ne for the extirpation of slavery?

"_Answer_. We declare that we are much as ever convinced of the great
evil of slavery; therefore, no slaveholder shall be eligible to any
official station in our church."

These words sounded in my ears for a long time, and{153} encouraged me
to hope. But, as I have before said, I was doomed to disappointment.
Master Thomas seemed to be aware of my hopes and expectations concerning
him. I have thought, before now, that he looked at me in answer to my
glances, as much as to say, "I will teach you, young man, that, though I
have parted with my sins, I have not parted with my sense. I shall hold
my slaves, and go to heaven too."

Possibly, to convince us that we must not presume _too much_ upon his
recent conversion, he became rather more rigid and stringent in his
exactions. There always was a scarcity of good nature about the man; but
now his whole countenance was _soured_ over with the seemings of piety.
His religion, therefore, neither made him emancipate his slaves, nor
caused him to treat them with greater humanity. If religion had any
effect on his character at all, it made him more cruel and hateful in
all his ways. The natural wickedness of his heart had not been removed,
but only reinforced, by the profession of religion. Do I judge him
harshly? God forbid. Facts _are_ facts. Capt. Auld made the greatest
profession of piety. His house was, literally, a house of prayer. In the
morning, and in the evening, loud prayers and hymns were heard there, in
which both himself and his wife joined; yet, _no more meal_ was brought
from the mill, _no more attention_ was paid to the moral welfare of the
kitchen; and nothing was done to make us feel that the heart of Master
Thomas was one whit better than it was before he went into the little
pen, opposite to the preachers' stand, on the camp ground.

Our hopes (founded on the discipline) soon vanished; for the authorities
let him into the church _at once_, and before he was out of his term
of _probation_, I heard of his leading class! He distinguished himself
greatly among the brethren, and was soon an exhorter. His progress was
almost as rapid as the growth of the fabled vine of Jack's bean. No man
was more active than he, in revivals. He would go many miles to assist
in carrying them on, and in getting outsiders interested in religion.
His house being{154} one of the holiest, if not the happiest in St.
Michael's, became the "preachers'