How far mm may be made Slaws. mifery to efcapc a greater, or death it felf; yet is it not lawful for any other fo to take advantage by his'neceffity, as to bring him into a conditio~, that ~~ll ~ake him mHt:rable, or ~n which we Cl1Jil not exercife fo much lovt:, as may tend to hts fanCbhcauon, comfort and falvatton. Becaufc no Jxftice is befecming a Chrifiian or a Mm, which is not conjoyned with a due meafure ofCharity. 559' But 1 • He that defcrveth it by way of penalty may be penally ufed. 2• He that llo!e and CaH· not refiore may be forced to work it out as a fervant: And in both thefc cafes more may be done againfi anothers eafe or liberty, than by met'r contract or confent. He that may hang a fbgitious offender; cloth him no wrong if he put him to a flav~.:ry, which is Jefs penal than death. 3· More alfo may be done againfl Enemies taken in' a lawful War, than could be: done againll the innocent by 11 eceffira.tcd confcnr. 4· A ccrtaiJz degree of fervitude or Oavery is h.wful by the necdfitatcd confeat of the innoctnr. That is fo much, J, As \9rongeth no intt:rel\ of God, 2. Nor of mankind by breaking the Law of Nat ions, 3· Nor rhc perfon hirr.felf, by hindering his falvation, or the needfut meam thereof; nor tho[e comtorts of life, which nature givcth to mm as man. 4• Nor the Corn~ men-wealth or fOciety where we live. ~cjt. 2 . To the 2 Q.1efi. I anfwer, r. As men mllfl be varioufly Loved according to the various fikt(l. :2. d'Cgrees of amiablenefs in 1hem ; fo various degrees of Love mull be rxcrcifed towards them. Therefore good and real Chriflians mufi be ufed with more Love and brotherly tenderncfs than others. 2 • lt is meet alfo that infidels have fo much mercy Chewed them in order to the faving of their louts as that they 010uld !:te invited to Chrifiianiry by fit c:nc0uragcments: And fo that they lhould kno~ that if they will turn Chrilli:ms rhcy £hall have more priviled.ges and emoluments than the emmies of uuth and piety fhall fnve-•.It is therefore well diPne of Princes who make Laws that Infidel fhvcs fhall be free men, whw rhey are duly Chrillcned. 3· But yet a nominal Chrifiian who by wickcdnefs forfeit cth hisLife or freedom, tn3y penally bemade a tlave as well as Infidels. 4· And a poor and nee-dy Chrifiian may fell himfdf into a harder Hate of fervitude than he would choofc or we could orherwH(: put him into. But 5· To go as Pirats and catch up poor Nef,ro's or people of anGJther Land, that never forfeited Life or Liberty, and tO make them tl,~;ves, and fell them, is one of the worH kinds of Thievery in the world 1 and fuch prrfons are to be taken for the common enemies of mankind; And they that buy them and ufe them as bc::~fis, for their rncer commodity, and ber~ay or dcftroy or neglect their fouls, are fitter to be called incarnate Devils than Chrillians, though they be no Chrifiians whom they fo abufe. ~t/!. 3· To the 3 O!!_ell. I anfwer, That the folution of this cafe is to be gathered from what fl<!!tft· 3' is f~id already. A Servant and a Voluntary flave were both fn:e men t1ll thty fold or hued them~ felves ; And a criminal perfon was a freeman till he forfeited his life or liberty : But afterward the di1fe.(cnce is this; that I• A freeft:rvant is my fcrvant no further than his own Covenant made him fo; which is fuppoftd to be, I· To a certain l(!nd, and mtafore of labour according to the meaning of his contract. 2. t~or a limited time, cxprelfc:d in the contract, whether a year or two or three or fcven. . · 2 • A Slave by mecr Contra& ·is one tha.t, t. U(ually felleth himfelfabfolute!y to the wiU of ano– ther as ro his labour both for k,jnd and meafure ; wher.e yet the limitations of God and nature af~ rer (and before) named are luppofed among Chrifiians io take place. 2· Ho is one that fel!eth bimfelf to fuch labour durmg l1fr. 3· ASlave by jufi penalty is lyableto 'f0 muchfervitude as th~ ¥agillrate doth judge him to; which may be, I· Not only fuch labour as aforcfa1d as pleafeth hts maller to impofe, 2 , And that .for life, 3· But it may be alfo to llripes and fevcrities which might not lawfully be inflicted on another. 1 , The Limitations of a neceffitated-fhvery by Contract or Confent through poverty are. thefe, 1 , Such a ones foul mufl be cared for and prefervcd, though he lheu\d confcnt ro the con– trary. He muft have time to learn the word of God, and time to pray, and he mull: rc:ft on the Lords day, and employ it in Geds fCrvice ; He mull be inllru6tecl and exhorted and kept from fin. 2· He may not be forced to commit ~ny fin againll God. 3· He may not (though he forcedly confent) be denyed fuch comforts of thiS hfe, as are needful to his cheerful ferving of God m Love and Thankfulnefs, accordmg to the peace of rhe Gofpcl Clare ; and which are called by the name of our Daily bread. No man may deny a Slave any of this, that is not a criminal punifu– ed Slave. 2 • And the moll criminal fhve may not be forced to fin, nor denyed neceffary helps to his falva~ tion. But he may penally be beaten and denyed part of his daily bread ; fo it be not done more rigoroutly than rrueJullicc doth requife. ~efi. But r"hat if men buy Negro's or other jlaveJ of /itch aJ we bave ju(l caufe to believe did jleal tbem by Piracy, or buy them ofthofe that have na power ta feU them, a;zd not hire or buy them by their onm cunfr;zt, or by the confent of tho[e th,i.t had power tofiU them, nor tJk,! them Captivu i;: a lawful f.Var what mujl thty do with them afterward ? · ' AHfw. 1. It is their heynous fin to buy them, unl:fs it be in charity to deliver them. 2 , H.1ving done ir, undoubredly they arc prefen~ly b~und to ~eltver them : BecauCe by right the man is his own~ and thcr~fore no man clfc can have Jull title to h1m. · ~ell. But may I uot flU him again and maize my money of him, {ccing I /Cave him but tJJ I found him? A~[:· No: be_caufc whe_n y~u have taken p~tTeffion of him, and a pretended propri~ty, then the mJury that IS done him IS by you ; which before was only by another ; And though Ccca the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=