ceptible difference, excepting that which circumstances have brought about, between black, and yellow, and white, and red men. Were not such men as Origen, and Clement of Alexandria, and Cyprian, and Athanasius, and Arius, and Jerome, and Augustine, and others like them, Africans? Not Guinea negroes indeed, but still with hair and skin approaching somewhat near to theirs. And were not the Jews of the yellow-brown hue? Yet intellect springs up in nearly equal measures, wherever it is cultivated and called forth. And as to all the sympathies of father and mother, husband and wife, brother and sister, they are everywhere the same, when equally cultivated. But what is the most decisive of all, is, there is the same moral sense, the same perception of good and evil, the same conscience, the same fear of the wrath to come, the same feeling of the necessity of forgiveness, the same hopes of eternal blessedness, the same God and Father, the same Redeemer, and the same Sanctifier. If all these in common do not denote a common origin and unity of the race, I do not know how anything of this nature can be proved. And if all this be true, then, for one part of mankind to enslave another, stands on the simple ground of might prevailing over right. Neither the law of love, nor doing as we would be done by, permits any man to act on such a ground, and be guiltless before God.

But we will, for a moment, look at the other unbiblical, if not antibiblical, theory. It maintains that the Caucasian race are superior in origin as well as talent. Be it so, for argument's sake. Then where is the liberality, the generosity, the kindness of the stronger, in oppressing and degrading the weaker? It seems as if all these virtues were calling upon the stronger, to treat the weaker and degraded with all possible kindness and tenderness, and to make all practicable effort to elevate them in the scale of civilization and refinement. This is what the gospel demands. It is what Jesus came down from heaven to accomplish; and that same divine Lord and Master requires all his disciples to walk in his steps.

No principle of Christianity can ever be violated with impunity. Heaven has ordained that the way of transgressors should be hard. Accordingly, the evils of slavery develop themselves in a manner not to be mistaken. Let us cast but a single glance upon them, and may suffice for our present purpose.

it

(1) It is a glaring contradiction of the first and fundamental principle, not only of the Bible which declares that all are of one

blood, but of our Declaration of Independence, which avers, that all men are born with an inherent and inalienable right to life, liberty, and property. The South have unanimously subscribed this, as well as the North.

(2) As existing among us, slavery has taken its worst form; it degrades men made in the image of their God and Redeemer, into brute-beasts, or (which makes them still lower) converts them into mere goods and chattels.

(3) In this form of slavery, all the sacred social relations of life are destroyed. Husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, are not known in law, nor protected nor cognized by it. In conformity with this, these relations are every day severed by some slave-dealers, without regard to the feelings of the wretched beings who are torn asunder; and all their parental, conjugal, and filial sympathies are the subject of scorn if not of derision. No invasion of human rights can be worse than this; none more directly opposed to the will of God, inscribed upon the pages of the Scriptures, and on the very nature of mankind.

(4) As the inevitable consequence of this, the mass of slaves must live, and do live, in a virtual state of concubinage; which, so far from being restrained, is often encouraged for the sake of increasing slave-property.

(5) Ignorance profound, and nearly universal, is the inevitable lot of the great mass of all who are held in bondage. In some of the States, the learning even to read is forbidden; thus contravening, with a high hand, the command of Heaven to "search the Scriptures." In such a case, obedience to a human law is crime; it is treason against the Majesty of heaven and earth.

(6) The inevitable consequence of all this is, that the young females, ignorant and without a sense of delicacy implanted and cherished, are at the mercy of their masters, young and old. And although the accusation of universal pollution among the masters of the South, is far from being true, yet one cannot walk the streets of any large town or city in a slave-holding State, without seeing such a multitude of mulattos, mestitzos, quadroons, etc., as proves, beyond all possible question, a widely diffused profligacy and licentiousness. It is in vain to deny it. There they are, stamped by heaven with the indelible marks of their polluted origin- -a spectacle which might make the sun to blush as he looks down upon them. I know

well that this is a delicate subject. I know well also, that universal and indiscriminate charges of this nature, extended to the whole of the Southern masters, would be utterly false. But I have heard so much testimony in relation to this subject, from ministers of the gospel and Christians who live and belong there, that it is impossible for me to doubt. With my own eyes have I seen the proofs of what I have alleged, in regard to the different classes of mulattos -proofs so ample that no room was left for doubt.

Besides; it is not in the nature of things, that this should be otherwise. Young men in the strength of passion, rendered more intense by a warm climate, having young females at their command, and none to protect or avenge them when seduced, cannot, in any country be kept from licentiousness. They begin it as soon as they are capable; and they continue it, in very many cases, even through life-through a married life as well as a single one. Of course the females are undone forever, as to any delicacy or sense of modesty and shame; and Heaven avenges the pollution of the males, by denying them all the exquisite joys of chaste wedded life. Retribution begins here, in this life; but O, what will it be in the life to come? "Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge," Heb. 13: 4. When I think on the utter callousness which such vices generate in the hearts of men and women, the insensibility that is superinduced upon all that is delicate, and refined, and pure, and chaste, and lovely, I might well say with Jeremiah: "Mine eyes run down with tears." If there were no other argument against slavery, this alone would be amply sufficient to secure the reprobation of it, in the eyes of every impartial and enlightened Christian man.

(7) Slavery in its best attitude in our country, even among humane and Christian masters, is a degradation of a whole class of the community, below their proper rank as men. Even where the colored men are free, and educated, and well behaved, they are considered as unworthy of any civil consideration. They cannot become citizens, in a slave-holding State. No civil, no patriotic sympathies, can be theirs. "Stand by thyself, for I am holier than thou," is the universal answer to all aspirations after citizenship. And this is not all. They are degraded in their own eyes. They are discouraged from all attempts to rise, by a knowledge of the utter impossibility of rising. What were the whole Greek nation, a few years ago, when under the domination of the Turks? Just what

every people will be, who have masters over them, and who are denied their political and civil rights.

Where now did one class of our race obtain a license to keep down and degrade another, when "there is one and the same God of the Jews and the Gentiles?" And how will they answer before the tribunal above, on which that God sits, who is no respecter of persons?

(8) Slavery produces an unhappy influence, on the morals, manners, and temper of the masters. Of course there are many very many - exceptions to this, where the masters are Christians, and of naturally a gentle spirit. But the habit of absolute and uncontrolled commanding, even from childhood, prepares men to become dictatorial, assuming, unyielding, impetuous, and haughty. It is inevitable. It cleaves to the very nature of such an irresponsible relation. Even good men are sorely tempted and tried by it. Bad ones are made into petty despots.

(9) Another crying evil is, that men grow rich without industry, and become luxurious, and enervated, and prodigal, because they do not know the worth of money, having never labored to acquire it. Hence the extremes of high luxury and degraded poverty, in every slaveholding country. It is impossible that it should be otherwise.

(10) Not only the temporal, but the eternal welfare of the slaves is often grievously neglected. Many masters there are at the South, to my certain knowledge, who are noble exceptions to this remark, and who take great pains to have their slaves instructed in the things of religion. But how many are there, who will never expend a dollar for this purpose? And when these masters appear before Him, who has made one both Jews and Gentiles, and broken down the wall of partition between them, and placed himself in the same relation to all, what answer can they give to Him for neglecting the eternal interests of those for whom he has purchased redemption by his blood?

But enough, and more than enough, on this painful—this revolting subject. When a true hearted Christian runs his eye over such an assemblage of evils, which of necessity stand connected with our present system of slavery, is it possible that he can have a doubt as to what Christianity demands? Can he doubt whether all this is loving our neighbor as ourselves, or doing as we would be done by? No-no - it is not possible. He that runneth may read the will of Heaven, in regard to this matter.

For myself, my childish aspirations, in the very dawn of my life, were all in favor of universal freedom. I have never changed them; I never can. In childhood I read with thrilling delight the lines of that heaven-born bard, who, in singing the Sofa, rose speedily to higher themes. I cannot refrain from quoting some of his thoughts:

Then after speaking of war and bloodshed for the purposes of ambition and avarice, he thus proceeds:

How many

Thus feel and think, also, the New Englanders. thousand times have I repeated these lines, and dwelt on the heavenborn spirit which they breathe! And yet, I have seen and conversed with many a kind-hearted, well-instructed, moral, highminded Southerner, who wore the appearance of never having once had such sentiments pass through his mind; and to whom such a passage in Cowper would be quite revolting. What a difference do our early training, habits, and circumstances make in our views! I could, however, look on these friends with a feeling of sincere friendship and attachment, on account of the virtues which they possessed and exhibited. I looked on their state as, in very many cases, not a voluntary one, but the result of circumstances over which they had had little or no control.

At present, such is the excitement at the South, roused up by the