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It is often said, and not without reason, that there is a growing indisposition among slaves to worship with their masters, and attend on the preaching of the whites. It is by some ascribed to stubbornness and perverseness in the slaves. Far be it from me to say that slaves are not to be blamed for this. To worship and serve God is a duty so important, that nothing unpleasant in the circumstances of the duty, or the person officiating, or the company of worshippers, can justify its neglect. While this is admitted, truth at the same time requires me to say, that if the prejudices of the slave against worshipping with the whites or attending their preaching, grow out of a system, which, in a change of circumstances, would produce similar prejudices in the minds of any other body of men; then much of the blame lies on the system, and its supporters cannot, in the sight of impartial Heaven, stand clear of a participation in the guilt.

Now that this prejudice in slaves, against worshipping with the whites, may be traced mainly to the system of slavery is to me most certain. The relation between the master and the slave is not one of mutual agreement, in which there is a quid pro quo, a stipulated service for a stipulated reward; but one of force on the part of the master, and hard necessity on the part of the slave. It is absolute authority on the one part, and necessary submission on the other; and as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are self-evidently unalienable rights, so the love of them is inlaid in our natures, and lives and dies with us.

That slaves should think their case hard, is as natural as that they should think at all; and that this should lead to hard thoughts of those who forcibly hold them in bondage, is equally natural. That harsh usage, unkind treatment, and frequent fault-finding, on the part of masters (and what the master thinks reasonable may to the slave have this appearance,) should greatly increase these hard thoughts, is one of the most natural things in the world. It could not, humanly speaking, be otherwise. That most slaves are disposed to complain of their situation-that they do complain when comparing notes with each other, will hardly be questioned by those who have paid much attention to the subject. Now with this general feeling of

discontent at the whites, is it at all wonderful that slaves should have little relish for joining them in religious worship?

Suppose the master a professor of religion and prays in his family. After labouring during the day, the slave comes home and throws himself down to rest. He was called out, it may be, pretty early-has laboured under the eye of a watchful master or overseer-has been found fault with as to his manner of doing his work, or his not doing it faster-has been scolded and threatened, and perhaps whipped-has made his meal, it may be, in the field, and on provisions much inferior to what he knows his master and family enjoy. His labours for the day are, however, closed. Presently he hears the horn blow or the bell ring for prayers. What now are the thoughts which would most likely pass through the mind of a slave of no decided religious feelings. Ah, the white folks are going to be religious now; master is going to pray. He takes his ease all day, and makes us poor negroes do his work. He is always finding fault, and scolding and whipping us. I don't think his prayers will do much good-I won't go to prayers.

Their aversion to attend family prayers is so common as to be the subject of frequent remark. I think nine times out of ten, few attend even in professors' houses, except the house-servants, and not unfrequently they slip out of the house when the family assembles for prayer. Similar feelings operate against their worshipping publicly among the whites. This is the greater evil as few of them are prepared to instruct their fellows; and even their assemblies for that purpose, are discouraged as dangerous.

Any race of people placed in the same situation would be affected in the same way. Taking human nature as it now is, it could not well be otherwise. It is the natural result of slavery on such creatures as we are. A sense of injury will produce feelings of dislike and opposition. It will beget distrust in the religion of the master. It will produce prejudice against the religion which he professes. When the attempt was made to force the rites and forms of Episcopacy on the Scots, and oblige the Puritans to read their prayers, wear the gown and bands, kneel at the sacrament,

and attend the Episcopal service, they would have suffered their ears to be cut off, and their heads into the bargain, rather than comply. The very attempt excited most decided opposition against the whole establishment.

Most of you have probably heard of the dying man, who, when inquired of as to his hopes of getting to Heaven, asked if such a man, his enemy, was in heaven? and on being answered, it was hoped he was, replied that in that case he had no wish to go there-that it was no place for him. Whether the anecdote be true or not, it has much of human nature in it, especially of human nature in its unrenewed state.

Now I put it to you, in the sight and fear of God, how you can uphold a system, which, in addition to all its other evils, operates so directly against the salvation of souls? "Wo to the world because of offences"-"wo to that man by whom they come."

To perpetuate such a system for the sake of gain, for the sake of making fortunes for your children, how awful the thought! On what does the life, and comfort, and salvation of your child depend? Is it not on the grace and mercy of God? And what reason have you to expect that mercy, while you deal thus hardly with the slave? Remember the word, "with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Yours, &c.

12

134

LETTER XII.

CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,

THERE is another evil growing out of the present system of slavery, which, taken alone, ought to induce all to give it up, or use all their influence to have it wholly changed-I mean the internal traffic carried on in slaves.

Most persons, I suppose, agree in condemning the slavetrade, as carried on from the coast of Africa. The injustice, the cruelty, the abominations, that attend it, are condemned by all. And yet it may be asked, wherein is it worse than the slave-trade carried on among us? Who that lives on a public road, who that attends a court-house, who that visits any place of trade, in the slave-holding States, that has not seen negroes bought and sold like any other kinds of property, and drove in gangs along the public roads, and often in chains? Who does not know that hundreds of thousands of dollars are employed in this trade? That vessels run constantly from the Middle to the Southwestern States, loaded with slaves? And that many men of high standing in society, are interested in the traffic? Who does not know that in this trade, little or no regard is paid to the nearest and dearest relations in life? That the husband and wife, the parent and child, are separated without hesitation, when a better bargain can in that way be obtained? Who does not know that one of the common modes both of selling and hiring, is to set them up to the highest bidder?

Many say they abhor the business of the negro-trader, and cannot respect the man who follows it. Too hard a name can hardly be given to the nefarious traffic; and I could wish that a hundred-fold more abhorrence were felt for the man that follows it. I doubt, however, whether it will be stopped, while the present system of slavery continues. While slaves are held as absolute property, there will be a trade in that property; and while a trade is attended with such a profit as attends the slave-trade to the South, we may expect it to go on, and with much of that unfeelingness and disregard to family ties, which now attend it. No passion is more unfeeling than avarice— "the love of money is the root of all evil.”

Those who have hearts to feel for a fellow creature's woes and a fellow creature's wrongs, ought to give all their influence, either wholly to put an end to slavery, or so to change its leading features as to prevent those enormous evils which now spring from it; and they ought never to forget that one of our most efficient ways of doing good, is to give to the cause of truth and duty the influence of a good example. There are, no doubt, thousands of cases in which real injury would result both to the slave and to the owner, from at once breaking up the relation, and letting the slave go out free. Experience has proved, that in a large number of cases, evil has resulted from premature liberation. The laws, also, in many of the States present peculiar difficulties to emancipation. The emancipated slave, without regard to his family relations, is obliged immediately to leave the State, or to forfeit his freedom. The poverty of the liberated slave, his ignorance, his want of a habit of managing for himself, &c., may and often do, lead to more suffering and more vice, than compensates for the boon of freedom, in the circumstances in which it is given. All this being admitted, and we are in duty bound to give it its due weight, when considering the question of duty in this matter, still it is true, and must be true, that we are on the other hand, bound to give to the cause of freedom, the aid of a wise, prudent, and good example. Slaveholders, as individuals, ought to take such a course with their slaves as will, as soon as possible, fit them for the enjoyment of freedom, and then set them free. Many things ought, of course, to be taken into the account, in deciding at what time each slave ought to be freed; their habits, relations, turn for managing for themselves, their prospects for doing well, either at home or abroad.

This is plainly one of those cases in which we ought to count on making some sacrifices. The practice of slavery is wrong, the customs of society are wrong, the practice of the church is wrong, the laws of the land are wrong. Now, to correct the wrong in all these respects will require us to give up, more or less, not what the law of God, but what the laws of the land and the customs of society, allow us to retain.

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