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Show ·II 192 LIBERTY AND SLAVERY. and he defines a slave to bo a living working-tool and possession. (' 0 l!ouJ.o, lp.<fuxov 15navov, Ethic. Nicim. viii. 13; b l!ouJ.o' xrtjp.a n <p.¢uxov, Pol. i. 4.) Thus Aristotle himself defines the l!oulo, to be, not a "servant of any kind," but a slave; and we presume that he understood the force of this Greek word at' least as well as Mr. Barnes or Mr. Sumner. And Dr. Robinson, as we have just seen, declares that it never means a hired servant. Indeed, all this is so well understood by Greek scholars, that Dr. Macknight does not hesitate to render the term l!oulo,, applied to Oncsimus in the Epistle to Philemon, by tbc English word slave. lie has not even added a footnote, as is customary with him when he deems any other translation of a word than that given by himself at all worthy of notice. In like manncr, Moses Stuart just proceeds to call Oncsimus "the slave of Philemon," as if there could be no ground for doubt on so plain a point. Such is the testimony of these two great Biblical critics, who devoted their lives in great measure to the study of the language, literature, and interpretation of the Epistles of the N cw Testament. Now, it shoulcl be observed, that not one of ARGUMENT FROM TilE SCRIPTURES. 193 the authorities quoted by us had any motive "to pervert texts," or ''to invent authorities," "in support of slavery." Neither Donnegan, nor Liddell and Scott, nor Stephens, nor Schleusner, nor Robinson, nor Smith, nor Macknight, nor Stuart, could possibly have had any such motive. If they were not all perfectly nobiassed witnesses, it is certain they had no bias in favor of slavery. It is, indeed, the abolitionist, and not the slaveholder, who, in this case, "has perverted texts;" and if he has not "invented authorities," it is because his attempts to do so have proved abortive. Beside the clear and unequivocal import of the word applied to Onesimus, it is evident, from other considerations, that he was the slave of Philemon. To dwell upon all of these would, we fear, be more tedious than profitable to the reader. Hence we shall confine our attention to a single circumstance, which will, we think, be sufficient for any candid or impartial inquirer after trnth. Among the arguments used by St. Paul to induce Philemon to receive his fugitive slave kindly, we find this: "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive himforever." This verse is thus paraphrased by Macknight: "To miti- N 17 |