her abolitionist, it is certain, will ever imitate his
example, as that example is represented by Mr. Barnes. No other
abolitionist will ever suppress the great truths--as he conceives them
to be--with which his soul is on fire, and which, in his view, lie at
the foundation of human happiness, lest he should "cause hard feelings"
in the bosom of a slaveholder.

It may be said, perhaps, that the remarks and apology of Mr. Barnes do
not proceed on the supposition that Onesimus was a slave. If so, the
answer is at hand. For surely Mr. Barnes cannot think it would have been
dishonorable in the apostle to advise, or even to urge, "a hired
servant," or "an apprentice," to return and fulfill his contract. It is
evident that, although Mr. Barnes would have the reader to believe that
Onesimus was merely a hired servant or an apprentice, he soon forgets
his own interpretation, and proceeds to reason just as if he himself
regarded him as a slave. This, if possible, will soon appear still more
evident.

The apostle did not, according to Mr. Barnes, wholly conceal his
abolition sentiments. He made them known to Philemon. Yes, we are
gravely told, the letter which Onesimus carried in his pocket, as he
wended his way back from Rome to Colosse, was and is an emancipation
document! This great discovery is, we believe, due to the abolitionists
of the present day. It was first made by Mr. Barnes, or Dr. Channing, or
some other learned emancipationist, and after them by Mr. Sumner.
Indeed, the discovery that it appears from the face of the epistle
itself that it is an emancipation document, is the second of the two
"conclusive things" which, in Mr. Sumner's opinion, constitute "an
all-sufficient response" to anti-abolitionists.

Now supposing St. Paul to have been an abolitionist, such a disclosure
of his views would, we admit, afford some little relief to our minds.
For it would show that, although he did not provoke opposition by
proclaiming the truth to the churches and to the world, he could at
least run the risk of hurting the feelings of a slaveholder. But let us
look into this great discovery, and see if the apostle has, in reality,
whispered any such words of emancipation in the ear of Philemon.

In his note to the sixteenth verse of the epistle, Mr. Barnes says: "Not
now as a servant. The adverb rendered 'not now,' ([Greek: _ouketi_])
means _no more_, _no further_, _no longer_." So let it be. We doubt not
that such is its mean