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 THE 
 
 NORTH AND THE SOUTH 
 
 MISREPRESENTED AND MISJUDGED 
 
 A CANDID VIEW 
 
 PRESENT DIFFICULTIES AND DANGER, 
 
 ASH T1IKIK 
 
 CAUSES AND REMEDY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 
 1861. 
 
£44-0 
 
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 THE 
 
 NORTH AND THE SOUTH 
 
 MISREPRESENTED AND MISJUDGED. 
 
 We seem to be standing, as it were, " upon a sea of glass 
 mingled with fire," with danger staring us in the face, ren- 
 dering the utmost watchfulness and caution at every step, 
 essential to our preservation and safety. The dividing and 
 destroying spirit of enmity has found entrance amongst us, 
 producing its legitimate fruits of contention and strife, dis- 
 cord and confusion. The Babel of human wisdom, pride, and 
 lust, is confounded, and there seems no longer a unity of 
 spirit and language among those who should be one people, 
 having one common end in view — no longer a fraternal feeling 
 filling the breasts of those who are heirs of the same blessed in- 
 heritance, and should therefore be united in the advancement 
 of one common cause — in the promotion of justice and liberty, 
 union and peace. 
 
 The floods of wickedness seem to have exceeded their for- 
 mer bounds, and we now behold brother in hostile array 
 against brother, because of apprehended or pretended griev- 
 ances, the result of misrepresentation and misunderstanding, 
 or unscrupulous endeavors to engender dislike and contention, 
 for personal and party ends. The sentiments and designs of 
 one section of our beloved country is judged by the other, 
 from the spirit and language of a small minority in each, 
 which comes far short of doing justice to the great body in 
 both ; which, it is believed by well-informed and unbiassed 
 
4 
 
 observers, is largely conservative, having no fellowship with 
 extreme views or measures, and not disposed to demand "the 
 uttermost farthing." 
 
 It may be justly claimed for the North, that its feeling is 
 not one of hatred towards slaveholders, as would be indicated 
 by the spirit and language of the more ultra advocates of 
 human freedom, but rather of opposition to the principle and 
 system by which men are deprived of the natural right of 
 liberty, to their own grievance, and the great and unspeak- 
 able disadvantage of their oppressors, their beloved offspring, 
 and all within the sphere of the degrading and blighting in- 
 fluence of so great a moral evil. The true sentiment of the 
 Christian breast is that of sympathy for all, of every class 
 and rank, who are suffering from the existence of a great 
 moral wrong, whose tendency is to undermine the principle 
 of free government, destroy religious faith, and lessen the 
 sense of moral obligation ; and it is believed that this feeling 
 is largely entertained and piously cherished in the great heart 
 of our Northern people, however much this may be misrepre- 
 sented, through design, ignorance, or indiscretion. 
 
 On the other hand, we feel bound to believe there are 
 noble, generous, and patriotic hearts in the South, who per- 
 haps equally deprecate the existence of the great impediment 
 to religious, social, and political advancement, which is found 
 in our nation's crying sin ; and these not a few, who would 
 rejoice, together with their Northern brethren, in beholding 
 the institution of some kind and merciful means whereby this 
 might safely be removed, and thereby the liberties of th 
 people insured, the honor of the nation vindicated, and its 
 welfare and prosperity promoted. Let these, if they dare, 
 raise their voices so as to be heard, and there will be an echo 
 from the North which will unite in drowning the sound of 
 violence and rebellion, both here and there ; lest by the ad- 
 mission of one division or revolution, license be given to 
 others ; seeing that the same spirit of insubordination and 
 rebellion that would produce these in one instance, would 
 
 e 
 
tend to increase their occurrence — one separation opening 
 the way for another. 
 
 "It is a mistake to suppose that the present tyranny of 
 politicians, and their servant, the mob, can be approved by 
 the best people in the South ; it is abhorred, and only sub- 
 mitted to for sake of quiet, and in hope it will be of short 
 duration. If slavery had not another enemy in the world, 
 not another influence working its ' downfall, this despotism 
 would accomplish it. For fifty years and more, the subject of 
 slavery was freely and publicly discussed and talked about, 
 South as well as North, and no man can point to any evil 
 resulting from this free speech that can compare with one 
 hour of the savage and watchful despotism enforced for some 
 years past in parts of the Southern States." 
 
 Suggestions to Thomas If. Benton, respecting Feasible 
 3Ieasures of Emancipation. 
 
 In 1856, the following kind suggestions, as a safe mode of 
 effecting the freedom of the slaves, were made in a letter to 
 the author, with the request that, if apparently suitable, they 
 might be communicated to the late Thomas II. Benton, while 
 he was abroad from home lecturing on the subject of " The 
 Union;" the substance of which was forwarded to him, to 
 which he made a respectful and suitable reply. Since then, 
 there has appeared a suggestion to purchase the slaves of the 
 border States, which is also a kind and considerate propo- 
 sition. 
 
 "I observe by the paper to-day," said our correspondent, 
 " that Colonel Benton has accepted an invitation to deliver a 
 lecture at Newburyport, on the 26th inst., on the subject of 
 ' The Union.' He acknowledges he thinks there is danger 
 of disunion ; and I suppose the object is to allow a Southern 
 man and slaveholder to show wherein he thinks the danger 
 lays, and to suggest such preventive measures as he thinks 
 will avert the calamity. When I saw the notice I looked 
 
round to see if I knew any one who lived, or had lived, in 
 Newburyport, that I might press upon them to present to his 
 consideration, when there, the importance of slaveholders, or 
 rather slave States, doing away with those very obnoxious 
 laws, which are really very unjust and oppressive in their 
 operation upon the poor slaves — treat them as men and as 
 Christians — heirs of the same inheritance Avith ourselves. 
 Let them also be instructed in a manner suited to their condi- 
 tion — literary and Christian instruction — so as to make them 
 good servants, influenced by motives of love and respect to 
 their masters, and thus gradually prepare them for that even- 
 tual freedom which he can hardly doubt awaits them sooner 
 or later. Such a course appears to me as the most just, and 
 best calculated to allay the agitation that now exists. 
 
 " The slaves are a class at the South, whose assistance 
 could not well be spared in raising their vast crops of rice, 
 cotton, sugar, &c, and if by a kind and humane course of 
 conduct they could be prepared to act as free men, and to be 
 suitably rewarded for their labor, the experience of the North, 
 in all its varied branches of industry, proves requited labor 
 to be the most profitable, and no doubt such would be found 
 to be the same at the South. Let the Southern slaveholder 
 employ kind-hearted men to direct their business, and let these 
 employ the poor blacks in such way as would encourage them, 
 by some honorable motive, to be industrious ; and when they 
 have done a reasonable day's work, allow them the benefit of 
 any overwork they might do, to be passed to their credit as 
 a fund to purchase their freedom. Such a course I should 
 hope would abate the agitation at the North, prevent the 
 danger of an ultimate convulsion in the South, and perhaps 
 of ultimate ruin and bloodshed. It would seem like an ac- 
 knowledgment which we have all been too slow to learn, that 
 He who is no respecter of persons rules in the kingdoms of 
 men, and will assuredly, sooner or later, plead the cause of 
 all that are oppressed. 
 
 " I should think if such views as these were presented and 
 
urged upon such an independent and considerate man as I 
 believe Col. Benton is thought to be, they would have some 
 weight in directing the attention of the South in the only 
 course which I can see likely to prove safe to themselves, and 
 to secure the blessing of heaven. 
 
 " I have no doubt but the thought of freeing the blacks 
 without compensation, is a very great impediment in the way 
 of many who would thus become reduced in their circum- 
 stances, and perhaps impoverished ; but if a fund could be 
 provided, as suggested above, equivalent to their value, this 
 objection would be removed ; the slaves would still be left 
 where they are most needed, where the climate is best adapted 
 to their constitutions, and where, in general, their relatives 
 reside, and their local attachments are fixed. 
 
 " Job R. Tyson, of your city, has published a collection of 
 the obnoxious laws of the different States relating to slavery, 
 which is to be had in an abridged pamphlet form, and would 
 be very suitable to accompany the suggestions I have made, 
 if the subject should be thought of sufficient interest." 
 
 If in the same kind, forbearing spirit, manifested in the 
 foregoing suggestions, the wise and reflecting men of the 
 nation, both North and South, would seek to discover, and 
 propose, means and measures whereby the condition of the 
 slave might be ameliorated until he could be safely eman- 
 cipated, we might hope for a beneficial result. 
 
 Similar suggestions have been made by an enlightened 
 author, in a late publication, who says : " We are led to in- 
 quire, whether slavery is not capable of elevating itself; 
 whether slaves cannot work out their own emancipation ; and 
 whether any other mode of emancipation, where large num- 
 bers are concerned, is practicable or beneficial to the slaves, 
 than that which sets freedom before them as the reward of a 
 course of industry distinctly marked out. When the negroes, 
 by their own labor, pay for themselves, under a system 
 arranged by their masters, they will become prepared to make 
 their own way in the world, and this will prevent the sendino- 
 
forth of many such freedmen as become nuisances to the com- 
 munity in which they reside." 
 
 In addition to the foregoing, was also subsequently commu- 
 nicated in another letter, from the same person, the following 
 equally suggestive remarks upon this deeply interesting sub- 
 ject : 
 
 " We ought to look towards the gradual extinguishment of 
 slavery as a fixed thing ; to be effected in such way as 
 would least endanger the slaveholders themselves, and best 
 prepare the slaves for the change. The spirit of the Gospel 
 would be the only safe foundation to build upon, and if this 
 were adopted, and kept to, it would be found to be fruitful in 
 resources for every emergency. If the slaves were assured 
 that such a boon as freedom was intended, it would silence 
 complaints, and stimulate exertion. If banks and insurance 
 offices can save to themselves a reserved fund, sufficient for all 
 exigences, I see no reason why a well-directed system of labor 
 should not enable the poor slaves to pay for themselves, and 
 thus leave with their masters a sum sufficient to retain them 
 in their service as freemen. Whatever slaveholders may say 
 to the contrary, it is very evident that there is not, at present, 
 a good feeling between them and their slaves. If it were so, 
 there could be no occasion for all those stringent laws ; there 
 would be no appearance of these extensive combinations to 
 acquire their freedom ; which state of things must be expected 
 to continue until the spirit of the Gospel is suffered to rule 
 amongst them, inducing the masters to do as they would be 
 done by, and the slaves to be content with their condition, 
 rendering their services without compulsion. Let some such 
 standard as this be held up by the more pious and conscien- 
 tious class of slaveholders, and let them prepare their minds 
 to suffer the opposition of unreasonable men without waver- 
 ing, and I have no doubt the Divine blessing would attend, 
 and eventually crown their labors with success." 
 
 Our brethren of the South are not to be despoiled of their 
 just rights, by the will or consent of those whom they regard 
 
9 
 
 as their avowed enemies, as they may fear ; but a disposition 
 on their part to moderation and concession will be met by 
 their Northern friends in the spirit of kindness and concilia- 
 tion. Let not the one demand too much, and the other will 
 not concede too little. Let each endeavor to soften the appa- 
 rent asperity of feeling — which seems the result of mutual 
 misunderstanding, produced by designed or unintentional 
 misrepresentation — by reciprocal assurances of kind feeling 
 and intention — free from the acrimonious influence of party 
 spirit — and a due observance of Christian courtesy ; then we 
 may believe one of the greatest obstacles to our remaining to- 
 gether as members of the one great household, enjoying the 
 protection and benefit of a happy Union, will be effectually 
 removed. 
 
 Let all, both North and South, seek to forget the things 
 that are behind, and press forward in the promotion of our 
 high calling, of becoming an ensign of virtue and liberty, 
 union and peace, to those nations now groaning under the 
 cruel yoke of oppression and bondage, and separated one from 
 the other by hostile jealousy, and mutual pride. Let each 
 and all seek to lay down the sword of accusation and crimi- 
 nation, that they may be brought under the peaceful banner 
 of brotherly affection, breathing "peace on earth and good- 
 will to men," and seeking to hasten the approach of that day 
 when the lion and the lamb shall lie down in peace together, 
 and a little- child shall lead them ; when Ephraim shall no 
 longer envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim, but instead of 
 oppression and contention, strife and division, we shall 
 behold the reign of justice and freedom, harmony and love. 
 
 Let us work on, and pray on, till every vestige of animosity 
 and disloyalty is buried beneath the overwhelming flood of 
 fraternal love, and our hands and hearts united in advancing 
 the cause of universal freedom and peace ; when the stars 
 shall again "sing together, and all the sons of God shout for 
 joy ;" when " righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters 
 do the sea;" when "swords shall be beaten into plow-shares, 
 
10 
 
 and spears into pruning-hooks, and men shall learn war no 
 more." In view of our departure and degeneracy, as a people, 
 as well as of our present danger, let the aspiration of our 
 hearts be, " Spare thy people, Lord, and give not thine 
 heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them." 
 
 Views of consistency and propriety. 
 
 While the great body of the nation unite with the civilized 
 and Christian world, in their abhorrence of slavery, depre- 
 cating the system of human bondage in our land, by which 
 the advancement of religion, intelligence, and freedom is 
 greatly hindered, the eyes of these are not closed to the dan- 
 ger of becoming indoctrinated with the view, that a good end 
 justifies the use of unlawful means ; that any one evil is the 
 sum of all iniquity, and therefore opposition to it the whole 
 substance of religion; that the existence of error is all the 
 needful warrant for embarking in the labors of reformation, 
 without any certain call to, and qualification for the work, 
 from a higher authority than mere human reason or will ; 
 whereby, through running without being sent, and putting 
 forth of the hand unbidden, the support of a good cause has 
 incurred for it the reproachful appellation of infidelity, con- 
 firming the sentiment, that a good cause often suffers more 
 from the indiscretion of its friends, than from the opposition 
 of its enemies; that "the wrath of man worketh not the 
 righteousness of God;" that in order for our labors to be 
 crowned with • success, we must strive lawfully; that " zeal 
 AYithout charity, like a ship in a storm, is in danger of 
 wrecks." 
 
 There is much truth in the sentiment, that " the world 
 would soon grow better, if crimes ivere more detested, and 
 criminals less." Here is an important distinction, too seldom 
 made and observed ; which, if duly kept in view, and rightly 
 maintained, in our treatment of religious errors, and moral evils, 
 
11 
 
 our labors for their correction would prove much more availing ; 
 for, though persecution may produce conformity, it will not 
 beget convincement ; though force may subdue, it is love alone 
 that gains ; and " it is wisely ordered that neither nations nor 
 individuals can deteriorate each other without injuring them- 
 selves ; nor promote the welfare of others without partaking 
 of the benefit conferred." Hence the necessity of adhering 
 strictly to "the golden rule," in our endeavors to correct 
 errors, or remove evils, — dealing justly, loving mercy, and 
 walking humbly, so that we may " hurt not the oil or the 
 wine." 
 
 Is it not an evidence of the increased depravity of the 
 human heart, to behold the readiness with which injuries are 
 now committed and avenged ; with which evils are maintained 
 and assailed in the one spirit of cupidity and malevolence ? Is 
 it not proof of the want of true Christian and fraternal feel- 
 ing, to behold the people of one great and favored nation, fos- 
 tering sectional strifes and party jealousies, and indulging the 
 spirit of vindictiveness, with a seeming willingness to incur 
 the displeasure of our Supreme Ruler, and the visitations of 
 his wrath ? Let us fear and tremble, in view of these things, 
 lest, by trampling under foot the law of truth and justice, we 
 find our landing in confusion and anarchy, war and blood- 
 shed, as a judgment upon us because of our disregard of those 
 things which tend to promote harmony, order, and peace, 
 justice, liberty and union ; those fundamental principles of a 
 free government upon which alone it can stand. 
 
 Is it compatible with the existence of such a government, 
 that it should be made the strong arm of support, and the 
 instrument of extension and perpetuation, to a system of human 
 oppression, which is now perhaps without a parallel in the 
 civilized world? Is not the experiment, that Ave, as a nation, 
 have been trying, whether an institution, like that of slavery, 
 can receive the almost unlimited patronage and support of a 
 government like ours, and not endanger the liberties of the 
 nation, rather than whether the people are capable of self- 
 
12 
 
 government ? Or, in other words, whether republicanism and 
 despotism are not antagonistical, and therefore unharmonious 
 members of the same family ; making it incumbent upon 
 every true lover of his country and kind, to labor and to pray 
 for the gradual extinction of so great a source of discord and 
 discontent, and such a formidable enemy to the principles of 
 free and united government, by every right and lawful means, 
 such as are furnished by the Author of our being, in the power 
 of his living word, by which, through faith, his servants are 
 able to subdue kingdoms, and work righteousness ? 
 
 Common Brotherhood of Mankind. 
 
 The following views of a Gospel minister, who in earlier 
 times was made an instrument in the Divine hand of ridding 
 the Church of which he was a member of the guilt of human 
 oppression, may now be read with interest and instruction, 
 as a sample of forbearing and effectual labor wrought in the 
 spirit of kindness and affection. In his introduction to the 
 treatise on the subject of the keeping of negroes (first printed 
 in 1754), he says : 
 
 "What I write on this subject is with reluctance, and the 
 hints given are in as general terms as my concern will allow. 
 I know it is a point about which, in all its branches, men that 
 appear to aim well are not generally agreed ; and for that 
 reason I choose to avoid being very particular. If I may 
 happily let drop anything that may excite such as are con- 
 cerned in the practice to a close thinking on the subject 
 treated of, the candid amongst them may easily do the sub- 
 ject such further justice as, on impartial inquiry, it may appear 
 to deserve ; and such an inquiry I would earnestly recommend. 
 
 "When we remember that all nations are of one blood 
 (Gen. 3 : 20), that in this world we are but sojourners, that 
 we are subject to the like afflictions and infirmities of body, 
 the like disorders and frailties of mind, the like temptations, 
 the same death, and the same judgment, and that the all- wise 
 
13 
 
 Being is Judge and Lord over us all, it seems to raise an idea 
 of general brotherhood, and a disposition easy to be touched 
 with a feeling of each other's afflictions ; but when we forget 
 those things, and look chiefly at our outward circumstances, 
 in this and some ages past, constantly retaining in our minds 
 the distinction between us and them, with respect to our 
 knowledge and improvement in things Divine, natural, and 
 artificial, our breasts being apt to be filled with fond notions 
 of superiority, there is danger of erring in our conduct 
 toward them. 
 
 " We allow them to be of the same species with ourselves ; 
 the odds is, we are in a higher station, and enjoy greater 
 favors than they. And when it is thus that our heavenly 
 Father endoweth some of his children with distinguished gifts, 
 it is for good ends ; but if those thus gifted are thereby lifted 
 up above their brethren, not considering themselves as debtors 
 to the weak, nor behaving themselves as faithful stewards, 
 none who judge impartially can suppose them free from in- 
 gratitude. 
 
 " When a people dwell under the liberal distribution of 
 favors from heaven, it behooves them carefully to inspect their 
 ways, and consider the purposes for which those favors are 
 bestowed ; lest, through forgetfulness of God, and misusing his 
 gifts, they incur his heavy displeasure, whose judgments are 
 just and equal, who exalteth and humbleth to the dust, as he 
 seeth meet. 
 
 " To consider mankind otherwise than brethren, to think 
 favors are peculiar to one nation, and to exclude others, 
 plainly supposes a darkness in the understanding ; for as 
 God's love is universal, so when the mind is sufficiently 
 influenced by it, it begets a likeness of itself, and the heart is 
 enlarged towards all men. Again, to conclude a people for- 
 ward, perverse, and worse by nature than others, who un- 
 gratefully receive favors and apply them to bad ends, will 
 excite a behavior toward them unbecoming the excellence of 
 true religion. 
 
14 
 
 " Through the force of long custom, it seems needful to 
 speak in relation to color. Suppose a white child, born of 
 parents of the meanest sort, who died and left him an infant, 
 falls into the hands of a person who endeavors to keep him a 
 slave. Some men would account him an unjust man in so 
 doing, who yet appear easy while many black people, of honest 
 lives and good abilities, are enslaved in a manner more shock- 
 ing than the case supposed. This is owing chiefly to the idea 
 of slavery being connected with black color, and liberty with 
 the white ; and where false ideas are twisted into our minds, 
 it is with difficulty we get fairly disentangled. 
 
 " The color of a man avails nothing in matters of right and 
 equity. Consider color in relation to treaties, by which dis- 
 putes between nations are sometimes settled. And should 
 the Father of us all so dispose things that treaties with black 
 men should sometimes be necessary, how then would it appear 
 amongst the princes and ambassadors to insist on the pre- 
 rogative of color ? Whence is it that men who believe in a 
 righteous Omnipotent Being, to whom all nations stand 
 equally related, and are equally accountable, remain so easy 
 in it, but because the ideas of negroes and slaves are so inter- 
 woven in the mind that they do not discuss this matter with 
 that candor and freedom of thought which the case justly calls 
 for? 
 
 " It appears by Holy Record, that men under high favors 
 have been apt to err in their opinions concerning others. 
 Thus Israel, according to the description of the prophet (Isa, 
 G5 : 5), when exceedingly corrupted and degenerated, yet 
 remembered they were (or had been) the chosen people of 
 God, and could say : < Stand by thyself, come not near me, 
 for I am holier than thou.' The opinion of peculiar favors 
 being confined to them was deeply rooted. 
 
 "A covetous mind, which seeks opportunity to exalt itself, 
 is a great enemy of true harmony in a country ; envy and 
 grudging usually accompany this disposition, and it tends to 
 stir up its likeness in others. And where this disposition 
 
15 
 
 ariseth so high as to embolden us to look upon honest, indus- 
 trious men as our own property during life, and to keep them 
 to hard labor, to support those customs which have not their 
 foundation in right reason, or to use any means of oppression, 
 a haughty spirit is cherished on one side, and the desire of 
 revenge frequently excited on the other, till the inhabitants 
 of the land are rife for great commotion and trouble, and thus 
 luxury and oppression have the seeds of war in them ;" as we 
 are now seeing by the endeavor to overthrow a liberal govern- 
 ment in order to establish a monarchy. 
 
 Scripture Bondage a Punishment or otherwise a Crime. 
 
 " To suppose it right that an innocent man shall at this 
 day be excluded from the common rules of justice, be de- 
 prived of that liberty which is the natural right of human 
 creatures, and be a slave to others during life, on account of 
 a sin committed by his immediate parents, or a sin committed 
 by Ham, the son of Noah, is a supposition too gross to be 
 admitted into the mind of any person who sincerely desires 
 to be governed by just and solid principles. 
 
 "It is alleged in favor of the practice that Joshua made 
 slaves of the Gibeonites. What men do by the command of 
 God, and what comes to pass as a consequence of their neg- 
 lect, are different ; the case now mentioned Avas such as the 
 latter." In both the above cases bondage was the penalty of 
 disobedience or sin ; but who can suppose that this was to be 
 visited upon their descendants, who should be innocent of their 
 transgressions ? Is this consistent with the attributes of 
 Him who rewardeth us individually according to our deeds? 
 
 " It is also alleged that the Jews by their laws made slaves 
 of the heathen. The Jews undoubtedly had slaves, whom 
 they kept as such from one age to another ; but that this was 
 agreeable to the genuine design of their inspired law-giver, is 
 far from bein£ a clear case. 
 
16 
 
 "Making constructions of the law contrary to the true 
 meaning of it, was common amongst that people. Samuel's 
 sons took bribes, and perverted judgment. Isaiah complained 
 that they justified the wicked for reward. Zephaniah, con- 
 temporary with Jeremiah, on account of the injustice of the 
 civil magistrates, declared that those judges were evening 
 wolves, and that the priests did violence to the law. 
 
 " Jeremiah acquaints us that the priests cried peace, peace ! 
 when there was no peace ; by which means the people grew 
 bold in their wickedness, and, having committed abomina- 
 tions, were not ashamed, but through wrong constructions of 
 the law, they justified themselves, and boastingly said : ' We 
 are wise; and the law of the Lord is with us.' These cor- 
 ruptions continued [even] till the days of our Saviour, who 
 told the Pharisees, ' You have made the commandment of God 
 of none effect through your tradition.' 
 
 " That the liberty of man was, by the inspired Law-giver, 
 esteemed precious, appears in this — that such who unjustly 
 deprived men of it were to be punished in like manner as if 
 they had murdered them. ' He that stealeth a man and selleth 
 him, or if he be found in his hands, shall surely be put to 
 death.' This part of the law was so considerable, that Paul, 
 the learned Jew, giving a brief account of the uses of the law, 
 adds this : 'It was made for men-stealers.' 
 
 " The great men among that people were exceedingly 
 oppressive, and it is likely exerted their whole strength and 
 influence to have the law construed to suit their turns. The 
 honest servants of the Lord had heavy work with them in 
 regard to their oppressions ; a few instances follow. ' Thus 
 saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways 
 and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 
 If you thoroughly execute judgment between man and his 
 neighbor ; if you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and 
 the widow ; and shed not innocent blood in this place ; neither 
 walk after other gods to your hurt, then will I cause you to 
 dwell in this place.' 
 
17 
 
 "Again, this message was sent not only to the inferior 
 ministers of justice, but also to the chief ruler. 'Thus saith 
 the Lord, Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and 
 speak there this word ; execute ye judgment and righteous- 
 ness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, 
 and do no wrong ; do no violence to the stranger, the father- 
 less, and the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this 
 place.' Then adds, 'That in so doing they should prosper; 
 but if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith 
 the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.' 
 
 " It appears that the great men amongst the Jews were 
 fully resolved to have slaves, even of their own brethren. 
 (Jer. 34.) Notwithstanding the promises and threatenings of 
 the Lord by the prophet, and their solemn covenant to set 
 them free, confirmed by the imprecation of passing between 
 the parts of a calf cut in twain, intimating by that ceremony 
 that on breach of the covenant, it were just for their bodies 
 to be so cut in pieces, yet, after all, they held fast to their 
 old custom, and called home the servants whom they had set 
 free. ' And ye were now turned, and had done right in my 
 sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor ; and 
 ye made a covenant before me, in the house which is called 
 by my name, but ye turned and polluted my name, and caused 
 every man his servant, whom he had set at liberty at their 
 pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be 
 unto you for servants and for handmaids ; therefore thus saith 
 the Lord : Ye have not hearkened unto me in proclaiming 
 liberty every one to his neighbor, and every one to his 
 brother. Behold, I proclaim a liberty for you to the sword. 
 to the pestilence, and to the famine ; and I will make you to 
 be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. The men who 
 transgressed my covenant, which they made, and passed be- 
 tween the parts of the calf, I will give into the hands of their 
 enemies, and their dead bodies shall be meat for the fowls of 
 the heaven, and the beasts of the earth.' 
 
 " Soon after this their city was taken and burnt, the king's 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 sons and the princes slain, and the king, with the chief men 
 of his kingdom, carried captive to Babylon. 
 
 " Where the innocent suffer under hard-hearted men, even 
 unto death, and the channels of equity are so obstructed that 
 the cause of the sufferers is not judged in righteousness, 'the 
 land is polluted with blood.' When blood hath been shed 
 unrighteously, and remains unatoned for, the cry thereof is 
 very piercing. 
 
 " Under the humbling dispensation of Divine Providence, 
 this cry hath deeply affected my heart, and I feel a concern 
 to open, as I may be enabled, that which lieth heavy upon my 
 
 mind. 
 
 " When 'the iniquity of the house of Israel was exceeding 
 great, when the land Avas denied with blood, and the city full 
 of perverseness, some were found sighing and crying for the 
 abominations of the times.' And those who live under a right 
 feeling of our condition as a nation, I trust will be sensible 
 that the Lord at this day doth call to mourning, though many 
 are ignorant of it. So powerful are bad customs when they 
 become general, that people, growing bold through the exam- 
 ple one of another, have often been unmoved at the most serious 
 warnings. 
 
 " Our blessed Saviour, speaking of the people of the old 
 world, said, ' They ate, they drank, they married and were 
 given in marriage, until the day that Noah went into the 
 Ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.' The like 
 he spoke concerning the people of Sodom, who are also repre- 
 sented by the prophet as haughty, luxurious, and oppressive. 
 ' This was the sin of Sodom ; pride, fulness of bread, and 
 abundance of idleness, were found in his and in her daughters ; 
 neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy.' 
 
 "In a revolt so deep as this, when much blood has been 
 shed unrighteously in carrying on the slave trade, and in 
 supporting the practice of keeping slaves, which at this day 
 is unatoned for, and crieth from the earth and from the seas 
 against the oppressor ; while this practice is continued, and 
 
19 
 
 under a great load of guilt, there is moi-e unrighteousness 
 committed, the state of things is very moving. 
 
 "There is a love which stands in nature, and a parent 
 beholding his child in misery hath a feeling of the affliction ; 
 but in Divine love the heart is enlarged towards mankind 
 universally, and prepared to sympathize with strangers 
 though in the lowest stations in life. Of this the prophet 
 appears to have had a feeling when he said, ' Have we not 
 all one Father ? Hath not one God created us ? Why then 
 do we deal treacherously every man with his brother in pro- 
 faning the covenant of our fathers?' 
 
 " He who of old heard the groans of the children of Israel 
 under the hard task-masters in Egypt, I trust hath looked 
 down from his holy habitation on the miseries of these deeply 
 oppressed people. Many lives have been shortened through 
 extreme oppression, while they labored to support luxury and 
 worldly greatness ; and though many people in outward pros- 
 perity may think little of those things, yet the gracious 
 Creator hath regard to the cries of the innocent, however un- 
 noticed by man. 
 
 " The unoffending, aged, and infirm are made to labor too 
 hard, kept on a diet less comfortable than their weak state 
 requires, and exposed to great difficulties, under hard-hearted 
 men, to whose sufferings I have often been a witness, and 
 under the heart-melting power of Divine love their misery 
 hath felt to me like the misery of my parents. 
 
 "The jwofessed followers of Christ joining in customs evi- 
 dently unrighteous, which manifestly tend to stir up wrath 
 and increase wars and desolations, has often covered my 
 mind with sorrow. 
 
 " If we bring this matter home, and, as Job proposed to 
 his friends, ' put our soul in their soul's stead ;' if we consider 
 ourselves and our children as exposed to the hardships which 
 these people lie under in supporting an imaginary greatness^ 
 and, in such a case, behold an increase of luxury and super- 
 fluity amongst our oppressors, and therewith felt an increase 
 
20 
 
 of the weight of our burdens, and expected our posterity to 
 groan under oppression after us ; under all this misery, had 
 we none to plead our cause, nor any hope of relief from man, 
 how would our cries ascend to the God of the spirits of all 
 flesh, who judgeth the world in righteousness, and in his own 
 time is a refuge for the oppressed. 
 
 Oppression a Reproach to the name of Religion. 
 
 " If they who thus afflicted us continued to lay claim to 
 religion, and were assisted in their business by others, es- 
 teemed pious people, who through a friendship for them 
 strengthened their hands in tyranny ; if, when we were hun- 
 ger-bitten, we could not have sufficient nourishment, but saw 
 them in fulness pleasing their taste with things fetched from 
 far ; if, when we were wearied with labor, we were denied the 
 liberty to rest, and saw them spending their time at ease ; if 
 garments answerable to our necessities were denied us, while 
 we saw them clothed in that which was costly and delicate ; 
 under such affliction, how would these painful feelings rise up 
 as witnesses against their pretended devotion ! And if the 
 name of their religion was mentioned in our hearing, how 
 would it sound in our ears like a word that signified self- 
 exaltation and hardness of heart ! 
 
 " The prophet Isaiah mentions oppression as that which the 
 true Church, in time of outward quiet, should not only be 
 clear of, but should be far from it : ' Thou shalt be far from 
 oppression.' Now, these words l far from' appear to have an 
 extensive meaning, and to convey instruction in regard to 
 that of which Solomon speaks, ' Though hand join in hand, 
 the wicked shall not go unpunished.' 
 
 " It was a complaint of one of old, ' When thou sawest a 
 thief, thou consentedst with him.' It was a complaint of the 
 Lord against Israel, through his prophet Ezekiel, that ' they 
 strengthened the hands of the wicked, and made the hearts 
 
21 
 
 of the righteous sad.' The Apostle asketh this question : 
 'What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?' 
 And again saith, ' Have no fellowship with the unfruitful 
 works of darkness, hut rather reprove them.' Again, 'Be 
 not partaker of other men's sins; keep thyself pure.' 
 
 "•Were we for the term of one year only to be eye-wit- 
 nesses to what passes in getting slaves from Africa ; was the 
 blood which is shed to be sprinkled upon our garments ; were 
 the poor captives, bound with thongs, and heavy-laden with 
 elephants' teeth, to pass before our eyes on their way to sea ; 
 were their bitter lamentations day after day to ring in our 
 ears, their mournful cries in the night to hinder us from 
 sleeping ; were we to hear the sound of the tumult when the 
 slaves on board the ships attempt to kill the English, and 
 behold the issue of those bloody conflicts ; what pious man 
 could be a witness to these things, and see a trade carried on 
 in this manner, without being deeply affected with sorrow ? 
 
 Pride and Self-exaltation tend to Division and Confusion. 
 
 "Where men are wicked, they commonly are a means of 
 corrupting the succeeding age, and thereby hasten those out- 
 ward calamities which fall on nations when their iniquities 
 are full. 
 
 And may not now this prophetic testimony, given forth 
 respecting our future, more than half a century ago, be found 
 applicable to this nation ? " I took the forefathers of this 
 country from a land of oppression ; I planted them among 
 the people of the forest ; I sustained them, and while they were 
 humble I blessed and fed them, and they became a numerous 
 people. But they have become proud and lifted up, and have 
 forgotten me who nourished and protected them in the wilder- 
 ness, and are running into every abomination and evil prac- 
 tice of which the old countries are guilty, and have taken 
 quietude from the land, and have suffered a dividing spirit to 
 come amongst them." 
 
09 
 
 Has not this dividing spirit, wherewith the Lord is chas- 
 tising his people, till they return to the faithfulness of 
 their forefathers, entered various churches, causing great 
 trouble and sorrow ? and has it not at last entered politics 
 throughout our land, threatening to produce great calamities, 
 because of our iniquities and the blood of Africa ? Is there 
 not great danger of so far incurring the Divine displeasure by 
 a continuance in the evils complained of, which have opened 
 the way for the entrance of this rebellious spirit, as to bring 
 down upon us the judgment pronounced upon those who lead 
 into captivity ? — " He that leadeth into captivity shall go into 
 captivity ;" — for licentiousness, pride, and oppression unques- 
 tionably tend to bondage, according to the teachings of the 
 history of the past ; wherein those nations which have become 
 rich, profligate, and tyrannical have been enslaved by usur- 
 pation, or destroyed by some greater scourge, as in the case 
 of the land of Pharaoh, that great and mighty king, having 
 a mighty host of chariots and horsemen, which were all 
 drowned in the sea, after Egypt had been visited with nume- 
 rous plagues because of the hardness of his heart ; which 
 caused his servants to say unto him, " Let the men go, that 
 they may serve the Lord their God. Knowest thou not yet 
 that Egypt is destroyed?" 
 
 In 1770, the minister from whose writings we have so 
 largely drawn, prophetically declared as follows : " I have 
 seen, in the light of the Lord, that the day is approaching 
 when the man that is most wise in human policy shall be the 
 greatest fool, and the arm that is mighty to support injustice 
 shall be broken to pieces. The enemies of righteousness shall 
 make a terrible rattle, and shall mightily torment one ano- 
 ther ; for He that is omnipotent is rising up to judgment, and 
 will plead the cause of the oppressed." 
 
 And again : "As a proud and selfish spirit prevails and 
 spreads among a people, so partial judgment, oppression, dis- 
 cord, envy, and confusion increase, and provinces and king- 
 doms are made to drink the cup of adversity as a reward of 
 
23 
 
 their own doings. Thus the inspired prophet, reasoning with 
 the degenerated Jews, saith, ' Thine own wickedness shall 
 correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee : know, 
 therefore, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast 
 forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, 
 saith the Lord of hosts.' 
 
 '"Come ye out of Babylon, my people, that ye be not 
 partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.' 
 Thus Babel, or Babylon, was built in the spirit of self-exal- 
 tation : ' Let us build us a city and tower, whose top may 
 reach to heaven, and let us make us a name.' In departing 
 from an humble trust in Cfod, and in following a selfish spirit, 
 people have intentions to get the upper hand of their fellow- 
 creatures, privately meditate on means to obtain their ends, 
 and have a language in their hearts which is hard to be un- 
 derstood. In Babel the language is confounded. 
 
 "It is remarkable in this call, that the language from the 
 Father of mercies, is ' my people.' Thus tender his mercies 
 are toward us in an imperfect state ; and as we faithfully 
 attend to the call, the path of righteousness is more and more 
 opened ; cravings which have not their foundation in pure 
 wisdom, more and more cease ; and in an inward purity of 
 heart, we experience a restoration of that which was lost at 
 Babel, represented by the inspired prophet, in the ' returning 
 of a pure language.' Happy for those who humbly attend 
 to the call, ' Come ye out of Babylon, my people.' 
 
 " How deeply soever men are involved in difficulties, sin- 
 cerity of heart, and upright walking before God, freely sub- 
 mitting to his providence, is the most sure remedy. He only 
 is able to relieve not only persons, but nations, of their 
 greatest calamities." 
 
 The God of Israel, of David, and of Daniel, still liveth 
 and reigneth, and He will yet deliver those whose trust and 
 confidence are in him ; whose desire, in times of trouble and 
 danger from men, is like that of David, when he said, "Let 
 me fall now into the hand of the Lord, for very great are his 
 
24 
 
 mercies ; let me not fall into the hand of man.'' " The em- 
 pires and kingdoms of the earth are subject to his Almighty 
 power. He is the God of the spirits of all flesh, and deals 
 with his people agreeably to that wisdom the depth whereof 
 to us is unsearchable." 
 
 How wonderful is the influence of his power upon the 
 minds and hearts of men, which He can turn as a man turneth 
 his watercourse in his field ! How doth He restrain the hands 
 of the wicked and designing, in times of trial and danger like 
 the present, according to the prayers of his servants, who 
 are seeking to stand in the gap, as mediators and intercessors, 
 until the breach of this people be healed — until peace is re- 
 stored within our borders as a token of returning faithfulness 
 and favor ! 
 
 The Scriptures opposed to Oppression. 
 
 u If a man be just and do that which is lawful and right, 
 and hath not oppressed any, and hath spoiled none by violence, 
 he shall surely live." Is it not occasion of wonder as well 
 as regret, that in this enlightened, liberty-loving, and liberty- 
 seeking age, wherein Christianity is so generally professed 
 and inculcated, any intelligent mind should be found ready 
 to plead for oppression or persecution on scriptural ground ; 
 that any friend of humanity should be found unwilling to 
 respond to the sentiments proclaimed by the wisdom of earlier 
 days, when, in the comparative infancy of reformation, human 
 slavery was deemed an enemy to religious and political free- 
 dom, and persecution a violation of the divine law of charity ? 
 
 But thus it is ; and this aflbrds renewed evidence of the 
 willingness to sacrifice justice and truth at the shrine of self 
 and party interest, — to pervert the design of divine Providence 
 in the creation of man, by reducing immortal beings, — the 
 children of one heavenly Parent, formed for the purpose of 
 his own glory, — to the degrading condition of absolute subju- 
 
25 
 
 gation to human control, — wherein the denial of the natural, 
 sacred, and inalienable rights of manhood, is deemed essen- 
 tial, yea, indispensable, to the continued existence of the sys- 
 tem by which man is made the proprietor of his fellow, and 
 allowed the position of sole arbiter of his rights and privi- 
 leges ; — and to frustrate the end of charity by taking up a 
 reproach against our erring neighbor, in the ill-natured spirit 
 of accusation and crimination. 
 
 With the assumption and exercise of such a power as that 
 by which the poor African is brutalized, how can we reconcile 
 those divine statutes and commands of Holy Writ, founded 
 upon the principle of equality which recognizes as one common 
 brotherhood, the children of one common Parent, — heirs of 
 the same blessed inheritance, — that all, of every nation, kin- 
 dred, tongue, and people, were created of one blood, and are 
 the children of one heavenly Parent, from amongst whom are 
 to be gathered those who shall make up the church of Christ, 
 and the host of heaven ? 
 
 What is there in the law that decreed the same punishment 
 to the oppressor which was visited upon the murderer, to jus- 
 tify the holding of men in hopeless and degrading bondage ? 
 
 Among the many passages in Holy Writ which are directly 
 opposed to oppression, Ave have the following commands and 
 admonitions: "If any man be found stealing any of Ids 
 brethren, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him, then 
 that thief shall die." "He that stealeth a man and selleth 
 him, or if he be found in his hands, he shall surely be put to 
 death." " Deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the 
 oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none 
 can quench it." " Loose the bands of wickedness, undo the 
 heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, and break every 
 yoke." " Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he 
 also shall cry, but shall not be heard." " Woe unto him that 
 useth his neighbor's service without wages." " Do justice to 
 the afflicted and needy, rid them out of the hand of the 
 wicked." " He shall judge the people in righteousness, and 
 
 f 
 
26 
 
 shall break in pieces the oppressor." " Proclaim liberty 
 throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof." 
 
 These and many other passages of the Old Testament, 
 bearing more or less directly upon the subjects of oppression 
 and liberty, might, it would seem, convince every reflecting, 
 candid mind, that while the former was recognized as an 
 offence against God and man, the latter was designed to be 
 the natural and inalienable boon of every unoffending mem- 
 ber of the human family, of which no one could despoil him 
 but at his peril. That the former is also a sin according to 
 the New Testament, will appear in the declaration that " all 
 unrighteousness is sin;" and that the latter is both the evi- 
 dence and result of virtue, in the testimony that " where the 
 Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 
 
 Beside the evidence of Scripture testimony in opposition to 
 oppression, as the fruit of men's lusts, and in favor of liberty, 
 the offspring of virtue, there is that in every truly Christian 
 breast that subscribes to " the golden rule," and admits the 
 laborer to be "worthy of his hire," recognizing the Divine 
 command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Let 
 us mark the threatened judgments upon those who should 
 refuse to deal justly and love mercy according to the Divine 
 command. "Therefore thus saith the Lord; ye have not 
 hearkened unto me in proclaiming liberty every one to his 
 brother, and every man to his neighbor ; behold I proclaim a 
 liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, 
 and to the famine." 
 
 And again : " Because ye trust in oppression and perverse- 
 ness, and stay thereon ; therefore this iniquity shall be to you 
 as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose 
 breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break 
 it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in 
 pieces. He shall not spare." And lastly : " This is the 
 portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of op- 
 pressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his 
 children be multiplied it is for the sword. Though he heap 
 
27 * 
 
 up silver as the dust, the innocent shall divide it. Terrors 
 take hold on him as waters. The east wind carrieth him 
 away and he departeth, and as a storm hurleth him out of his 
 place ; for God casteth upon him, and shall not spare. Men 
 shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his 
 place." "The wicked fleeth [even] when no man pursueth." 
 
 How can it be contended that evidence is wanting of the 
 offensive nature and influence of oppression, or of the penalty 
 incurred thereby ? Is it any wonder that the Scriptures 
 should admonish us to " envy not the oppressor and choose 
 none of his ways," or that we should be assured that " he 
 that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker ;" since it is 
 so evidently the will of God that he should be honored by the 
 exercise of justice and mercy, the true foundation of liberty, 
 which is his gift ? That the Scriptures of truth stand opposed 
 to oppression in every form, which, from the time of Pharaoh 
 to the present, has been visited with plagues of various kinds, 
 as judgments upon its authors, it would not seem to become 
 any candid observer, possessed of common intelligence, and 
 having a due regard to his reputation for discernment or can- 
 dor, to deny or even to question. 
 
 Are there not many, yea a majority of the inhabitants of 
 this land, who can respond to the declaration of an eminent 
 Southern senator when he said, "I envy not the head or the 
 heart of that man from the North, who rises here to defend 
 slavery upon principle ?" He doubtless represented the mind 
 of a great portion of our Southern brethren, many of whom 
 dare not give expression to the feeling of opposition which 
 fills their noble breasts, and which would find utterance but 
 for the reign of terror, the fruit of the iniquity by which 
 they are surrounded. How many of these would now dare 
 to proclaim with the reputed Father of our Country, " It is 
 among my first wishes to see some plan adopted by which 
 slavery, in this country, may be abolished by law?" 
 
 Would not this be counted treason, and sufficient ground 
 for banishment in this more enlightened day, wherein the dis- 
 
• 2S 
 
 covery is professedly made, that slavery is a Divinely author- 
 ized and beneficent institution, the fruit of whose labor is 
 proclaimed king ? And the more it is cried against, the 
 greater is the clamor of its worshippers, Avho would have all 
 bow down before it, even as the craftsmen of Ephesus, who, 
 when they saw their "craft in danger to be set at nought, 
 and the temple of the great goddess Diana to be despised, 
 and her magnificence to be destroyed, whom, said they, all 
 Asia and the world worshippeth, were full of ivrath, and cried 
 out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians ;" which they 
 did again and again, until one in authority had appeased them, 
 assuring them of the worship of " the great goddess, and of the 
 image which fell down from Jupiter," and admonishing them 
 that "seeing these things cannot be spoken against, they 
 ought to be quiet, and do nothing rashly." — Acts 19 : 24— 86. 
 
 Views of Eminent Men of the Past. 
 
 In reference to the advocacy of oppression, let us consider 
 the justness and force of the views of Patrick Henry. " Is 
 it not a little surprising," said he, "that the professors of 
 Christianity, whose chief excellence consists in softening the 
 human heart, in cherishing and improving its finer feelings, 
 should encourage a practice so totally repugnant to the first 
 impressions of right and wrong ? Is it not amazing that at 
 a time when the rights of humanity are defined and under- 
 stood with precision, in a country above all others fond of 
 liberty, that in such an age and in such a country, we find 
 men professing a religion the most mild, humane, and gene- 
 rous, adopting such a principle, as repugnant to humanity as 
 it is inconsistent with the Bible and destructive to every 
 liberty V 
 
 In this connection read also the views of Thomas Jefferson, 
 " Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we 
 have removed their only firm basis, — a conviction in the 
 
29 
 
 minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God ? 
 that they cannot be violated but by his wrath ?" And 
 again, " We must wait with patience the workings of an over- 
 ruling Providence, and hope that he is preparing for the de- 
 liverance of these, our brethren. When the measure of their 
 tears shall be full, when their groans shall involve heaven 
 itself in darkness, doubtless a God of justice will awaken to 
 their distress. Nothing is more certain in the book of fate 
 than that this people shall be free." 
 
 The Spirit of the Gospel the Power of Reformation. 
 
 Can we not believe that there exists at this very hour 
 thousands, even among our Southern brethren, with corre- 
 sponding views, accompanied with the desire for the hastening 
 of that day when one of the greatest scourges of our land 
 shall be removed — when the dark cloud of human degradation 
 which is now hanging over a professedly Christian and free 
 people, shall be dispersed by the light and power of the Gos- 
 pel, whereby alone the hearts of men can be availingly 
 reached and savingly convinced, and thus induced to turn 
 from their wicked ways ? 
 
 Let those who feel themselves called to this branch of the 
 work of reformation, address themselves, in the forbearing 
 spirit of kindness and affection, to the better feelings of those 
 whom they would convince of their error, and not appeal to 
 the baser passions, by raillery and taunting, to the turning of 
 judgment away backward ; let them remember that grievous 
 words stir up anger, but a soft answer turneth away wrath ; 
 and that crimination and recrimination never lead to recon- 
 ciliation — that human nature is the same the world over, and 
 is ever disposed to resist the exercise of violence, either in 
 language or deed. 
 
 As water to a city in a blaze, so may be the words of 
 kindness and conciliation to the flame of passion, when its 
 
30 
 
 high streaming and wide spreading volume may seem to 
 threaten the bulwarks of a nation's glory, the safeguards of 
 a nation's peace — when reason, justice, and liberty may be 
 endangered by their greatest enemy — when the lust and pride 
 of the human heart may, for a season, eclipse the counsels of 
 wisdom, and, during the darkness of the hour, lead men into 
 acts, respecting which, sober reflection, and a sight of the 
 consequences, will convince them of something like having 
 sold their birthright for a consideration even worse than 
 valueless. 
 
 While we are disposed to view, and prepared to prove the 
 system of human slavery an offence against God and humanity, 
 an enemy to social, religious, and political freedom, incon- 
 sistent with every law of justice, and every attribute of good- 
 ness and mercy, and totally at variance with the precepts of 
 the Bible, and the professed principles of our government, 
 let us not forget, that evil, to be rightly subdued, must be 
 overcome with good ; that in order that our endeavors to pro- 
 mote the amelioration and final extinction of it, by peaceable 
 means, may be crowned with success, we must strive lawfully, 
 even as " Michael, who, in disputing with the devil, durst not 
 bring railing accusation against him," but committed all 
 judgment to the Supreme Power of heaven and earth ; accord- 
 ing to the divine admonition, " Dearly beloved, avenge not 
 yourselves, but rather give place to wrath ; for it is written, 
 Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Let us 
 not, therefore, take the sword into our own hands, wresting 
 it from Him to whom vengeance belongs, lest we perish with 
 it ; but rather, if our enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst 
 give him drink, and be content to suffer all the appointed 
 time, until the Judge of the oppressed shall be pleased to 
 pronounce " It is enough," and work their deliverance by his 
 own means, as in the case of the bondmen in Egypt, when 
 Pharaoh and his host were plagued, and finally overthrown. 
 To these, when in extremity, the command was, to " Stand 
 still and behold the salvation of God;" confirming the truth 
 
31 
 
 of the testimony, that " Man's extremity is God's opportu- 
 nity." 
 
 Let us remember also that when David went forth against 
 Goliah, it was not in the armor of Saul, hut with a simple 
 sling and a smooth stone, taken from the brook ; comparable 
 to the power of truth, which continues to be mighty, and will 
 eventually prevail. Simple faith in God, and in the power 
 of his word, will enable us to overcome mountains of opposi- 
 tion, even as the holy Apostle, who declared, " I can do all 
 things through Christ which strengtheneth me." "By faith 
 Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king. By 
 faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were com- 
 passed about seven days ; and by this holy men of old sub- 
 dued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, stopped the mouths 
 of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of 
 the sword, out of weakness were made strong, and turned to 
 flight the armies of the aliens." 
 
 Said the Apostle, " The weapons of our warfare are not 
 carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong- 
 holds." It was by these that Felix was made to tremble, as 
 Paul " reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment 
 to come." It was by these that King Agrippa, before whom 
 Paul was brought to be examined, because of an alleged 
 offence, was led to declare, " Almost thou persuaclest me to 
 be a Christian." It was not by any wrathful attack upon his 
 opposers, or violent justification of himself or his cause, that 
 conviction was wrought upon the mind of the king, but by a 
 simple relation of his manner of life before his conversion, 
 the power and means whereby he was brought to see the error 
 of it, his obedience unto the heavenly vision, and of the nature 
 and end of the mission unto which he had been called ; for 
 which cause, said he, " the Jews caught me in the temple, 
 and went about to kill me." 
 
 In the language and labors of Christ and his apostles there 
 appears nothing of the spirit of vindictiveness, nothing of 
 raillery, taunting, or resentment ; but a simple endeavor " to 
 
32 
 
 turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
 unto God ;" which was declared to be the end of their mis- 
 sion. In this there was no self-seeking or self-exaltation ; 
 but self was made of no reputation, and their disinterested 
 and forbearing labors were crowned with eminent success, 
 even to the conversion of thousands. Would that those who, 
 in our day, have espoused the cause of reformation might 
 emulate their example, being exercised by the same divine 
 spirit. 
 
 But how do we find it ? On the one hand we may behold 
 glaring and dangerous evils, and on the other see them as- 
 sailed in a spirit that would call down fire from heaven upon 
 its enemies, until wrathful attack is followed by violent re- 
 sistance, and every vestige of the spirit which breathes " peace 
 on earth and good-will to men," seems buried beneath the 
 fire of creaturely wrath. Thus extremes meet and join in 
 one common cause ; thus is frustrated one common end ; and 
 man, whose aim is happiness, finds a worm at the root of his 
 indulgences and labors. Instead of simply seeking to contro- 
 vert error and correct evils, we are too liable to assail indi- 
 viduals who may be the authors or victims of them, and thus 
 to hinder the cause we design to promote ; as persecution 
 always defeats its own end, by strengthening the cause it is 
 designed to weaken, whether it be good or whether it be 
 evil. 
 
 One of the first steps towards aright qualification for a re- 
 former is to be enabled to acknowledge from the heart all men 
 as brethren. Then may it be hoped his labors will be actu- 
 ated by gentle influence of fraternal affection, to the produc- 
 ing of conviction and working of refoiunation, through the 
 convincing and persuasive, yet forbearing power of truth. 
 Divested of all selfish and party feelings, and looking with a 
 single eye to the direction of best wisdom, and the promotion 
 of the general welfare, how little room would be found in our 
 hearts for the spirit of enmity and accusation, leading to vio- 
 lence of word or deed ; and what place would be given to 
 
33 
 
 that divine principle of charity which would enable us to do 
 good even to our enemies, and thereby promote the reign 01 
 peace and good-will ! Laying aside all malice and evil- 
 speaking, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, how should 
 we be bound together as one family, doing and suffering what- 
 ever might be required of us for the good of our brethren, 
 without respect of persons,— for the advancement of one common 
 cause, without regard to self-interest or self-sacrifice ! Is it 
 not one step in this great work of evident duty to seek, ac- 
 cording to our call and qualification, to convince men of their 
 danger from a departure from the law of truth, in the for- 
 bearing spirit of the Gospel ? and should not this be received 
 as an evidence of friendship and kindness, rather than of 
 enmity or hostility ? 
 
 Scripture command in respect to returning Servants. 
 
 To return again to the subject of Scripture testimony 
 against oppression, or slavery, we find that the law is opposed 
 to restoring fugitives to their masters ; so that if we take the 
 Bible for authority, the statute of our government, respecting 
 the restoration of slaves who may have escaped from bondage, 
 would seem an error. The passage, or command, bearing 
 directly upon this point, says : " Thou shalt not deliver unto 
 his master, the servant which is escaped from his master unto 
 thee." This, together with the command, to "deliver him 
 that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor," do not seem 
 to favor the requirement of our law, which demands the pur- 
 suit of the opposite course, attaching a severe penalty to the 
 refusal of compliance. 
 
 Considering this contradiction, or opposition, to the Scrip- 
 ture commands, and the injustice of causing men to violate 
 their consciences and feelings of humanity, should we not 
 seek to have the present law, respecting fugitive slaves, either 
 modified or done away ; so that it may either be less 
 exacting, or not existing on our statute books? Should 
 any law be allowed to stand recorded in the books of 
 
34 
 
 a professedly free and Christian government, which is op- 
 posed to plain Scripture commands, and which cannot be 
 enforced without causing a violation of the law of God, and 
 of the consciences of his servants ? A law which cannot be 
 duly respected and regarded, without conflicting with natural 
 rights, and Divine commands, seems liable to lessen the security 
 for the observance of those which are just and liberal. Should 
 there be found in our laws, any warrant or occasion for the 
 plea made by the apostle, — " we ought to obey God rather than 
 men," — not that we would encourage insubordination and re- 
 bellion, by any means, but rather the repeal of unwise and 
 unjust laws, and the passage and observance of such as might 
 receive the Divine sanction, and therefore promote the in- 
 crease and continuance of religious, social, and political 
 freedom, which have their foundation in the immutable laws 
 of justice and truth, and can be permanently and effectually 
 sustained upon no other. 
 
 Views of Bacon and others, respecting Sedition and 
 Oppression. 
 
 Among the causes of sedition, Bacon reckons the follow- 
 ing ; some of which may be found to operate in producing the 
 present alarm and confusion in the minds of the people, and 
 the councils of the nation, by which the peace and prosperity 
 of the country are disturbed, and seem greatly threatened. 
 " When," said he, " any of the four pillars of government are 
 shaken or weakened (which are religion, justice, counsel, and 
 treasure), men had need to pray for fair weather." What then 
 must be the case, when all of them are thus affected ? Do we 
 not now recognize the need of prayerful endeavors to arrest the 
 progress of the dividing spirit of discontent and strife, which 
 has found its way into both Church and State ? seeing that 
 when this has not been timely effected, the worst consequences 
 have follozved. In this there is required no sacrifice of sound 
 principle, but rather a strict adherence to it, turning neither 
 to the right hand nor to the left, pursuing a firm yet forbearing 
 
35 
 
 course of evident duty, regardless of consequences ; for, while 
 duties are ours, events are God's. Be just then and fear not. 
 
 " The causes and motives of sedition," says Bacon, " are in- 
 novations in religion, breaking of privileges, general oppression, 
 advancement of unworthy persons, factions grown desperate, 
 and whatever in offending people joineth and knitteth them in 
 a common cause ;" and among the preventatives against sedi- 
 tions and troubles, he counsels justice, mercy, and the pro- 
 motion of liberty and equality ; for says he, " If there be any 
 truth which the deductions of reason alone, independent of 
 history, and again, which history alone would establish inde- 
 pendently of antecedent reason, it is this, that a ivhole class of 
 men placed permanently under the ascendency of another as 
 subjects, without the rights of citizens, must be a source, at best, 
 of weakness, and generally of danger, to the State. It is noto- 
 rious, accordingly, how much Sparta was weakened and en- 
 dangered by the helots, always ready to avail themselves of 
 any public disaster as an occasion of revolt. The frightful 
 expedient was resorted to of thinning their numbers, from 
 time to time, by an organized system of massacre ; yet, though 
 a great part of the territory held by Lacedsemon was left a 
 desert, security could not be purchased even at this price. 
 Indeed, almost every page of history teaches the same lesson, 
 and proclaims in every different form, ' how long shall these 
 men be a snare unto us. Let the people go, that they may 
 serve their God; knowest thou not yet that Egypt is de- 
 stroyed V (Exodus 10 : 7.) ' The remnant of these nations 
 which thou shalt not drive out, shall be pricks in thine 
 eyes, and thorns in thy side.' " (Num. 33 : 55.) 
 
 Can we not trace in the social system of our Southern 
 brethren, something of what is above described as the cause of 
 weakness and danger to the State, and what is truly occasion 
 of discontent and degradation to four millions of human and 
 immortal beings ; who, deprived of their dearest natural right, 
 and held in abject subjugation to despotic rule, are crying for 
 deliverance ; and this in a land boasting of freedom as one 
 
36 
 
 of the chief blessings of the nation ? Do -we not behold in 
 this wicked and oppressive despotism a designing enemy, 
 ■which is insidiously seeking to undermine the foundation of 
 free government, not only in the States where the system of 
 iniquity is tolerated, but in the general government, by the 
 power of which the institution is defended and supported ; 
 seeking to lessen, one by one, those privileges, which are the 
 inalienable right of all men, by the institution of a reign of 
 terror, North as well as South? 
 
 What a fearful poison is found under the wings of this 
 hateful monster, carrying blasting, mildew, and death, whith- 
 ersoever it may take its flight, or extend its influence ! What 
 a withering blight is it to all that constitutes general, social, 
 and religious progress ! and how apparent is this to a large 
 number of noble and honest-hearted patriots, dwelling in the 
 midst of its baneful and destroying influence ! May these be 
 strengthened, to raise their voices against its preposterous 
 claims and assumptions, while there is yet hope for the pre- 
 servation of their liberties ! Some have already spoken fear- 
 lessly and nobly, and their words of rebuke have doubtless 
 found a response in many a trembling heart, who, unlike their 
 representatives, hardly dare to venture the assertion that 
 liberty is the natural right of man, or that souls are found 
 under any other than a white skin. 
 
 " The brutalizing effects of oppression, which cannot im- 
 mediately be done away by its removal, at once furnish," says 
 Bacon, " a pretext for its continuance, and make relief 
 hazardous." "But," says he, "kind and liberal treatment, 
 cautiously and judiciously bestowed, will gradually advance 
 men towards the condition of being worthy of (prepared for) 
 such treatment." In reference to slavery in the United 
 States, the great contradiction and enemy of Republicanism, 
 he says, " The rapid multiplication of slaves, which has 
 already rendered their emancipation a difficult and hazardous 
 step, makes it more so every year, and increases the danger 
 of a servile war." " The slaves," says he, " are not ripe for 
 
3T 
 
 freedom — no enslaved people ever are — and to wait before you 
 bestow liberty, or political rigbts, till the recipients are fit to 
 employ them aright, is to resolve not to go into the water till 
 you can swim. It is the part of wisdom, however," said he, 
 " to lessen these evils, as far as can be, by careful preparation, 
 and by bringing forward the several portions of any measure 
 in the best order." 
 
 "Where slavery exists," says Madison, "the republican 
 theory becomes still more fallacious;" and, says Monroe, "We 
 have found that this evil has preyed upon the very vitals of 
 the Union." What a check to our national prosperity, and 
 stain upon our national character, is this source of discontent 
 and discord, from whence have emanated so many unreason- 
 able and unjust demands, which, for the sake of peace and 
 union, have been answered by a forbearing government ! And 
 how unreasonable, when the prospect of a denial of some of 
 these appears, that, like a spoiled child, who has been led into 
 insubordination by continued indulgence, the advocates of 
 slavery should rise up and declare themselves no longer loyal 
 subjects of the national government ; no longer bound to ad- 
 here to the national compact, deliberately made and unques- 
 tionably binding, and which it is their interest, as well as 
 duty, faithfully to continue, not only as a means of protec- 
 tion and power, but of social and religious advancement ! 
 
 Let the moderate and conservative portion of the Xorth 
 unite with their sympathizing brethren in the South, who are 
 alike convinced of the baneful influence of a system of human 
 degradation and oppression, not only upon the poor down- 
 trodden African, but upon the body politic of our country, 
 and are desiring to see devised some lawful means whereby 
 to arrest its aggression and spread, and provide for its gradual 
 and safe extinction ; let such as these unreservedly and fear- 
 lessly proclaim their sentiments, and take their stand in the 
 breach made by the extremists of both North and South, and 
 as their numbers and strength should become apparent, and 
 the influence of their sentiment be brought to bear in re- 
 
38 
 
 buking violence of language on one hand, and furious raging 
 and rebellion on the other, we might hope for a return of 
 peace, good feeling, and good understanding ; and that, while 
 no sound principle should be sacrificed. Is not the trouble 
 and danger of our present situation awakening and bringing 
 into action those latent feelings and talents which are designed 
 for the hushing of the voice of oppression, and the inspiring of 
 the people with a love for virtue, liberty, and peace ? Let 
 these fulfil their mission, and we have no fear for the result. 
 Moderation, accompanied with justice and firmness, is power- 
 ful, and mostly successful, in overcoming prejudice and rebel- 
 lion ; while haste and violence usually produce resistance, and 
 stir up strife and contention, sowing the seeds of discord among 
 brethren. The wisdom of serpents and harmlessness of doves 
 seem indispensable to success in stilling the troubled waters 
 of the sea of wickedness, when it is threatening to overwhelm 
 and destroy ; for when the enemy cometh in like a flood, the 
 Lord alone can lift up a standard against him, so that he shall 
 not prevail against those whose trust and confidence are in 
 his overruling providence, who in all ages has made a way of 
 escape for his people, and still continues to plead the cause of 
 the oppressed ; as it is written, " He shall judge the people 
 in righteousness, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." 
 
 The design and end of our 'present troubles. 
 
 May it not be that the troubles and difficulties with which 
 we are now encompassed, are permitted to arouse us from a 
 state of ease and indifference, and remind us more fully of 
 our duty and responsibility, as well as of our forgetfulness and 
 danger ; to bring us more sensibly to feel, and more fully to 
 acknowledge, our dependence upon the goodness and guid- 
 ance of Him, without whose notice and regard not even a 
 sparrow is permitted to fall to the ground ? May it not be 
 the design of our Heavenly Parent, by awakening us to a 
 sense of our follies and weakness, to incite us to greater 
 diligence and faithfulness in the exercise of humble watch- 
 
39 
 
 fulness unto prayer, seeking his forgiveness, direction, and 
 aid, that we may be found walking with acceptance before 
 Him, as an ensign to the nations of the earth, who are 
 bound as in affliction and iron, because of the triumph of 
 wickedness ? 
 
 Let us seek to bear in mind the highness of our calling, and 
 the greatness of our responsibility, — dwelling as we are in 
 a land flowing with multiplied blessings and unspeakable 
 favors, — lest by our forgetfulness Ave incur the Divine displea- 
 sure, and provoke our merciful yet just Benefactor to withdraw 
 the light of his countenance, leaving us to grope in the dark- 
 ness of earlier times, amid the desolations of his righteous 
 judgments. May all be incited to greater faithfulness, devot- 
 ing more of our time and talents in seeking by affectionate 
 prayerful labor, to hasten the coming of that day when swords 
 shall be beaten into plowshares, and spears into priming- 
 books, and men shall learn war no more ; when the darkness 
 which seems now to cover the earth, and gross darkness the 
 people, shall give place to the light of the Gospel ; when the 
 wisdom and haughtiness of men shall be laid loiv, and the 
 spirit of our Holy Redeemer exalted in our hearts over all 
 that is opposing his reign and kingdom ; when righteousness 
 shall cover the earth, as the waters do the sea. 
 
 "What meaneth these shakings at home and abroad ? Is 
 oppression to give place to liberty, and darkness to light, and 
 thus the foundations of wickedness to be destroyed ? Let time 
 solve the problem ; and meanwhile, let us labor and plead for 
 the prevalence of the spirit that breathes " peace on earth 
 and good will to men," and leads to the breaking of every 
 yoke of bondage, and the dispelling of every cloud of dark- 
 ness ; for it is written, that our labor in the Lord shall not be 
 in vain, and that " the fervent effectual prayer of the right- 
 eous availeth much." Wherefore let us work on, and pray 
 on, until we may be permitted to behold of the travail of our 
 souls, and be satisfied. Instead of devoting so much of our 
 time and strength to the pursuit of our own temporal gratifi- 
 
40 
 
 cation and aggrandizement, pursuing the path of human policy 
 in the promotion of self-interest, or devotion to party, let us 
 seek to be actuated by that honesty of principle which would 
 point to an enlistment under the banner of truth, striving to 
 keep our ranks in righteousness, following the Captain of 
 salvation, who was never foiled in battle or beaten in the 
 field, and is still going on conquering and to conquer, till the 
 kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and 
 his Christ ; till his kingdom is set up in the hearts of his 
 children ; then, through the denial of self, and a fervently 
 prayerful endeavor to promote the general welfare, might we 
 hope for a more fraternal and uflited feeling, so that incense, 
 and a pure offering, should arise from the nation as from the 
 heart of one man, bringing down upon us the blessing of 
 heaven. 
 
 Well may Ave now inquire, ' ; Why do the heathen rage, and 
 the people imagine a vain thing?" Do not " the kings of 
 the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together 
 against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, let us 
 break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from 
 us?" But what sayeth the Scriptures respecting these? "He 
 that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the Lord shall have 
 them in derision." Then shall he speak unto them in his 
 wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. " Yet, saith he, 
 have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion, I will declare 
 the decree : the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son ; 
 this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I will give 
 thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
 parts of the earth for thy possession." Does not this fore- 
 token the reign of justice and peace, wherein shall be wit- 
 nessed the blessings pronounced upon the meek, the merciful, 
 and the peacemakers, — who shall possess the earth, obtain 
 mercy, and be called the children of God ? 
 
 Seeing then that truth, justice, and liberty, are to be 
 exalted and established in the earth, let us, as heirs of so 
 blessed an inheritance, seek to hasten the approach of the 
 
41 
 
 universal reign of righteousness, co-operating with the work- 
 ings of the awakening, tendering, and uniting spirit of grace, 
 whereby there is begotten a holy oneness of feeling and pur- 
 pose, tending to the promotion of the general good, without 
 respect of persons or party, sect or nation. Was it not upon 
 the principle of oneness of interest, and of natural equality, 
 that the founders of our government sought to build ? And is 
 it not upon this alone that the Republic can stand ? For no 
 sooner do we depart from this fundamental principle, than 
 we find ourselves drifting towards the rocks of aristocracy 
 and despotism, — those enemies of a free government which are 
 now threatening the further destruction of the liberties of 
 our Southern brethren, of which many of them are becoming 
 fearfully aware, seeing the reign of usurpation and terror to 
 which they are being subjected, and the oppressive exactions 
 which are being imposed upon them by their assumed or self- 
 exalted and self-constituted rulers. 
 
 The struggle between error and truth. 
 
 The struggle between the self-exalting and oppressive, di- 
 viding and destroying spirit of the world, and the humbling, 
 gentle, uniting, and saving spirit of grace, is doubtless as great 
 at the present fearful juncture, as at any former period; and 
 upon the subjection of the one, and the triumph of the other, 
 depends the continuance of oppression, or the increase and 
 spread of freedom ; for the one is the power of Satan unto de- 
 struction, and the other the power of God unto salvation ; one 
 is the tree of knowledge, bearing the evil fruit of pride, 
 ambition, lust, and avarice — fleshly wisdom, human policy, 
 self-conceit, self-sufficiency, and self-exaltation, — leading to 
 oppression, persecution, dishonesty, robbery, rebellion, vio- 
 lence, tyranny, and all manner of wickedness — the taste of 
 which is death to all that constitutes the happiness and peace 
 of a Christian heart, — while the other is " the tree of life, the 
 leaves of which are for the healing of the nations." 
 
 Unto what shall we compare the spirit which is seeking to 
 
 4 
 
42 
 
 divide this nation, and despoil it of its glory and strength, 
 but unto that many-headed monster, described by the Evan- 
 gelist, — "the great red dragon having seven heads and ten 
 horns, who with his tail drew down the third part of the stars 
 of heaven ?" Whereunto shall we liken the disposition now 
 so prevalent, — causing men to turn, some in one direction and 
 some in another, from the simple path of manifest duty, — 
 but unto that spirit of rebellion wfiich causes men to prefer 
 the pleasure of sin for a season, to temporary suffering with 
 the people of God, — having with Moses, an eye to the re- 
 compense of reward, — unto that evil angel who made war 
 against heaven, preferring to reign in torment to serving in 
 paradise ; and who, therefore, was cast out into the earth ; 
 where, like a roaring lion, he is going about seeking whom he 
 may devour, making war against the righteous which keep 
 the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus 
 Christ ? 
 
 But blessed be God, this power is limited, so that the ad- 
 versary, with all his evil angels, shall never be able to over- 
 throw the work of the Almighty, while those for whom it 
 hath been wrought, and by whom it hath been cherished, shall 
 continue their trust in, and allegiance to Him, confiding in his 
 wisdom, and obeying his commands; for he hath promised, 
 and will fulfil, that these he will never leave nor forsake, but 
 will be with them to the end of the world ; that no weapon 
 formed against them shall prosper, and that every tongue 
 that shall rise against them in judgment they shall condemn. 
 " This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord." 
 
 This wicked warfare, though continued by the enemy of 
 heaven, and all his evil angels, even to this present hour, with 
 all vigilance and perseverance, will not, we may believe, be 
 permitted to overturn the fnith of those whose hearts are 
 established in the truth, or turn them aside from the evident 
 pointings of duty, as manifested in the secret of their own 
 minds ; but these, as they continue their trust and allegiance, 
 will doubtless be preserved, on the right hand, and upon the left. 
 
43 
 
 The object of Church and State governments. 
 
 Is it not professedly for the promotion of the principles of 
 virtue, wherein alone our safety consists, that Church and 
 State governments are set up and established in the earth ? Is 
 it not for mutual encouragement, sympathy, and welfare, that 
 Churches are organized, and States united ? Should it not 
 therefore be the individual endeavor of their members to 
 strive for the doing away of everything that tends to dis- 
 cord, contention, and division — to reproach, condemnation, 
 and the incurring of the displeasure and judgments of our 
 Supreme Ruler — lest, through persistence in offence against 
 his righteous law, we provoke the visitations of his wrath, 
 through the plagues which are written in his book ? Are not 
 these things worthy to be considered, yea, and seriously pon- 
 dered, while yet He is waiting to be gracious to a favored, 
 yet degenerate people, who have come far short of answering 
 the design of his merciful and all-wise providence ? 
 
 While desiring our own individual preservation, in an evil 
 time, let prayers and supplications be offered up for the op- 
 pressed, and all in authority, that righteous liberty, and just 
 government, may succeed oppression and injustice, and our na- 
 tion be exalted to its designed position, as the great exemplar 
 of the world, in virtue and self-government, — in social, re- 
 ligious, and political freedom. Let all, with increasing watch- 
 fulness and perseverance, seek to shut out every feeling that 
 would engender hatred and unlawful strife, tending to violence 
 or bloodshed ; endeavoring to maintain a feeling of charity 
 towards all, however much they may differ from us, either in 
 opinion or practice, — a disposition that would lead us to pray 
 even for our enemies, as well as for our friends, — that we may 
 receive the countenance and support, aid and direction, of 
 Him who is king of heaven and earth, and is able to bless 
 or to blast, according to his own good pleasure. Let those in 
 authority, as well as the governed, remember, that "righteous- 
 ness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people;" 
 
44 
 
 and also the promise to the -wicked, and all nations that for- 
 get God. Psalm 9 : 17. 
 
 Our Individual Duty and Responsibility. 
 
 We are individually, as well as collectively, accountable for 
 our influence and example, and neither nations, churches, nor 
 individuals can look for Divine blessing and favor while living 
 in forgetfulness of God, or in secret or open rebellion against 
 the law of truth, inwardly revealed ; and outwardly proclaimed 
 by its loyal subjects, in the volume of Divine inspiration, who 
 wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit ; for the end of 
 this righteous law is the glory of its holy Author, and the 
 peace and happiness of those created in his own image. 
 
 "Every individual should bear in mind that he is sent into 
 this world to act a part in it ; and though one may have a 
 more splendid, and another a more obscure part assigned him, 
 yet the actor of each is equally — is awfully, accountable. 
 Let no one think he may live to himself alone. Each indi- 
 vidual has a sphere of usefulness to occupy, and his happiness 
 is closely connected with the performance of his duty. 
 
 " We are most likely to prosper in our attempts to glorify 
 God and serve our generation, when we are convinced by 
 experience that we can do nothing of ourselves — when our 
 Avhole dependence is placed on Him, and our only expectation 
 is from Him, we shall then be prepared to mark and to record 
 his works of power and love. Those whom he employs, he 
 brings to feel as well as to acknowledge their insufficiency. 
 
 " Many of the trials of good men look like miseries, which 
 yet, on the whole, appear to have conduced greatly to their 
 happiness. Witness the many prayers which ' they poured 
 out in these calamities, the many seasonable and shining 
 deliverances which succeeded them, and the many hymns of 
 praise they sang to God, their deliverer ; so that they seem 
 to have been cast into the fire on purpose, that the odor of their 
 graces might diffuse itself all around." 
 
 If Ave would be the happy subjects of reform, and the united 
 
45 
 
 instruments of promoting the work of reformation, which is 
 going forward in the hearts of the people, — causing them to 
 see and confess their faults, and seek to forsake them, — let us 
 not forget the Divine agencies of truth and love, whereby this 
 is being effected, and is to be further advanced, to the healing 
 of the breaches whereby we are now so divided in sentiment 
 and feeling, profession and purpose ; both in Church and State. 
 
 Mules and Sentiments of Matthew Hale. 
 
 The following rules and sentiments of the eminently pious 
 Judge Hale may now prove interesting and instructive, as a 
 guide to others in their management of government, and deal- 
 ings with men. "I have always been careful to mingle 
 justice and honesty with my prudence, and have always 
 esteemed prudence, acted by injustice and falsity, the arrant- 
 est and most [evil] practice in the world ; because it prosti- 
 tutes thy gift to the service of hell, and mingles a beam of 
 thy Divine excellence with an extraction of the devil's fur- 
 nishing, making a man so much the worse by how much he 
 is wiser than others. I have always thought that wisdom, 
 which, in a tradesman and in a politician, was mingled with 
 deceit, falsity, and injustice, deserved the same name ; only 
 the latter is so much the worse, because it is of the more 
 public and general concernment. 
 
 " The reputation of justice and honesty I was always care- 
 ful to keep untainted, because a blemish in it would be dis- 
 honorable to Thee — an abuse of a talent which thou hast 
 committed to me — a weakening of an instrument which Thou 
 hast put into my hands, upon the strength whereof much good 
 might be done by me. 
 
 " When thy honor, or the good of my country was con- 
 cerned, I then thought it seasonable to lay out my reputation 
 for the advantage of either, and to act it, and by and upon 
 it, to the highest, in the use of all lawful means ; and upon 
 such an occasion the counsel of Mordecai to Hester was my 
 encouragement." — Hester, 5. 
 
46 
 
 " I have always observed that honesty and plain-dealing 
 in transactions, as well public as private, is the best and 
 soundest prudence and policy, and commonly, at the long 
 run, overmatcheth craft and subtlety ; for the deceived and 
 the deceiver are thine, and Thou art privy to the subtlety of 
 the one and the simplicity of the other ; and as Thou, the 
 great moderator and observer of men, doth dispense success 
 and disappointment accordingly. 
 
 "I have ever esteemed thy prudence best employed when 
 it was exercised in the preservation and support of thy truth, 
 in the upholding of thy faithful ministers, in countermining, 
 discovering, and disappointing the designs of evil and trea- 
 cherous men, in delivering the oppressed, in righting the 
 injured, in preventing wars and discords, in preserving the 
 public peace and tranquillity of the people where I live, in 
 the faithful advising of my prince, and in all those offices 
 incumbent upon me by thy providence. 
 
 " When my end was most unquestionably good, I ever then 
 took most heed that the means were suitable and justifiable; 
 because the better the end is, the more easily we are cozened 
 into the use of ill means to effect it ; we are too apt, while 
 with great earnestness of mind we gaze upon the end, not to 
 care what course we take, so as we attain it, and are apt to 
 think God will dispense with, or, at least, overlook the mis- 
 carriage in our attempts, if the end be good. Thy name and 
 honor do more suffer by attempting a good end by bad means, 
 than by attempting both a bad end, and also by bad means ; 
 for bad ends are suitable to bad means ; they are alike ; but 
 everything that is good hath somewhat of Thee in it, and the 
 evil and scandal, infamy and ugliness that is in the means is 
 cast upon the end, and doth disparage and blemish it, and 
 consequently it dishonors Thee. 
 
 " I have observed some men of eminent justice and upright- 
 ness of life, purity and sanctimony, mercy and gentleness, 
 patience and forbearance, bounty and liberality ; and I have 
 observed them to be very happy men, and blessed in what 
 
47 
 
 was most desired by them. I have observed men of notorious 
 and wicked lives, traitors, murderers, oppressors, adulterers, 
 covenant-breakers, and other villanies, secured by eminent 
 power, policy, or secrecy ; yet by wonderful providence that 
 power broken, that policy disappointed, that secret discovered, 
 and eminent judgments, answerable to their eminent demerits, 
 have overtaken them." 
 
 In respect to our conduct in view of, or under troubles, he 
 gives the following wholesome counsel : " If either before the 
 access or irruption of troubles, or under their pressure, any 
 thing or person in the world solicit thee to ease or deliver 
 thyself by a breach or wound of thy conscience, know they 
 are about to cheat thee of thy best security under God 
 against the power and malignity of troubles ; they are about 
 to clip oif that lock wherein, next under God, thy strength 
 lieth. Whatever, therefore, thou dost hazard or lose, keep 
 the integrity of thy conscience, both before the access of 
 troubles and under them. It is a jewel that will make thee 
 rich in the midst of poverty ; a sun that will give thee light 
 in the midst of darkness ; a fortress that will keep thee safe 
 in the greatest danger, and that is never to be taken unless 
 thou thyself betray it, and deliver it up." 
 
 Admitting the truth of the foregoing, and seeing that "bad 
 as the world is, respect is always paid to virtue ; that in the 
 usual course of human affairs it will be found that a plain 
 understanding, joined to acknowledged worth, contributes 
 more to prosperity than the brightest parts without probity 
 or honor;" what occasion and encouragement have we to 
 trust in the honest support of truth for the overthrow of the 
 specious fallacies of human wisdom and policy, whereby our 
 nation has been led into trouble and confusion. 
 
 When sound principle shall have taken the place of human 
 
 policy, and a desire for the general welfare, without respect 
 
 pf persons or parties, shall have displaced the feeling of self- 
 
 ove, and party zeal, then may we hope for the beginning of 
 
 ,n end to contention and strife, oppression and violence, dis- 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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 loyalty and rebellion ; and all those evils by which the peace 
 and harmony, happiness and prosperity, of a favored people, 
 are disturbed and destroyed : then may we look for the preva- 
 lence of fraternal affection, and an end of those feelings of 
 party prejudice and jealousy, and personal hostility, which are 
 the bane of human society, changing what might be an Eden 
 into one vast field of trouble, confusion, and sorrow — frus- 
 trating the end of justice and charity — countenancing and 
 encouraging a violation of the law of mercy and equity — con- 
 niving at evil for theifearke of personal or party favor, or the 
 punishment of enemies — and thus exalting the destroying 
 spirit of enmity, whereby truth is made to suffer, and the 
 reign of oppression, rebellion and anarchy promoted. 
 
 Wherefore, let all of every rank and station within our 
 Avide spread country — and especially those in authority — seek 
 to be governed by those principles of justice and mercy, which 
 characterize the dealings of our Supreme Ruler ; patiently 
 ivaiting, and quietly hoping, for the prevalence of wiser 
 counsels, and a more eminent feeling of fraternal union, as 
 the reward of faithful obedience and humble trust ; then may 
 we look for a return of Divine favor and blessing, enabling 
 us to example the world in righteousness, — causing the reign 
 of order to succeed the reign of confusion, — proving through 
 us to the nations of the earth, that virtuous liberty is the 
 source of true happiness, and impartial justice the foundation 
 of good government. 
 
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