tives. This is ever done at the call of interest or humour. The poor sufferers may expostulate; they may plead with tears; their hearts may break; but all in vain. The laws of nature are violated, the tender ties are dissolved, a final separation takes place, and the duties of these relations can no longer be performed, nor their comforts enjoyed. Would slaves perform the duties of husbands, wives, parents and children; the law puts it out of their power. Hence, it is evident that the law of nature or the laws of men are wrong."--Rice.

If holy resentment is excited at the support given to such criminality by national regulations, what Christian commiserates not those, who defend this villany, and who consent with a man-stealer, by acknowledging him an acceptable believer; thus transforming the eternal reprobation which God has affixed upon slavery, into a ratification of their ungodliness. Are not these ecclesiastical officers, blind watchmen, shepherds who cannot understand, looking to their own way, every one for his gain, from his own SLAVE quarter? Isaiah 56: 10, 11. Did all the preachers faithfully delineate this iniquity, and the curse which attends it, slavery would immediately expire.

As individuals, we are accountable to God, for all our actions; but by denying to our fellow creatures, the use of their reason, the acquisition of knowledge, and the exercise of their powers, we interpose a claim between the Creator and man, equally insulting to Jehovah, disgraceful to the church, and injurious to our neighbour. By refusing him requisite instruction, we extinguish his capacity, and by chaining his will, we preclude his obedience to the divine commands.

Ere long eternity will open to our incredulous eyes; the Lord of the servants will come, and reckon with them. • The kidnapper and his slave, the legislator_and_the preacher stand before the righteous Judge. The manstealer pleads interest as his apology. The property excuses himself upon the impracticability of fulfilling his duties. The legislator urges the exigency of the case, and the bad policy of emancipation. The minister is ad.

dressed; didst thou inculcate, that the slave merchant was the greatest criminal in society? didst thou enjoin the exhibition of love, and justice, and mercy? didst thou preach deliverance to the captive? didst thou warn the lawgiver of his usurpation, in enacting laws subversive of my supremacy, contradictory to my word, derogatory to thy nature, and condemned by thy conscience? "No, Lord," must the wretched Judas acknowledge: "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth." Thou a Christian and a slave-holder! thy portion is with thieves. Thou a man and not obey my commands! but thou didst not know thy Lord's will, thou shalt be beaten with few stripes. Thou a legislator, and overturn the law of God! Thou didst love and make a lie: drown him and his policy in everlasting fire. Thou a watchman, and not admonish them: cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness!" GOD BE MERCIFULTO YOU SINNERS!

Slave-holders plead that they are Christians. In what principles does Christianity consist? Buying souls, kidnapping children, tormenting women, brutalizing -men, robbing the labourer, and oppressing the innocent captive? then are they indeed saints!

But the Gospel unequivocally declares, that to enslave a man is the highest kind of theft; to purloin children is the compound of all robbery, as it steals a father's joy, a mother's tenderness, a brother's delight, and a sister's affection; to excruciate a female by stripes or by violation, is the height of barbarity; to divest man of his rational characteristics is the most diabolical impiety; to defraud the friendless and overpowered dependant of his just recompense, is the very mass of all injustice; to destroy feminine modesty is the source of all other crimes personal and relative; to profane the sabbath absolutely disavows the authority of God, and salvation by Jesus Christ; and to prolong human existence in agony, the mind bereft of consolation and the body of needful support, is a concatenation of crime indescribable. Can the perpetrators, the defenders, the compromisers, the participators, and the connivers, who by any mode protract such inexpressi

ble flagitiousness be Christians? One of the most eulogised preachers in Virginia sometime ago remarked: "to call this a Christian state is absurd. It is a community of profligate infidels, with a few scattered Christians among them." The fact is undeniable, and why? Sceptics, Deists and Worldlings ridicule with scorn all endeavours to combine slavery and Christianity; and candidly acknowledge that it is utterly impracticable to compound gospel morality, Columbian republicanism, reciprocal justice and natural humanity, with American slave-holding, and the common traffic in the flesh, blood, and souls of our fellow citizens.

The word of God condemns this turpitude as the most atrocious criminality: and no man can momentarily admit, that unerring rectitude sanctions this system of iniquity. Whether we advert to the motives, the objects, or the results of slavery, it is totally incompatible with Christianity.

Slave-holding is a substitution of Mammon for God. Avarice originated and perpetuates man-stealing. Wealth is the grand desire of every flesh-merchant; and all traders in the persons of men exhibit conduct, which is as essentially different from the devotional, philanthropic, and equitable demands of the gospel, as the purity of Paradise is dissimilar to the depravation of Pandemonium.

Are any persons so lamentably blind, that they cannot discern the anti-christianity of robbing the rights of man, the impiety of turning the blind from the way, disobedience in rendering all sacred ordinances a nullity, cruelty in the diversified pain with which they burden their fellow citizens, and dishonesty in falsehood, fraud, and stealing; who should expose their delusions, and rouse them from their stupor? The Ministers of the Sanctuary. "By their vocation," says Cugaono, “the clergy are the messengers of truth. They ought to watch society, to expose its errors, and bring the wicked back to virtue. If their conduct be otherwise, the public sins will fall on their head. Either they know not the truth, or they dare not reveal it, and are therefore partners in national crimes."

Persons through satanic delusion, will hear the most

solemn verities, unaffected. An expositor of the scriptures may enforce justice and mercy; but the kidnapper avows, that he is a righteous man, for he only bought his slaves and stole their children; he did not sail to Africa and transport them. He alleges, that he is merciful, for he bestows upon his slaves meat once weekly, his neighbours give them none. A preacher should demonstrate, that his pretended justice is a cheat; that his mercy is savageness; and that he who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayers are an abomination to the Lord. He regards iniquity in his heart, the Lord will not hear him. But if the PULPIT, the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, none can prepare himself for the battle.

To pray and kidnap! to commune and rob men's all! to preach justice, and steal the labourer with his recompence! to recommend mercy to others, and exhibit cruelty in our own conduct! to explain religious duties, and ever impede the performance of them! to propound the example of Christ and his apostles, and declare that a slaveholder imitates them! to enjoin an observance of the Lord's day, and drive the slaves from the temple of God! to inculcate every social affection, and instantly exterminate them! to expatiate upon bliss eternal, and preclude sinners from obtaining it! to unfold the woes of Tophet, and not drag men from its fire! are the most preposterous delusion, and consummate mockery.

Slavery is a flagrant violation of every law of God, nature, and society; it cannot be reconciled with the gospel; and he who ever acts in direct opposition to the Messias' government, and who indurates his soul against the impressions of that LIGHT, which would convict and regenerate him, cannot be a genuine disciple of HIM, who when the hour was come, invoked his Father, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth!"

EXCUSES FOR SLAVERY.

THE whole defence of slavery is comprised in a plea of right or apology. Every argument upon these principles is nugatory; and may be effectually retorted. They all may be reduced to these allegations.

The antiquity and extensiveness of man-stealing; the design of God that the descendants of Ham should be servants of servants; Jewish example; the silence of the New Testament upon slavery; the title acquired by purchase; the injustice of depriving men of property without an equivalent; the legal impediments to emancipation; the dangers attending a general liberation; and the im practicability of safely effecting the manumission of the slaves.

Ancient and universal practice justifies no transgression. Prophecy is neither the rule of duty nor a vindication of crime. Christ is our exemplar. The scriptures condemn involuntary servitude. No claim to man as property is valid. Men should resign their thefts and make restitution. All civil laws which annul the ordinances of God, are a nonentity. The path of duty is safety. Tyranny with avarice predominates; therefore no method is devised, by which, Columbian slaves! may enjoy the rights of man.

"No formal reproof of slavery occurs in the New Testament. Other vices prevailed at that period, which are not expressly reproved: but they were certainly condemned by the Redeemer and his disciples, as evidently contrary to their doctrine. Polygamy and divorce were allowed and practised, yet no express prohibition of them is recorded; but in many passages of the gospel it is necessarily implied. To detain our fellow men in perpetual slavery is unjust, from many scriptures, particularly from the apostle's Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal: knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven: neither is there respect of persons with him."-Colossians 4: 1. This command alone is sufficient to confute and denounce every man-thief. A

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