“No man can become property.” “No man can own property in another.” “The conscience is a distinct mental faculty.” “The conscience infallibly distinguishes between right and wrong.” “No man is under any obligation to obey any law when his conscience dictates it to be wrong.” “The conscience empowers any man to nullify any law; because the conscience is a part and parcel of the Divine mind.” “Slavery is wholly founded on force.” “Slavery originates in the power of the strong over the weak.” “Slavery disqualifies a man to fulfil the great object of his being.” “The doctrines of the Bible forbid slavery.” “There is no word, either in the Old or the New Testament, which expresses the idea of slave or slavery.” “Slavery places its subjects beyond moral and legal obligation: therefore, it can never be a legal or moral relation.” “Slavery is inconsistent with the moral nature of man.” “To hold in slavery is inconsistent with the present state of morals and religion.” “Slavery is contrary to the will of God.” “No man can hold a slave, and be a Christian.” Averments of this order are quite numerous. Fanatics receive them; and some others do not distinguish them from truths. At any age, and in any country, where such errors are generally adopted, and become the rules of political action, morals and religion are always in commotion, and in danger of shipwreck: for, although, where man has only approached so far towards civilization that even the enlightened can merely perceive them as rudimental, yet the great principles that influence human life, morality and religion, are, everywhere, and always have been the same. ----------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS. STUDY I. LESSON I.—Wayland’s definition of moral law, page 7 to 8; sin the antecedent of slavery, 9; the abuse of slavery a sin, 10. LESSON II.—Wayland on the elements of consciousness, 10 to 11; the degeneracy of races, and slavery as the scriptural means of reclamation, 12; object of punishment, 13. LESSON III.—Wayland on conscience as a distinct faculty, 14, 15; Channing, Barnes, and abolitionists generally on the same, 16, 17, 18. LESSON IV.—Wayland on conscience as an independent faculty derived from Shaftesbury, Hutchinson, and Reid, 18; combated by Archbishop Seeker, 19; argument that conscience is neither a distinct faculty nor infallible, 20 to 23. LESSON V.—Wayland’s doctrine, that slavery sacrifices the slave’s eternal happiness to the master’s temporal, refuted, 23 to 25; the master’s interest and the slave’s moral improvement identical, 26, 27.