him, in the singleness of your heart.  Do it freely and cheerfully; without murmuring or repining; and whatever service them shalt render unto thy master, Philemon, it shall be accounted unto thee, as service rendered unto the God of heaven.  Dear brother Onesimus, thy condition is now changed; for, whereas Philemon was formerly thy master; he is now thy master and thy brother, and thou shalt obey him and love him as such.  Go home brother; and here is a letter I have written to brother Philemon, your master.  Onesimus returns home with this letter in his pocket.  Anxious I have no doubt, to see his good old master.  His feelings and views had undergone a change.  He loved his master then; whereas, he formerly hated him, and fled from his service.  No time is lost; he returns home in haste to his master.  They meet.  He approaches Philemon and extends his hand, while tears trickle down his cheeks.  Master, (says he to Philemon), I have been a wicked and unfaithful servant; but thank God, I found St. Paul at Rome and he has converted me to Christianity; and here is a letter from brother Paul.  And did you see brother Paul, exclaimed Philemon?  Oh! yes, said Onesimus; his countenance lighting up and his eyes dancing in their sockets for joy.  And is dear brother Paul well?  How does he do?  Oh! very well master, very well, indeed.  Philemon then proceeds to open the letter, and what does he read therein?

“I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ—­unto Philemon, our dearly beloved brother—­Grace to you and peace from God—­Hearing of thy love and faith—­Which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus Christ; I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus, That thou shouldst receive him forever.”

Receive him, said St. Paul, not only as a good and faithful servant, now profitable to thee; but receive him as a brother beloved—­an heir of salvation.  Here is clearly set forth the duty of ministers, masters, and servants; but, as I shall again and again refer to this subject, I will now proceed to show reasons why, the holding of slaves is not necessarily sinful under all circumstances.

A slaveholder is under no obligation to emancipate his slave, provided the condition of the slave is made worse thereby.  And it is obvious, that there are many cases, in which both master and slave would sustain injury, by the emancipation of the slave.  Under such circumstances, there are as good reasons, why a slave should be retained in bondage, as there are, that a minor should be subject to his parents until he is twenty-one years of age; or that an idiot should be placed under the supervision and control of some one, during his natural life.  The reason is based on inability and incompetency of the slave, the minor and the idiot.  They are not qualified to reason and to judge, and are therefore incompetent to act; hence, it devolves on some one to reason and to judge for them, and to supervise and control their actions.  The welfare of the slave, the minor, and the idiot, is subserved by subjecting them to the control of competent persons; and the peace, prosperity, and general good of all are promoted thereby.