The following is an extract from his address to his brethren at Sierra
Leone:--"Beloved friends and fellow-countrymen, I earnestly recommend
to you the propriety of assembling yourselves together to worship the
Lord your God. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him acceptably,
must worship in spirit and in truth.
"Come, my African brethren, let us walk in the light of the Lord; in
that pure light which bringeth salvation into the world. I recommend
sobriety and steadfastness, that so professors may be good examples in
all things. I recommend that early care be taken to instruct the youth
while their minds are tender, that so they may be preserved from the
corruptions of the world, from profanity, intemperance, and bad company.
"May servants be encouraged to discharge their duty with faithfulness;
may they be brought up to industry; and may their minds be cultivated
for the reception of the good seed which is promised to all who seek
it. I want that we should be faithful in all things, that so we may
become a people giving satisfaction to those who have borne the burden
and heat of the day in liberating us from a state of slavery.
"I leave you in the hands of Him who is able to preserve you through
time, and crown you with that blessing which is prepared for all who
are faithful to the end." This appears to be the simple expression of
his feelings, and the language of his heart.
When you have read this account of your brother Paul Cuffee, pause
and reflect. Do not think because you cannot be as extensively useful
as he was, that you cannot do any good. There are very few people, if
any, in the world who cannot be useful in some way or other. If you
have health, you may, by your industry, sobriety, and economy, make
yourselves and your families comfortable.
By your honesty and good conduct, you may set them and your neighbors
a good example. If you have aged parents, you may soothe and comfort
their declining years. If you have children, you may instruct them
in piety and virtue, and in such business as will procure them a
comfortable subsistance, and prepare them for usefulness in the world.
SOLOMON BAYLEY.
In the narrative of his own life, Solomon Bayley says: "The Lord tried
to teach me His fear when I was a little boy; but I delighted in vanity
and foolishness, and went astray; but He found out a way to overcome
me, and to cause me to desire His favor and His great help; and
although I thought no one could be more unworthy of His favor, yet He
did look on me, and pity me in my great distress.
"I was born a slave in the State of Delaware, and was one of those that
were carried out of Delaware into the State of Virginia; the laws of
Delaware did say, that slaves carried out of that State should be free;
and I asserted my right to freedom, for which I was put on board of a
vessel and sent to Richmond, where I was put in jail, and in irons, and
thence sent in a wagon back into the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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