the only blessing from which a poor slave is not excluded. If a wife became a Christian, she was not directed to forsake her heathen husband, but so to conduct herself towards him, as might be the means of winning him to love religion: but this did not imply approbation, or even permission, of the marriage of christians with heathens, which is elsewhere expressly forbidden. No more is any approbation or permission of slavery found in the counsel, "Art thou called, being a servant (or slave)? care not for it." It rather means, that the privilege of being made free by the gospel, might well comfort and sustain the pious slave under the hardships and inconveniences of his situation, and that he should be less solicitous about gaining his liberty than about glorifying God in his trying situation. "But," the apostle expressly adds, "if thou mayest be made free, use it rather." It is possible for a slave to become a christian, or for a christian to be made a slave. In either case, the gospel will teach him resignation and submission to the dispensation, which, however unrighteously inflicted by men, he must regard as a trial from God; it will also teach him the hard lesson of forgiveness to his oppressors, of rendering good for evil, and enable him, by the grace of God, to adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things. But though all this proves the excellency of the gospel, it only serves to set off, by contrast, the evils of slavery. As to that most delightful epistle of Paul to Philemon, it was a matter of correct and delicate feeling, both on the part of the apostle and his convert, that Onesimus should go and surrender himself to his injured master, and receive, as a willing gift, that which the apostle evidently anticipated, and which he trusted to the influence of christian principles to produce, without a set command, forgiveness, and freedom. This was at once a trial of the sincere repentance of Onesimus, and of the christian spirit of Philemon, as well as an evidence of the apostle's regard to such things as were expedient, lovely, and of good report. But it implies no approbation of slavery; and, on the whole, it may be fairly said, that, in the whole Bible, there is not a single passage that warrants one human being in holding another in absolute and irresponsible subjection; while there are several severe censures, and awful denunciations, against the sin of man-stealing, a practice which is almost invariably connected with slavery in modern times. —See I Tim. i. 10; Ezek. xxvii. 13; Rev. xviii. 13. SECT. IV. THE MORAL EFFECTS OF SLAVERY. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit, therefore, by their fruits, ye shall know them:" and what are the natural fruits of slavery? As to the master, the exercise of uncontrolled power can scarcely fail to render a man overbearing and tyrannical. The very sight of a number of beings wholly subservient to his will and pleasure, will foster the pride and selfishness of the human heart. The man will imagine himself a very elevated being, and forget the claims of his fellowcreatures upon him. His will being law, he will, in all probability, acquire a habit of governing them by force, and will cease to deal with them by moral means. He will forget their responsibility and his own, when either would come in competition with his interest or his gratification. By the habitual sight of human beings in a state of degradation and misery, (and such must be a state of slavery at the best,) his heart will insensibly become hardened, and he will cease to feel compassion for the sufferings of his fellow man: his temper will become irritable and turbulent, and his passions will rage without controul. It is impossible to exercise an improper dominion over a fellow-creature, without sustaining a correspondent reaction of evil,—a weakening of moral principle, and a strengthening every corrupt passion and propensity These results have been strikingly seen in individuals, who before their connexion with slavery, were manly, generous, and humane; but who, under the influence of that wretched system, have gradually sunk into callousness and cruelty, of which, if a few years before, the horrid picture had been presented to them, they would have indignantly exclaimed, "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do these things?" As to the slave, the natural tendency of the oppression he endures, is to degrade and debase him below his natural level. He is treated as a machine, to be worked by force; this represses his energies, and promotes indolence, stupidity, and craft. He does nothing but what he is compelled to do: his ingenuity is employed, not in improving himself, or benefiting his master, but in contriving to evade the imposition of labour, or the infliction of punishment. He does nothing from moral motives. Freedom, hope, and domestic love, are the great springs of virtuous action and enjoyment. But the slave is deprived of them all. He is not allowed to act as a free agent, and he ceases to consider himself responsible. The law of his master is often set against the laws of nature, and of God: thus, the sense of right and wrong is confounded in the mind of the slave. He has nothing to hope for as the reward of exertion; for, whatever he acquires, is the property of another. Domestic life loses its endearing ties, for he must not regard even his wife and children as his own: he may, in a moment, be separated from them by the will of a tyrant. In such a condition, the human mind, as it is more strongly or more feebly constituted, sinks into listless apathy, sullen indifference, retaliative cunning, or fierce revenge— "Yes, to deep sadness sullenly resign'd, He feels his body's bondage in his mind, |