COLUMBIA
DEMOCRAT.
AND BLOOMSBURG GENERAL ADVERTISER.
LEVI L, TATE, EDITOR.
"TO HOLD AND TKIM TUB TOllOII OF TllUTH AND WAVE IT O'Elt THE DAItKBNBD EARTH."
TERMS: J2 00 PER ANNUM
VOL. 17.NG, 28.
BLOOMS BURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY, PENN'A,, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1863
VOLUME 27.
PDETRY'
In Momoriam.
11 tribute to the Memory of Ftrgeanl t.iroy S. VCaiUirorlh,
of Huntington, l.uxtrne county. I'a irho vat fatally
uountltd at (Ac Ilattle of (Wlyiburg,
By Mrs. Margaret L. T. Ilatlman.
1'hc tuittto wns funrfully raging arounil,
Tlio le;lnng of treason outiiumlicrcil Iho lirHVd ;
When the order uns heard through our ranks to rcfouml
hmvoril, now, to the chargol cur honor to save.
x!ien vnlnr wni proved, Ultli hayonct set,
Flndi runhcd on thn fop determined to win i
Wlillu the mls'llcs or dentil every moment were met,
As tlto fo! was cudrnvorlng our forces to thin.
Ah, see I there fall" Wndnworth, the noblo nnd bravo J
If li ft without tarn hp surely inustdle ;
feay, inny wc tint stop our lov'd coturado to save ?
We'd carry him hack where In peace ho might Ho.
Ill vnlru in H tVrvur wns 'pilck to implore.
'I hut onward they'd prep nud vati'piirh the fna
"fin forward draw rotuiadcs, nor ever civc o'er,
'Till the base heart r.f treason receives Its death blow."
And onward tiny ehnrje nnd leave him nlono,
Kivo others like him, who wero wounded nr slain ;
tint Mr'ougDn his Fptilt he utt red tin innim,
Nor cer was heard of his f.ito to complain,
tip thought then of limn-, of tlio cherished ones there,
til- a father whnu kindness nnd truth ho had proved,
Altd of lils loved mother n shade of despair
l'lltlcd over his mind ru he called up the lov'd.
lie knew Mat his sisters mutt long fur him mourn,
'Plume sisters that lie had mi olten entered ;
lie aked that Ills duly lutght In III Mil he borne,
To sleep with his kindred, nnd there calmly rest.
Ilo thought of the prayers hu '' taught to repeat,
Addressed to Our l'.illior," by loved iukm at homo j
lie pr iyed that all in heaven might meet,
Where parting and death should nevermore ceino.
And of his lov'd country, the land of the free
Whose freedom to nave hail tost liiiu his life i
He asked that the friends iij h id left inisht soon see
The Angel of peace bring an end to all strife.
And soon his Iledecmer pan tokens of love,
A love that is ft.retu teof endless delight
Of Infinite bliss in tin! mantlnns above,
Where pence is eternal and sin can ne'er lili.'lit.
UN countenance henuilng with .aim, holy Joy,
And metkly submissive t Heaven's decree.
The pri'pect of death no more could annoy
Ho patiently waited his Snviour to sec.
Ilis flag was triumphant, he heard with ilelight
'J he pieans of virtory borne on the :,lr
"Now let mo depart to the mansion of light ;
i) (Joel, I'm content, 'Ihou hat answered my prayer."
Wo weep for the fallen, we mi him on earth
And mourn for the gm.l anil noble and hr.-uc
Affection must ever remember lii worth,
And tears still bedew and honnr his grave,
Jlut not without hope, for faith'gildcs the tomb,
Wc find our support In th" volume of Truth ;
Again he'll appear in an immortal bloom,
All radiant Willi gloiy and unlading youth,
BIBLE VIEW OF SLAVERY-
JJV I II K UT. HEW JOHN IIKNItV HOPKINS
ici'iscorAii itisnoi or vkiimost.
Tho following view of slavery from the
lliblieal point, is from Bi-hop Hopkins'
elaborate letter to doorce M. barton,
Esq., and others, of I'hiladilphiu, datsd
May 2, 1803.
The word "sl-irr" oct-tirs hut twice in
our English Hible, but the term "soivaut'.tl'oii.i'd by the Almighty occurs in the
commonly emnloved bv our trnrMaiors, ' bist of tho Ten Commaudmonis, delivered J
has the mcanin - of slave in the Hebrew
ami the Greek rriginal.s, as a general r.ulo, knowledged by dews aim 01 Ubtiaus .is
wbcri'itstands hlono. Wo road, however, ! 'niu M KAr, law; "Thou shall not rovet
in many places, of "hired servants," and thy neighbor's wifo, nor his man-servant,
of "bondmen and bondmaids." Tho firt ' nor his vvvl-scrvant, uor his ox, nor his
were not slaves, bat the others wore; tho 'ass, nor auything that is thy neighbor's,"
distinction l eing precisely the samo which (.Exod. 3D : 17.) Here it is evident tbat
exists in our own day. Slavery, thcro- I the piinciplc of property "anything that
foro, may be defined as servitude for life, is thy neighbor's" runs through tho
discenring to tlx offspring. And this ( whole. I am quite awaro, indeed, of the
kind of bondage appears to' have existed prejudice which many good people enter
as an established institution in all the ages tain against the idea of property in a hu
of our world, by tho universal evidence j man being, 'and shall coupler it, in duo
of history, whether sacred or proline. j time amongst the objections. I am equally
This understood, 1 shall not oppose tho 1 aware that the wives of our day may take
nrevali-nt idea that slavery is an evil in 1 umbrage at tho law which places them in
itself. A phys cut a it may bo, but this
does not satisfy the judgment of its more
rcalous adversaries, since thoy contend
that it is a moral evil a positive sin to
hold a human being in bondage, under
imy circumstances whatever, unless as a
punishment inflicted on crimes, for tho
safely of the community.
Hero, therefore, lies tho true aspect of
tho controversy. And it is cvidont that it
can only be settled by tho IJible. For
every Chribtiau is bound to assent to the
rulo ol tho inspired ApoHlo, that "sin is
tho transgicssion of tlio law," namely, the
law laid down in the Scriptures by the
authority ol God the supremo "Iiwgivcr,
who is able to s ue and to destroy." From
his Word there can bo no appeal. No
rebellion can be so atrocious in his sight
as that which dares to rise against his gov
ernment. No blasphemy can bo moro un
pardnnablo thau that which imputes sin or
moral evil to the decrees .if tho eternal
Judge, who is alouo perfect in wisdom, iu
kuowledgo, and in love.
With entire correctness, thereforo, your
letter refers the question to tho only infal
lible critcriou the Word of God. If it
were a matter to bo determined by my
personal sympathies, tastes, or feelings, 1
should be as ready as any man to condemn
the institution of slavery, for all my pre
judices of education, habit, nnd social po
sition stand entirely opposed to it, 13ut
hb a christian, I am solmnly warned not to
be "wIbc in my own conceit," nnd uat to
"lean to my own understanding." As n
Christian, I am compelled to submit my
weak nnd erring intellect to tlio i utlnrity
of the Almighty. For then only can I hi
safe in my conclusions, when I know that
thoy arc in accordanco with' the will of
Him, beforu whose tribunal I must render
a strict account in tlio last great day.
I proceed, accordingly, to tlio ovidenoo
of the sacred Scriptures, which, long ago,
produced complcto conviction in my own
ihind, and must, as I regard it, bo equally
conclusive to every candid and sincere in
quirer. When iha array of positive proof
is exhibited, I shall consider the objec
tions, and examine their validity with all
the fairness in my power.
The first appearance; of slavery in the
Bible is the" wonderful prediction of the
patriarch Noah : "Cursed bo Canaan, a
servant of servants shall he bo to his breth
ren. Blessed bo thu Lord God of Shcm,
and Canaan shtdl be his servant. God
shall cnlargo Japhct, and he sha.ll dwell
in the tents of Shcm, and Canaan shall be
hts sir vint, (Gin. 0: 25.)
Tho heartless irreverence which Ham,
the father of Canaan, displayed toward
his eminent parent, whose piety had just
saved him from the deluge, presented the
immediate occusio'i for this remarkable
prophecy; but tho actual fulfillment was
reserved for his postoiity, after they had
lost tin! knowledge of God, and become
utterly polluted by tho iib'jmi'.ations of
huaihen idolatry. The Almighty, fore
seeing this t tal degradation of ihc race,
oidaiiied them to servitude or blavcry un
Ider tho defendants nf Sliem and Japhct,
j doubtless because ho judged it to be their ry,mn unto his posses-lion, and yr. shall
, fittest condition. And all history proves return even m'tn lo hit fimily.u (Lev.
I how accurately the. prediction has been 05. ij.) This enactment, however, did
I accomplished, even to the present day. I not affoct t10 slaves, because it only ex
I Wc come next to t' c , roof that slavery tumlcd to tho I.ralitcs who had "a posscs
' wa sanctioned by tho Deity in the case of s0f, and n family," according to tho orig
I Abraham, whoso three hundred and cigh- nti distribution of the land among the
I teen bond servants, bom in his own house, tribes. The distinction is plainly set forth
: (lien. 14 : 14.) arc mentioned along with j tuo sa,nc chapter, namely S
J those who were bought with his money, as j "If thy brother that dwcllnllf by thee
proper subjects for circumcision, (Gcs. 17: be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee.
12 ) Ilis wile S.irah had also an Egyptian J t10U fchalt not cntnpol him to servo as a
slave, named llagar, who lied ttom tier . i,ond servant, but as a hired servant and
seventy. And ''the angel of tho Lord"aa a sojourner bo shall be with thee, and
commanded the fugitive to rytiirn lo Irr shall servo thee unto thu year of Jubilee,
miUnsi and sunibit herself. (Gen. 10 :
!).) If the philanthropists of our aso,
wi10 Irakis to believe the IJible, had been '
.. a.c t,Q counid of tbat a l
, , , il'
llllJlr Gu,i1l') lt w(,ulJ llavu P-t'sl-'rvcU t
the welfare of the Union. ;
! thinl proof that slavery was au-1
ft"0111 Mount Siuai, and universally ae- ,
. r 1 m
tho same sentence with tho ,slavo, and
even with tho house and the cattle. Hut
the truth is nono tho less certain The
husdaud has a real property in tho wifo,
because she is bound, for life, to servo aud
obey him. 'I he wifo has a real property
in her husband, becauso ho is bouud for
life to cherish and maintain her. Tho
oharactcr of property is doubtless modified
by its design. Hut whatever, whethor
person or thing, the law appropriates to an
individual, becomes o( necessity his prop
erty. The fourth proof, however U yet more
express, sis it is derived from tho direct
rulo established by tho wisdom of God for
his choscu people, Isiael,on thu very point
in question, namely :
"If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six
years shall bo servo, and in tho seventh
vear ho shall iro out free for nothing. If
ho camo in by himsell, ho shall go out by
with him. If his master havo given him
a wife, and sho havo homo him sons or
daughters, the wife and the children shull
be her master's and he skill go out by him
self.1 (Exod. 21 : 2-4.) Hero wo see
that the separation of husband and wifo is
positively directed by tho divine command
in order to secure the property of tho mas
ter bond-maid and offspring. Jlut ihc
husband had an alternative, if hn prefer
red slavery to separation. For thus tho
law of God proccedu : "If tho borvnnt
shall plainly say, I love my master, my
wifo aud my children ; 1 will not go out
froo ; then his master, slinll bring him un-
lo tlio judges; ho shall also bring him to
tho door or unto tho door-post; and his
master shall horo his car through with an
awl, nnd he shall serVc h'm forever."
(Exod. 21:5, 0.) With this law beforo
his eycs,what Christian can believe that tho
Almighty attached immorality or sin to the
condition of slavery?
Tho treatment of slaves, especially as it
regarded tho degrco of correction which
the master might administor, occurs in tho
samo cfcaptori as follows t ,(If a man smite
his servant or his maid with a rod, and ho
die under his hand, ho shall bo surely
punished. Notwithstanding if hocontinuo
a day or two he shall not be punished for
he is his money." (Exod; 21 : 20, 21.)
And again, ir a man smile the oyc of his
servant or tho cyo of his maid, that it per
ish, ho shall let him go free lor his eye's
sake. And if ho smito out his man servant
tooth, or his maid servant's tooth, ho shall
let him go frco for his tooth's sake."
(Exod. 21 : 2(5, 27.) Hero wo soc that
the master was authorized to use corporal
correction toward his slaves, within certain
limits. When immediate death ensued, he
was to bo punished as the judges might de
termine. But for all that came short of
teis, tho loss of his property was held to be
a sufficient penalty.
Tho next evidence furnished by tho di
vine law appears in the peculiar and ad
rairable appointment of tho Jubilee.
"Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the laud to
all the inhabitants thereof: it shall bo a
Jubileo unto you, and y. shall return eve-
and then shall ho depart from thee, both
ho and his children with him, and shall
mtum unto bis own f.tmilv. and unto the
,ion of his f;lhots sliaM h voturn.
, . , T,
For they arc my scrvrnts which I brought
forth out of the lane of E,'ypt, they shall
110t be Mold as bondmen, V th thy ban I-
men andbon-lnmitls, iruci thou shath-tvc,
shall be oj the heathen that arc lound about
y0u ; of them ahall ye buy bondmen and
bondmaids. .Moreover, of tho children
of tho strangers that do sojourn among
you, of litem bha I ye buy, and of their
families that aic with you, which they begat
in your land, and thoy shall be your pos
session. And ye shall take them as au in
hcritancc for your children after you, to
inhcrit'them for a possesion : they khali,
HE YOUR llONDMEN Foil LVKR J but OVCr
your brothrou, the children of Israel, ye
shall not rulo one over another with rigor.
For uuto mo the children of Israel arc
servants ; thoy aro my servants whom I
brought forth out of the laud of Ejypt : 1
am the Lord your God." (Lev. 25: 40
40, with v. 55 )
Tho distinction here made between the
temporary servitude of tho Isralito and the
perpetual bondage of the heathen race, is
too plain for controversy. And this ex
press and positive law furnishes the true
mcauing of another passage which tho ul
tra abolitionists is very fond of repenting i
'Thou shalt not deliver unto his master
the servant which is escaped from his
master unto ihec : ho shall dwell with
thec, even among you, in that place which
ho shall choose, in one of thy gates whero
it likctk him best: thou shall not oppress
him." (Dcut. 23:15, 10) This evi
dence must bo referred to tho caso of a
slavo who had escaped from a foreign
heathen master, and can uot, with any
sound reason, bo applied to tho slaves of
the Israelites themselves. For it is mani
fest that if it wero so applied, It would
nulify the other enactments of tho divino
Lawgiver, and it would havo bcon an ab
surdity to all ihc people that thuy should
"buy bondmen and bondmaids of the heath
en and tho stranger to bo their possession
and the inheritance of thoir children for
.. ... .11 -1
ever, Willie, neverineicss, tun biuvch
should bo at .iborty to run nway and be
como frcomcn when ihoy plcaso. It is the
well known maxim, in tho interpretation
of nil laws, that each sentence shall bo so
construed as to civc a consistent meaning
to tho wholo. And assuredly, if wc arc
bound to follow this rulo in tho legislation
of earth, wo can not bo lean bound to fol
low it in tho legislation of the Almighty.
The meaning that I havo adopted is th
only 0110 which agrees with tho established
principlo of legal construction, and it baa j
invariably bocti sanctioned by tho doctors
of tho Jewish law, and every rcspcctablo
Christian commentator.
Such, then is tho institution of slavery,
laid down by tho Lord God of Idaol
for his chosen pcoplo, nnd continued for
fiftejn centuries, until tho now dirpensa
tion of the Gi.spel. What change did this
produce ! I grant, of course, that wc, as
Christians, nro bound by tho precepts and
example of the Saviour and his apostles,
Let us now, thcroforc, proceed to tho all
mportant inquiry, whether wo arc au
thorized by theso to presume that tho
Mosaic system was done away.
First, then, wc ask what tho divine Re
deemer said in reference to slavery. And
tho answer is perfectly undeniable : He
DID NOT ALLUDE TO IT AT Ahh. Not
ono word upon the subject is recorded by
any of tho four Evangelists who gavo His
life and doctrines to tho world. Yet sla
very was in full existence at the time,
throughout Judca ; and the Roman empire,
according to tho historian Cibbon.containcd
sixty millions of slaves, on tho lowest prob
able computation 1 How prosperous and
united would our glorious rcpublio bo at
this hour, if the eloquent and pertina
cious dcclaimcrs against slavery had been
willing to follow thoir Saviour's example !
Hut did not our Lord substantially re
peal tho old law, by tho mcro fact that ho
established a now dispensation 1 Certain
ly not, unless they wero incompatible.
And that ho did not consider them in
compatible is clearly proved by his own
express declaration. ''Think
not," saith
ho, "that I am come to destroy
the
law
dc-
or tho prophots. I am not como
to
stroy,but to fulfill." ('Matt. 5 : 17-) On
that point, therefore, this single passage is
perfectly conclusive.
It is said by some, however, that tho
groat principle of tho .Gospel, love to God
anil love to man, necessarily involved the
condemnation of slavery. Yet how should
it have any such result, when wo remcm
her that this was 110 new Drincinlo. but. on
L t , 71., aiiviv 1
tlio contrary, was lam uown oy tlio Ueity
to hi? own chosen people, and was quoted
from tue Ultl Testament uy tlio saviour
himself? And why should slavery be
thought inconsistent with it ? In tho re
lation of master and slave, wc are assured
by our Soulhrcu brethren that there is in
comparably more mutual love than can
ever be found between tho employer and
the hireling. Aud 1 can readily believe
il, for tho very reason that it is a relation
for life, and tho parties, when rightly dis
posed, must therefore feel a far stronger
aud deeper interest in each other.
The next evidence which proves that the
Mosaic law was not held to bo inconsistent
with tho Gospel occurs in the statement of
tho apostles to St. Paul,madc some twenty
years, at least, after tho establishment of
the first Christians church in Jerusalem.
"Thou secst, brother," said thoy, "how
many thousands of Jews thoro arc who be
lieve and they aro all zealous of tho law.'
' (Acts 21 : 20.) How could this havo
been possible, il the law was supposed to
bo abohshad by tlio now dispensation I
I Uut tho precepts and tlio conduct 0! fat.
! Paul himself, tho great apostle of tho Gen- j
j tiles, arc all sufficient, becauso ho meets
j tho very point, and settles tho wbole ques
tion. Thus lie saith to the Eobcsian : Ser
vants, in tho original Greek bond servants
or slaves "bo obedient to them that aro
your mastors, according to the flesh with
fear aud treinbliug, in tingloncss of your
hearts, as unto Christ. Not with eye ser
vico, as men plcasers, but as tho servants
of Christ, doing tho will of God from tho
heart with good will doing servicers to the
Lord, aud not unto mon, knowing that
whatsoever good thing any man doelh, the
samo shall ho rcccivo of tho Lord, whether
he bo bond or free. And ye mastors,do the
same things unto them, forbearing threat
ening, knowing that your Master also is
in heaven, neither is there any respect of
persons with him." Eph. 0 : 5-0.
Again to tho Colossians, St. Paul re
ponts tho samo commandments "Servants,"
that is, bond servants or slavos "obey in
all thingsyourmastcrsaccordingtotho flesh
not with eye service, as men plcasers, but
in singleness of heart, fearing God." Col.
3 : 22.J 'Masters, givo unto your ser
vants that which is just and cquoal, kuow
ingthat yo also havo n Mastor in heaven.'
Col. 4 j 1.
Agoin, tho same inspired teacher lays
down tho law in very strong terms, to
Timothy, tho first Hishop of Ephcsus 1
Let as many servants as aro under tho
yoke," (that is, tho yoke of boudago,)
"count their own masters worthy o all
honor, that the namo ol God and his doc
trine be not blasphemed. And thoy that
havo beliovcing masters, let them not do
spiso them becauso they are brethren, but
rather do thorn torvico becauso thoy aro
faithful and beloved, partakers of tho bene
fit, Those things toaoli nnd exhort. If
any man leaeh otherwise, and consent not
to wholesome worJs even the words of oUr
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the docirine
which is according to godlinces , he is proud,
knowing nothing, but doling about ques
tions and strife of words, whereof comcth
envy, strife, railings, evil sunnisings, per'
verse disputins of men of corrupt minds
and dslitulc of the truth, supposing that
gain is godliness. From such withdraw
thyself. Hut godliness with coutontincut
is great gain. For wo brought nothing
into this world, and it is certain wo can
carry nothing out And having food and
raiment, let us bo therewith content."
(1 Tim.O: 1-8.)
Lastly, St. Paul, in his Epistle to Phile
mon, informs him that he had sent back
his fugitive slave, whom tho apostle had j
convened to the Christian faith during his 1
during his
imprisonment, asking tho master to for
give and rcccivo his penitent disciplo. "I
beseech thee for my son Onesimus," saith
ho, "whom I have begottan in my bonds,
which in time past was lo thec unprofita
ble, but now profitable to thee nnd to mo,
whom I havo sent ngain : thou thereforo
rdecive him that is mine own bowcls,whom
I would have retained with mo, that in
thy stead ho might have ministered unto
me in tho bonds of tho gospel. But with
out thy mind would I do nothing, that thy
benefit should not ho as it were of neces
sity, but willingly. For perhaps ho thcro
foro t'epartcd for a season, that thou
shouldst receive him forever, not now as a
servant, but nbovo a servant, a brother
beloved, specially to mo, but how much
more to thee, both in tho flesh and in the
Lord. If thou countcst mo therefore a
partner, receive him as myself. If ho hath
wronged thee or owcth thec aught, put
that on mine accouut. I Paul havo writ
ten it with mine own hand. I will repay
U ; albeit 1 do not say to thec how thou
owest unt0 mc t,;no own soui
($, to Philemon 5 : 10, 19.)
besides.
The evidence of tho Now Testament is
thus oomplclo, plainly proving that tho in
stitution of slavery was not abolished by
the Gosnol. Compare now tho course of
tho ultra abolitionist with that of Christ
and his inspired apostle. Tho divine Re
deemer openly rebukes the sanctimonious
1 Pharisees, "who mado
void the law of
Q.0d by their traditions."
He spares not
the wealthy, infidel Sndducccs. Ho de
nounces tho hypocritical Scribes, who
"loved tho uppermost rooms at feasts and
to be called of men, Ilabbi, llabbi " He
calls tho royal Horod "that fox," entirely
regardless of the king's displeasure,
Ho censuras severely the Jowish practice
of divorcing their wives for iho slightest
cause, and vindicates tho original sanctity
of marriage. He tells the deluded crowd
of his enemies that they aro "tho children
of the devil, and that tho lusts of their fa
thers they would do." Ho makes a scourgo
of gmali cords aI1j dr;vcs ttJ0 hUyCrs and
sellers out of the temple. And whilo he
thus rebukes the sins of all around him,
and speaks with divine authority, he pro;
claims himself tho special friend and pa
tron of tho poor preaches to thorn his
blessed docttino, on tho mountain, by the
seaside, or in the public streets, tinder the
open canopy of heaven heals their dis
eases, partakes of their humble faro, and,
passing by tho rich and tho groat, chooses
his apostles from tho ranks of tho publi
cans nnd tho fisherman of Galileo. Yet
ho lived in tho midst of slavery, maintain
cd over the old licalucii raco-t, in accor
dance with tho Mosaic law, and u'.tercd
not ono word against it I What proof can
bo stronger than this, that ho did not rc
gard it as a sin or n moral evil ! And
what contrast can bo moro manifest than
this example of Christ on the ono hand,
and the loud aud bitter denunciations of
our anti-slavery proachcrs nnd politicians,
calling themselves Christians, on tho oth
or I For thoy not only set themselves
against the Word of God in this matter,
condemning slavery ns tho "monster sin,"
tho "sum of all villainies," but strongo
to say they do it in tho very namo of a generous sympathy for what thoy sup
that Saviour whose wholo lino of conduot ' pose to bo tho rights of man. I can not,
was the very opposite of their own ! j however, raako the samo apology for those
Look next at the contrast afforded by j who aro professionally pledged to undor
tho insnired Anoslle of the Gentiles. Ho ' stand nnd inculcate the dootrincs of tho
preaches to tho slave, mid tolls him to bo
obedient to his master for Christ s sake,
faithful and submissive, as a main branch
of rclisious duty. Itc preaches to tho
master and tolls him to be just and equal
to lib blavc, knowing that his Master is
in heaven. Ilo finds a fugitive slave, and
converts him to tho Gospel, and then sends
him back again td his did homo, with n
lettor of kind rcbommendatlon. Why docs
St. Paul act thus 1 Why does ho not
counsel tho fdgitivo to claim his right to
freedom, nnd defend that right, il neces
sary, by tho strong hand of violence, oven
unto death T Why docs ho not write to
Ins disciple, Philemon, and rebuke him
for tho awful sin of holding a fellow-man
in bondage, nnd charge it upon him, as a
solemn duty, to emancipate his slaves, at
the peril of his soul.
Tho answer is very plain. St, Paul
was inspiicd, and hncio the will of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and was only intent on
obeying it. And who aro wc, that in our
modern wisdom presume to set aside tho
Word of God, and scorn tho example 0!
tho divine llcdeomor, and spurn the
preaching and tho conduct of the apostles,
and invent for ourselves a "higher law"
than thoso holy Scriptures which arc given
to us as ,n light to our feet and a lamp to
our paths," in tho darkness of a sinful
nnd polluted world I Who aro wc, that
virtually blot out tho' language of tho sa-
crcd record, and dictate to the Majesty of
heaven what he shall regard as sin, and
reward as. duty ? Who are we, that arc
ready to tramplo on the doctrine of tho
Bible, and tear to shreds the Constitution
of our country, and even plungo tho land
into the untold horrors of civil war, and
yet boldly pray to tho God of Israel to
bless our very acts of rebellion against
his own sovereign authority 1 Woo to
our Union when the blind becomo tho
leaders of tho blind 1 Woo to the man
who daro to "strivo against his Maker !"
Yet I do not mean to charge the numer
ous and respectable friends of this popular
delusion with n willful or conscious oppo
sition to the truth. They arc seduced,
doubtless, in the great majority of cases,
by the feelings of a false philanthropy,
which palliates, if it can not excuse, their
dangerous error. Living far away from
tho Southern States, with no practical nx
pciicnce of the institution, and accustomed,
from their childhood, to attach an inordi
nate value of thoir personal liberty, they
are naturally disposed to compassion nto
the negro raco, and to believe that tho
slave must bo supremely wretched in his
bondage. They aro under no special in
ducement to "search the Scriptures" on
this particular subject, nor are they in
general, I am sorry to say, nccustomed
to study tho Bible half as much as they
road tho newspapers, tho novel and tho
magazine. There they find many revolt
ing pieturcs of slavery, and they do not
pause to ask tho question whether they
are just and faithful. Perhaps a fugitive
comes along, who has fled from his mas
ter, and who, in justification of himself,
will usually gtva n very distorted state
ment of tho facts oven if ho does not in
vent them altogether. And theso good
and kind-hearted people believe It all im
plicitly, without over rcmembsring the
rule about hearing boln sides beforo we
form our opinion. Of course, thoy sym
pathize warmly with tho poor, oppressed
African, and are generously excited to hate
tho system of slavery with all their heart.
Then tho eloquent prenbhor chooses it for
tho favorite topio of his oratory. The
theme is well adapted to rouso tho feel
ings, and it is usm lly by no means diffi
cult to interest and gratify tho audience,
whon tho supposed sins of others, which
they aro under no temptation to commit,
arc mado tho object of censure. In duo
timo, when the public mind is sufficiently
heated, tho politician lays hold of tho sub
ject, and makes tho anti-slavery movement
tho watehward of party. And finally tho
Press follows in the wake of tho loaders,
and the fire is industriously fanned until
it becomes a perfect blaze ; ivhilo the ad
miring throng surround it with exultation,
and fanoy its lurid light to bo from heaven,
until tho flames begin to threaten their
own security.
Such has been tho perilous oourso of
out Northern sontlment on tho subject of
slavery. The great majority, in every
community, aro tho creatures of habit, of
association and of impulso, nnd every al
lowance should be mado for thoso errors
wbioh aro committed in ignorance, undGr
Bible. On that class of our publio in
structors, the present perilous crisis of tho
nation casts a fearful responsibility. Sol
emnly bound by their eacrcd offioo to
preach tho Word of God, and to follow
Christ aud his apostlci, as the heralds of
"pea6o afid good-will lo mon," flioy scera
to inc sirangely regardless, on nils' impor
tant subject, of their highest obligations.
But it is not for m6 to judgo thorn. To
their own Master, lot them stand or fall.
Thus, then, I havo examined the vari
ous topics embraced in your inquiry, and
tho conclusion which I havo been compell
ed to adopt must bo sufficiently manifest.
Tho slavery of tho flcgro raco, os main
tained in the Southern States, appears to
mo fully authorized both in tho Old and
New Testament, which, ns tho written
Word of God, afford the only infalliblo
standard of moral rights and obligations.
That very slavery, in my humble judg
ment, has raised tho negro incomparably
higher in the scale of humanity, and
seems, in fact, to be tho only instrumen
tality through which the heathen posterity
of Ham havo been raised at all. Out of
that slavery has arisen the interesting col
ony of Liberia, planted by slave holders,
to be a place of roffugo for their emanci
pated bondmen, and destined, as 1 hope,
to bo a rich benefit, in its fuluro growth
nnd influence, to Africa nnd to tho world.
I do not forget, and I trust that I do not
undervalue, the missionary work of En
gland and our own land, in that benighted
continent. But I believe that tho number
of negroes Christionizcd and civilized at
the South, through tho system of slavery,
exceeds the product of those missionary
labors, in n proportion of thousands to"
one. And ihus the wisdom and goodness
of God aro vindicated in tho sanction
which his word has given, nnd the sen
tence originally pronounced on Canaan aa
acurso has boon converted into a blessing.
I have now gone over the whole ground
covered by your kind application, nnd
would only hero repeat that on the ques
tion of slavery, which lies at the root of
all our pjosont difficulties, I have obeyed
the rulo of conscience and of duty, in opi
position to my hnbits, ray prejudices, nnd
my sympathies, all of which wduld tend
strongly to tho other side. I need hardly
say that I am no politician. Moro than
forty years have elapsed sinco I ceased
even to attend the polls. But as uChris-
tian, I am bound to accept the doctrine of
tho apostles for my guide. And as a citi
zen, I am bound to sustain tho Constitu
tion of tho United States, and defend thoso
principles of law, ntid order, and friendly
comity, which every State should faith
fully regard in its relations to tho rest.
In con-clusion, I would only say, that I
am perfectly awaro how distasteful my
sentiments must bo, on this very serions
question, to tho great majority of my rc
sperted fellow-citizens, in the region whero
divino Providenco has cast my lot. It
would assuredly be far moro agreeable if
I could conscientiou'ly conform to tho
opinions of ray friends, to whoso ability,
sincerity, and zeal I am ready to givo all
just commendation. But it would be mcro
moral cowardice in mc to suppress what
I believe to bo tho truth, for the sake of
popularity, It can not bo long beforo I
shall stand at the tribunal of that Almigh
ty and unerring Judgo, who has given us
tho inspired Scriptures to bo our supreme
directory in every moral and religious duty.
My gray hairs admonish mo that I may
soon bo called to givo an account of ray
stewardship. And I have no fear of thu
sentence which He will pronounco upon an
honest though humble effort to sustain tho
authority of His Wonn, in just allianco
with tho Constitution, the peace, and' the
public wclfaro of my country.
With tho fervent prayer that the Spirit
of Wisdom, unity, und fraternal kindness
may guido our National Congress, the
Legislatures of tho several States, and tho
sovereign will of our wholo people, to a
happy accommodaiion of every existing
difficulty,
I remain, wrh great regard, ,
Your faithful sorvant in Christ,
John II. Hopkins.
Bishop of the Diocese of Venn on f.
Human NATuni:.-Some wise man sagely
rc-marked, "there is a good deal of hu
man nature In man." It crops out oe
caiionally in boys. Ono of tho urchins
in tho schoolsbip Massachusetts, who wasi
quite sick, was visited by a kind lady.
The little fellow was suffering acutely, and
his visitor asked him ifsho could do anything
for htm, "Yes'' replied patient, "road to
me." "Will you have a story I" asked
the lady. "No" answered the boy,'road
from the Bible ; read about Lazarus ;"
nnd the lady complied. Tho next day the
visit was repeated, and again tlio boy
asked the lady to read. "Shall I toad
from tho Biblo," she inquired. "Oh no,''
was tho reply, "I'm better to-day ; read
me a love sloty, New liedor Standard)