y be put to death.'

The characteristic and badge of a true Christian is love and
continual exercise of them: 'Love one, another,' says he, 'as I
have loved you.' But how can we be said to love our brethren who
bring, or, for selfish ends, keep them in bondage? Do we act
consistently with this noble principle, who lay such heavy
burdens on our fellow creatures? Do we consider that they are
called and do we sincerely desire that they may become heirs
with us in glory, and that they may rejoice in the liberty of
the sons of God, whilst we are withholding from them the common
liberties of mankind? Or can the spirit of God, by which we have
always professed to be led, be the author of these oppressive
and unrighteous measures? Or do we not thereby manifest, that
temporal interest hath more influence on our conduct herein,
than the dictates of that merciful, holy, and unerring Guide?

And we, likewise, earnestly recommend to all who have slaves, to
be careful to come up in the performance of their duty towards
them, and to be particularly watchful over their own hearts, it
being, by sorrowful experience, remarkable that custom and a
familiarity with evil of any kind, have a tendency to bias the
judgment and to deprave the mind; and it is obvious, that the
future welfare of these poor slaves, who are now in bondage, is
generally too much disregarded by those who keep them. If their
daily task of labour be but fulfilled, little else, perhaps, is
thought of: nay, even that which in others would be looked upon
with horror and detestation, is little regarded in them by their
masters; such as the frequent separation of husbands from wives,
and wives from husbands, whereby they are tempted to break their
marriage covenants, and live in adultery, in direct opposition
to the laws of God and men, although we believe that Christ died
for all men without respect of persons. How fearful then ought
we to be of engaging in what hath so natural a tendency to
lesson our humanity, and of suffering ourselves to be inured to
the exercise of hard and cruel measures, lest thereby, in any
degree, we lose our tender and feeling sense of the miseries of
our fellow-creatures, and become worse than those who have not
believed.

And, dear friends, you, who by inheritance have slaves born in
your fam