ablished by its author." "Ambition and avarice on the one
hand," thought he, "and social dependence upon the other, affords the
former an opportunity of being served at the expense of the latter and this
unnatural state of things hath been exemplified in all countries, and all
ages of the world from time immemorial." He further said, "Pride and vain
glory on the one side, and degradation and oppression on the other creates
on the one hand a spirit of contempt, and on the other a spirit of hatred
and revenge, preparing them to be dissolute: and qualifying them for every
base and malicious work!" He believed that "the mind of man is ever
aspiring for a more exalted station; the consequence is the better slaves
used the more saucy and impertinent they become: of course the practice
must be wholly abolished or the slaves must be governed with absolute
sway." He had discovered that "the exercise of an absolute sway over others
begets an unnatural hardness which as it becomes imperious contaminates the
mind of the governor; while the governed becomes factious and stupefied
like brute beasts, which are kept under by a continual dread and hence
whenever the subject is investigated, the evils of despotism presents to
view in all their odious forms." [9]

His attack on slavery, however, was neither so general nor universal as
would be expected of such a radical. He saw that "there is a distinction
admissible in some cases, between Slavery itself and the spirit of
slavery." "A man may possess slaves by inheritance or some other way; and
may not have it in his power either to liberate them or to make better
their circumstances, being trammelled by the Laws and circumstances of the
country,--yet whilst he feels a sincere wish to do them all the justice he
can." He remarked too that "we have no account of Jesus Christ saying one
word about emancipation. Onesimus ran away from Philemon to Rome; whence
finding Paul, whom he had seen at his master's, he experienced religion,
and was sent back by the apostle with a letter--but not a word about
setting him free."[10]

Contrasting then the unhappy state with that of the past, he said, "The
first and primitive Christians had all things common, not from commandment
but from spirit by which they were influenced day by day; so when the time
of restitution takes place, which will be long before the consummation of
all things, then the Law of Nature, from Moral principles will be practiced
and t