A Review of Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, An Essay on Slavery

lesh." "Masters, give unto your servants, that which is just and equal." This is the language of Holy Writ. Among the converts of the apostles were slaveholders. They were conve

that the best thing that they could do for them, for the time being, was to retain them as servants, and tr

? No! Thank God, St. Paul promulgated no such doctrine. What then did he say to Onesimus? Go home, and be subject to your master, Philemon. Love him and serve him, in the singleness of your heart. Do it freely and cheerfully; without murmuring or repining; and whatever service them shalt render unto thy master, Philemon, it shall be accounted unto thee, as service rendered unto the God of heaven. Dear brother Onesimus, thy condition is now changed; for, whereas Philemon was formerly thy master; he is now thy master and thy brother, and thou shalt obey him and love him as such. Go home brother; and here is a letter I have written to brother Philemon, your master. Onesimus returns home with this letter in his pocket. Anxious I have no doubt, to see his good old master. His f

o you and peace from God-Hearing of thy love and faith-Which thou hast toward the Lord J

an heir of salvation. Here is clearly set forth the duty of ministers, masters, and servants; but, as I shall again and again refe

ondage, as there are, that a minor should be subject to his parents until he is twenty-one years of age; or that an idiot should be placed under the supervision and control of some one, during his natural life. The reason is based on inability and incompetency of the slave, the minor and the idiot. They are not qualified to reason and to ju

olding is not necessarily sinful, but if slaveholders fail to discharge the duties enjoined on them in the New Testament; then are they guilty in the sight of God. And here lies the difficulty; when we point out to a rich man his duty, his corrupt and avaricious heart interposes and says, no; you would rob me of my goods, you would damage my pecuniary interests; I cannot, I will not yield to your requisitions. We sometimes encounter the same difficulty with slaveholders. They sometimes imagine that duty and interest, are antagonistic principles. They imagine, that if they discharge their duty to the slaves, their pecuniary interests will suffer thereby; and for this reason, I have sometimes thought, that it might be as difficult for a slaveholder to enter the kingdom of heaven, as for a rich man. "The love of money, the root of all evil," stands in the way in both cases. If duty and our worldly interest could always run in the same channel, then should we find it no difficult task to be Christians; but as they are sometimes opposing forces, antagonistic principles,

nterests of others, has no right, or title, to the name of a Christian. If the Bible says do this, or abstain from that, the Christian has no right to demur; it matters not how repugnant it may be to the feelings and inclinations of his heart. He must cheerfully and heartily at all times, and under all circumstances, acquiesce in the will of a superior intelligence. He must be willing to sacrifice all; not only his earthly goods, but life it

ons. I have no reference here to those who view slave property in the same light, that they do every other species of property; but to conscientious and humane men. I allude to you, who profess to be the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus-you, who take the

happiness, and their misery, are suspended on the treatment which they receive at your hands; and that not only their present happiness and misery, but in all probability, their eternal destiny may be influenced by your c

tever may be your feelings,-whatever may be your views-whatever may be your course toward these unfortunate beings, of one thing you may be assured, that you are des

were men of renown; that in this world the indigent and the ignorant, cowered in your presence, or were awed into submission by your superiority; or, that the summits of your superb and beautiful mansions vied with the clouds-that you added house to house, and field to field-that you amassed silver and gold as the dust of the earth-and that you were surrounded by all the

all things your masters according to the flesh," &c. Servants are taught in the New Testament, not only to obey their masters, but to do it in the fear of God, cheerful

es alludes, viz. forwardness among servants, has engendered frowardness in masters. It is the duty of servants, to oppose the evil tempers and dispositions, and the inhumanity of masters, by opposite tempers and dispositions, and by an opposite course of conduct. This is the command of God; and by yielding obedience to this command, they would to some extent, at least, reform their masters, and secure to themselves kind treatment. It is their only hope; it is all they can

word of God, and notwithstanding, to call themselves Christians. I know that there are many who will plead ignorance, when they are arraigned for their unscriptural views, and their unwarrantable interference with slavery. It is too true-poor souls, they are ignorant-deplorably ignorant; but in all seriousness I would ask, how is it in this land of Bibles, th

ct, that both masters and servants were admitted into the church of Christ, and that masters were required in no instance, so far as we know, to manumit their slaves? Are they ignorant of the fact, that Christ and his apostles taught masters and servants their relative duties, and otherwise left the institution of slavery as they found it? Have they ever read Paul's letter to Timothy? "Let as many servants as are under the yoke, count their masters worthy of all honor, t

angers our peace and prosperity-our liberty, our happiness-and the perpetuity of this glorious Union. Yes, my fellow citizens, we are indebted to the emissaries of England, and native born American citizens, who from sinister motives have cloaked themselves with ministerial garb, for all the contention, all the evils, all the crime that has accrued or grown out of African slavery in the United States! St. Paul says, that they are "men of corrupt minds," and that they are "destitute of the truth;" and he moreover co

such withdraw thyself;" viz., excommunicate them-exclude them from the church, and have no fellowship with them. It is a fact, worthy of note, that primitive Christians never meddled with the civil institutions of the countries in which they resided. They were under all circumstances good and loyal

sostom and Jerome. Ignatius says, "let them (servants), serve their masters with greater diligence, and not be puffed up-and let them not desire their liberty to be purchased by the church." It was decreed by one of the ancient councils of the church,-"if any teach, that by virtue of religion or Christi

id nothing worse-I have not said more-I shall not say less. It is God's truth; harsh and severe as it may appear to some of you. And to abolitionists, I