011 899 593 4 ^ J pHSJ E 449 .P533 Copy 1 \^,^' REMARKS ON THE IiUlflEDIATE ABOIilTIO^^ I.ECTIJRE OF REV. MR. PHELPS, DELIVERED IN THE 2d BAPTIST CHURCH IN TAUNTON, SUNDAY EVENING, MAY 24, 1S35. BY A HEARER. •^ TAUNTON". EDMUND ANTHONY, PRINTHR. OOO. PREFACE, The following comraunioniion oppeared in "Tlie Sun," (May 25th> and ia presented to the public in this form, that it may have a more extensive circulation in our community which is, at present, aj>itated ■with the 8ul)ject of Slavery as it now exists in our Southern States. There are those who are employed and sent into various sections of our Country to appeal to the symjjathies of the people by proclaiming the horrors of Slavery and urging them to favor the cause of its im- mediate aboliiion. Their arguments when left to the naked grandeur of reason and logic, not appearing perhaps the most plausil)le, ihey endeavor to produce a greater effect Ujjon the people by persuading them, that the scriptures plainly teach the doom of Slave-holders as oppressors, and the doc- trine of the immediate emancipation of those they hold in bondage. On Sunday evening. May ^4th, the Rev. Mr. Phelps, General Agent of the New England Abolition Society, delivered a lecture in tbis village, and declared, that the Bible did })lainly teach such senti- ment, read two Chapters, and made comments thereon to prove it, and urged immediate abolition as a command of God, and a duty most solemnly binding on every Christian to discharge; and which no man could forego, or neglect without incurring the vengeance of Heaven. The o! ject of the writer in the following remarks is, to show the public that the arguments drawn from revelation, by Mr Phelps, do by no means sustain his position, and that it is fruitless to make ap- peals to the word of God, as favoring the doctrine of the immediate emancipation of ignorant human beisgs from slavery to freedom. ^ RKIflARKS .4 Mr. Editor : — I heard a lecture delivered in de- fence of the immediate abolition of slavery, in the Baptist Church, on Sunday evening last. — The lec- turer, at the commencement, remarked that he bas- ed his doctrine on the word of God, and standinjx upon such a foundation, it was entitled to our se- rious consideration. He then read Job, xxvii Chap, to prove the awful portion oi" oppressors, app\y'ing the term to slave-holders. Having finished the Chapter, and his remarks upon it, he then observed, that he would read another to prove ^Hmmediate abolition'''' of slavery, and accordingly read Isaiah, LViii. Chapter. Now, Mr. Editor, to my mind, it is not so clear that these two portions of scripture prove the pecul- iar point for which they were adduced. And even did I believe the gentleman's doctrine of immediate abohtion, yet my reverence for the Bible would in- duce me to show that it does not prove that peculiar sentiment. Hence with the best feelings* towards the respected speaker, I will confine myself to this portion of his lecture. To be plainly understood, it will be necessary to notice the Old Testament Law on Slavery — And first, Echreio Slaves. Exodus, xxi : 1-6. God said to Moses — "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years ho shall serve , and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself ; if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself." [We will not inquire into the justice of this law of the Lord in thus sepa- rating man and wife. Perhaps the next verse will explain it.] "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife and my children ; 1 will not go out free; Then his master shall bring him unto the judges ; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door-post ; and his master shall bore his car through with an awl ; and he shall serve him forever." We will now notice the law of the Lord in regard to heathen slaves. Lev. XXV : 44-46. "Both thy bond-men and thy bond-maids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you ; of them shall yc buy bond-men and bond-maids. Moreover, of the children of strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land ; and they shall he your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for ix possession, and they shall be your bond- men forever ; but over your brethren, the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another iviih rig- our. ^^ Now I cannot believe, Mr. Editor, that God ever commanded a "wicked thing" under the circum- stances which it existed, neither can I believe that Isaiah or Job contradicted the above, as both lived under the same dispensation. Though the Jews were commanded to purchase the heathen and hold them as property, and bequeath them to their chil- dren, as an inheritance, yet, at the same time, they were not allowed to sell their brethren the Jews, as bond-men to the heathen, nor put them under an oppressive yoke among themselves. But as they had sold them to the heathen, and also had kept many of tliom under the yoke of rigorous bondage in their own land, the prophet Isaiah, ehap. Iviii, says, " I* not this the fast that I have cliosen ? to loose th(r bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke .^" J las this reference to the hcdlhen^ whom they were commanded to hold as bond-men forever ? Does it not mean the enslaved Israelites whom they were forbidden to oppress, or sell to the heathen ? The next verse will show : " Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that arc cast out to thy house ? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from ihine oKiijieshP "Thine own flesh" means the Jews in this instance. Paul calls them his, "brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh." Beinir Abraham's children, and of circum- cision, they would not allow that the uncircumciscd heathen were their own flesh but on the contrary despised them. Well ; by breaking every yoke of bondage and letting the oppressed of their "own flesh" go free, did it produce an insurrection ? as the gentle- man asked. No — But why not? Because the Jews whom they sold to the heathen, and those upon whom they placed an oppressive yoke at home, were as well enlightened, as the rich, and equally as well prepared for immediate liberty as those who in vio- lation of the command of God sold them. The en- slaved Jews were as well prepared for immediate emancipation and that freedom which they had once enjoyed, as their oppressors. Hence no insurrec- tion would follow. But the heathen whom they were commanded to buy, hold as property, and be- queath to their children, were not morally or relig- iously prepared to enjoy freedom. But their own flesh, the Jews, being enhghtened in the knowlege of the true God, were not to be sold to the heathen, and go back to ignorance and idolatry from which they had been redeemed out of Egypt, and by 40 years instruction prepared for a land of freedom. But in breaking "every yoke'* imposed upon their brethren, they were command- ed to pay a reasonable compensation to the heathen who held them in bondage, whether such heath- en dwelt in their own country or were sojourn- ers in Israel. God says — Lev. xxv : 48-50. "Af- ter that he is sold he may be redeemed again ; one of his brethren may redeem him. And he shall reckon with him that bought him, from the year that he was sold to him, unto the year of jubilee, and the price shall be according unto the number of years, &lc. Let us here notice what Nehemiah says — Chap. v. "Yet now our flesh is as the Jiesh of our brethren, our children as their children ; and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants ; and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already ; neither is it in our power to redeem them , for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them ye exact usury, every one of his brother," &;c. "And I said unto them, we after our abihty have redeemed our brethren the Jews, wdiichwere sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren," &c. Here the rich "nobles and rulers" had sold them. It may now be asked how came they to be sold to the heathen ? Ans. Sometimes when a Jew was oppressed by the rich and became poor, he sold his children and often himself. — Again ; when one Jew owed another more than he was worth, the creditor took his lands, and for the balance commanded him- self, his wife and children to be sold. [See 2. Kings 4:-!.] But instead of selling them to a Hebrew, for six years, the nobles became overbearing and oppressive, and sold them to the heathen. With this state of things God finds fault ; Isaiah 68th Chap, to which we have referred. He says — "Be- hold in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labors.'''' Jn view of this follow the words — "Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the hands of wickedness"? &.c. Hence they were not only, at times, redeemed, hut their lands were given them again hy their penitent oppressors. Nehemiah says to them who sold their brethren, (now redeemed,) "Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards their olive- yards and their houses, &c. And just before he ex- horts them — "I pray you leave off this usury." [Sec Nehemiah, 5th Chap.] Thus we see that instead of breaking 'every yoke' of those uncivilized heathen, whom they held in bondage by the command of God, Isaiah refers to their own flesh onbj, as a people, who were prepared for emancipation. No where do the Jews call the heathen "their own flesh." And even for those Jews in bondage they were commanded by the Lord to pay a fair price, even if the heathen man, who held them dwelt in Judea, where they could take them out of his hands hy force or by a word. But those Mr. Editor, who honestly think difTerent from us, have not informed us how the planters in our Is- rael are to be remunerated for their bondmen. The lecturer threw no light upon this subject, but wholly evaded it. One gentleman however, whom I very highly respect, has said — "lye will not give them one cent /" As to the portion of oppressors, which was read, Job 27th Chap. I must be allowed to say, unfortu- nate for that gentleman. Job did not even refer ta the oppressors as being slave-holders. And still more unfortunate for that gentleman. Job himself was a slave-holder. When the calamities of this "perfect and upright man" began, a messenger came to him and said — "The oxen were ploughing the 8 asses were feeding beside them ; and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away ; yea they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword," &c. " The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servcmts,^^ &c. The Chaldeans "fell upon the camels, and have car- ried them away ; yea, and slain the servants,'''' &c. The word servants in the original is slaves. [See also Job 31 : 13.] Now as Job had 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she-asses, he must have had many servants or slaves to take charge of them and till his ground. There probably was never a more extensive slave-holder than Job, or a more perfect man. It says his household was very great. He had however but ten children. So to make up "a very great household, he must have had a very great number of slaves," What Job meant by "oppressors" was (not the slave-holders of whom he was one, for he denies that he was an oppressor) but he meant all such characters as his three friends, who were unjustly condemning and oppressing him in his afflictions ; and to them in particular he refers. And I do not know that they were slave-holders — perhaps not— yet they were oppressors. I v/ill here remark that it must forever prove an unsuccessful attempt for any man, by an appeal to the Old Testament, to substantiate the doctrine of immediate emancipation of ignorant, uncultivated beings from slavery to liberty. It may be said that this state of things was only permitted on account *' of the hardness of their hearts." If so, why did not Christ and his apostles correct it? Let us turn to the New Testament. It will be recollected that our Saviour in numer- ous instances, refers to faithful and unfaithful ser- vants, and their masters and lords, (that is owners,) yet he never once breathes the impropriety of this state of things, much less its wickedness. Paul was^ an apostle to the Gentiles, or Romans, who were slave-holders — the master Iiaving the power of life and death over his slaves, who are in our translation called servants. Let us see what he taught, in re- gard to a slavery of so degrading a character. We may perhaps learn whether Paul understood that "every yoke" must be broken and "immediate ab- ohtion" take place among ignorant slaves, as it was argued the other evening that Isaiah meant. 1 Tim. chap vi. He says — " Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not desj)ise them because they are brethren : but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doc- trine which is according to Godliness ; he is — (what? humble? no! — wise? no! — benevolent (ind peaceful? no ! — but) he is (says Paul) proud, knowing nothing; but debating about questions, and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmis- ings, perverse disputings of men," &;c. Has not this state of things already commenced between the abolitionists and the slave-holders? And does it not bid fair to rise to a tremendous and fearful height, and perchance dissolve the Union? On the next passage I shall use Wakefield's trans- lation as it expresses the original meaning more clearly. 1 Cor. vii : 1 8 — 24. " Was any one called when circumcised? let him not alter his circumcis- ion. Was any one called in uncircumcision? let him not circumcise himself. Circumcision is noth- ing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but an observ- ance of God's commandment is every thing. Let each continue in the condition wherein he was 10 called. Wast thou called when a slave? care not for it ; yea even if thou canst be free, continue as thou art. For the slave that was called in the Lord, is the Lord's freeman ; and in like manner, he who was called when free is a slave of Christ. Had ye bought your freedom ? become not slaves to men. In that condition, therefore, brethren, wherein each was called, let him continue with God." Paul evi- dently means that the slaves, even if they could be free, had better, in their present ignorant condition, remain as they were, being unprepared for emanci- pation. After reasoning in Romans chap, xiii, that every soul ought to be subject to the higher powers — [that is the laws] — declaring that whoever resists these powers resists the ordinance of God, he at length (chap, xiv) asks the question — ''Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth." Philemon owned a servant by the name of Onesi- mus, who was a very unprofitable slave. He ran away from his master, and went to Rome where Paul was a prisoner bound with a chain. He heard Paul preach and was converted. But did Paul say, *'your master has no right to you, and as you have immediately emancipated yourself and are now con- verted, keep out of his reach, for he is entitled to no remuneration for your services f " No ; Paul knew his duty better ; sent him back with a written letter, in which he entreats his master to receive him kindly. And to this single circumstance, we are indebted for the Epistle to Philemon. Paul says, " I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds, who in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and me ; whom I have sent again : thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels : whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing ; that thy benefit should not be 11 as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he departed tor a season that thou shouldst receive him forever." Now is Paul to be charged with " unkindness" and a want of christian sympathy for the enslaved, because he sent this servant back to his master for hfe ? Is Paul to be condemned, because he could not see the propriety of immediate abolition ? Is he to be condenmed, because he considered slaves as property, which could not be taken from his master without a just compensation? " I trow not." Mr. Editor, conscious of the rectitude of my po- sition, I fearlessly ask any man to produce a single passage between the lids of the Bible in favor of the immediate emancipation, of ignorant, uncultivated human beings from slavery to the liberty of the country in which they were in bondage ; or where they are said to be fit, without preparation, for im- mediate colonization in any other.* And I fearless- ly ask any man to produce a passage, where patri- archs or {)rophets, Jesus Christ or his apostles have ever called any man an " oppressor'''' merely because he was a slave-holder. I grant this language is strong, but it is penned with the most kind feelings towards all men, and a solemn regard for the in- spired Book. It may then be asked, is the writer in favor of slavery ? He is not, but fully believes that the ques- tion of slavery ought to be left where the apostles left it — viz. to the operation of the laws where it ex- ists and the humanizing and renovating influence of the supreme power and efficacy of the gospel of Jesus Christ upon the hearts of both master and slave to prepare them for such an event by leaving them to its spirit and bringing them in subjection to the truth which maketli free indeed. Laws must be- come merciful in proportion as human hearts are •So confident is the writer of this, lliat lie pledges himself to p;iy §100, to any abolitioniet, who will produce the scripture, and prove such to be it» meaning. ^:^:!:5^o.oRHss 12 ° 0^^899 593 4 truly christianized, until Americans will no longer be slaves under the laws or rulers, nor groan any more under the yoke of millions of dollars annually paid to move the wheels of government. Do you ask when this will be ? When men shall follow the Saviour's golden rule — " to do unto others as they would have others do unto them." Then slavery ^vill expire forever, and moral and perfect hberty reign supreme. A HEARER. / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 011 899 593 4 I J pH8J