CHAPTER IV.

THE DECALOGUE AGAINST SLAVERY.

SLAVERY involves a breach of all the ten commandments. It breaks the first, second, third, fourth, and ninth indirectly, and the other five directly.

God requires of man obedience to his revealed will, which is comprised in the moral law. "The moral law is the declaration of the will of God to mankind, directing and binding every one to personal, perfect, and perpetual conformity and obedience thereunto, in the frame and disposition of the whole man, soul and body, and in performance of all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he oweth to God and man; promising life upon the fulfilling, and threatening death upon the breach of it. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments, the first four commandments containing our duty to God, and the other six our duty to man."

"For the right understanding of the ten commandments, these rules are to be observed:

"1. That the law is perfect, and bindeth every one to full conformity in the whole man to the righteousness thereof, and to entire obedience forever, so as to require the utmost perfection of every duty, and to forbid the least degree of every sin.

"2. That it is spiritual, and so reacheth the understanding, will, affections, and all other powers of the soul, as well as works and gestures.

"3. That one and the same thing, in divers respects, is required or forbidden in several commandments.

"4. That as, where a duty is commanded the contrary sin is forbidden, and where a sin is forbidden the contrary duty is commanded, so where a promise is annexed the

contrary threatening is included, and where a threatening is annexed the contrary promise is included.

"5. That what God forbids is at no time to be done; what he commands is always our duty; and yet every particular duty is not to be done at all times.

"6. That under one sin or duty all of the same kind are forbidden or commanded, together with all the causes, means, occasions, and appearances thereof, and provocations thereto.

"7. That what is forbidden or commanded to ourselves, we are bound, according to our places, to endeavor that it may be avoided or performed by others, according to the duty of their places.

"8. That in what is commanded to others, we are bound, according to our places and callings, to be helpful to them, and to take heed of partaking with others in what is forbidden them." (Presbyterian Confession of Faith on the Ten Commandments.)

The sum of the first four commandments, containing our duty to God, is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind. The sum of the other six commandments, which contain our duty to man, is, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to do to others as we would have them do to us.

Now, let us see how slavery, in its laws, judicial decisions, and the lawful practice under these laws and decisions, will bear the test of the ten commandments. We maintain that slavery-theoretical and practical slavery-is a violation of every commandment of the decalogue; the first four and ninth indirectly, and the other five directly.

1. Slavery is a breach of the first commandment. This commandment requires, that we know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly. Now, slavery necessarily prevents the

slaves from the means of knowing God as the living and true God, and restrains or prevents them from worshiping and serving God. The master, in holding man as property, assumes the place of God, because his authority comes in superior to the obligations of God's law; so that he can restrain the slave from all those duties which the law of God requires of him, such as the time of worshiping God, the duty of taking time and using means to read his word, in order that he may know how to discharge his duty to God. This usurping the place of God is not only unjust and cruel, but it is an affront to the majesty of God.

It is of no weight to say, that some individuals do not restrain their slaves from the means of knowledge; for involuntary, unmerited, hereditary slavery, of necessity, requires the means of knowledge to be withheld from the slaves; and it is notorious that slaves generally are kept in the most degraded ignorance. Therefore, slavery is a violation of the first commandment, because the master usurps the place of God, and claims the first reverence of the slave.

Besides, the ignorance of the slaves renders them incapable of distinguishing that real Christianity which produces gentleness, meekness, temperance, from that which they see in their masters. And hence they may be led to conclude that Christianity is a system of error and cruelty. And, probably, this is one of the causes which prevents many of them from attending public worship, when they are allowed to do so.

Nevertheless, in justice it must be admitted that many slaves are truly religious. But, then, this is not owing in any way to slavery, but in spite of it. God inclines the hearts of some masters to grant certain privileges to their slaves. And when this is not done, God preserves witnesses to his religion among them, amidst all the privations. and disabilities which wicked masters impose. Yet, their

Christianity, where it ever does exist in its genuine character, can not be so mature as if no slavery had thrown in its disabilities. And still, all things considered, Christianity has done very much more than all other things to benefit and enlighten the slave. So that in spite of all the disabilities of the cruel and wicked slave laws, true religion has so far gained that the very system of slavery is tottering to its foundation under the light and power of Christianity.

2. Slavery involves the breach of the second commandment: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image," etc. As the first commandment comprehends particularly whatever pertains to the internal worship of God, the second comprehends whatever appertains to the external worship of God. It comprises partaking of sacraments, attending to God's ordinances, and performing those holy duties he has required from us to his glory, the edification of others, and our own salvation; it enjoins a free, open, and undaunted profession of the truth, a religious vowing to God, a diligent reading of the word of God, and a constant and reverent attendance on it when read or preached. And God has no less enjoined his external worship than his internal; and he requires the worship of the soul and body; of the soul as the chief seat of worship, and of the body as the best testimony of it.

The slave has no power to worship God in the practical use of his word and ordinances; nor power to command his own children or household, but through the permission of his master. If the slave worship God at all, or teaches his family, it must be according to the sovereign will of his master.

Now, slavery excludes the slave from the means of knowing the true God and his ordinances, and prevents the possibility of his keeping pure and entire such religious ordinances as he has appointed in his word, by monopolizing

all the slave's time to himself, without allowing him either leisure or means to know the will of God, or to render that worship and reverence to him which his word requires. Therefore, slavery is a breach of the second commandment, and consequently sinful.

Slavery approaches close to sacrificing to an idol, or false God. The idol is riches. The sacrifice is the temporal and eternal happiness of the slaves. The heathens offered up human sacrifices, which did not affect the eternal interests of the victims; but slavery affects both the temporal and eternal interests of man, and seems to be a crime much worse than heathen idolatry.

Nor is the prevention of knowledge an abuse of slavery, but it is essential to its existence. Indeed, the education of slaves is an abuse of slavery, because it tends to bring about their emancipation, and put an end to the practice. But slavery could not bear the expense of the time, labor, and necessary outlays of education; for slaveholders can have no profits, except what arise from extortion, or the privations of education, food, and clothing.

3. Slavery involves the breach of the third commandment: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

This commandment requires that the name of God, his titles, attributes, word, ordinances, sacraments, etc., be holily and reverently used in thought, word, and act. The ignorance of the slaves prevents the slaves from knowing properly the character of God, or performing the duties they owe him, in order to worship him agreeably to his word. This commandment forbids the abuse and unnecessary use of the name of God; but the ignorance of slaves is the occasion of profanity in the lives and conversation of slaves, so that they become addicted to profane swearing and cursing.