to destroy or enslave them as far as they could extend
their power. And from thence the mystery of iniquity,
carried many into the practice of making merchandise
of slaves and souls of men. But all ought to
remember, that when God promised the land of Canaan
to Abraham and his seed, he let him know that they
were not to take possession of that land, until the
iniquity of the Amorites was full; and then they did
it under the immediate direction of Heaven; and they
were as real executors of the judgment of God upon
those heathens, as any person ever was an executor
of a criminal justly condemned. And in doing
it they were not allowed to invade the lands of the
Edomites, who sprang from Esau, who was not only of
the seed of Abraham, but was born at the same birth
with Israel; and yet they were not of that church.
Neither were Israel allowed to invade the lands of
the Moabites, or of the children of Ammon, who were
of the seed of Lot. And no officer in Israel had
any legislative power, but such as were immediately
inspired. Even David, the man after God’s
own heart, had no legislative power, but only as he
was inspired from above: and he is expressly called
a
prophet in the New Testament And we are to
remember that Abraham and his seed, for four hundred
years, had no warrant to admit any strangers into
that church, but by buying of him as a servant, with
money. And it was a great privilege to be bought,
and adopted into a religious family for seven years,
and then to have their freedom. And that covenant
was expressly repealed in various parts of the New
Testament; and particularly in the first epistle to
the Corinthians, wherein it is said—Ye
are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
And again—Circumcision is nothing, and
uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping of the commandments
of God. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye
the servants of men. Thus the gospel sets all
men upon a level, very contrary to the declaration
of an honorable gentleman in this house, “that
the Bible was contrived for the advantage of a particular
order of men.”
NEW YORK CONVENTION.
Mr. M. SMITH. He would now proceed to state his
objections to the clause just read, (section 2, of
article 1, clause 3). His objections were comprised
under three heads: 1st, the rule of apportionment
is unjust; 2d, there is no precise number fixed on,
below which the house shall not be reduced; 3d, it
is inadequate. In the first place, the rule of
apportionment of the representatives is to be according
to the whole number of the white inhabitants, with
three-fifths of all others; that is, in plain English,
each State is to send representatives in proportion
to the number of freemen, and three-fifths of the
slaves it contains. He could not see any rule
by which slaves were to be included in the ratio of
representation;—the principle of a representation