UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

he
"
alas!
in
them that which isjustand equal,as a con-
KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN. 233
stancesțhe servant of the heathen master
siderat
is
for their service. Of the words
commanded to obeyfor the sake of recommending
"just and equal,"just"means that which
the Christian religionṬhe servant
is legally theirs, and "equal" means that
of the Christian master, on the other which isin itselfequitable, irrespective of law.
hand,is commanded not to despise his master
Now, we have the undoubted testimony
of all legalauthoritieson American slavelaw
that American
because he is hisbrother;but he isto do
him service because his master is faithful
ous
slavery does not pretend
to be founded on what isjust or equal either.
Thus Judge RufEn says: "Merelyin the
now, a clergyman,employedas a chaplain abstract it may well be asked which power
on a cotton plantation, where most of the of the master accords with right. The
members on the plantation, as we are informed
answer will probably sweep away
all of
is sometimes the case, are members them;" and this principle, so
unequivocally
asserted by Judge RuflBn, along implied
and beloved,a partaker of the same glori-
hopeswith himself. Let us suppose,
of the same Christian church as their master,
should assemble the hands around him
and
say, "Now, boys,I would not have you
despise your master because he is your
brother. It istrue you
are all one in Christ
distinctionhere;there is
Jesus;there is no
neither Jew nor Greek,neither negro nor
white man, neither bond nor free,but ye
are all brethren." all alike members of
Christ, and heirsof the same kingdom;but
you must not despiseyour master on this how ? When, to our eternal shame and
account. You must love him as a brother.' disgrace, the horrors of the fugitive
and be willing to do all you can to serve him,
because you see he is a partaker of the same
benefitwith you, and the Lord loveshim as
much as he does you." Would not such an
address create a certaindegreeof astonishment
both with master and servants; and does
not the factthatit seems absurd show that the
relationof the slave to his master in American
law is a
very different one from what it
flocksof tremblingsheep;
was in the Christian church 1 But again, and fathers were torn from theirfamilies,
let us quote another passage, which slaveowners
and mothers,with poor, helplesschildren,
are much more fond of. In Colossians
4: 22 and 5: 1," " Servants, obey, snow and ice,towards Canada ;
fled at midnight, with bleeding feet,through
"
the
in- all things, your masters,accordingto midst of these scenes, which have made
the flesh ; not with eye-service as menpleasers,
but in singleness of heart as fearing
astonishment among
America a by-word and a hissingand an
all nationsțhere were
"
God; and whatsoever ye do,do itheartily found men, Christian men, ministers of the
as unto the Lord, and not unto men, knowing
gospelof Jesus,even,
that this
that of the Lord ye shall receivethe should ever be written, who,standingin
reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the the pulpit, and by the authority
Lord Christ." "Masters,give unto servants
of Christ, justified and sanctionedthese enormities,
that which is just and equal,knowing and used thismost loving simpleheartedletterof
that ye alsohave a Master in heaven."
the martyr Paul to justify
Now, there is nothing these directionsthese unheard-of atrocities!
He who said,"Who is weak and lam
to servants which would show that
theywere
chattelservants in the sense of slave-law ;
for they will applyequallywell to
every
servant in Old Englandand New England:
but there is somethingin the directionto
"
and who sent him to the brother of his soul
masters which shows that theywere not considered
with the direction,
chattelservants by the church,becausenot
now as a slave,but above a slave,a
the master is commanded to giveunto brother beloved," thisbeautifulletter,
and taken for granted,
as we have
justseen, in all the reasonings upon slavery
and the slave-law. It would take very little
legalacumen to see that the enacting of
thesewords of Paul into a statute by any
state would be a practicalabolition of
slavery in that state.
But it is said that St. Paul sent Onesimus
back to his master. Indeed ! but
slavelaw
were being enacted in Boston,and the
very Cradle of Libertyresounded with the
groans of the slave, and men harder-hearted
than Saul of Tarsus made havoc of the
church,entering into every house,haling
men and women, committingthem to prison
; when whole churches of humble Christians
were broken up and scattered like
when husbands
not weak ? Who is offended and I burn
"
not?" who called the converted slave
his own body țhe son begotten in his bonds,
outgush of tenderness and love
"
Receive him as myself,
passingthe