f God. And here lies the difficulty; when we
point out to a rich man his duty, his corrupt and avaricious heart
interposes and says, no; you would rob me of my goods, you would
damage my pecuniary interests; I cannot, I will not yield to your
requisitions. We sometimes encounter the same difficulty with
slaveholders. They sometimes imagine that duty and interest, are
antagonistic principles. They imagine, that if they discharge their
duty to the slaves, their pecuniary interests will suffer thereby; and
for this reason, I have sometimes thought, that it might be as
difficult for a slaveholder to enter the kingdom of heaven, as for a
rich man. "The love of money, the root of all evil," stands in the way
in both cases. If duty and our worldly interest could always run in
the same channel, then should we find it no difficult task to be
Christians; but as they are sometimes opposing forces, antagonistic
principles, the contest is difficult, and the result sometimes
doubtful.[3] Duty, commands the rich man to feed the hungry and clothe
the naked; but the rich man says, nay, Lord, my goods are my own; I
procured them by honest labor, and must I now appropriate them to
feeding the hungry and clothing the naked? What right have they to
enjoy the fruits of my labor? Your requisition Lord, is unreasonable.
I cannot, I will not comply. Duty, says to the slaveholder, "Give unto
your servants that which is just and equal, forbearing threatening;"
but the slaveholder says, nay Lord, my slave is my own property, I
purchased him with my own money, and what right have you to dictate to
me, how I shall treat my slave? Is he not my own, have I not the right
to feed, clothe, work, and otherwise treat him, as seemeth good in
mine own eyes; and who has the right to interfere? A compliance with
your unreasonable demands will materially affect my pecuniary
interests. My object is to amass wealth, to hoard up silver and gold;
and I shall therefore so manage my affairs as to accomplish this
object.

[3] By _worldly interest_, I wish to be understood, the accumulation
of wealth by any and every means, and the hoarding it up, regardless
of the wants and sufferings of those around us.

He that sets up for himself, regardless of the peace, happiness, and
comfort of his fellow creatures--he that hath a will of his own, and
will not yield to the requisitions of God's word--he that will take
his own way, regardless of the dictates of his