I have now reached another grand fallacy in your book.  It is also found in Professor Hodge’s article.  You, gentlemen, take the liberty to depart from our standard English translation of the Bible, and to substitute “slaveholder” for “master”—­“slave” for “servant”—­and, in substance, “emperor” for “ruler”—­and “subject of an imperial government” for “subject of civil government generally.”  I know that this substitution well suits your purposes:  but, I know not by what right you make it.  Professor Hodge tells the abolitionists, certainly without much respect for either their intelligence or piety, that “it will do no good (for them) to attempt to tear the Bible to pieces.”  There is but too much evidence, that he himself has not entirely refrained from the folly and crime, which he is so ready to impute to others.

I will proceed to offer some reasons for the belief, that when the Apostles enjoined on masters and servants their respective duties, they had reference to servitude in general, and not to any modification of it.

1st.  You find passages in the New Testament, where you think despotes refers to a person who is a slaveholder, and doulos to a person who is a slave.  Admit that you are right:  but this (which seems to be your only ground for it) does not justify you in translating these words “slaveholder” and “slave,” whenever it may be advantageous to your side of the question to have them thus translated.  These words, have a great variety of meanings.  For instance, there are passages in the New Testament where despotes means “God”—­Jesus Christ”—­Head of a family:”  and where doulos means “a minister or agent”—­a subject of a king”—­a disciple or follower of Christ.” Despotes and doulos are the words used in the original of the expression:  “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace:”  doulos in that of the expressions, “servant of Christ,” and “let him be servant of all.”  Profane writers also use these words in various senses.  My full belief is, that these words were used in both a generic and special sense, as is the word corn, which denotes bread-stuffs in general, and also a particular kind of them; as is the word meat, the meaning of which is, sometimes, confined to flesh that is eaten, and, at other times, as is frequently the case in the Scriptures, extends to food in general; and, as is the word servant, which is suitable, either in reference to a particular form of servitude, or to servitude in general.  There is a passage in the second chapter of Acts, which is, of itself, perhaps, sufficient to convince an unbiased mind, that the Apostles used the word doulos in a, generic, as well as in a special sense. Doulos and doule are the words in the phrase:  “And on my servants and on my handmaidens.”  A reference to the prophecy as it stands; in Joel 2:  28, 29, makes it more obvious, that persons in servitude are referred to under the words doulos and doule;