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Show 242 ON TilE SLAVERY AND CoMMERCE. own confent. It is not your money, that can inve!l: you with a right. Human liberty can neither be bought nor fold. Every lalh that you give them is unju!l:. It is a laih again!l: nature and religion, and will furely !l:and recorded again!l: you, fince they are all, with refpeCl: to your impious felves, in a !l:ate of nature; in a !l:ate of original diifociation ; perfeCt! y free. C II A P. XL Having now confidered both the commerce andjlavery, it remains only to colleCt fuch arguments as are fcattered in different parts of the work, and to make fuch additional remarks, as prefent themfelves on the fubjeet. And fir!l:, let us aik yoLt, who have !l:udied the law of nature, and you, who are learned in the law of the land, if all property mull: not be inferiour in its nature to its poifeilor, or, in other words, (for it is a cafe, which every perfon mu!l: bring home to his own brea!l:) if you fuppofe that any human being can have a property in your:ftlves? Let us aik OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. aik you appraifers, who fcientifically know the value of things, if any human creature is equivalent only to any of the trinkets that you wear, or at moil:, to any of the horfes that you ride: or in other words, if you have ever confide red the moll: co!l:ly things that you have valued, as equivalent to yourji!lves? Let us aik you rationali!l:s, if man, as a reafonable being, is not accou1ltable for his aCtions, and let us put the fame qu.e!l:ion to you, who have !l:udied ·the divine writings? Let us aik you parents, if ever you thought that you poifeifcd an authority as fuch, or if ever you expeCted a duty from your fons; and let us aik you fans, if ever you felt an impulfe in your own brea!l:s to obey your parents. Now, if you ihould all anfwer as we could wi!h, if you ihould all anfwer confi!l:ently with reafon, nature, arid the revealed voice of God, what a dreadful argument will prefent itfelf againil: the commerce and ilavery of the human fpecies, when we refleCt, that no man whatever can be bought or reduced to the fituation of a !lave, but be muft inftantly become a brute, he mzifl injlantly be reduced to the value of ~hqft Q_2 thmgs, |