You refer to the Saviour’s declaration of the unequaled faith of one of these centurions, with the view of making it appear that a person of so great faith could not be a great sinner.  But, how long had he exercised this, or, indeed, any Christian faith?  That he was on good terms with the Jews, and had built them a synagogue, is quite as strong evidence, that he had not, as that he had, previously to that time, believed in Jesus:—­and, if he had not, then his faith, however strong, and his conversion, however decided, are nothing towards proving that slavery is sinless.

It is evident, that the Apostle was sent to Cornelius for the single purpose of inculcating the doctrine of the remission of sin, through faith in Christ.

I proceed to examine another of your arguments.  From Paul’s declaration to the Elders at Miletus, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God,” taken in connexion with the fact, that the Bible does not inform us that he spoke to them of slaveholding, you confidently and exultingly infer that it is innocent.  Here, again, you prove too much, and therefore, prove nothing.  It does not appear that he specified a hundredth part of their duties.  If he did not tell them to abstain from slaveholding, neither did he tell them to abstain from games and theatres.  But, his silence about slaveholding proves to your mind its sinlessness:  equally then should his silence about games and theatres satisfy you of their innocence.  Two radical errors run through a great part of your book.  They are, that the Apostle gave specific instructions concerning all duties, and that the Bible contains these instructions.  But, for these errors, your book would be far less objectionable than it is.  I might, perhaps, rather say, that but for these, you could not have made up your book.

And now, since Paul’s address to the Elders has been employed by you in behalf of slavery, allow me to try its virtue against slavery:  and, if it should turn out that you are slain with your own weapon, it will not be the first time that temerity has met with such a fate.  I admit, that the Apostle does not tell the Elders of any wrong thing which they had done; but there are some wrong things from which he had himself abstained, and some right things which he had himself done, of which he does tell them.  He tells them, for instance, that he had not been guilty of coveting what was another’s, and also, that with his own hands he had ministered to his own necessities and those of others:  and he further tells them, that they ought to copy his example, and labor, as he had done, “to support the weak.”  Think you, sir, from this language that Paul was a slaveholder—­and, that his example was such, as to keep lazy, luxurious slaveholders in countenance?  The slaveholder is guilty of coveting, not only all a man has, but even the man himself.  The slaveholder will not only not labor with his hands to supply the wants of others, and “to support the weak;” but he makes others labor to supply his wants:—­yes, makes them labor unpaid—­night and day—­in storm, as well as in sunshine—­under the lash—­bleeding—­groaning—­dying—­and all this, not to minister to his actual needs, but to his luxuriousness and sensuality.