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Show 86 THE MONTHLY OFFERING. ger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him, but the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born amongst you, and thou shalt love him as your· self." Wil!not this law reach the human beings brought here in slave-ships? If not, where do you class them? are they the poor, the outcast, the needy, the \laked, the hun· gry, the sick, the broken-hearted, the ignorant, the heathen, the sinners, the members of God's mystical body 1 does not God's mercy meet them in each of these characters, and enjoins upon his brother a drtty to be performed 1 Is the slave without the pale of God's love? 6. What wrong did the sons of Jacob by selling Joseph into slavery 1 was it more sinful to sell one of Jacob's sons than any other of our heavenly Father's children 7 7. What wrong did Pharaoh to the Israe)ites 7 if slavery is not forbidden, where arc his accusers 1 8. How will slavery stand the law," Love thy neighbor as thyself?" and the golden rule, "Do as you would be done by? " Can it remain where these laws are applied 1 I have many other q~estions to propose, but will not trouble you with them at this time. Should you condescend an answer to my queries, I shall consider it as a per· mission to address you again on this subject. --Liberty ftUd Equality. JlY SAnruEL J. n!AY. But, say our opponents, your plan contemplates the -elevation of negroes, to the rank of white men-you claim for them equal civil and soc ial privileges. Surely we do. We would give them every opportunity, every facility, every ~ssistance to ri~e to an equality with us, ay, to surpass us, 1f they can. For we do not presume, that even white men, though they are rich, aod proud, and indolent, have at· tained the summit of human excellence; and we dare not bid the sable children of our heavenly Father to aspire after a resemblan ce to any lower one than that dearly be· loved Son, with whom the Father declared himself well pleased. LIBERMY AND EQUALITY. 87 And where is the folly, or the hazard, in what we say, and would do 1 We by no means insist, that ignorant men •hall be regarded as wise, or vicious men accounted as upnght and pure. But we do insist, that the i"'norant of all complexions ought to be permitted and assis~ed to becomP wise-and the wicked to become good. And we in sist that men, black, no less than white, should be acknowledged to be what they are, both positively and comparatively. Ou~ white breth~en, we suspect, would not be so" very sen~1t1ve on th1s pomt, as they are, if their title to the s upenonty they clatm, was not doubtful. Were some visionary disciples of ~ord 1\'Ionboddo, (if he has any,) to propose a plan for the improvement of the race of monkies and their elevation to the rights and privileges of men' who would think o_f seriously opposing the project 1 'Who would not readily say to the dreamers, go on, if you will, and when you get your monkies to be men, we wil! acknowledge them. Many there are, who affect to regard the nen-roes as n race of beings nearly akin to monkies. But wh~n we see severe laws enacted, prohibiting the instruction of colored people throughout the slave-holding States· and heavy penalties inflicted upon those who dare to te;cli. them;and when, at the Nor:h, we see every impediment thrown m the way of th~1r 1mprovement, what does it prove? What 1 That the1r opposers know there are beneath their darker skins intellectual powers, and moral affections which, if cherished and suffered to unfold, would com~ mand for these despised, oppresed, outrarred ones all that respect and affection, which are due to nthose who are made of the same blood, are the children of th~ same pa· rent, and heirs of the satne immortality. We are fa~rly ashamed of our white brethren. They have .had the advantage of the colored men for two centuries, 1f no more, and are afrairl to give them an equal chance even now. This is mean. For oursell'es, we can feel no self complacency in keeping in ndvance of our colored brethren, so long as they are c!tained behind us. \Ve |