The Bible Vindicated from the Charge of Sustaining Slavery

IN the day of final judgment, every man will be called upon to give an account of the “deeds done in the body,” whether they are good or whether they be evil. “It should consequently be the aim of Christians, to ascertain their duty on all questions of importance, that there may no “blood be found in their skirts.” The duty of the church on the subject of American slavery, is the object of our research in the following pages. It must be determined, by the voice of God, speaking to us through Divine revelation. That is the only infallible rule of faith and practice, and by it we are always safe in governing our lives. That the bible both justifies and perfectly furnishes rules to regulate servitude, we do not wish to deny. The question to be settled is, was Jewish servitude of such a character as to justify American slavery? There were Hebrew and Gentile servants, distinguished from hired servants: they were “bought with money.” Did these persons sell themselves and receive an equivalent for their services? Or were they stolen by others, sold and, compelled to involuntary service, without wages? The following passage is doubtless the strongest one afforded by the bible, which slaveholders and their apologists claim to justify the relation of master and slave.