"unknown in the Mother Country, that is a posi"tion which is altogether without foundation, "and positively and practically untrue. "In my opinion, when a proposition is sub"mitted to this House, for the purpose of in 66 ducing the House to act upon it, care should "be taken not to confound what is morally true, "with what is historically false. Undoubtedly "the spirit of the British Constitution is, in "its principle, hostile to any modification of Slavery. But, as undoubtedly, the British "Parliament has for ages tolerated, sanctioned, protected, and even encouraged a system of "Colonial establishment of which it well knew Slavery to be the foundation. 66 66 66 "In the same way God forbid that I should " contend that the Christian Religion is favourable "to Slavery; but I confess I feel a strong objection "to the introduction of the name of Christianity, "as it were, bodily into any Parliamentary ques"tion. Religion ought to control the acts, and re 66 gulate the consciences of Governments, as well "as of individuals. But when it is put forward "to serve a political purpose, however laudable, "it is done, I think, after the example of ill "times, and I cannot but remember the ill ob jects to which in those times such a practice "was was applied. Assuredly no Christian will "deny that the spirit of the Christian Religion "is hostile to Slavery, as it is to every abuse and "misuse of power. It is hostile to all deviations "from rectitude, morality, and justice; but if "it be meant that in the Christian Religion "there is a special denunciation against Slavery, "that Slavery and Christianity cannot exist together, I think the Honourable Gentleman "himself must admit that the proposition is his"torically false. And again, I must say, that I "cannot consent to the confounding, for a poli"tical purpose, what is morally true, with what "is historically false. One peculiar character"istick of the Christian dispensation, if I must "venture in this place upon such a theme, is "that it has accommodated itself to all states of society, rather than that it has selected any particular state of society for the peculiar "exercise of its influence. If it has added lustre "to the sceptre of the Sovereign, it has equally "been the consolation of the Slave. It applies "to all ranks of life, to all conditions of "men; and the sufferings of this world, even to "those upon whom they press most heavily, are "rendered comparatively indifferent by the pros"pect of compensation in the world of which "Christianity affords the assurance. True it 66 generally is, that Christianity tends to elevate, "not to degrade, the character of man; but it is "not true, in the specifick sense conveyed in "the resolution. It is not true that there is "that in the Christian Religion which makes it 66 impossible that it should co-exist with Slavery "in the world. Slavery has been known in all "times, and under all systems of Religion, "whether true or false. Non meus hic sermo; "I speak but what others have written on this point; and I beg leave to read to the House a passage from Dr. Paley, which is directly applicable to the subject that we are dis"cussing: 66 66 66 6 "Slavery was a part of the civil constitution "of most countries when Christianity appeared: yet no passage is to be found in the ChristianScriptures by which it is condemned and "prohibited. This is true; for Christianity, soliciting admission into all nations of the "world, abstained, as behoved it, from inter 66 6 66 6 66 6 meddling with the civil institutions of any. "But, does it follow from the silence of Scrip"ture concerning them, that all the civil insti"tutions which then prevailed were right; "or that the bad should not be exchanged for "better? Besides this, the discharging of all "slaves from all obligation to obey their mas"ters, which is the consequence of pronouncing 66 6 slavery to be unlawful, would have had no "better effect than to have let loose one half of "mankind upon the other. Slaves would have "been tempted to embrace a religion which as"serted their right to freedom; masters would "hardly have been persuaded to consent to "claims founded upon such authority; the "most calamitous of all consequences, a Bellum "Servile, might probably have ensued, to the re"proach, if not the extinction, of the Christian "name. The truth is, the emancipation of "Slaves should be gradual, and be carried on by the provisions of law, and under the "protection of civil government. Christianity "can only operate as an alterative. By the "mild diffusion of its light and influence, the "minds of men are insensibly prepared to per"ceive and correct the enormities which folly, "❝or wickedness, or accident, have introduced "into their public establishments. In this way "the Greek and Roman Slavery, and since "these the feudal tyranny, had declined before "it. And, we trust, that as the knowledge “‹ and authority of the same religion advance "in the world, they will abolish what remains "of this odious institution.' "The Honourable Gentleman cannot wish "more than I do," continued Mr. Canning, "that under this gradual operation, this widening diffusion of light and liberality, the spirit "of the Christian religion may effect all the 66 66 objects he has at heart. But it seems to me "that it is not, for the practical attainment of "his objects, desirable that that which may be "the influencing spirit, should be put forward "as the active agent. When Christianity was "introduced into the World, it took its root "amidst the galling Slavery of the Roman Em pire; more galling, in many respects (though "not precisely of the same character), than that "of which every friend of humanity complains. "If the evils of this dreadful system neverthe"less gradually vanished, before the gentle but "certain influence of Christianity, and if the great Author of the system trusted rather to "this gradual operation of the principle than to any immediate or direct precept, I think, Par"liament would do more wisely rather to rely 66 upon the like operation of the same principle, "than to put forward the authority of Christian ity, in at least a questionable shape." The whole of this passage is most important: because in it Mr. Canning lays down general principles which will bear upon the subject so long as Slavery exists. But although he "contended against the literal "sense of the resolution, he was quite willing to "admit that the spirit both of Christianity and "the British Constitution was in favour of a gradual termination of this unquestioned evil, "and he was therefore ready to proceed to all "reasonable and practicable measures for that purpose." With this view he agreed as to the expediency of adopting many of the details proposed by Mr. Buxton for ameliorating the condition of the |