I beg you all would fly from the oppression and Bondage to which the poor Africans are subjected, loose the bonds from off their necks, and thereby extricate yourselves from a custom which is pernicious to your welfare here and hereafter; and as you are sensible most men have objections to this base, unlawful Trade, you ought to vindicate yourselves to the world, upon principles of reason, honesty, and humanity, and then you will not attack the persons, or invade the rights of these people. I believe those who are concerned in this Trade will be at a loss to make this justification but upon motives so weak and unreasonable, that I do not think any of them which have been advanced for their defence worthy of notice; and if they are undeserving of that, they certainly are below regard; therefore I think you should forever lay it aside. This is the best and shortest way; for there should be no trade carried on, it being a national and provincial concern, but such as is justifiable both to God and man, and this is in direct opposition to both. But laying man’s resentment aside, which is of little moment in comparison with that of the Almighty’s, I counsel you once more to think of a future reckoning, consider what reasons you will be able to produce at the great and last day. You now accumulate riches and live in pleasure; but what will you do in the end, and that will be but short? What if you should be called hence and hurried out of this world under the vast load of blood guiltiness that is now lying on your souls? How many thousands have you been the instruments to, and primary cause of being killed in the wars and broils with the African Chiefs, wanting to obtain your number to enslave; and how many have you killed in the passage, when these poor Creatures were trying to retrieve their Liberty which they had in their own country, and which you unjustly take from them, or rather chusing to die than take food to nourish and preserve themselves for being mancipated with their children after them?
It is declared in the most express terms in Scripture, that thieves and murderers shall not inherit the kingdom of God. You who are in this Trade take warning by that, and if you have any thoughts or Christian feeling you must certainly renounce it; for that you are thieves and murderers (I hope after what has been said) will not be disputed; and you should think that at the same time and by the same means you are treasuring up worldly riches, you are treasuring up fountains of wrath against the day of anger and vengeance that shall come upon the workers of iniquity, unless timely repented of.
What injustice is greater? What offence more heinous? Is there any carries in it more consummate guilt than that in which you now live? How can you lift your culpable eyes to Heaven? How can you pray for mercy, or hope for savour from him that made and formed you, while you go on thus boldly and publickly dishonouring him, in degrading and destroying the noblest workmanship of his hands in this sublunary world? Can you think that God will hear your prayers, receive your supplications, or grant your desires, while you act thus grossly and openly against his divine revealed will and pleasure? And do you suppose that he who is the Parent of all nations, the Protector of all people, and the Father of all men, will not revenge the mal-treatment of his offspring whom he once so loved as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life? This love of God to man, which is disclosed in Scripture, adds double provocation to your crimes; for if God regards us with so much affection, we ought also to esteem one another.
Permit yourselves for a moment to reflect equitably and deliberately upon the nature of this horrid, detestable, vile, and abominable Man Trade, and your hearts must certainly relent, if you have not lost all sense of benevolence, all sympathy and compassion towards those of your Brethren who have the same capacities, understandings and souls, and who were born to inherit the same salvation with you; I say, if you are not callous to every Christian, humane, and manly sensibility, you certainly must feel compassion for those extremely oppressed people, when you think what miseries, what devastations and massacres among them you have been the author of, and all for filthy lucre’s sake. The thoughts of this accursed Trade touches my very heart, and finding if I continue any longer I shall get out of the bounds of decency, must therefore conclude. And if all you have read should have no weight upon your hardened hearts, this remains for my consolation that I have done my duty; and I pray! Fervently pray! That God would have mercy on your sinful souls; and that he of his infinite goodness would grant that you may be made sensible of your guilt and repent of these your execrable and really detestable deeds.
FINIS.
☞ The Author makes no doubt but the Publick, after reading this Pamphlet, will readily agree with him, that the words in the Dedication are verified, “That it was put together with more good intent than ability,” which he is very sensible of: But at the same time thinks all criticism and scrutinizing should be laid aside, when they reflect, that the will to do good is next in order to the action itself.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] It is supposed eighty thousand Negroes, are upon the Island of Barbadoes, and yet through the hard labour they exact of these poor creatures, and what of them are killed through their barbarous chastisements, a decrease is made of five thousand Slaves yearly, which they are resupplied with from Africa; and it may be reasonably expected, that the children eighty thousand Negroes would have, were they worked in the same manner with the white people, and did not so many of them die through hard labour, and from the treatment they suffer: I say, it may be expected, there would be an increase of ten thousand at a moderate computation yearly, instead of five thousand decreasing. One may form an idea from this, of what an additional supply most of the West-India Islands and Southern Provinces need, for there is not one of them but what import a considerable number of Slaves annually, to keep up their common stock.