Excerpt from The Slavery Question
The subject is one of great moment in its moral, social and political bearings, considered either in reference to the slaves, their owners, or the country; and those who have the power and who are about to be called upon to decide upon this question, so far as the interests of the parties in this commonwealth are concerned, should calmly and dispassionately investigate it in all its bearings, so that when they come to act they may be prepared to act conscientiously and intelligently, and have no. occasion to repent of their action when it is too late to undo it.
Now we apprehend that there are thousands, even among our church members in this commonwealth, who, while they have fixed in their minds how they will vote upon the subject, have never given it the calm and thorough investigation which it merits, and which it is necessary they should do in order to a faithful discharge of their duty as Christians and good citizens. Their present determinations may be honestly intended, but they may nevertheless result from political preferences, from early prejudices, or the local influences which persons and circumstances around them have exerted upon them, while the merits of the question have occupied no part of their thoughts.
Various persons have urged it upon us, as a duty which we owed to the public, to come out and let our views be known, but for the reasons above stated, we have declined doing so. It has, however, occurred to us that a mere statement of our views, as the result of our investigations of the abstract question of slavery both in its religious and civil aspects; and a brief statement of the reasons which have and will govern us in the exercise of our civil franchise, in reference to the question, as it is now presented to the people of Kentucky, would not necessarily open the columns of the Banner for the discussion of the subject; while such an expose of our views might do good by exciting others to a more thorough investigation of the subject than they otherwise would do.
Under the influence of these considerations, and in persuance of the advice and opinion of others, we have consented to prepare a series of articles, stating as briefly as possible, our views of the several matters involved in the question of slavery, as it is now before the people of this commonwealth; and we offer this as the first number of the series.
NO. II.
The will of God, as revealed in the Scriptures of divine truth, is, with us, paramount law in matters of morals. What is proved as morally right, by this law, no finite being should dare impeach. And on the other hand, that which is condemned by this law as morally wrong, no finite being should dare attempt to justify or defend. If, therefore, we would arrive at just conclusions in regard to the moral quality of any action or thing, we must candidly and ingenuously search the Scriptures for information in regard for it; resolved to receive its instructions and abide its decisions, avoiding all attempts to pervet its language or to misconstrue its plain import. No man can, in the true sense of the term, believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God who, to maintain his peculiar views, is driven to the necessity of quibbling upon its verbiage, with a view to force it from its obvious meaning to subserve his purpose. Such a course of procedure by whomsoever resorted to, we look upon as infidelity, made more infidel by professing to believe what is at the same time denied.
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