8. The missionary, in the exercise of a wise discretion
as to time, place, manner and amount of instruction, is
decidedly to discountenance indulgence in known sin and
the neglect of known duty, and so to instruct his hearers
that they may understand all Christian duty. With that
wisdom which is profitable to direct, he is to exhibit the
legitimate bearing of the gospel upon every moral evil, in
order to its removal in the most desirable way; and upon
slavery, as upon other moral evils. As a missionary, he
has nothing to do with political questions and agitations.
He is to deal alone, and as a Christian instructor and
pastor, with what is morally wrong, that the people of God
may separate themselves therefrom, and a right standard of
moral action be held up before the world.
9. While, as in war, there can be no shedding of blood
without sin somewhere attached, and yet the individual
soldier may not be guilty of it; so, while slavery is
always sinful, we cannot esteem every one who is legally a
slaveholder a wrong-doer for sustaining the legal relation.
When it is made unavoidable by the laws of the State, the
obligations of guardianship, or the demands of humanity,
it is not to be deemed an offence against the rule of
Christian right. Yet missionaries are carefully to guard,
and in the proper way to warn others to guard, against
unduly extending this plea of necessity or the good of the
slave, against making it a cover for the love and practice
of slavery, or a pretence for not using efforts that are
lawful and practicable to extinguish this evil.
10. Missionaries are to enjoin upon all masters and
servants obedience to the directions specially addressed to
them in the Holy Scriptures, and to explain and illustrate
the precepts containing them.
11. In the exercise of discipline in the churches, under
the same obligations and limitations as in regard to other
acts of wrong-doing, and which are recognized in the action
of ministers with reference to other matters in evangelical
churches where slavery does not exist, missionaries are
to set their faces against all overt acts in relation
to this subject, which are manifestly unchristian and
sinful; such as the treatment of slaves with inhumanity and
oppression; keeping from them the knowledge of God's holy
will; disregarding the sanctity of the marriage relation;
trifling with the affections of parents, and setting at
naught the claims of children on their natural protectors;
and regarding and treating human beings as articles of
merchandise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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