"Masters

is there respect of persons with him." Ephesians vii. 9. (lords) give unto your servants (slaves) that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master (lord) in heaven." Col. iv. 1.

These are the only precepts given to masters in the apostolic epistles. Their entire import, in one imperative, is simply. "Be just and kind to your servants." The former, Eph. vi. 9, in the original is periphrastic, and in the Common Version is rendered, "Do the same things to them," that they do to you; equivalent to Reward them according to their works.

We shall now quote all that is said to servants in the New Testament. 1. “Servants, (douloi, slaves) be obedient to them that are your masters (kuriois, lords) according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as the servants, (slaves) of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will (eunoice, benevolence) doing service as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he shall be bond or free, (master or slave) " Eph. vi. 6, 7, 8.

Again, 2. " Servants, (douloi, slaves) obey in all things your masters, (kurioi, lords) according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ, but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong that he hath done, and there is no respect of persons," Col. iii. 22, 23, 24.

3. "Exhort servants (douloi, slaves) to be obedient to their own masters, (despotais, despots) and to please them well in all things; not answering again, not purloining, (secretly stealing,) but shewing all good fidelity (faithfulness) that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things," Titus ii. 9.

4. "Servants, (oiketai, household servants,) be subject to your masters (despotais, despots,) with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy; if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully for what glory is it, if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently; but if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God," 1 Peter ii. 18, 19, 20.

5. Art thou called being a servant (doulos slave,) care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free use it rather: for he that is called by the Lord, being a servant, (doulos slave,) is the Lord's freedman,

likewise also he that is called being free, is Christ's servant, (doulos, slave). You are bought with a price, become not the servants (douloi, slaves) of men. Brethren, let every man in what state he has been called, therein abide with God," 1 Cor. vii. 22, 23. That those servants were all slaves will appear farther evident from Paul. For, says he, "We are all baptized into one body (or church,) whether bond or free;" masters or servant, 1 Cor. xii. 13.

6. "Let as many servants (douloi, slaves,) as are under the yoke, count their own masters (despotas, despots,) worthy of all honor, that the name of God, and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, (despotas, despots,) let them not despise them because they are brethren: but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit" of their labors, 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2.

In reviewing all that is written in the Christian Scriptures on the subject of Christian masters and Christian slaves, we may sum up the whole in a very few words. To masters, the Lord commands the duties of justice and humanity. These are always necessarily dependent on times, places, and circumstances. They, therefore, change in their forms with time, place, and circumstances. Public opinion, providential dispensations, accidents and contingencies, numerous and various, necessarily change the forms of justice and humanity. The Golden Rule, therefore, is the invariable and immutable standard, by which we must ascertain in difficult cases, what is right and expedient. Let the master place himself in the relation of the slave, and ask himself, in all the circumstances of the case, how he would like to be treated. And let the servant place himself in the relation of the master, and ask himself, with all the light he has, how he would like, in any given case, to be served. Let the parties, in all the mutations of the forms of justice and humanity, act according to this rule; and the system will work well for the good of both.

But there is yet one case in the New Testament to which our attention in the present crisis is specially called. I need scarcely say that it is the case of a runaway slave. Onesimus was the name of the slave, and Philemon that of his master. The history of this case is very valuable, because it establishes a very useful precedent.

Onesimus, as the letter of Philemon shows, had run away while a pagan or an infidel. He had gone to Rome, and fallen in with Paul, then a prisoner at Rome. He was converted from paganism to the faith of Christ. Paul having learned that he had run away from his master, Philemon, who was a brother in Christ, and also a convert,

made by Paul, at Colosse, sent him home to his master, as in duty bound, both as a brother and a teacher of the law of Christ, and with him he sent a letter of introduction, containing a special request. He introduces Onesimus now as a brother, and Philemon, being a brother of noble degree, Paul asks him to receive him not merely as a servant, but above a servant-a christian brother, therefore, now, as he tells Philemon, he had two interests in Onesimus; he was dear to Philemon, first, in the flesh as a slave, and in the second place, as a brother in Christ. Paul waives his apostolic rights, and his personal rights in the service of Philemon, because he was his son in the Lord, and asks as a personal favor that he would forgive Onesimus his wrongs for remaining away, and for having previously wronged his master: for he could not have run away because of the cruelty of his master. He even assumes his debts, if Philemon would make out his account of damages, sustained before, or during the absence of Onesimus, and gives his bond to satisfy him, a copy of which we have in the epistle.

What a clear, and what a strong and striking case! But, farther, so fully does he recognize Philemon's rights to the life and labors of Onesimus, that although Paul needed his services, he would not keep him, much less secrete him, although he stood in need of a servant at that time. Yet Philemon owed himself as a Christian to Paul, and he might have presumed it morally right to make Philemon pay him some of his debts by the service of his slave. But, noble and generous man that he was! he says much as I need his services, and much as you owe to me, "without thy consent I would do nothing" of this sort for if I did the benefit received would rather have been extorted than voluntarily tendered on your part. "Receive him, then, Philemon for ever," as your own man, and more than a man or a servant, a brother. If any man could invent a stronger case than this to stultify and abash that morbid and visionary humanity professed or felt by some of our contempories, I can only say, I must envy his ingenuity.

Assuredly from these promises we may confidently say that the Gospel institution as clearly, as fully, and as authoritatively sanctions the relation of master and slave, as that of matrimony or civil or ecclesiastic polity; and that no Christian man can censure another Christian man, because he is a master, and owns a man, any more than because he owns a wife, a son, or a daughter; but he may and ought to censure him for any act of cruelty or injustice to a wife, a son, a daughter, or a servant.

I am not defending any form or code, or existing institution of

slavery ;-European, Asiatic, African, or American. But I am defending the Bible from the assaults of infidels, sceptics, visionary theorists, and political demagogues.

Annihilation is not reformation, nor reformation annihilation; nor is every thing called philanthropy either humanity, or christianity. That there are good and benevolent men amongst professed philanthropists, abolitionists and visionary theorists of every form and color; I doubt not. But that in all parties and under all banners, there are the rankest infidels, the most covetous, oppressive, and avaricious tyrants, I am sorry to say, I have not only some misgivings, but alas irrisistable evidence.

The positions propounded in these essays, I hold to be invulnerable before the tribunal of Scripture, reason, and philanthropy. I will not because of Auto Da Fes-Inquisitorial Tribunals, Star Chamber Arbitriments, and infernal conclaves denounce religion or humanity; nor will I, because of the abuses of Slavery, Civil government, Ecclesiastic courts, Matrimony schools and Colleges, say that we must annihilate slavery or servitude-abolish every form of State government, have no Synods, Councils or Ecclesiastical meetings beyond a certain locality, no Schools, Colleges, nor Seminaries of learning. Again, I say, annihilation is not reformation, any more than is destruction salvation.

Having then hastily surveyed the patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian dispensations of law, religion, and civil polity; having seen that the best men in the world, amongst patriarchs, Jews, Christians-stood in the relation to each other, of master and slave; and that God in his laws, providences, and moral government, recognized and allowed it, punishing only the infractions upon right, and transgressions of law, occurring under it; regulating it by special enactments, and punishing only the unrighteousness and inhumanity of those insubordinates to his law; and, consequently, that no Christian man, properly instructed in his duty, and allegiance to Jesus Christ, can censure any man for being a master, and owning servants or slaves, any more than for hiring a day laborer, while he may at the same time justly censure all tyranny, oppression, robbery, and cruelty, and uses measures constitutional to punish and prevent them; I purpose, in my next essay, on the premises, to consider specially, the Fugitive Slave Law; and will endeavor to show that, be it right or wrong, resistance or rebellion, such as certain recent demonstrations defended and patronized at the North, is neither in reason nor according to law or gospel, or modern civilization, a rational, moral, honorable nor scriptural method of opposition or of reformation. SERIES IV.-VOL. I.

27*

A. C..

BOOK ON BAPTISM.

This work now in preparation, being stereotyped in Philadelphia, in arranging the consequents of Christian Baptism, gives the following views of Justification by Faith.

JUSTIFICATION.

"If any man be in Christ," says Paul, "he is a new creation, old things have passed away; all things have become new." By the special favor of God, Jesus Christ "is made unto us wisdom, justification, sanctification, and redemption." Hence, as saith the Prophet. "In him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and in him shall they glory." "He that boasteth," therefore, "let hím boast in the Lord."

What, then, is justification, the first fruit of this heavenly cluster of Divine graces? It is, indeed, a trite but a true saying, that the term justification is a forensic word; and, therefore, indicates that its subject has been accused of crime, or of the transgression of law. It also implies that the subject of it has not only been accused and tried, but also acquitted. Such, then, is legal or forensic justification. It is, indeed, a sentence of acquittal announced by a tribunal, importing that the accused is found not guilty. If convicted, he cannot be justified; if justified he has not been convicted.

But such is not justification by grace. Evangelical justification is the justification of one that has been convicted as guilty before God, the Supreme and Ultimate Judge of the Universe. But the whole world has been tried and found guilty before God. So that, in fact," there is none righteous; no not one. Therefore, by deeds of law no man can be justified before God. "For should a man keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." He has despised the whole authority of the law and the Lawgiver. It is, then, utterly impossible that any sinner can be forensically or legally justified before God, by a law which he has in any one instance violated.

If, then, a sinner be justified, it must be on some other principle than law. He must be justified by favor, and not by right. Still it must be rightfully done by him that justifies a transgression, else he will be liable to the charge of injustice to the law and the government. This is the emergency which must be met by evangelical justification. The mission and mediation of the Messiah was primarily to meet this emergency; though, indeed, he has done much