We have proof positive, that the relation of master and servant is not
inconsistent with the word of God. "Servants, be obedient to them that
are your masters according to the flesh." "Masters, give unto your
servants, that which is just and equal." This is the language of Holy
Writ. Among the converts of the apostles were slaveholders. They were
converted as slaveholders; admitted into the church as slaveholders;
and as such, retained in the church in full fellowship, enjoying all
the privileges and immunities of the church. They were not required so
far as we know, in any instance, to manumit their slaves. It is highly
probable, that the best thing that they could do for them, for the
time being, was to retain them as servants, and treat them according
to the injunctions of the apostle; "Give unto your servants that which
is just and equal."
The case of Philemon and Onesimus, his servant, is fully to the point.
Philemon, a convert of St. Paul, appears to have been a devoted
Christian; and I infer, from the language of St. Paul, a teacher or
preacher of the Gospel. He had a wicked servant, by name Onesimus.
Onesimus, (if I may use modern parlance), ran away from his master,
Philemon. St. Paul found him at Rome, and converted him. What then
became of this fugitive slave? Did St. Paul conceal him, or did he
advise him to flee still farther from his master, in order to elude
pursuit and apprehension? Did he say to Onesimus, why brother
Onesimus, you are now a Christian; Philemon, your master is a
Christian; we are all Christians; and one Christian has no right,
under any circumstances, to retain another in bondage? No! Thank God,
St. Paul promulgated no such doctrine. What then did he say to
Onesimus? Go home, and be subject to your master, Philemon. Love him
and serve him, in the singleness of your heart. Do it freely and
cheerfully; without murmuring or repining; and whatever service them
shalt render unto thy master, Philemon, it shall be accounted unto
thee, as service rendered unto the God of heaven. Dear brother
Onesimus, thy condition is now changed; for, whereas Philemon was
formerly thy master; he is now thy master and thy brother, and thou
shalt obey him and love him as such. Go home brother; and here is a
letter I have written to brother Philemon, your master. Onesimus
returns home with this letter in his pocket. Anxious I have no doubt,
to see his good old master. His feelings and views had undergone a
change. He loved his master then; whereas, he formerly hated him, and
fled from his service. No time is lost; he returns home in haste to
his master. They meet. He approaches Philemon and extends his hand,
while tears trickle down his cheeks. Master, (says he to Philemon), I
have been a wicked and unfaithful servant; but thank God, I found St.
Paul at Rome and he has converted me to Christianity; and here is a
letter from brother Paul. And did you see brother Paul, exclaimed
Philemon? Oh! yes, said Onesimus; his countenance lighting up and his
eyes dancing in their sockets for joy. And is dear brother Paul well?
How does he do? Oh! very well master, very well, indeed. Philemon then
proceeds to open the letter, and what does he read therein?
"I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ--unto Philemon, our dearly
beloved brother--Grace to you and peace from God--Hearing of thy love
and faith--Which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus Christ; I beseech
thee for my son, Onesimus, That thou shouldst receive him forever."
Receive him, said St. Paul, not only as a good and faithful servant,
now profitable to thee; but receive him as a brother beloved--an heir
of salvation. Here is clearly set forth the duty of ministers,
masters, and servants; but, as I shall again and again refer to this
subject, I will now proceed to show reasons why, the holding of slaves
is not necessarily sinful under all circumstances.
A slaveholder is under no obligation to emancipate his slave, provided
the condition of the slave is made worse thereby. And it is obvious,
that there are many cases, in which both master and slave would
sustain injury, by the emancipation of the slave. Under such
circumstances, there are as good reasons, why a slave should be
retained in bondage, as there are, that a minor should be subject to
his parents until he is twenty-one years of age; or that an idiot
should be placed under the supervision and control of some one, during
his natural life. The reason is based on inability and incompetency of
the slave, the minor and the idiot. They are not qualified to reason
and to judge, and are therefore incompetent to act; hence, it devolves
on some one to reason and to judge for them, and to supervise and
control their actions. The welfare of the slave, the minor, and the
idiot, is subserved by subjecting them to the control of competent
persons; and the peace, prosperity, and general good of all are
promoted thereby.
Before I proceed farther with the respective duties of masters and
servants, I beg leave to present some solemn thoughts, for the
consideration of Christian slaveholders. I have endeavored to show,
that the holding of slaves is not sinful, _per se_; but if
slaveholders fail to discharge the duties enjoined on them, the Divine
Being will hold them accountable for their dereliction of duty. Such
is the deceitfulness of our hearts, and such the proneness of our
corrupt natures to wander from the path of duty, that it is necessary
for us at all times to scrutinize well, the motives which prompt us to
act, and to test all our actions by the only standard of truth, the
Holy Scriptures. Our Saviour tells us, that it is easier for a camel
to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Not that the possession and enjoyment of riches
is necessarily sinful; but if those who have wealth, fail as good
stewards, to use it according to the requisitions of the Bible, then
are they guilty in the sight of God. So it is with slavery.
Slaveholding is not necessarily sinful, but if slaveholders fail to
discharge the duties enjoined on them in the New Testament; then are
they guilty in the sight of God. And here lies the difficulty; when we
point out to a rich man his duty, his corrupt and avaricious heart
interposes and says, no; you would rob me of my goods, you would
damage my pecuniary interests; I cannot, I will not yield to your
requisitions. We sometimes encounter the same difficulty with
slaveholders. They sometimes imagine that duty and interest, are
antagonistic principles. They imagine, that if they discharge their
duty to the slaves, their pecuniary interests will suffer thereby; and
for this reason, I have sometimes thought, that it might be as
difficult for a slaveholder to enter the kingdom of heaven, as for a
rich man. "The love of money, the root of all evil," stands in the way
in both cases. If duty and our worldly interest could always run in
the same channel, then should we find it no difficult task to be
Christians; but as they are sometimes opposing forces, antagonistic
principles, the contest is difficult, and the result sometimes
doubtful.[3] Duty, commands the rich man to feed the hungry and clothe
the naked; but the rich man says, nay, Lord, my goods are my own; I
procured them by honest labor, and must I now appropriate them to
feeding the hungry and clothing the naked? What right have they to
enjoy the fruits of my labor? Your requisition Lord, is unreasonable.
I cannot, I will not comply. Duty, says to the slaveholder, "Give unto
your servants that which is just and equal, forbearing threatening;"
but the slaveholder says, nay Lord, my slave is my own property, I
purchased him with my own money, and what right have you to dictate to
me, how I shall treat my slave? Is he not my own, have I not the right
to feed, clothe, work, and otherwise treat him, as seemeth good in
mine own eyes; and who has the right to interfere? A compliance with
your unreasonable demands will materially affect my pecuniary
interests. My object is to amass wealth, to hoard up silver and gold;
and I shall therefore so manage my affairs as to accomplish this
object.
[3] By _worldly interest_, I wish to be understood, the accumulation
of wealth by any and every means, and the hoarding it up, regardless
of the wants and sufferings of those around us.
He that sets up for himself, regardless of the peace, happiness, and
comfort of his fellow creatures--he that hath a will of his own, and
will not yield to the requisitions of God's word--he that will take
his own way, regardless of the dictates of his better informed
judgment--he that will go his own course, it matters not on whose
rights he infringes--he that will consult his own interests, and at
the same time trample under foot the dearest interests of others, has
no right, or title, to the name of a Christian. If the Bible says do
this, or abstain from that, the Christian has no right to demur; it
matters not how repugnant it may be to the feelings and inclinations
of his heart. He must cheerfully and heartily at all times, and under
all circumstances, acquiesce in the will of a superior intelligence.
He must be willing to sacrifice all; not only his earthly goods, but
life itself, if God requires it at his hands. This is the doctrine of
the Bible, and well did the Saviour say, "Strait is the gate and
narrow is the way, that leadeth to life; and few there are that find
it." "Many are called, but few are chosen." The Christian is not at
liberty to consult his own personal interests and inclinations, when
they are in opposition to the will of God. "Ye are not your own, (says
the apostle), ye are bought with a price."
It was impressed on my mind in early life, that there was much error
and misconception among Christian slaveholders in general, in
reference to their obligations to their slaves, and a long residence
among them has but strengthened and confirmed those convictions. I
have no reference here to those who view slave property in the same
light, that they do every other species of property; but to
conscientious and humane men. I allude to you, who profess to be the
followers of the meek and lowly Jesus--you, who take the Bible for the
man of your council--you, who profess to be the servants of that God
who is no respector of persons--you, who profess to be under the
influence of that religion which recognizes every man as a brother
beloved, for whom Christ shed his precious blood.
I beg leave to impress on your minds the solemn truth, that your
slaves are human beings of like passions, feelings, and propensities
as yourselves; that they have immortal souls; that their joys and
their sorrows, their happiness, and their misery, are suspended on the
treatment which they receive at your hands; and that not only their
present happiness and misery, but in all probability, their eternal
destiny may be influenced by your course of conduct toward them. These
are weighty considerations--would to God I could impress their
importance on your minds; and that you would give them that prayerful
and serious attention winch they demand at your hands.
In assuming the right to direct and control fellow beings, from their
cradles to their graves, you have taken on yourselves responsibilities,
onerous indeed; and whatever may be your feelings,--whatever may be
your views--whatever may be your course toward these unfortunate
beings, of one thing you may be assured, that you are destined to meet
them at the bar of judgment, and that if you have failed to discharge
the duties obligatory on you, God Almighty will require their souls at
your hands.
It is there that the rich and the poor, the bond and the free, the
slave and his master, shall meet on a common level before a just and
Almighty Judge; who, without respect of persons, colors, grades, or
conditions in life, shall render unto every man according to his
works, whether they be good or evil. In that dread day, it will avail
you nothing, that in this world you were men of renown; that in this
world the indigent and the ignorant, cowered in your presence, or were
awed into submission by your superiority; or, that the summits of your
superb and beautiful mansions vied with the clouds--that you added
house to house, and field to field--that you amassed silver and gold
as the dust of the earth--and that you were surrounded by all the
elegancies and enjoyed all the comforts of life--rioted in excess and
reveled in luxury. There you will stand before a just and scrutinizing
God, divested of all those superfluities, and stripped of all that
drapery, and those fascinating accomplishments, which attracted the
attention and commanded the respect and admiration of your dependants
and inferiors in this world.
Having in the preceding pages, but incidentally alluded to the duties
of servants, I will close the present chapter with a few remarks on
that subject. "Servants obey in all things your masters according to
the flesh," &c. Servants are taught in the New Testament, not only to
obey their masters, but to do it in the fear of God, cheerfully,
freely, and actively; not simply with a view to please their masters,
but as a service or duty, which God requires of them and for which he
will hold them accountable.
It is a little remarkable, that so much should have been said and
written about the cruel and harsh treatment of servants, and the
duties of masters, and that the duties of servants should have been
overlooked. Servants are commanded to be subject to their masters,
"not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." The
non-observance of this command on the part of servants, has frequently
engendered that peevishness and perverseness in masters to which the
apostles alludes, viz. forwardness among servants, has engendered
frowardness in masters. It is the duty of servants, to oppose the evil
tempers and dispositions, and the inhumanity of masters, by opposite
tempers and dispositions, and by an opposite course of conduct. This
is the command of God; and by yielding obedience to this command, they
would to some extent, at least, reform their masters, and secure to
themselves kind treatment. It is their only hope; it is all they can
do, that will be likely to ameliorate their conditions as slaves. If
servants would obey the injunctions of Holy Writ, they would seldom be
treated cruelly or unkindly. It is their own disobedience and
perverseness that subjects them, for the most part, to cruel
treatment. I know, from personal observation, that the unkind, the
harsh, the cruel treatment of slaves, in a large majority of cases,
originates in their failure to observe the injunctions of the inspired
writers.
I have shown that it is the duty of servants to "love" and "obey"
their "masters," to "count them worthy of all honor," and "to please
them well in all things;" and it now devolves on those who have taught
a contrary doctrine, to either admit their error, or otherwise to
throw away their Bibles. It is folly for persons to persist in a
course so contrary to the word of God, and notwithstanding, to call
themselves Christians. I know that there are many who will plead
ignorance, when they are arraigned for their unscriptural views, and
their unwarrantable interference with slavery. It is too true--poor
souls, they are ignorant--deplorably ignorant; but in all seriousness
I would ask, how is it in this land of Bibles, that a majority of
those professing Christianity, should know but little more about the
Sacred Scriptures, than the heathen who never saw a Bible? But they
have no time to read the Bible, and what is worse, they have no taste
for it. All their leisure moment are devoted to the reading abolition
papers, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and other contemptible low, filthy novels!
But how is it, that there are ministers of the gospel of all
denominations of Christians, who are guilty of inculcating doctrines
on the subject of slavery, that are directly opposed to teachings of
Divine inspiration? Are they ignorant of the fact, "that slavery
pervaded the whole Eastern world, at the introduction of
Christianity;" and yet not one word was uttered by our Saviour and his
apostles, in condemnation of it as a civil institution? Are they
ignorant of the fact, that both masters and servants were admitted
into the church of Christ, and that masters were required in no
instance, so far as we know, to manumit their slaves? Are they
ignorant of the fact, that Christ and his apostles taught masters and
servants their relative duties, and otherwise left the institution of
slavery as they found it? Have they ever read Paul's letter to
Timothy? "Let as many servants as are under the yoke, count their
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
despise them, because they are brethren? but rather do them service,
&c. These things teach and exhort. _If any man teach otherwise, he is
proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of
words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the
truth. From such withdraw thyself_."
A more graphic description of the abolition clergymen of the present
day could not be drawn. It is a picture of modern abolition drawn by
the Omniscient God; and every word of it was originally applied to the
subject of slavery and abolitionism. We have had strife, we have had
railings, evil surmisings and perverse disputings; and we are indebted
to corrupt fanatical clergymen for all these evils--for all this
contention and slavery agitation--for all this envy, jealousy, hatred
and sectional feeling--for all that endangers our peace and
prosperity--our liberty, our happiness--and the perpetuity of this
glorious Union. Yes, my fellow citizens, we are indebted to the
emissaries of England, and native born American citizens, who from
sinister motives have cloaked themselves with ministerial garb, for
all the contention, all the evils, all the crime that has accrued or
grown out of African slavery in the United States! St. Paul says, that
they are "men of corrupt minds," and that they are "destitute of the
truth;" and he moreover commands Timothy to "withdraw from such"
characters. And in the name of God, I command every Christian, every
patriot, every friend of republicanism, every gentleman of honor, to
"withdraw" from such men. Excommunicate them, cast them off,--cast
them out as evil spirits--have no fellowship with them, until they
repent of their crimes and cease from the evil of their ways. They are
enemies to "pure and undefiled religion," and traitors to their
country; and as such, they should be viewed and treated by every good
citizen.
Many persons suppose that abolitionism is of modern origin; but it is
an error, for we learn from the Epistle of Paul to Timothy, that it
was agitating the church of Christ in the apostolic ages. St. Paul
denounces those agitators as "men of corrupt minds;" and he moreover
says unto Timothy, "from such withdraw thyself;" viz., excommunicate
them--exclude them from the church, and have no fellowship with them.
It is a fact, worthy of note, that primitive Christians never meddled
with the civil institutions of the countries in which they resided.
They were under all circumstances good and loyal subjects. But the
efforts of the apostle Paul, to crush the monster abolitionism, did
not entirely succeed, for it has continued to agitate the church, from
that day to the present hour. Yes, the foul fiend, with head erect,
and brazen front, is stalking over our beloved country to the present
day!
It appears that portions of the church, notwithstanding the solemn
injunctions and admonitions of St. Paul, continued to interfere with
the civil and domestic relations of master and servant. But the
practice was condemned as unchristian, by nearly all the principal
_fathers_. Particularly, Ignatius, Chrysostom and Jerome. Ignatius
says, "let them (servants), serve their masters with greater
diligence, and not be puffed up--and let them not desire their liberty
to be purchased by the church." It was decreed by one of the ancient
councils of the church,--"if any teach, that by virtue of religion or
Christian instruction, that the slave may despise his master, or may
withhold his service, let him be anathema," viz., let him be accursed
of God, and separated or excommunicated from the church of Christ. Let
the church have no fellowship, union, or communion with him, and let
him be an off-cast from society.
Mark the above, reader! It is the language of the apostle Paul, and
the voice of the primitive church of Christ with reference to
abolitionism. I have said nothing worse--I have not said more--I shall
not say less. It is God's truth; harsh and severe as it may appear to
some of you. And to abolitionists, I have only to say in conclusion,
poor deluded souls, I sincerely pity you. Bow your heads with shame
and grief--it may be, the Lord will have mercy upon you.