The slave-trade grew. New York began to feel the necessity of a larger number of slaves. In 1702 her "most gracious majesty," Queen Anne, among many instructions to the royal governor, directed that the people "take especial care, that God Almighty be devoutly and duly served," and that the "Royal African Company of England" "take especial care that the said Province may have a constant and sufficient supply of merchantable Negroes, at moderate rates."[233] It was a marvellous zeal that led the good queen to build up the Church of England alongside of the institution of human slavery. It was an impartial zeal that sought their mutual growth,--the one intended by our divine Lord to give mankind absolute liberty, the other intended by man to rob mankind of the great boon of freedom! But with the sanction of statutory legislation, and the silent acquiescence of the Church, the foundations of the institution of slavery were firmly laid in the approving conscience of a selfish public. Dazzled by prospective riches, and unscrupulous in the methods of accumulations, the people of the Province of New York clamored for more exacting laws by which to govern the slaves.[234] Notwithstanding Lord Cornbury had received the following instructions from the crown, "you shall endeavor to get a law passed for the restraining of any inhuman severity ... to find out the best means to facilitate and encourage the conversion of Negroes and Indians to the Christian religion," the Colonial Assembly (the same year, 1702) passed severe laws against the slaves. It was "_An Act for regulating slaves_," but was quite lengthy and specific. It was deemed "_not lawful to trade with negro slaves_," and the violation of this law was followed by fine and imprisonment. "_Not above three slaves may meet together:_" if they did they were liable to be whipped by a justice of the peace, or sent to jail. "_A common whipper to be appointed_," showed that the justices had more physical exercise than they cared for. "_A slave not to strike a freeman_," indicated that the slaves in New York as in Virginia were accounted as heathen. "_Penalty for concealing slaves_," and the punishment of Negroes for stealing, etc., were rather severe, but only indicated the temper of the people at that time.[235] The recommendations to have Negro and Indian slaves baptized gave rise to considerable discussion and no little alarm. As was shown in the chapter on Virginia, the proposition to baptize slaves did not meet with a hearty indorsement from the master-class. The doctrine had obtained in most of the colonies, that a man was a freeman by virtue of his membership in a Christian church, and hence eligible to office. To escape the logic of this position, the dealer in human flesh sought to bar the door of the Church against the slave. But in 1706 "_An Act to encourage the baptizing of Negro, Indian, and mulatto slaves_," was passed in the hope of quieting the public mind on this question.