days of the Christian Church, and that both
_masters_ and _slaves_ were members of the same Christian congregations.
Slavery was an institution of the State in the Roman Empire, as it is in
the Southern States of this confederacy, and the apostles did not feel
at liberty to denounce it, if, indeed, they felt the least opposition to
it--a thing we deny.

But, before we appeal to the irresistible authority of the New
Testament, we will submit a few only of a great many passages from the
Old Testament--not having quoted as extensively as may have been deemed
necessary:

"And he said, I _am_ Abraham's servant."--GEN. xxiv. 34.

"And there was of the house of Saul a _servant_, whose name was
Ziba; and when they had called him unto David, the king said
unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, _Thy servant is he_."--2
SAM. ix. 2.

"Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's _servant_, and said unto
him, I have given unto thy _master's_ son all that pertained to
Saul, and to all his house."--Verse 9th.

"Thou, therefore, and thy sons, and thy _servants_, shall till
the land for him, and thou shalt bring in _the fruits_, that
thy _master's_ son may have food to eat, &c. Now Ziba had
fifteen sons and TWENTY SERVANTS."--Verse 10th.

"I got me _servants_ and maidens, and had _servants born in my
house_; also, I had great possessions of great and small
cattle, above all that were in Jerusalem before me."--ECCLES.
ii. 7.

"And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? And she
said, I flee from the face of my _mistress_ Sarai."--GEN. xvi.
8.

"And the Angel of the Lord said unto her, _Return to thy
mistress_, and submit thyself to her hands."--Verse 9th.

The only comments we have to offer upon these passages are, first, one
individual acknowledges himself the owner of twenty slaves! Another was
raising slaves, and having them born in his house!! And last, but not
least, the angel of God ordered the fugitive slave to return to her
lawful owner!! High authority, this, for apprehending runaway slaves!

In reference to bad servants, we read in Prov. xxix. 19:

"A servant will not be corrected by _words_; for though he
understand, he will not answer."

The Scriptures look to the correction of servants, and really enjoin it,
as they do in the case of children. We esteem it the duty of Christian
masters to feed a