As military commander, poet, historian, judge, legislator, who is to be
named in comparison with the man Moses?
"We must come to the conclusion," said I, "that the relation of
ownership is not only not sinful, but that it is in itself benevolent,
that it had a benevolent object; for its origin was certainly
benevolent."
"What was its origin?" said Mrs. North; "I always had a desire to know
how slavery first came into existence."
"Blackstone tells us," I replied, "that its origin was in the right of a
captor to commute the death of his captives with bondage. The laws of
war give the conqueror a right to destroy his enemies; if he sees fit to
spare their lives in consideration of their serving him, this is also
his right. Thus, we suppose, slavery gained its existence.
"True, its very nature partakes of our fallen condition; it is not a
paradisiacal institution; it is not good in itself; it is an
accompaniment of the loss which we have incurred by sin. In that light
it is proper to speak of the Most High as adapting his legislation to
the depraved condition of man; but that is no more true of slavery than
of redemption; everything in the treatment of us by the Almighty is an
exponent of our departure from our first estate.
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