UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

232 KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
written,
I will dwell in them and rest in
them.'"
the identification of Christ
So perfect was
with the individualChristian in the primitive
churchțhatit was a familiarform of ex-
to speak of an injury
pression
done to the
meanest Christian as an injury done to Christ.
"
So St. Paul says, When ye sin so against hold the temple of the Holy Ghost as his
the weak brethren, and wound their weak property, and gravelydefend his righ to
consciences, ye sin againstChrist." He sell,lease,mortgage or hire the same, at
says of himself,"I live,yet not I, but hisconvenience, as that right has been argued
Christlivethin me."
in the slave-holding pulpits of America ?
See, alsoțhe following extracts from a What would have been said at such a doctrine
letterby Cyprian,Bishop of Carthage țo announced in the Christian church ?
some poor Numidian churches,who had applied
to him to redeem some of their members
ears, and cried out, "Judas!" If he was
from slaveryamong borderingsavage
tribes. (NeanderDenkw. I. 840.)
We could view the captivity of our brethren no
otherwise than as our own, since we belongto one
body,and not onlylove,but religion, excites us to
redeem in our brethren the members of our own
body. We must, even if affectionwere not sufficient
to induce us to keep our we could not have been refuted, for it never
brethren,"
must reflect that the temples of God are in captivity,
existed. It was an unheard-of and unsup-
and these temples of God ought not,by
our neglect, long to remain in bondage.
posable work of the devil, which Paul never
* * *
Since the apostlesays " as
many of as are
you
contemplated as even possible, that one
baptized have put on Christ,"so in our captiveChristiancould claim a righto hold another
brethren we must see before us Christ,who hath Christian as merchandise,and to trade in the
ransomed us from the danger of captivity, who
hath redeemed us from the danger of death "member of the body, flesh and bones" of
;
Him who hath freed us from the abyssof Satan,
Christ. Such a horrible doctrine never polluted
and who now remains and dwells in us, to free the innocence of the Christianchurch
Him from the hands of barbarians ! With a small
even in thought.
sum of money to ransom Him who hath ransomed
The directionswhich Paul
us by his cross and blood ; and who hath givesto Christian
permitted
this to take place that our faith may be masters and servants
proved
sufficiently show
thereby!
Now, because the Greek word doidos may
mean a slave,and because it is evident that
there were men in the Christianchurch who
"
in all, was
"
law? It was not the business of the apostles
to make new dictionaries ; they did not change
words, theychangedthings Ṭhe baptized,
regenerated, new-created doidos,of one body
and one spirit with his master, made one with
his master, even as Christ is one with the
his relationto his Christian master
like that of an American slave to his
master ? Would he who regarded his weakest
brother as beingone with Christ hold
his brother as a chattel personal?Could
he hold Christ as as a chattel personal?
Could he sellChristfor money ? Could he
Every member would have stoppedhis
pronounced accursed who thought that the gift
of the Holy Ghost might be purchasedwith
money,
what would have been said of him who
held that the very temple of the HolyGhost
might be bought and sold,and Christ the
Lord become an article of merchandise?
Such an idea never was thoughtof. It
what a redeemingchange had passedover
the institution. In 1st Timothy Șt. Paul
gives the following directions,
firstto those
who have heathen masters,secondțo those
who have Christian masters. That concerning
heathen masters
is thus expressed :
"Let as many servants as are under the
were called doidoi,willanybodysay,
in the
whole face and geniusof this beautiful institution,
that these men were held actually as
slavesin the sense of Roman and American
law?
yoke count their own masters worthyof all
honor țhat the name of God and his doetrine
be not blasphemed." In the next
Of alldry,dull,hopejess, stupidities,
this is the most stupid.SupposeChristian verse the direction is givento the servants
"
masters did have servants who were called of Christian masters : They
douloi,as is plainenoughtheydid,is it not
masters, let them not despise them
evidentthat the word doidoi had become significant
because they are brethren, but rather do
of somethingvery
differentin the them service because they are faithfuland
Christianchurch from what itmeant in Roman beloved,partakers of the benefit." Notice,
that have believing
Father,a member with him of that church law ; the servant of the Christianmaster is
which is the fulness of Him who fillethall an equal, and a brother. In these circum-
now, the contrast between these directions.
The servant of the heathen master is said to
the yoke, and itis evidently implied
be under
that the servant of the Christian master was
not under the yoke. The servant of the
heathen master was under the severe Roman