wrote, in answer to
certain questions put to him by "the secretary of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel," as follows:--

"6. Negro slaves, one of them is desirous of baptism, but
_denied by her master_, a woman of wonderful sense, and
prudent in matters, of equal knowledge in Religion with most
of her sex, far exceeding any of her own nation that ever
yet I heard of."[323]

It was nothing to her master that she was "desirous of baptism," "of
wonderful sense," "prudent in matters," and "of equal knowledge in
religion with most of her sex!" She was a Negro slave, and as such was
denied the blessings of the Christian Church.

"The system of personal servitude was fast disappearing from
Western Europe, where the idea had obtained that it was
inconsistent with Christian duty for Christians to hold
Christians as slaves. But this charity did not extend to
heathen and infidels. The same system of morality which held
the possessions of unbelievers as lawful spoils of war,
delivered over their persons also to the condition of
servitude. Hence, in America, the slavery of the Indians,
and presently of Negroes, whom experience proved to be much
more capable of enduring the hardships of that
condition."[324]

And those who were so fortunate as to secure baptism were not freed
thereby.[325] In Massachusetts no Negro ever had the courage to seek
his freedom through this door, and, therefore, there was no necessity
for legislation there to define the question, but in the Southern
colonies the law declared that baptism did not secure the liberty of
the subject. As early as 1631 a law was passed admitting no man to the
rights of "freemen" who was not a member of some church within the
limits of the jurisdiction of the colony.[326] The blessings of a
"freeman" were reserved for church-members only. Negroes were not
admitted to the church, and, therefore, were denied the rights of a
freeman.[327] Even the mother country had no bowels of compassion for
the Negro. In 1677 the English courts held that a Negro slave was
_property_.

"That, being usually bought and sold among merchants as
merchandise, and _also being infidels_, there might be a
property in them sufficient to maintain trover."[328]

So as "infidels" the Negro slaves of Massachusetts were deprived of
rights and duties belonging to a member of the Church and State.