Duke University Libraries A tract for the Conf Pam 12mo #403 SLAVERY & ABOLITIONISM B E I li G THE SUBSTANCE OF' A SEEMON, Preached in the Church otSt. Aa«;fisline5 Florida, ON THE 4tii BAY OF JANTJABT, 1831, By the Right Re?. A. VEROT^ D. D., VICAR APOBTOLIC OP FLORIDA AND NOW RJSHOP d:^ SAVANNAH. NEW EDITION NEW ORLEANS : PRINTED AT THE "CATHOLJC PROPAGATOR" OFFICE, 12^5 Charlres street 1861. I TO THE PUBLIC. Although this Sermon be of a remote date, having been preached on the 4th of January last, before the Secession, war consumpiated, still it is so well adapted to our Institutions, that we though we would render service to the community at large, by reprinting it and spread'uf-' ii; all over the country. Tbo' written in. a plain and :i?)TetendiQg style, it is quite . forcible, and presents the most instructive and most p 1 .ical tract we ever read, on the rights and duti«iB of Slaveholders. New Orleans, December ^h 1861, THE EDITOR. ^aj SERMON. Justice Exalteth A Nation : But Sin Maketh Nations Miserable. (Prov. xiv. 34.) . •Beloved Brethren : This is a great, a most important truth, involving the most momentous, interests, which I deem expedient and necessarv, ou this melancholy occa- sion, to present to your earnest consideration. ^' Justice exalteth a nation: but ?in maketh nations miserable. *' We learn tliis important lesson from the Wise Man ^ho has written the Book of Proverbs ; but it is not the result of his individual and personal wisdom which I present to you : it is the'unerririg dictate of the Holy Ghost, who in.^pired and directed the sa- cred penman to record, in that portion of Scripture, a maxim wiiich is an imperishable truth, because it is the word of Him whois truth itself, — who can neither deceive nor be deceived ; and indcrcd, heaven and earth shall pass away, but His words shall not pass away. But, independently of the unexceptionable authority of Him who has promulgated this sublime maxim of true and genuine statesmanship, and of sacred and divine politics^ we have history to bear witness to the truth of the sentence of the Wise Man ^ — '' Justice exalteth a nation : but sin maketh nations miserable. " The 'rise and fall of nations, consigned in the pages of history,' is but a continual application and confirmation of this principle of unerring truth. The great Doctor of the Church — the patron of this city and congregation — St. Augustine, in his ^admirable work. '• Of the City of God, " undertook to show the true reason of the unexampled prosperity of the Roman Empire. That Empire was the most extensive and the most prosperous that ever e:jdsted : it extended itself to the remotest corners of the known universe* Even the wild nations that could not be readied by its authority, respected and dreaded the very name of the Romans. That illustrious Doctor doea not hesitate to say, that this temporal prosperity of the Empire was the reward of the moral virtues which illustrated the Roman nation in the first centuries of her existence, and which were never mor3 coaspicuous thai^in the men whom she placed at the head of her armies, and to whom sliegave the direction of her civil and political affairs. They have left us admirable examples of justice, integrity, and fortitude, on most trying occasions. Suck was their love of justice, that one of their enemies, who had even fought against them with success dearly bought, knowing that gold, which m so powerful on men. coul^i have no effect on the chief officer of Rome to bribe him and corrupt him, remarked that it would be easier to turn the 3un from i. his course, than the Roman Consul from the path of justice. As long asibie love of jiL^^tice lasted, the Supreme Ruler of events gave success to their arms, and extended their conquests far and wide, until the whole earth was tmder their sway. But, at a later period, injustice, iniquity, ambitioi, covetousness, and bribery crept into.the Empire, and were found disgradng eren the leaders of the nation. It was then that Almighty God permitted that hordes of Barbarians should invade that Empire, now fallen from its pristine justice and integrity ; and those Barbarians devastated and over- turned the colossal Empire, and swept its authority, its grandeur, and its yery name from the earth. Such is then the plan of Divine Providence in the goverment of this world. If iniquity, injustice, rapine, and bloodshed seem sometimes to meet with success, it is only temporary and ephemeral, similar to the devastation produced by a swollen torrent, but such causes cannot establish, settle, and * place on a permanent basis, any civil and political institution : any govern- ment that rests upon injustice, must necessarily crumble with its tottering foundation. '' Justice exalteth a imtion : but sin maketh nations miser- able.'' Our beloved country is now undoubtedly under the operation of that stern and inflexible rule of justice, at the hands of the Author of justice. We have hitherto been a nation prosperous beyond even the most exagge- rated conceptions of a wild imagination ; productions of every kind lav- ished by our soil ; an abundance, not to say an overflowing, of the cir- culating medium ; extensive factories, an active commerce, and the tich Jind exuberant fruits of industry by sea and by land, have made the United States a paragon of riches, — a sort of elysian fields, in which •'the overflowing population of Europe came to enjoy abundance, riches, peace, and freedom. The aspect is suddenly changed ; the political horizon has become gloomy ; a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer is kept over the land, to avert impending evils; discord and disunion tre rapidly spreading over the length and breadth of the land ; the horrors of war, and of the worst kind— of civil war — are staring us in the face, and the prosperity, hitherto unparalleled, of the country, has given way to mutual distrust, uneasiness, suspension of commerce, stagnation of in- dustry, suffering, and the anticipation of evils yet worse to come. The cause must no doubt be, that we have. forgotten justice, and that sin has / ,crept frightfully among us to make us miserable ; for Almighty ,God ■'hates in us only sin, and the disorderly bend of our wills, by which we transgress His law. • Slavery is the origin of the present disturbances, and is the fatal sand bank upon which the Ship of State h^s already made a total or partial shipwreck. ' Injustice has then been committed on this point, and I deem the present occasion to be a very favorable one, to place before your eyes some truths which are of great importance to the nation at. large, — ^ to the North, and to the South, — to the people collectively, and to in- dividuals,— to masters, and to servant!;. . I wish to show, on the one aide, how uj^uet, iniqu-itous, UQScriptui'al, and unreasonnable is the aeser- ^■db tion of Abolitionists, who brand Slavery as a moral evil; and \% crime against God, religion, humanity, and society ; whereas, it is found to have received the sanction of God, of the Church, and of Society at all fimes, a&d in all governments. On the other side, I wish to show the Conditions under which servitude is legitimate, lawful, approved by all laws, and consistent with practical religion and true holiness of life in masters who fiilfil those conditions. Servitude is the state of a person dependent on a master, so as to be obliged to work all his life for that master, with the privilege, in the latter, to transfer that right to another person by sale. Divines and civilians who examine the foundations of social life, inquire what things can come under the domain or ownership of men, and they agree that we kave not a perfect domain or property over our own life and limbs, but only the vsufruct of them, — that is. a life-interest in them : and hence a master, not being the true owner of his own life and limbs, cannot be the owner or proprietor of the life and limbs of a slave ; this high domain belongs exclusively to our Maker : a master can claim no other right than the usvfrnct of his slave, — that is, a right on his labor and industry, and the labor and industry of his children. This being premised, we can show, to the satisfaction of every one who is not determined to shut his eyes against the truth, that the state of servitude \^ reprobated neither fey natural, law, nor by the Divine positive law, nor by the ecclesiastical law, Bor by the civil laws. Those four kinds of laws are the sources of all justice, of all right, and from them emanate all the directions and prescriptions which govern the actions of men. Natural or moral law id that which arises from the nature or essence of moral and reasonable lieings, and is engraved in our hearts by our Maker, the Author of Na- ture. Such are the Commandments Thm shalt not kilf, — Thou shdt not 96faiy &c. Divine positive law is that command of God which requires something in addition to natural law. Such was the circumcision pre- acribed to the Jews, or baptism prescribed now to Christians. Eccle- siastical law comes from the Church, which God has established, with an express command to us to hear her : — " He that heareth you, hearotii me : he tkat deepiseth you, despiseth me.— Luke x. 16." Civil lawcomeg from the governments under which we live, and which it is our duty to obey ; — '* Let every soul be subject to higher powers." — Rom. xm. 1. Now Slavery is condemned by none of these laws, as it is easy to show. Aa to natural law : — it must be said, indeed, that natural law does not eetablish or institute Slavery : no one is, by nature, the sla>e of another ; but natural law approves of reasons and causes by which a man may bf- oome the slave of another man. The case stands here precisely as with regard t« the division of property. No land belongs to anybody by the right of nature, but legitimate titles constitute it the property of individ- uals. Any one. ever so little conversant with history, finds Slavery. eetab- liabed among all nations of antiquity, and it is not improbable that it is coeval with the division of property. Writers on this branch of science assign the various titles which legitimate a state of Slavery, and which, no 4oii-bt, must have been originally the source and beginning of its intro>- duction among men. The first title they assign, is the sale that a m^ makes of himself to a master. A man may sell his labor, and work fot a day, a week, a month or a year : why may he not sell it for all his life? If it be said that a sale requires a consideration, and an equivalent h%^ tween the contracting parties, this is very true. • But the master gives an equivalent, namely — food and clothing to the slave, with the assu^ ranee and security to him to fmd them at all times, ' and especially the promise of support, and maintenance in sickness and in old age, when He will be unable to work. The equivalent given by the master may he A sufficient inducement for some individuals to offer their work and liberty lor ever. The slave receives indeed an equivalent, in this certainty of being always provided for — a certainty wliich many distressed and star^r^ ing families in Europe, and in the large cities of Arcerca, woiild.in-' deed appreciate highly* as they know what a source of ioterminable care, anxiety, and solicitude this matter is for them, li is truly remark- able, how gay, cheerful, and sprightly are the slaves of the South. I do not hesitate to say, that they seem to be better contented than their masters ; assuredly more so than the sullen and gloomy population' found in the work shops and factories of large .cities. The master there- lore gives an equivalent. . This is. so true, that, for me personally,'! Tfould not accept persons who wonld offer . their services for life,- on con-- ditiqn of maintaining them for ever, precisely on account of the danger «f having services that nnight prove unacceptable, and. on account of •th^ heavy charge such persons occasion in sickness and old age. I know of masters who were poor when ,they had-, slaves, • and had be- come rich by setting them free ; and I have no doubt it is- one of the^ reasons for which Slavery has become gradually extinct in Europe. Another title of servitude mentioned by .canonists and jurists, is cap-' ture in a just war, as history tells us how the captives in war used to be sold a? slaves.^ The conqueror could put them to death ;■ it is assuredly^ a better lot for them that they be sold as slaves. • Christianity has intr,oduced a^more humane legislation in. reference /to-.. prisoners- of' war,' foV which we must thank our Redeemer. ; but nature alone and strict justice declare that, in a just, war, the vanquished forfeits his life to the' victor, who does him kindness by granting life at the expense' of liberty. Anpther title I mast mention, is condemnation to Slavery for crimes committed, or even for non-payment of debts. This is likewise a point oh. which Christianity has introduced . milder forms; -but we must not forget that they are a boon, and npt a strict right : he who is condemned to bard labor in a .penitentiary, would find his lot much improved in the condition of a slave. Again, if a man ; cannot pay his debts, he may be compelled, in strict justice., to work. in order to pay them, and this, no doubt, must have been a frequent title of servitude. Our Lord men-' tions it in one of His parables, without a .word to censure what wa«' then a o:enoral practice. '"One was br bngbt who owed his lofd tfen thousand talent?, and, as he had not wherewith, to' pay it, his lord commaii- ded that he should be sold, 'and his wife and children, and all .that he had, and payment to be made. — ^latt. :rfin. 25. A spirit of philantropiy (whether judicious or not I do not examine) has induced modern legis- lators to suppress imprisonment much more Slavery, for debt, and dis-' honest debtors are very partial to such a legislation \ bat ^the ancients en- ' tertained diiterent idea? of stern and strict justice, for whicli we are not at liberty to blame them. ' ' .. , Nativity, or birth from a mother in a State of Slavery, is also admitted by writers to be a just cause of servitude ;. par^u^ si:qiiii\:.r venirem is an ' axiominlaw. A child lollCws the " conditioii and state of his parents, and the child must perish, unless it be maintained and supported by the master; if the child could speak, he would prefer b3':ng a slave to being exposed . to the Necessity of dying for want of sustenance, and hence this title has been readily admitted wherever Slavery h.as at all. existed, and the Scripture, as we shall soon see, confirms it/ Pinally, we mention long possession in good faith, with an apMrent title, tr. he a legitimate, cause for holding slave^'. This title was called prescription by the Latins, and has re^tained that name in almost all modern European Ian- , guages. This is a title introduced by the general consent of nations, for ' the security of property. I'f we have possessed something for a long time in good'faith, thinking it is burfe, it is really oars, although there might arisCj. after a "long lapse of years; some cotitestations about the val- idity of the original title. We see, therefore, that there are many ways. in which Slavery, inay lawfully exist, and that such a state is not ?'epro- batedbj reason, or by the 'natural and innate notions'" of justice, when^ some o'f.tnose' titles e5;ist'. Civil Jaws may condemn some of these titleg in.the. present refined state of society : in tliat case, such titles will be invalid, not because they ai:e adverse to the natural law, but . because they are made void by the law of the land. * . _ Lef. us 'now. examine whether .tiie Divine positive law condemn Slavery.. If* Slavery by iminoral in. itself/* no DiyiAe law . can commend it ^pr^ ap^ove gf "it,' ■bogause.Go.d" cannot' commend or 'aLitnoriao something immoral ; if it bc.-not, immoral in itself, still God coiil'd To: bid.it, as He foi;bade,' in old tunes',.' the eating of blog^d and. of other- thin^-s. ' In this respect, however, we iind t iiat God, in the Old Testament, ui-di-'r the law of nature, and under thcJaw of! Moses, not'ouJy did not,prohlbl: Slavery, biit. saiictionf^d it, regulated it, and spei^ified the riglits of masters, and the'duties of slaves." 'K would certainly be .tcdio^js' to adduce all the' proofs ortny*a.ssor.ti,on^whic]i could be extracted from th.e Old Testament; —.a. few of the most.' striking ^ill be amply suffiuient. Abraham assuredly was a" good man^; now Abraliani was a slaveholder, and a very lai'ge one ifideed. When.h'is nephew, Lo.^tJ'was taken prisoner (Gen. :^. I4J '; he numbered of the servants l3orn in his house three hundred arid eightceh well appointed, " pnrsvied and defeated the invaders, and de- 8 fliyered Lot and all the people. The Scripture here approves of the title of nativity, by mentioning that these slaves were born in his house. In the same page of Genesis, chap, xvi, we find a more striking, and pointed approbation of Slavery. For reasons stated in that chapter, Sara, the wife of Abram, was obliged to treat With severity her handmaid'—^ or female servant — Agar ; the latter ran away, and " an angel of the Lord "having found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, he said to her : Agar, handmaid of Sarai, whence coraest thou? and wither goest thou ? And she answered : I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress. And the Angel ot the Lord said to her : Keturn to thy mistress, and hunible thyself under her hand"— v. 1. How strange must all this be for Abolitionists who retain their belief in the .Bible! ^God sends, an Angel purposely to tell a runaway slave to return to her mistress, and humble herself to her ; and Abolitionists have set aside all laws, anrl torn the fundamental articles of the Constitution, to enable runaway slaves to escape the pursuit and just demands of their masters ; the angel pro- clairaS'O'bedience and submission to slaves, and they excite them to revolt, and are ready to aid them in shaking off the authority of their masters. Nothing move is wanted to show that the spirit of Abolitionists i^ not the spirit of tlie Angels of God, the spirit of the Bible, the spirit of truth and justice,— but the demon of anarchy,, discord, stuiibornness, and pride. Again, the following chapter of Genesis mentions that Abraham circum- cised all the males of his house, not only i those who were born in his hou?e, but also " the bought servants, " — v. 23 and 27, — which shows that the sale of slaves is not condemned by Scripture. Indeed, it seems that every page of Holy Writ contains some statement to demolish the false and unjust principles of Abolitionism. Those men must be ignorant cvenof the Ten Commandments of God ; for the Tenth Commandment also forbids coveting our neighbor's property : " nOr his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, " 6f I am aware of an objection — which is indeed a serious cue ~ but which I meet at once, because it will wohderfally Btrengthen my argu- ment. The Jews were a rade and carnal people : their religion wa« but mdimental and figurative, and very imperfect. These defects have been amended in the Xew Law, which has brought all things to perfection. Hence some might think that Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Founder of the New Law, has abolished Slavery, although it was allowed in times past. Indeed, this is- what has taken place with regard to some points relative to marriage. Divorce, and polygamy were allowed to them of old. Still no One could sanction the practice of them by the examj^le of the good men of the Old Testament, or by the Law of Moses. Bat the case is as clear and obvious as possible. Oar Lord has expressly, formally, and pointedly abolished divorce and polygamy : "They shall b3 two in one ;" " What God has joined, no man can put asunder ; '" but He has not pro- scribed or forbidden Slavery. There is not a word in th? New Testament to prohibit it, but there are, on the contrary, plain and evident approba- tions of it. In the eighth C'lapter of St Matthew, a Centurion Slave- holder comes to Our Lord to ask for the cure of his servant, and, in the course of the conversation, the Centurion says : '' I have soldiers under me ; and I say to this man go, and he gooth ; and to another come, and he Cometh : and to my servant do this, and he doeth it ; and Jesus hear- ing this wondered, and said : " Amen ; I say to vou, I have iwt found so great faith in Israel. " How different was" thisVay of acting from that of an Abolitionist. The latter would have reproached the Centurion for the crime of injustice, barbarity, and inhumanity in keeping slaves. Jpsus, on the contrary, not only has no rebuke to administer on the score of Slavery, but admires and praises the faitii of that man, and grants a cure to his^servant, a manifest and incontestable proof that Our Lord did not hold the Centurion guilty for having a slave. Let it b3 .remarked tliat the wor.d servant, here in the imssages already quoted, moans a slave, --'in Laiin, .?«ri;//5, — and when the Scriptuve speaks of servants in a limited sense, as are the white servants among us, they are called hireling-3 or laborers.. The Apostles, who were taught by Our Lord, and who pfeaclied His Gospel,' and established His Church in every part of the world, had also to speak of slaves, and they, have done so, in their inspired writings, so as to leave no doubt oii tiie right which a -master has to keep his slave, and on the obligation. of a slave tp .honor and obey his master. St. Paul, in the seventh cliapter- of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, saj-s positively, that each one qusfht to renjaia in the state of life in wliich he was wlien called to Christianity.- — slave,, if he was. slave ; free, if he was free — for this is pf little consequence, riewed in reference to the ne.^t life : "' Let ever>^ man abide in the same- calling in which he w.is called. Art thou called being a bondman ? care not for it ; but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For. he that ifi called to the Ix)rd being a bondman, is the freeman of theLord^ Likewise he that is called brdng free, is the bondman of Christ. " ' Fro«^ 10 wMcli we see how far the Apostles were,, frooi the dox:triiie and-pi-actice of modera fanatics, who exhort slaves to make t^iemselves free by any me3ins they C(i.n, per fas etnefas. St.' Fidl, in .several of,- his Epistles, speaks of the mutual duties of slaves and masters.: lie, never 4i""^ai^s of i;he newdutyiiiveilted hf- Abolitionists ;— the pretended duty for. the master -to libera, te and liianiitiiit his .slave, .and the duty for the slaTe to run away fi-om his master. eVeJi by using yiolence. and causing bloodshed. The inspil^ed Apostle' tells the "slave to obey, as a point ofeonscien.ee, as a necessary means (^f salvation ; and he tells the master to tre-at iiisser- Tant with iastice 'S^r^d kindness." .Thus, Cobs. in. 22 : '' Servants, ^pbey in all thing^ y'oiir masters according to the flesh, not • serving to the eye, as p>leasing men, but in simplicity ol heart, fearing God'. ...,.., Masters, do to- your servants that wiixclr is just and equal,' knowing that you. also have a Master in Heaven." Similar admonitions occur in, several O'ther •Epistles : it M'ould be snperauous to quote, them. There is a passage yet more pointed, I Tim., c- vi r Whosoever arc servants under the yoke, let them count their masters worthy of all honor, lest the name and doctrine of the Lord be blasphemed. ... ." These things teach and exhort. If .•any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the sound words of Our Lord JesTis, Christ, and to that doctrine 'which is according to piety, he is proud, knowing 'ne thing.; " and truly Abolitionism is but.. a compound of insufferable pride and unpardonable '.ignorance. St. Peter, First 'Epistle, II. 18, points' out the duty o'f obedience to servants in all cases whatever : " Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.''- But facts instruct UE better than words, and we have" to 'see the conduct of St. Paul with regard to a fugitive slave, to judge "better of the glaring opposition of Abolitionism to the Apostles, and to the Sacred Scripture. The Epistle to Philemon is a short page of the Sacred Yoh,ime, which they should indeed desire to expunge. ' Philemon had a slave called Onesimus, who ran away from his master, a citizen of Colossa?, and vrhora St. Paul found ,in Rome, and converted to Cliristianity. Now St. Paul found in Onesi- .mus qualities vrhich made him desirous of his services in his ministry. What did the great Apostle do ? Did he tell Onesimus that he had been •right to rutL away, and procure his liberty at any price? No ; he sent back Onesimus tc his master with and Epistle, which is a perfect model of sweet, persuasive eloquence, begging Philemon to forgive his slave, and send him back to him, as he needed his services in the bonds 'of the €fospel. Paul had just claims on the gratitude of Philemon ; stilh he vould not detain his fugitive slave without his consent, but sent him back, that his master might be perfectly free, to grant or to refuse the favor afjked of him. Hov/ different are these views of St. Paul, and of the Word, of God, frorh those which are .entertained by Abolitionists ! We have now seen how both the New and Old Testaments admit, sanc- tion, and authorize Slavery, from which we conclude that this- state of life is not against the Divine and positive law. We add now that the Church X 11 ^ has made no general law againt Slavery, but has kept up the teaching and the examples of the Apostle:? ou this point, leaving mastei»s at liberty to keep or to manumit their slaves, as they thought proper. The book I have in my hands, beloved brethren, is the Canou Law, or Law of the Church. Now the book is full of passages relating to slaves ; and to attempt to prove that the Canon Law recognizes Slavery, and countenan- ces masters in retaining possession of their slaves, would almost be lucB- crous, and would be tantamount to an attempt to prove that the son shines in the heavens, at mid-day, as there are whole chapters, indeed,, and sections on that matter. Not to detain you too long, beloved brethren, I will content myself with one or two quotations that will, in- deed, cover the whole ground of the discussion. The Canon Law con- tains several provisions in relation to the ordination of slaves, as the example of St. Paul ordaining Onesimus, seems to have been a precedent for such appointments. The Eighty-first Apostolic Canon says that slaves may be oi-dained. if manumitted by tlicir masters : but if they be admitted to the clergy without the will of their masters, they must be returned to their masters. Now we sec this to have been done from the same Canon Law, Distinct. .54, cap. 10, whore tlie Pope orders one Le- ontius, who had b('eu promoted to the lower ranks of the clergy,' to be under snbjectio'n and obedience to his master in the condition of a slave. Assuredly the Church could not liave recoj^nized the rights of masters in a more forcible and pointed manner ; no one, tlien, has a riglit to take slaves from their. masters against the will of those masters. The Canon Law, can. xvii., qu.es. 4, c. 37, contains a decree of the Couucil of Gan- gres, held in the ]>eginning of the fourth century, which condemns here- tics who maintained the principles of modern Aboliotiists" ; whence we see that the fanatics of our day have not the merit of having invented their hypocritical schemes of fal?e philanthropy j they bad predeces- sors in the early ages of the Church, who wished to I'il/erate slaves, arid who denounced masters as guilty of injustice and" inliumanity. Here is now the decree of the Council against those heretics : ''If any one teaches the servant of another, under the plea of religion, to contemn his master, and to quit his service, instead of teaching liim to Serve his master in good fSith and with all respect, let him be anathema. " No law could be framed more expressive and more pointed against Aboli- tionism. The highest penalty' inflicted by the Churcli, that 'of anathema or excommnnication, is pronounced against those who teach the doctrine of Abolitionists, and it is only an aggravation of their guilt to allege pretexts of religion, and wrest Holy Writ in support of their attempt^. lliis is indeed more than sufficient to show that Slaveholders have the sanction of the Church and of Religion in retaining the possession' of their servants. Ecclesiastical History tells ue, as we gather from au- thentic d6cuments, that the Church and Monasteries owned slaves ; and St. Gregory the Great — the learned and pious Pope, to ' whom England is indebted for her conversion to Christ'anity — with the money- of tlfe • 12 Roman Churcli bcngUt Ei\^4isii slayes^ aud al so ., Barbary slavesc-^to . use the fdrm^er in evp,ngelizi^>g B^k'taiid,' aiid tlie'latt'er in" -the -sqrvipe of the sick, in a P^oinaii liospitaL We. leamhiis' from .tl^o. letters, of tlie Pontiff him'^elf. ' !.lbgurcdjj no .^lave owner nqed scruple -to do. what so holy. So zealW, aid so iWrncd aTbpe;has.dane. ana periiaps'j-h the greater part of Cliristiai;. nations. But such a-prohibitiou ■ takes its fQrce'aiid. 'cfucacy' solely' rVom .the . civil law. ,As. .lor, the. Uiiited States, it 'ic; as'plaiii, tliaf the ;C.oiistita.tioD,' framed. after.. the War of lufle- nendencpj^recognises' the relations of' master and slave, and tlmt the law of the .Unifed'^lave^ givQsa right to the nmster to reclaim and seize his fugitive slave,, wherevQr '.he. may.. 'be foand within the United States. These statements are u;Qdeni.able/ and there ia no occasion for me to dwell on a, point known to eyery])ody. Those States which have enacted Jaws ao-ainst the Constitution and the Legishition of the United States, have sapped the very foundation of social order, andarethe true and res- ponsible causes and agents of the misfortunes which have already befallen the nation, and of the greater calamities with which it is threatened. The w^ords of my text receive here their application, : ''" Justice exalteth .a nation ': but sin maketh nations miserable..'' ■ Before coiicludiug this first' part of my address, I ipust take a cursory notice of- the reasons and' objections raised by Abolitionists ag-ainst the dootriiie delivered in the preceding remarks. 1 will not notice the alle- liing the Re- fc; public of- the United States, as endowed with wonderful strength, ata- ii- biiity and order, wheu compared with the Republics of South America, ■w; in which the majority of the people profess the Catholic religion. The .#> . invidious compari-son has often been made ; as if- free and liberal insti- ll tulions couid not prosper under our Church.' and as if Protestantism alone could found, establish* and fostei" RepuWiean Institutions. The present state of affairs shows liow ill g;rounded these views have been. The fact is, that religion has nothing tb do with the disturbance^ and agitations of the Governments of^ Spanish origin, 'which have sprung up South of tho United States. The true cause of those agitations lies in the ambition, and other wicked passions of men who are unwilling to be controlled by religion, and who deem it right to attack reIi2:ion in order to become rich from its spoils. But in the United States, it will be . properly and clearly religion or rather bigotry that will haVe destroyed '^1- the beautiful fabric of Washington and the other great men who wished <%, so much to keep the G-overnment and religion separate fro-li ea^h other. ,,' The Catholics of America have sci-upulously adhered to those coiistitu- ,*:. .tiohal provisions; and ha\T interfered only by praying for the republic, V> the general \>eace and welfare of their fellow' citizens. As for the Pro- •testant Clergy, with." of course, honorable exceptions, they have brought 5 about this" deplorable state of things, in which the South is ai^ajed a against the North, and in which war, blood.^hed: and all the atrocities , 6^' .of civil' discord may yet have their sad exhibition. Protestant intoler- ^rauce and bigotry have demolished this beautiful edifice, which' wisdom, I, moderation and prudence had reared to political liberty. • ^!^ I must now, brethren, pass to the second part of my discourse, and ^X^^ .having shown the lawfulness of Slavery in general. I must show the con- ^ : ditions upon which this state of things receives the sanction of justice, of God himself, and of 'the church^the visible guide given 'us by Our ^ Lord Jesus Christ. • It is in this part that I may have to ' thention ^\ wrongs which the South ought to acknowledge and confess ; and if theae c wrongs be persevered in, this may be the reason why the Almighty, in *' his justice and wise severity, may sweep Slavery out of the land, not be- '^v cause Slavery is bad in itself, but because men will abuse it through wanton malice. The necessity of some conditions for the legitimacy of Slavery must appear evident to everybody. A man. by beinfT^lave, does not cease to be a man, retaining all the properties^ qualities, attri- butes, duties, righte and responsibilities attached to human nature, or to a being endowed with reason and understanding, and made to the image and likeness of Gk>d. A master has not o^er a slave the same rights which he has over an animal, and whoever would yiew his slaves me- rely as beasts, would have virtually abjured human nature, and would deserve to be expelled from human society. I will then" state the. va- rious conditions which must accompany a legitimate pc^session of slaves. In the first place it is domestic Slavery which we advocate to be taw- 16 , fill, and^tp have the sanction of God himself, but it is not the " filave- ' tj-ade, " or the African trade. The slave-trade is absolutely immoral ^ and unjust, and is against all laws natural, divine, ecclesiastical' and dvil. The slave-trade consists in kidnapping negroes by fraud and vio- lence on the coasts of Africa, and bringing them to America for sale. This trade is evidently condemned by justice and humanity. What right has any man to steal another man and. enslave him? This, next to murder, seems to be the grossest violation of justice that can be concei- ved. It is no palliation of this trade to assert that the condition of those poor creatures will be bettered by selling them to christian mas- ters in America : for evil is not to be done, in order to obtain a good result. It is absolutely evil to deprive them of liberty without any just cause ; no good effect can render it lawful. Besides, that good effect ib doubtful, as the religion and civilisation of the whites who commit such horrible theft, must be hateful to those, poor negroes. It is not an ex- cuse for the trade, but an additional monstrosity, to say that those ne- groes are sold to the captains of vessels by other tribes who have <;apr tured them in war ; for the war is for no other reason than to make prisoners ; it is not a war, but an abominable plunder of human beiflgs. Hence the slave-trade has been most severely prohibited by nearly all European Governments ; it is, as all kiww, expressly forbidden .by the United States, and we hear frequently of vessels ei;i gaged in that abomiB- able traffic, having been seized and captured by the men-of-war of the Nation. ' As to the ecclesiastical law. his Holiness, Gregory XVI, in the year 1839, issued apostolic letters forbidding most 'expressly this shame- ful commerce, forbidding any one to teach that it is lawful. In that document, his Holiness quotes decrees of his predecessors who had co»- demneid.the slave-trade. The letter of Pop& Gregory 'XVI, was solemn- ly read in the council of American .Prelates, held in Baltimore in the "year 1840, All laws stigmatize and reprove the slave-trade, and it must be a subject of regret and mortification for the .true -fnends of the Southern cause and Southern rights, that some people have expressed, or hinted, a desire, that the trade should be revived, and that the .pro- ' . hibition. of it by the Government should be repealed. Fortunately the number of the advocates of this infamous trade is so small, that it may well be considered as nothing. Indeed if a Southern Confederacy was . ;t,o authorise this worst joi piracies, we could predict with certainty 'its 'speedy downfall, because jt would not be founded on justice,- but on iniquity. "Justice exalteth a Nation ; but sin maketh Nations miser- able." But there is not the slightest fear of this. The second condition of legitimate Slavery, is that the rigths of free colored persons be respected. The moment .spme colored people have acquired, or possess lawful exemption from Slavery, it is as unjust to enslave them again, as it would l)c to enslave a white man, because the ground of Slavery is not in the color of the skin, but the titles Which make one, the legitimate servant of another. It would be then a palf>able 17 aod uureatjouiable violation of all justice to sell thorn, or to expel them from the State, or to vex and molest tliem merely because they are col- ored. There is as nmch injustice in vexing the free colored- f)opuIation, as there wouldbe in vexing white men, either on account of their ori^iR, because,. for instance, they areIrL:iior Geraian. or- on accoimt of their relifrion. It has been a subject of bitter moitiik-ation for the -lovers of JHStice and humanity to learn thathonie State legislatures have had be- fore Ihem laws for banishing or selling sucii per-^ons. .1 trust the escut- cheon of Florida will not be .sullied i y such unjust ijtatute. and • that the love of justice in which all are eciuaily interesteidit conscience. Let us not by such a glaring act' of injustice disgrace our cause, and render ourselves unworthy of the smiles and countenance of the Supreme Arbit<3r of all events, in this the hour of our need." This conclusion of the report does gi-eat honor to the head and heart of those who lead politics in Charleston, and indeed there is not a more crying, cowardly, infamous tyranny than that of a strong Government on colored people, precisely because the latter arc weak, defenceless, and incapable of protecting themselves. Here is another condition I must mention in the name of morality, in the name of public decency, in the name of religion, in the name of ChriEK'j' tianity : it is that the whites do not take advantage of the weakness, ' ignorance, dependerce, and lowly position of colored females, whether slaves or not — availing theraselvefe of the impunity which, hitherto, laws in the South have extended to this sort of iniquity. It is • indeed right that the two races should be kept distinct, and public sentiment repu- diates amalgamation, and hence such connubial alliances arc not to bo encouraged and formed. But, things being on that footing, every out- rage against morals should be repressed. It is the duty of the clergy to protest against every violaition of the moral law. and l:>y making the pi'cscnt remark. I discharge but too weakly and imperfectly a sacred|> obligation, attached to the responsible and dangerous ofiSce of Bishop, '•» which r hold in the Church of God. I am a sincere and devoted friend -^ of the South, to whidi Divine Providence has sent me. and I am ready to ' uodergo any hardship — to make any sacrifice — for the true welfare of the . ' 18 people among whom I live ; still I must say it for conscience sake — wh^^ kriowswhetherthe Almighty does not design to iisa the present distur- bances for the destruction of frequent occasions of immorality, which t\e subservient and degraded position of the slave offers to the lewd. I hope I am a false prophet : but, at the same time, I must admonish my country- men that obscure, secret, and hidden crimes, often call for an open, public, and solemn chastisement ■ at the hands of the Supreme Moderator of> events ; and I must remind them that the waters of tlie flood, in., which,' the whole race of mankind was svfept off, save a small remnaM^ were sent by the Almighty to- punish an impure and lowd generation ;' I must remind them that Sodom and G-omorrha were consumed in a shower of . burning pitch and brimstone, because of the unnatural lusts of its profii-*' gate inhabitants. It is but right that means should be taken to check liber-' tinism and licentiousness, and that the female slave be surr Vii;}d<5d witfi^^ sufficient protection to save her from dishonor and crime. The Boiithern^^!; Confederacy, if it should exist, must rest on morality and justice, and \^Jr could never be entitled to a special protection from above, unless it professes to surround vSlavery with the guarantees that will secure its" morality. and virtue. This leads me to another condition on a subject kindred to the preceding. *. It is thatrnatrimonial relations be observed among slaves, and that the lawsof marriage be enforced among them. All know that there have been, and there are frightful abuses about this point, and! leave il to the conscience, reason, and good sense of any -upright and virtuoiis ' man^ whether God can bless a countiy and a state of things in whicli tliiere is 2i,j woful disregard of the holy laws of marriage. It is my duty to proclaim'^; to masters that they have indeed a right on ' the labor of their slaves ;' they can justly require of them obedience, respect, and service. But th^y ^^ are not the masters of their slavas in such 'a way that they can forbid . them marriage, or prescribe it at pleasure. Although they can gi^ve directions and "advice to thoir sei"vants on this point, still fhose servants are their own masters as to that. The titles- to Slavery include Only labor and service, but thoy cannot change the nature of men. ■ It would*^ be unnatural and foolish to suppose that the whole race' is deprivM, of.^ the faculty of marrying by their servile dependence : and it wO.uld' be 2i, shocking, hideous, and a-bbminable conclusion, to admi't that they mnsV live in concubinage and "adultery. Hence religion and morality point'. out to -masters a strict and rigorous duty,' not only not', to oppose the mathage of'their servants, but to promcte it'^nd to • procure for them all-ee necessary mean's of avoiding immorality and crime. Slaves must, be; ncouragodto' marry,- 'and the laws of marriage must be observedT' among them exactly as among the vhites. The law of God admits of nb, distinction in this respect : the laws of morality are not ; different w:ith,;' the different races of men, and' a state of things which is' criminal with the whites,' cannot be excusable with the colored people. There is but one Christian code of morality and of domestic order. Our Lord Jesus ^U'^ 19 Christ has appointed laws and sacred prescriptions for marriage, whkh He has, indeed, raised to the dignity and excellence of a sacrament. He has not excepted anybody from the operation of these Divine lawe. Divorce and polygamy must be excluded from Christians, or else the anger of God will necessarily be provoked by the violatioa of His laws. Slavery, to become a permanent institution of the South, must be made to coiiform to the laws of God ; a Southern Confederacy will never thrive, unless it rests upon morality and order ; the Supreme Arbiter of Nations will not bless with stability and prosperity a state of things which would be a flagrant violation of His holy commandments. Hence marriage must be established and enforced among slaves, and all the laws of Christian marriage must be held up to their faithful observance, as they are among the whites in every decent form of society ; and the law of the Apostle must apply to servants : " Marriage honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. "— Heb. xiii. 4. Another condition arises from the nature of connubial society — it is that the husband and wife are joined together until death parts them. Our Saviour's word on this cannot pass away : ** What God has joined togetlaer; let no man put asunder." H^nce families ought never to be separated, when once established. It is unreasonable, unchristian, and immoral to separate a husband from his wife and children, and to sell the husband North, and the wife South, and the children East and West. A master ought not to be allowed to do this merely for the sake of greater profit. Covetousness and cupidity would.not render that conduct excusable, but would only heighten its black hue. Legitimate gain from slaves cannot be censured ; but gain at the expense of morality, religion, . and humanity ,• is a horror which can but bring to a speedy ruin a fabric that would rest on it and admit of it. The separation of families is fraught with evils and" inconveniences which shock the moral sense of everybody at once ; biit in the eyes of Religion it presents yet a greater inconvenience. This married man, this married woman; now separated- from each othei*, cannot live in continency ; if would be requiring . a mirtrcle of fortitude and virtue, which cannot be expected from the gener- ality of men, much less from a race more inclined to pleasures than any other. Indeed, the streti^th and violence of ammal propensities is in the • inveri3e ratio of intelleotual -and moral faciTl ties, which are decidedly weaker in the African race, as all persons of experience will testify. .^ Hence these people will be necessarily exposed to adultery, for the la^§ of God cannot be set aside or ignored ; the former marriage still subsists, ' and hence the separated parties will live in adultery and crime, and be . in-the impossibility of serving God and of working out their' salvation. ' What a dreadful respon>ibiIity for any master who has not yet extinguish-' edaltogether in him.^elf the iear of his Supreme Judge! There ought to be, ther.efoi*e, a provision made and sanctioned by the civil law, to be a bar against cupidity, that families shall never be separated, and specially that husband and wife will be looked upon ' as oiie person, inseparable 20 3ind iadiy'isible. , ' The only exception to tliia law would be the commission of ^reat crimes by one of the parties, wliich would render them subject to legal punishments, as imprisonment in the penitentiary, for in such cases even among the whites the husband is separated from his wife. Among the conditions necessary to render Slavery lawful and reasonable, it is scarcely necessary. to inention that the master must really , and in g'pd.d faith provide food, clothing, and dwelling for his servant. This is a dutv of the master which requires no proof, and is admitted by all, and practised by all generally speaking ^ and it is indeed a striking feature of the South, that the slave is better fed and clothed than the free negro. There is, ^ye know, much misrepresentation and calumny resorted, . to on this point by Abolitionists ; their appalling stories about the hardships of slaves are no more than a malicious fiction, if there have been cruel^ tyrannical, tiger hearted masters, it is only a proof that there may be mobsters in the human raoc— but such monsters are found as well in free as. in slave regions. As for the generality of masters in the South, they are humane and kind, and more inclined to be too mild than too severe to their servants. This kind treatment is the necessary effect of religious feeling and practical religion among masters, and hence it ought to be the. great study of ministers of religion to spread the spirit of Christianity among th.e people ; it will do incomparably more for the relief and the happiness of the slave than all the fanatical efforts of Abolitionists. This spirit of Christianity will teach the paster to treat his slave with human- ity and kindness, as a fellow-being, and as a partaker of the same nature, the .same promises, the same hope of eternal happiness, which exalt s« much the human race when received in the light of faith and Christian revelation, and hence I can do nothing better than to write down here the teaching and recommendation of the inspired Apostles concerning the relative duties of masters and servants :" Servants, obey in all things yoiir masters according to the flesh, not serving to the eye, as pleasing men, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God. Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ. For he that doeth an injury shall receive for that which he bath done cnjustly, as there is no respect of persons with God. Masters, do to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing tliat you also bare a Master in heaven. " — Colo's, in 22. '• Servants, obey your carnal masters with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, a« Christ, not aerving to the eye as it were pleasing men, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God, from the heart, with a good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that what^ever good every one shall do, the same shall he receive frora the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And you, masters, do the samo things to tbeni, f6rbear- ing threattnings : knowing that the Lord both of them and you is in Heaven, and there is no respect of persons with him."— Bph. n. G, ** B!«hort -servants to bov obedient to their ipaaters, in all things pleotaing, not coDtradicting, not defrauding, but in all ;hing8 showing good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. '' — Tit. II. 9. What a useful and extensive subject of meditsition for ser- rants and masters. If both come up to the requirements and exhorta- tions of Christian morality laid down by the Apostles themselves, then servants will truly be happy, and will love and serve their masters from their hearts, and masters will also find iik their servants protectors, de- voted friends, loving subjects, who will lake their interests to heart, and be more like children than slaves. Such, indeed, were the servants of Abram, whose virtue, faith, and religion, are a theme of prai«e in the Sacred Scripture, who numbered three hundred and eighteen born in his house, who exposed their lives for the interests of their master, and obtained for him a glorious victory. These are the dispositions which true religion would instill in the breasts of servants, and which we would witness generally among servant«i, if religion presided over our families and plantations' In the absence of this element of order and peace, alas I masters have often. no greater fear than from their servants, and wliat blessing tiien would it not be for masters themselves, if their servants would imbibe the true and genuine spirit of Christianity ? This leads me to the last condition which I wish to mention for the lawfulness of Slavery. It is, that servants must be provided with the means of knowing and practising religion. This is a sacred, indispensable, bounden duty of masters, the neglect of which alone, if they had commit- ted no other fault, would expose them to eternal damnation. Servants are moral, responsible and rational beings, accountable to the Supreme Arbiter of all things, as the masters themselves. They must save their own souls, and have, as well as their masters, no other affair worthy of the name in this world. They have an immortal soul, made to the image and likeness of God, and redeemed by the blood of Christ. The loss of such. a soul is a greater misfortune than the destruction of the whole world. Man is on earth, only to save that soul by the love and service of God, and the slave has the same rights and duties as the white mtn : '' There is neither Jew. nor Greek, there is' neither bond nor free ; there is neither male, nor female ; for you are all one in Christ Jesns. " Gal. III. 28. It is,, therefore, evident that the slave must be made acquainted with everything necessary that he may save his soul. The maste;* who has the time, and the services of his slave, is bound by natnral law, as also by the divine and ecclesiastical law, to instruct his servants in their religious duties, or to have them instructed by proper persons. He has, with regard to that, the same obligations which parents contf^ct with regard to" their cliildren. Hence it would be a great crime, anB a great folly at the same time, in masters to keep their servants in ignorance of every religious doctrine ; those lost souls would cry out to heaven against them for vengeance, and this flagrant injustice against the souls of slaves^ would be the sure way to render Slavery an untenable and ruioous ijjstitution, deserving the contempt of men, and the maledictJoa 22 of God. It would 'be treating slaves like bea^t?, and 'as tliis 13 supremely unnatural, suoli a state ol^ things^ would' be a forced and'Tiolent one, and could not stand, and G-od would owe it toliis merc_T, wisdom and' J4iStice, to. bring about the speedy ruin of such an unjust and iniquitous in^itutlon. On the contrarj,^ if tlie slave be taught ■ his religion, lire nature and destination of hissoiil,;kis duties to God. and the rewards as wefl as the chastisements of the next life, ho will then act reasonably: many ''will follow .the admonitions of the apostles, and thus the mutuaPtiappitiessand satisfaction of .^erv^antsa^d masters ' will be surely and- efficaciously promoted. A Christian and religious master may easily become a' most effectua,! missionary, enforcing among his servants, by his words '-and exan^ples, the -love of morality and virtue, gaining them to God, and" by his kindness winning their aifection and love, ■ He will thus be served £ar,bettev in this world, -and will be- the instrument of the_ eternal happiness of maoy in the next world, which is indeed the highest aim of human ambLtion. Happy are the nrasters who own those skves,-and happier the servants who belong to. them. The number of such- masters is not very large ;.but we, have known some who had truly upon this, the Christian, Spirit, and did not ■hesitate, to sacrifice one -afternoon every week, calling in a- Clergyman to give then- servants 01. ce a week, a homely and familiar instruction adapted to their wants, besides the Sunday which they had free for the performance of- their religious dnties. The subject which I have presented to day to your consideration, beloved brethren, isone of great importance, and is to have a powei-ful influence over the stability of the Southern- Confederacy. Such a Confederacy will, to all appearance, be formed, and such is the rapid march- of events, that the dismemberment of the Union is already consummated, and the faint hopes of a permanency of the . Union, which existed yet when the first pages of this paper were written, have altogether vanished, and the new flag of the Southern Confederacy is now given to the breeze, and waveS; under my eyes. Now if that Confederacy i* meant to be solid, durable, stable and permanent, it must rest upon justice and morality. " Justice exalteth a Nation : but sin maketh Nations miserable. '[ . It is undoubtedly true that fhe law of God does not reprove Slavery ; it is undoubtedly true that now the sudden and abrupt manurnission of slaves would be a misfortune of appalling magnitude, more so yet for the slave than for the master. Let then the wise and the virtuous unite and combine their prugence, their patriotism, their humanity, and their religious integrity to divest Slavery of the features which would make it odious to God and man. -^ Now is the time to make a salutary reform, and to enact judicious regulations; I propose as the means of setting the new Confederacy upon a solid basis, that a servile code be drawn up and adopted by the Confederacy, defining clea3y^the rights and duties of masters, and the rights and duties of slaves. This will be the means of proving to the world that the South is on the side of justice, morality, reason and religion. This will be a just vindication id J^-^c^l of Southern viewe wmctioned by the Gr^t Arbiter of Nations • thie will be a most triumphant confutotion of the charges which bigotry, Wnorance, fanaUcitm and malice, cloaked under a reverend ^arb, have for vears heaped against Southern Inetitotions. W« have assembled to bumble ourselves under the remembrance of our manifold transgressions : the subject which has been presented to jou on this occasion afford* to the North and to the South just subjects of humiliation, sorrow, confusion and humble accusation before the ^}^P^°?,^ ^^^^' Let ns, beloved brethren, accompany these sentimente of humiliation and grief with great confidence in the mercy of God who olten permits transitory sufferings in order to derive from 'them eubstan^al and lasting good. Let us remember how the Jews, under iiSther having recourse to penance and prayer were saved miraculously from their enemies, who themselves fell into the pit they had du? for their unofiFending brethren. Let us remember how the threats against ^meve were averted by the humiliation and penance of the people"" and Jet us hope, in the midst of the sed forebodings which reach us every day, and in the midst of the rumors and cries of civil war which seem to become every day nearer and nearer, that Divine Providence, who has m his hands the heart of kings, rulers, and statesmen, will avert calam- ities fix>m our heads, or at least grant us the grace of so profiting by the temporal evils to which we may be subjected, that bv patience, resignation, suDmission to the will of heaven, we may expiate our past faults, cancel at least a part of the debt which we owe to the Divine Justice and rende- ourselves worthy of the eternal happine=;ss which is promised to the true berracts of God in the next world. Hollinger Corp, pH8.5