Page:A Dissuasion from the Slave Trade.djvu/21

 unto thee, thou shall not compel him to serve as a Bond-man; but as an hired Servant.

first branch under this head is, He that stealeth and selleth a man, shall be put to death. This is one of the most express laws of Moses, as you may see in Exod. xxi. 16, two first, and last clauses of the verse, there mentioned in the most peremptory words; And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, shall surely be put to death. It certainly can be looked upon in no other light in the Merchants and Ship-masters who are in this Trade to Africa, than stealing of men, being accessary to, and aiding in inciting them to war one with another, and for this purpose, supplying them with prodigious quantities of arms and ammunition, whereby they are hurried into confusion, bloodshed, and all the extremities of temporal misery, which must consequently beget in their minds such a general detestation and scorn of the Christian name, as may deeply affect, if not wholly preclude, their belief of the great truths of our holy religion. Thus an insatiable desire of gain prevails with their Kings, who, instead of being protectors of their people, for this alluring bait