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"My dear friend, and fellow labourer,

"After the ineftimable service I have rendered you," (i. e. by converting him,) "I think I might venture to lay claim as a right to that, which, however, I had rather confider myself as obliged to you for, as a matter of favour. My requeft is, that you will pardon your flave, who is the bearer of this letter, and who I have converted fince my imprifonment. Perhaps, you will have no reason to regret his having run away from you, as I am convinced he will never leave you any more. I have, therefore, fent him back to you, requesting you to receive him as a man I have the higheft regard for. I should have been extremely glad to have kept him to wait on me, but I would not take fuch a liberty without your permiffion. Perhaps, he ran away from you, for a short time, in order that you may receive him again for ever. I beg you will receive him, not as a flave, but as a brother beloved, particularly by me; and, if by me, much more by you, who have so much reafon to rejoice in his converfion, which fecures his eternal happiness at the fame time that it infures you his most faithful temporal fervices. If, therefore, you confider me as in Christian fellowship, and communion with you, I request you to receive him as myself. If he has wronged you, or owes you any thing, you will please to put the amount to my account, and I will most certainly repay you: Notwithstanding, I may urge, that you owe yourself to me.

"I hope foon to be with you, and beg you to prepare a lodging for me; your friends

and

defire to be affectionately remembered to you, and

I am, &c."

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I dare fay many of my readers will difcover, notwithstanding its medern drefs, that the above letter was written by St. Paul to Philemon. I beg leave to afk, if fuch an epiftle was written now, from one friend to another, could any perfon believe that the writer confidered it lawful for one Chriftian to hold another in that bondage which we call flavery. If that had been St. Paul's opinion, would he not have` told Philemon that he, being now a Chriftian, ought not to hold Oenefimus in bondage, or would he have directed Titus to exhort fervants to be obedient to their own masters? (Epistle to Titus, chap. 2, verfe 9.) it cannot be faid that fuch exhortations were made to Chriftian flaves, to be obedient to their Pagan mafters, and that the Apostles confidered themselves bound, not to dif turb the established ufages, or fuffer their difciples to act in oppofition to the laws of the countries under which they lived; because the contrary is evident, not only from the Epiftle to Philemon, but alfo from 1 Timothy, chap. 6, verse 2, 3, 4, 5, where the Apostle exprefsly enjoins the flaves of Chriftian mafters, not to flacken their duty towards them, because they are brethren in Chrift, but, on the contrary, to ferve them with the greater diligence. This doctrine he directs Timothy "to teach and exhort," declaring that, "If any man teach otherwise, and confent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions, and ftrifes of words, whereof cometh envy, ftrife, railings, evil furmisings, perverfe difputings of men of corrupt minds; and deftitute of the truth, fuppofing that gain is godliness +."

By

+ The words in the original are δουλους ἰδίοις δεςποταις αποτασσεσθαι, that the word dovnous, tranflated Servants, means Slaves, is evident

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By what mode of reasoning, or what fophiftry, the opponents of flavery and the flave trade will combat the plain and unequivocal proofs, produced both from the Old and New Teftaments, in justification of that commerce, I am at a loss to guess: For my own part, I own I fhall not eafily be convinced, but, that as flavery always exifted, from the earlieft accounts we have, to the coming of Chrift, fo it has ever fince been practifed, and approved of, throughout Chriftendom. It is, perhaps, the best way not to seek to be wife above what is written. If the gentlemen, who have fo lately thought proper to brand the commerce of buying and felling flaves with the titles of accurfed and infernal, find no warrant in holy writ for thus dering to fit in the judgment-feat of God, reasonable men will, perhaps, pay but little regard to their fentences. Unless flavery had a much higher origin than is fuppofed by the writers on the laws of nations, Puffendorf, Grotius, &c. it certainly could not be admitted under the gospel

from ift Cor. chap. 12, verfe 13. Where that word is put in oppo-
fition to the word ελεύθεροι, freemen, είτε δουλοι, είτε ελεύθεροι, whee
ther we be bond or free. Thus, alfo, in the 25th chap. of St.
Matthew, verfe 14. The kingdom of heaven is as a Man travelling
into a far country, who called his own fervants, Idious doudous, &c.
and that fuch fervants were in the abfolute power of the Master,
appears from verse 30. The fame word is made ufe of Luke, chap.
17, and
7. Which of
you having a fervant, dochov, &c. and verse 9.
Doth he thank that fervant because he did the things that were
commanded him? I trow not. That the word doo, tranflated
Servants, means bond fervants, is further evident from there being
different words to exprefs fervants of a different nature, as Epyarais
labourers. Matt. 20, verfe 1. Misio, hired fervants. Luke 15,
verfe 17. These are additional proofs that Slavery was not dif.
approved of, either by Chrift, or his Apoftles, and in ufage, under
the gospel difpenfation.

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difpenfation; because all war is by that law forbidden, and the precepts "refift not evil."-" If a man fmite thee on one cheek, turn to him the other," and the like, are plain and obvious commands which preclude all cavil. The rights, therefore, acquired by the conqueror over the vanquished, could never be the foundation of flavery amongst Chriftians, to whom all war is forbidden.Without entering into a critical enquiry how, or when, or upon what account, perfons were first made flaves; it cannot be denied that fuch a condition of life always existed, and ever will exift, whatever name you may call it by, unless all men are reduced to a perfect equality of fortune. Neceffity, the feverest of task mafters, forces the diftreffed poor in Great-Britain, who have numerous families, to labours, the half of which the ftouteft flave in the Weft Indies would declare to be insupportable, and would fink under; and what is worse, infants of the most tender age are obliged, in England, particularly, to earn their bread before they eat it, by employments, which, if not beyond their strength, are fo injurious to their health, as to prevent their attaining to that portion of it, they might otherwise have enjoyed; and not a few of them are a prey to diseases, and decrepitude at an age which is generally esteemed the prime of life, while numbers are cut off before they attain that period. If the two Universities would propofe Prize Medals for the best differtation on the evil effects which the manufactures of Birmingham, Manchefter, and other great manufacturing towns, produce on the health and the lives of the poor people employed therein, it is not to be doubted but candidates would offer, who, having fo much better a field to employ their talents in, would as far excel Mr. Clarkson's pathetic declamation on the miseries of the negro flaves

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in the Weft-Indies, as reality exceeds fiction. What horror might not an ingenious man excite in the mind of his reader, in defcribing two or three thousand fine, rofy cheeked children playing in the meads, enamelled with flowers, in all the luxuriance of health and happiness, "drinking the fpirit of the golden day," feized on by those baneful fiends, avarice and luxury, and placed together in the hot rooms of different manufactories, till the peftilential vapour, repeatedly enhaled, fpreads contagion amongst them, and thofe of them who escape death, difcovering every symptom of disease in their formerly beauteous and healthy countenances. What a high finished picture, worthy the pencil of Caracci, might not be sketched out, by the perfon who would enter the miferable hovels of the poor wretch, who, covered with filth, rags, and vermin, and writhing in the agonies which are confequent on diseases brought on by working in mercury, lead, &c. fees around him his puny, decrepid progeny, crying for that fuftenance which his labour can no longer procure them, and adding to the bodily torments before scarcely fupportable; while the poor unhappy partner of his mifery, her limbs scarce able to fupport her enfeebled and emaciated body, is unable to determine to which object of her compaffion she should first address her unavailing and useless endeavours to yield that affistance and comfort, which she is at last reluctantly obliged to folicit from the humanity of the parish officers,-“ to fhock us more, folicit it in vain." Such pictures may be drawn from the life in a variety of the manufacturing towns of Great-Britain. Nor will painters, orators, or poets, ever have occafion to regret the want of fimilar objects whereon to exercife their genius, their talents, or their invention, until the Almighty fhall please to L 2 change

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