These two letters are simply introduced to show what the state of my feelings was with reference to slavery at the time they were written.  I had just heard several facts with regard to my parents, which had awakened my mind to great excitement.

  TO MY FATHER, MOTHER, BROTHERS, AND SISTERS.

  The following was written in 1844:

  DEARLY BELOVED IN BONDS,

About seventeen long years have now rolled away, since in the Providence of Almighty God, I left your embraces, and set out upon a daring adventure in search of freedom.  Since that time, I have felt most severely the loss of the sun and moon and eleven stars from my social sky.  Many, many a thick cloud of anguish has pressed my brow and sent deep down into my soul the bitter waters of sorrow in consequence.  And you have doubtless had your troubles and anxious seasons also about your fugitive star.

I have learned that some of you have been sold, and again taken back by Colonel ——.  How many of you are living and together, I cannot tell.  My great grief is, lest you should have suffered this or some additional punishment on account of my Exodus.

I indulge the hope that it will afford you some consolation to know that your son and brother is yet alive.  That God has dealt wonderfully and kindly with me in all my way.  He has made me a Christian, and a Christian Minister, and thus I have drawn my support and comfort from that blessed Saviour, who came to preach good tidings unto the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them, that are bound.  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified.

If the course I took in leaving a condition which had become intolerable to me, has been made the occasion of making that condition worse to you in any way, I do most heartily regret such a change for the worse on your part.  As I have no means, however, of knowing if such be the fact, so I have no means of making atonement, but by sincere prayer to Almighty God in your behalf, and also by taking this method of offering to you these consolations of the gospel to which I have just referred, and which I have found to be pre-eminently my own stay and support.  My dear father and mother; I have very often wished, while administering the Holy Ordinance of Baptism to some scores of children brought forward by doting parents, that I could see you with yours among the number.  And you, my brothers and sisters, while teaching hundreds of children and youths in schools over which I have been placed,