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Show viii P R E F A C E. attended with confiderable lofs to the bene, volent individuals, who unconditionally prefented them with their freedom, yet they adopted it with pleafure: nobly confidering, that to polfefs a little, in an honourable way, was better than to polfefs much, through the medium of injuil:ice. Their example was gradually followed by the reil:. A general emancipation of the Jlaves in the polfeffion of ~akers, at length took place; and fo effectually did they ferve the caufe which they had undertaken, that they denied the claim of memberlhip in their religious community, to all fuch as ihould hereafter oppofe the fuggeil:ions of juil:ice in this particular, either by retaining Jlaves in their poffdlion, or by being in any manner concerned in the flave trade: and it is a fact, that through the vail: tract of North America, there Is not at this day a Jingle Jlave in the polfeilion of an acknowledged ~aker. But though this meafure appeared, as has been obferved before, to be attended with confiderable lofs ·to the benevolent indivi. duals who adopted it, yet, as virtue feldom fails of obtaining its reward, it became ultimately beneficial. Moil: of the Jlaves, who were P R E F A C E. ix were thus unconditionally freed, returned without any felicitation to their former mail:ers, to fervc them, at lbted wages, as free men. The work, which they now did, was found to be better done than before. It was found alfo, that a greater quantity was done in the fame time. Hence lefs than the former numbc~ of labourers was fuffieient. From thcfc, and a variety of other circumil:ances, it appeared, that their plantations were confiderably more profitable, when worked by free men, than when worked, as before, by Jlaves; and that they derived therefore, contrary to their expectations, a confiderable advantage from their benevolence. Animated by the exam pie of the ~akers, the members of other feels began to deliberate about adopting the fame meafure. Some of thofe of the church of England, of the Roman Catholicks, and of thePreibyterians and Independants, freed their Jlaves; and there happened but one inil:ance, where the matter was debated, where it was not immediately put in force. This was in Pennjj!vania. It was agitated in the fynod of thle Preibytc-rians |