elleth him; or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to
death." (Exod. xxi. 16.1) Yet a little while and the voice of impartial
prayer for humanity will be heard no more in the abiding place of
slavery. The truths of the gospel, its voice of warning and exhortation,
will be denounced as incendiary? The night of that infidelity, which
denies God in the abuse and degradation of man, will settle over the
land, to be broken only by the upheaving earthquake of eternal
retribution.

To the members of the religious Society of Friends, I would earnestly
appeal. They have already done much to put away the evil of slavery in
this country and Great Britain. The blessings of many who were ready to
perish have rested upon them. But their faithful testimony must be still
steadily upborne, for the great work is but begun. Let them not relax
their exertions, nor be contented with a lifeless testimony, a formal
protestation against the evil. Active, prayerful, unwearied exertion is
needed for its overthrow. But above all, let them not aid in excusing
and palliating it. Slavery has no redeeming qualities, no feature of
benevolence, nothing pure, nothing peaceful, nothing just. Let them
carefully keep themselves aloof from all societies and all schemes which
have a tendency to excuse or overlook its crying iniquity. True to a
doctrine founded on love and mercy, "peace on earth and good will to
men," they should regard the suffering slave as their brother, and
endeavor to "put their souls in his soul's stead." They may earnestly
desire the civilization of Africa, but they cannot aid in building up the
colony of Liberia so long as that colony leans for support upon the arm
of military power; so long as it proselytes to Christianity under the
muzzles of its cannon; and preaches the doctrines of Christ while
practising those of Mahomet. When the Sierra Leone Company was formed in
England, not a member of the Society of Friends could be prevailed upon
to engage in it, because the colony was to be supplied with cannon and
other military stores. Yet the Foreign Agent of the Liberia Colony
Society, to which the same insurmountable objection exists, is a member
of the Society of Friends, and I understand has been recently employed in
providing gunpowder, etc., for the use of the colony. There must be an
awakening on this subject; other Woolmans and other Benezets must arise
and speak the truth with the meek love of Jame