Slaveholding Always Sinful

CONCLüDKD. Hut how shall we reconcile Phul'a coiiüenination of stealiai, in a formor part o} Uiis Ep'.stle, wiüi ilie opprobation of Slavory n ihe latler part of it? As he wis hite from Jeruaulem, where the law pfoclaipïèd death tu Ihé mansleakr, it is not supposcd, that lic va lesa averie tu tliai occiïpatiüh ihnn licad been. Paul sa id ihe Li w was "gooil .' c ml t condèmnèii to death the man whp f lolc niii'llier. Do Siaveholders fi:iv ; sifier hi?, that Paul was in favor of thoir "51stVm"? tfothjng can be plainer tlim ihe language smplöyt'il. .'lmlrujiodistes is tlie Gréek roiünialivc iiiignlur of tiiê v.ord Uicd in the (!a - tive plural, by the ÁpoátIÍ fifffñífyiñ, "í"ciii'in-ítcalc.-?." Pliigidrius s ihe L)U:i won!, by whioh Madrapódistes s transla'ed. Tlie original menning of tliis word in Enlisli is ua vvell tmdorslood by us, us U wos by Paul wlio uíPd ihe Grfk word: or its (lobrew íynoninie, by tlie inlinbitants ofthe city of Jeriisalem. It ifl "a numstcaler - a kidnapper - a man thul s'.eats oíher mens chUdrai oc stiwiís" Tiiere i no anibiuitv about lilis. Pau! must iiave been a wetk man who ciul nol kiiuw wl;at he was sayint', or lie musí have been a wickod man, iliai knew In; was sayinjr opposite üiintó íavr;hók!ers aud mulli ■tildes. Wiih neitlicr has he be'í.n cli;r{,'ed. - i Bat I(?át tbore -■lioiilii bo eny doubt, - Jurchi, !a.Teuish Commentator, sny5 - ''uMng a man against hiswill, bs a servürii l.iwfully purchosed; vea, even Ihough he honld use his services ever so liti'.e, only ip tlic valué ofa farlbintf, or use but his ann t" han on to suppqrl Kim, if lie be forced so tu aulas a servant, the pereoq comjpelljng him but once se to áo. s.'iall-die ns h tiiief' whellier-be has solíim or nof..v lic vvlio wouUi make Paulconeni the imanisteler" ond vet öpprove of :ie Slavcry of tkosc vhq Ii cl been su stolen, i.ike him a sorri' casuisf, indeed, li'hr couh. uil i:ito bfl'c error s grent, he was uttcrlv infit to mimape tlie canee, entruslcd to ïiim. yspecinüy u.wien M.icknight has no diñiculv n coming to a eouriíl conciusion on the remises, as he liinise!i' nforms tis in tlie folowing wordí : '-Thcy wfio make war, fur le iiilmman purpo=e of sellinrr the vanquish?d for Sla ves, os is the praciice among ihe African prince?, are really. men-siciilcrs. - :n tliey, who, like Africsn U-aders, encourape their iinchwstian traffic. by purchasing w hal Uiey knoic 1 o be unjustly acqnired, ore partakers of their cr;me. ' Nor have th' Geneml Assembly of Üie Presbyterian Cb.it.rch found lt'ss (lifficiilty ihnrJ that profounJ Crïtfc, Macfcnighi (ü 1 - for so Ion? anf as 179 J, thcy ndupte! tlie fplíowiu as a note to tlie paas:igo we nre eii'Jeavoriiig tn exphun."1. Tim. 1. 10. The Íjbav is made for monstrülerti. Tliis cniiie atm ng the Jews exposed' the perpetrntora of il to capital punisKnirnf. Exodus, 21. 15: nd the Apostle here classes them with einners óf ie fust rank-. Th word lio uses, in its original import, compreliends nli yho are concerned in brin'gihg nj' of ihe hiimnn race intoslavèry, nr in relairiirifr them in il. llum'u.vm furrs qui serbos vel liberas abducunt. rclmtnt. vr.nilunl vl tmunt. Stealers of" men ore all th.-e wIjo brnif,' oö" slavfi. or frecmen, n.rjd keep, se!l or buy tííerif. Tó síeñl a freoma, says Grotiui", i-í tf-e hifrliest kind f thoft. - In Ö liRf instances we s'cal only Iminai) property, bilt whon we atenl or re:nin (uen m blavrry, tve seize timsc vlo, in commoii wUli oiirselves. are co!)?titnUvl by the origina) grant lords oí" the earih.' ■ Thai fhe General Asscmhly cxpnngcu ttils ñSle ' fróni lts mihules, url thnt il has, fier passing Ihfóügli the severa! mutátióhs whicli we have bcfore noiiced, b'ècomclM avbwed odvot te of slgvery in viiïnt rxpecred for many ycar-j, wliénévcr ahe vas pressen lor on opinión, lier conducl utibwè tiiis - that Slavcry, which is not now what ft was iwebiy1fivc, thirty or tbrly years Qiro, fftHit ' l Hy iühibited the Chnrcl), or the Churd: v.i!l be destroyed in her nttrmpt (o N.-ve it. Such is the ïflnenee of Slnvliolurs that thoy wül push the Ch'.irch irüb every fltwföè fii deleri'-e of their "-yíUMi.v íftí nmtter how ui tule.ablc it mny havi; beecnur. Thrr ié b.n Sflé wav W é&Un'è witfi thein, to hnvc i(Aoé within:' Ut i--", lo l"P tllfl" lr Ule nre once ptWSntttéd M écM tde net im :I.i-h proaeny. thatprncrouy, hke the cnr!,„ -. v. ,i: out.! 'nú others ihat lire uut wböWueil to it. lini cJid not Paul setid Onp.-irr.us, a runnv,-.iy fclaio, back io las ll.l(■r. and ).- T'hb'?o who wish to pfoseèu'tiJ Hits .-Mhjct still furtlicr are reférrèd to t!ie liiblc nyuinj-t Slavery, :i very profoütid trraii.-e - to Cfcén 's orniion ü-i th" Manilfan Liwtici lo PJiitöYcli'6 lire út Poinpey ihö 'reac.it Uiit p-nof tliat JSlavctioldürs; were niemrs of tic; Cliurcli? We will examine this jMIe wiih pteat Circ, for tliere ia none lliat ís boen t-o litllo oxamine-l lili of lie. Accord'mg to Grolius, Philemon wns an ,lder of Ephcsus. Dr. Doildnge wpposei imto have been one of tin rrtlrtister's of the Colosmnn Clinrch: nnd fmm St. Paui's renesting hini to provi'le a lodjfíng for him at CoIoppp, Michoeis thinks tliat ho wns a (feaon of ihat Chitrch. But thi nppeilation Br?. Whhby, I.Mrdnorand Mncknight linve remark;d, is rnther of nti anihigúwia character - -thó word upon v, hielt t wna built - "felloictuborfr''- hcinjsf fnalscrïrrtmatéiy opplied. Philcmnn, snyy Mr. Ilornf, smn to hnve been a perfeörta of trrpat wnirlh as a mnri, und of sotné notj? osa citizen, of his nwn country, for hiá Tamily was eo nnnieróns thnt it rnade a Cluircli by itsnlf. or at 1 ;ast, n considerable part of thé Clinrch nt Coospp; that he was, most proba - bh, n eonveited Gentilo- tlint somc have svpposed tint ho avhs oonvrtod undcr the mini istry of Sf. PdVil. an) Hr. Bnnson is of opinión fhot áiirinp St. Pnil'f. Irtiiorstay at Ephe sus. Fome oFthe Colossïans had oner, o nel hfird him pro.ir.h tlie Chrisiïan doenne, anti tho f-nrno Mr. Horne cóncludcs l 3 n'ghh probitlilc, Pliilptnon woii'd nevor havo íocoíno a Cliristhn untess St. Pnl had conVe ntn these pnrt, and Dr. Scott aerees in tht? ii;ün a-i'Ji Dr. Horno. Witli the bnre conjetures of Dnddridge, Grolins ind otftcr coininentatorp - which may' bc verv pleásírigf ns wpII n? lo them - we havo, ir this dijcus.sion notliinff to d V% Imvo to denl with fncts- Tiötfiing etsc vi!I .P nf nnv servir-e to us. All roniéetnras, allupposilions, no matter from whnt sonree they r-ome, sone but to bcv.ilJer us. The higher he eoíitce tttè'wÖrsè. AU that vr JAiowtit PhilemoM i, lint he wr.s on inhabitnnt ofCdlope - that he wns n memher bf the ChurèTi. WiiPtlior he waf? of grnat worth, es a man, or of bintll iidtoriftyrwhether fie wos n. ministrr nt Bphesft!, or a dpftcon, er a private tnem bpr, uhoUirr lic vn? n Jpw or flentile, (thougii we have s-lrnitird tl:e h'.tter.) wlietharhe )mA nnro per?onp in liis pmployninnt tlian Oneiinnis, or hinri ninrip, rrrmins n perfect secret tó ns as vet; nml is to be discnrded from tlüs céfrtIroversy. We must dcnl only wi'.li such facts as we know ronceriiing hini,anl whal I nwrtliond nbíive I premiie am al!. Pliiíemon's being1 investid vith office is, d i ftr as we know, without ariy foundation, un1 1ps in t lio irftágiriáfión o the commentalort. Oís haviojr a whoie Church or part of á Church in liif HrtWic, is but narro pfóof óf his w-pRltd, vnlswf? rn-ike the Jers, XqtrYW nnd Priscüln, rich on that account. Tliéy I were bnrjiehfd from Rome, nnd set vp their rpgillar businpsa (tent maktnjjj in Cofin'.h, and Paul wrought with thom for }Js fubsi$leneë; becaiise thnv wronght, as 'hpir daüy employ mp.nt at that business wi'.h which Paul wat? acqunintpd. And imiess we mnke rich, oii ? (hot account, Nvmoha.j, wlio ia once mntïori::cl in ?he Epistletothe Colóisians, and nevcY' i7r.in. if we rriïst'alcé tioi, in the Gospel . f wc nre left to cnnjecturt, we may well sar, .hnt it W'!s cóiivéniciS for Paul to attend thd K.use of Aquila and P'rUcilU - 'hut it wás ikewisc coiiiiéméHi for those who ntlended the liousr-s of Philemon nnd Nympha-: or that theséi last wcre eminent and diatingtriéh ?d chn'stinns, vho despite the inconvenie'nce fïaïl the Churches to asemille in their liousee, in lieu of 8 bettcr or more suit&blO place. - Nor ought it to be forgntten herc, that thë ervant is not preater than his Lord, nor' iÜÖ Mme wn8 notyetcomr, when Paul, with" thè ollier A porties -.vero not Uic filih of ihe' Wörld -the 'nTscoiirins nf all thihgs. We hnve thiis erldcavored to strip trié EpisÜe of nll that does not properly belorig to it, tliot'wé rhay consider ïiiaïrïy. Arfii herc we must besf orr renders to consider the correct' ntss r q note on "Euiopéan biography" vvhicK we deenipd t of imporiance to record a fewf papes back. Ifthe wrilin? of a letter to him by Pauf, in winch letter there is not the slighteet 51iu.sion to Philfinxii's ctlmr tloves, mske nö lüflerrnrp, iJit-n Nyraphaa is equully èntitied with Plnlcnio to be considered as the ovnór of other sl.ivr % He loo was ricli, for hè had a Church in his oirn hovsc. So was Áquílá and Prisci'.la; tlmn which thcre is nothing "very próbably" more contrary to the Iruth. (A) The pïóbtibtUtfi m Patll's time is, tliat all ilio .Apohtie9 and beWly 11 the converta to' Christianity were poor, nnd that Pbileinon haa only öneeifDÜe íbici:n widi him. It ii not io!d us, how Oncsiuiüs got to Rom- Cölosae must have b&ri at ea?t on? thous.ind miles Trom that f.i'.y - a very Inn j t;rne.v,fi'pecially, ti iliojo linies. Ii tóajl Imve been, if we artf [et loose iipon cunjcctvri - that he was guilty of sor.ie vrry hcn:ous ofTonce, for whieh' h was nfrai(J to return t" (uloíse and w))jr)i h .s-uiil be czompied fawn, by the pacifiicariori of JMiilöinoo. If Pluli'inon had hrld f)ncsimup, asn 6lüv. thero are snmü Ll range thlna connected with it. For liow could Ünesirïnre liave icronged him - how could he otee augkt wlien Philemon could a( ödv time, have pat iiiai lodca'h? Fur Coilosse wae a Komarï louu ;ii:f] nnsieró had tljere - as they liaJiri uil ilie G'ci'k towns, by conquest made Röuinii - absulule jioivcr over the lives of tb "I: - n ia!t, nnd wc cannot but so reeard it, liia't Ëiiropeim biopraphy, generfiliv,peraisti tlmmjrh symnd-tathers nn'd land-tnotbère- i!-;.! irrniid'farhfirs nnl greut pf tnd-mofherp uil ii iiui!-, or urulVöses to fiai', a "rstpectu] tilif' [jBreninpp lor the person writtèn doiii: as'ifno (jood thinö cnnlt! come out ot" the ni'ifF. 1: i inoro to be rrtrretled tfi'at fashiotW .i!hc Ai:irr;r;.ii bii'granherá are beginninjf id imítala tlu-iii. (A) ])-. Scott Iims not hsit'aiéd to say in lih ( onnuenlurios on ihis paisaje Ith ch. 15 j vT-c ci ' ie fpistle to the Culosions) "tliaf N'viuphns scmis to li-'ve been au. euiinet Chrit-íiañ al Laodicea."