hrist; in heaven, it may
be, I shall see him far above me as a faithful servant of our common
Lord. He has given a proof of obedience to the Gospel, of submission, of
patience and long suffering, of implicit compliance with the rules of
Christ, which excite my Christian emulation. My endeavor shall be to
imitate Onesimus as he has imitated Christ, and to surpass him in
likeness to that Lord who is meek and lowly in heart. The bonds which
hold Onesimus to me are no stronger than those which bind me to him.
(Great sensation and much emotion.) Can I ever treat this servant in an
unfeeling manner? Can I recklessly sell him? Can I deprive him of
comforts? Can I fail to provide for his highest happiness? God do so to
me and more also, if I prove deficient in these particulars.

"'Let me ask, What would be the state of things among us if the benign
influences of Christian love pervaded every case of slave-holding as, by
the grace of God, I hope it will in my case? We must have a serving
class; our customs and laws ordain the relationship of involuntary
servitude, property in the services of others, by purchase of their
persons. While this is so, suppose that every servant is an Onesimus and
every master such as I ought to be, under the influence of the Apostle
Paul's directions! It is plain that in no way can we better promote the
spiritual and eternal good of certain men, as the times are, than by
standing in the relation of Christian masters to them. This is the great
thing with Paul. We can mitigate the sorrows of their bondage; we can
compensate for the appointments of providence reducing them to slavery,
by making them the freemen of Christ. While this state of things
continues, it may be a blessing to both parties. God will open a way for
any change which he decrees in our social relation, in his own time and
manner.

"'Now, let us suppose what would happen if, departing from the rule and
example of Paul, we follow the counsels of our good brother from
Laodicea. The community would be in constant excitement by the departure
of servants asserting each his natural liberty; laws would become rigid;
hardships would be multiplied; cruelties would be perpetuated;
insurrections would become frequent; sacrifices of servants, the
innocent with the guilty, would be made to deter from insubordination.
Instead of the spirit of the Gospel in our dwellings, alienations,
suspicion, jealousy, wrangling, strife, and every form of evil w