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Show 162 LIDERTY AND SLAVERY. faculties-both iutcllcctual and moral-of millions of human beings beneath its odious and terrific influence. Now, if this be so, then would it have been too much to expect that at least one little word might have been clirected against so great, so tremendous an evil? The method of the gospel may be comprehensive, if you please; it may teach by great priuciples rather than by minute precepts. Still, it is certnin that St. Paul could give directions about his cloak; and he could spend many words in private salutations. In regard to the great social evil of the age, however, and beneath which a large majority of even the civilized world were crushed to the earth, he said nothing, lest he should become too minnte,-lest his epistles should swell into too large a volume! Such is one of Dr. ·wayland's defences of the gospel. We shall ofl'cr no remark; we shall let it speak for itself. A third reason for the silence in question is the alleged ease with which precepts may be evaded. "A simple precept or prohibition," says Dr. Wayland, "is, of all things, the easiest to be evaded. Lord Eldon used to say, that 'no man in England could construct au act of Parliament th1·ough which he could not d1·ive a AI\OUMENT FI\OM TilE SCRIPTURES. 103 coach-and-four.' We find this to have been illustrated by the case of the Jews in the time of our Saviour. The Pharisees, who prided themselves on their strict obedience to the letter, violated the spirit of every precept of the Mosaic code." Now, in reply to this most extraordinary passage, we have several remarks to offer. In the first place, perhaps every one is not so good a ru·iver as Lord Eldon. It is certain, that acts of Parliament have been passed, through which the most slippery of rogues have not been able to make their escape. They have been caught, tried, and condemned for their offences, in spite of all their ingenuity and evasion. Secondly, a "principle" is just as easily evaded as a "precept;" and, in most cases, it is far more so. The great principle of the Now Testament, which our author deems so applicable to the subject of slavCI'J, is this: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Now, if this be the great principle intended to enlighten us respecting the sin of slavery, we confess it has been most completely evaded by every slave State in the Union. · We have, indeed, so entirely deceived ourselves in regard to its true import, that it seems to us to have not the |