ng
decrees promulgated both by God and man? Is this doing the work of "your
Father which is in heaven," or is it seeking only "that you may have
glory of man?" Do you remember the denunciation of our Saviour, "Woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees; hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess."

But after all, supposing that every thing you say of slavery be true,
and its abolition a matter of the last necessity, how do you expect to
effect emancipation, and what do you calculate will be the result of its
accomplishment? As to the means to be used, the abolitionists, I
believe, affect to differ, a large proportion of them pretending that
their sole purpose is to apply "moral suasion" to the slaveholders
themselves. As a matter of curiosity, I should like to know what their
idea of this "moral suasion" is. Their discourses--yours is no
exception--are all tirades, the exordium, argument and peroration,
turning on the epithets "tyrants," "thieves," "murderers," addressed to
us. They revile us as "atrocious monsters," "violators of the laws of
nature, God and man," our homes the abode of every iniquity, our land a
"brothel." We retort, that they are "incendiaries" and "assassins."
Delightful argument! Sweet, potent "moral suasion!" What slave has it
freed--what proselyte can it ever make? But if your course was wholly
different--if you distilled nectar from your lips, and discoursed
sweetest music, could you reasonably indulge the hope of accomplishing
your object by such means? Nay, supposing that we were all convinced,
and thought of slavery precisely as you do, at what era of "moral
suasion" do you imagine you could prevail on us to give up a thousand
millions of dollars in the value of our slaves, and a thousand millions
of dollars more in the depreciation of our lands, in consequence of the
want of laborers to cultivate them? Consider: were ever any people,
civilized or savage, persuaded by any argument, human or divine, to
surrender voluntarily two thousand millions of dollars? Would you think
of asking five millions of Englishmen to contribute, either at once or
gradually, four hundred and fifty millions of pounds sterling to the
cause of philanthropy, even if the purpose to be accomplished was not of
doubtful goodness? If you are prepared to undertake such a scheme, try
it at home. Collect your fund--return us the money for our slaves, and
do with