X.

THAT, as no abuses or malepractices whatever, committed in the profecution of a lawful purfuit, can ever alter the intrinfic licitnefs of it; fo no arguments whatever, built folely on the ftrength of those abuses, will ever evince the intrinfic deformity of the SLAVETRADE, any more than that of any other lawful purfuit, where abuses are committed, unless the fame be proved effentially unjust and illicit.

XI.

THAT, if abuses and malepractices, committed in the prosecution of a lawful purfuit, can be checked and prevented by Legal Authority, the private and national advantages arifing from that purfuit, and the inconveniencies attending the fuppreffion of it, joined to its intrinfic licitnefs, ought to have a very powerful influence towards not abolishing the profecution of that purfuit.

XII.

THAT, if abuses and malepractices, though evidently fubject to the control of the Legiflature, are to be confidered as fufficient arguments to fupprefs the SLAVE-TRADE, without any regard to its intrinfic licitness, every other branch of Trade, in which abuses are committed, ought, on the fame account, to fhare the fame fate.

pursuits themselves, and not at all depending on our habits or ideas of Right and Wrong, which are but too often influenced and darkened by prejudice, interest, and other paffions; and, it being equally evident on the other hand, that the declarations of the Written Word of God are fo many incontrovertible decisions, by which we are to judge of the intrinfic licitnefs or illicitnefs of fuch facts as are registered in the Sacred Volumes; it follows neceffarily, that, one of those facts being undoubtedly the SLAVE-TRADE, no arguments can be fo forcible and conclusive, towards evincing the inherent lawfulness of it, as thofe Oracular decifions of the Word of God, which give a positive fanction to the Trade itself.-It is then by enforcing thefe unerring decifions only, the fureft guide to direct our judgements in forming a juft eftimate of the merits of the prefent Controverfy, that I mean to vindicate the licitnefs of the SLAVE-TRADE; not by patronizing fuch crying enormities and abuses, as are faid to be perpetrated in this most ancient commercial purfuit.

SHOULD the fanction of divine authority appear evident in favour of the SLAYE-TRADE, from the teftimonies I fhall produce in the feries of my Researches, I fhall confider myfelf perfectly difingaged from the moft diftant obligation of answering fuch objections, as are not grounded on the fame divine authority; an authority of that irresistible weight of conviction, that every perfon, who has any pretenfions to Religion, muft immediately af fent to, however plaufible or ingenious the oppofite arguments may appear, when viewed through the fcanty light of mere human reafon and sense.

THE fcope of the following Refearches being evidently to try the merits of the prefent Controverfy by the Sacred Canons of the Written Word of

17

God,

PREFACE.

vii.

God, I can expect conviction only from fuch perfons, as are not fo far deftitute of every fentiment of religion and good fenfe, as to difbelieve the divine authenticity of those Sacred Writings, in which the Finger of God has left in indelible characters the visible impreffion of his Wisdom.

Now, as thefe Sacred Records contain tranfactions relative to the SLAVE-TRADE, as practised in all the three religious Difpenfations that have appeared in the World fince the formation of the firft of men to the prefent time, I fhall, accordingly, divide my Scriptural Refearches on that Trade, into three feparate Parts: in which I fhall fucceffively prove, that the SLAVE-TRADE is perfectly confonant to the principles of the Law of Nature, the Mofaic Difpenfation, and the Chriftian Law, as delineated to us in the Sacred Writings of the Word of God.

I HAVE prefixed to the whole a few pofitions or Data, which, I trust, will be found unquestionably true, and exactly conformable to found reafon; in order, that I may not be interrupted in the fequel with unneceffary repetitions of general principles, nor be in the leaft conftrained to enter into a formal confutation of arguments, which do not immediately affect my fubject, and that the Reader may fee at one view the very fundamental principles of those inferences, which I draw in vindication of the SLAVETRADE from the Scriptural paffages I have felected in the course of my Researches, out of a greater number of the fame import I could eafily produce.

THE Scriptural paffages are literally tranfcribed from the Proteftant Vulgar Tranflation of the Bible; which, being the most generally received in these Kingdoms, will, of course, have a greater weight of authority than any other with the major part of my

Readers.

Readers. The Edition I ufe is that which was published in London by John Bill and Christopher Barker in the year 1669.

WITH refpect to compofition, I can pretend to neither elegance nor ftyle: a Foreigner, unacquainted with the leaft element of the English Language till the twenty feventh year of his age, can have no claim to either if he can but arrange his periods with a tolerable degree of grammatical accuracy, and exprefs himself with fufficient clearness, method, and perfpicuity, he has reafon to expect every indulgence from the native candour of an English Critic.

DATA.

THAT the Volume of the Sacred Writings, commonly called the HOLY BIBLE, comprehending both the Old and the New Teftaments, contains the unerring Decifions of the Word of God.

II.

THAT these Decifions are of equal authority in both the Teftaments, and that that Authority is the effential veracity of God, who is TRUTH itself.

III.

THAT, as there can be no prescription against the authority of God, whatever is declared in any part of the Scriptural Records to be intrinfically good or bad, licit or illicit, must be effentially fo in its own nature, however contrary any fuch declaration may be to the received opinions of men for any length of time.

IV.

THAT, as the Supreme Legiflator of the World is infinitely juft and wife in all his decifions refpecting Right and Wrong, and is no ways accountable to his creatures for the reasons of his conduct in the government of the World; fo it must be a degree of prefumption highly criminal in any creature to refufe affent to those Decifions, only because he cannot comprehend the hidden principles of that impartial justice which characterizes every decifion of God.

V.

THAT no person can be fuppofed to acknowledge in fact, that the Holy Scriptures are the infallible

B

Word